Neal: Rickey Henderson ... gone but never forgotten

Rickey Henderson, the unquestioned Man of Steal, stole third base 322 times in his career. The Twins' all-time leader in stolen bases is Chuck Knoblauch with 276.

Henderson stole one base more than any Twins player stole second, third or home combined.

That’s just one incredible aspect of perhaps the most unique player in Major League Baseball history. Henderson was the best leadoff hitter ever, with a speed-power combination that was baffling. He hit at least 15 home runs nine times, but he never reached 10 triples in a season and only reached 30 doubles five times in a 25-season career.

Yet, there’s a huge number that defines him. That’s 1,406 — Henderson’s major league record for stolen bases. He could fly. His instincts were elite. He read pitchers' moves to the plate better than anyone. He crouched down low in the batter’s box, making his strike zone infinitesimal, helping him draw 2,190 walks, a record when his playing career ended following the 2003 season.

He’s known for many things, including his assault on third base.

“I love the one when someone asked him, ‘For being one the fastest guys in the history of the game, 1,400 stolen bases, you didn’t hit that many triples,’” Paul Molitor said. “And [Henderson] said, ‘Rickey’s going to get to third.’”

That’s the best way to remember Henderson. If he reached first base, he was getting to third.

Molitor, the Hall of Famer from St. Paul, was nicknamed the Ignitor for his ability to get on base and get an offense churning. But there was no one like Henderson, who died Friday and would have turned 66 on Christmas Day. He made pitchers and catchers feel hopeless when trying to keep him tethered to first base. And those 1,406 stolen bases were a reason why he’s also the all-time leader in runs scored with 2,295.

Henderson tormented the Twins during his career. He batted .298 against them, the third-highest average against any opponent. His .869 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against them was his second-highest against any opponent.

Henderson also was known for his flamboyance.

He patted the top of his helmet and tugged at the collar of his uniform as he began his home run trot. He snatched fly balls out of the air with his glove. When he broke Lou Brock’s stolen base record in 1991 — with a swipe of third base — he pulled the base out of its mooring before holding it above his head as if he had claimed Excalibur. When handed a microphone he proclaimed, “I am the greatest of all time.”

We thought he was an arrogant showboat. That was before bat flips and rebel yells following home runs took over the game.

Several years ago, Molitor told a couple of reporters, “You had to play with Rickey to understand Rickey,” That prompted a phone call to Molitor this week, since he played with him in 1993 after Henderson was dealt from Oakland to Toronto at the trade deadline.

“I always took it as a personal challenge when I played against him because I knew he was the best leadoff hitter in the game,” Molitor said. “and I was filling that same role for clubs for 15 years.

“But when, when he came over to Toronto, and I had a chance to delve in a little bit deeper about who he was and his desire to win. And, yes, maybe he did take making it to the show — he kind of took that literally, he wanted to be a show — but he was really respectful about coming to Toronto late in the season, a good team, and he fit right in. The ego things were nonexistent.”

Henderson was an entertainer but also wanted to be a winner. And Rickey being Rickey was enjoyment for anyone around him.

“There was the whole idea of sitting on the bus,” Molitor said. “And someone told him, ‘You have to have tenure to sit at the front of the bus.’ And he said, ’10-year? I’ve got 14-year.' Those type of stories.”

It will never be known what teams would have done with Henderson if he played today. Would they have tried to get him out of that deep crouch and make him more of a power hitter? Would research and development departments implore their managers to keep Henderson from stealing third base so much? And how would he have tried to stand out among the bat-flipping generation?

This was a player who, on July 29, 1989, went 0-for-0 at the plate but stole five bases and scored four runs.

Would managers today let Rickey be Rickey?

“If I was managing, I would have been like Billy Martin,” Molitor said. “Go, go, go man.”