It was the tale of two players this Sunday for the Hall Of Fame Inductions⁽¹⁾ at Cooperstown⁽²⁾.  One player, Rickey Henderson⁽³⁾, was in a league of his own and was inducted his first year on the ballot. He has been credited with changing the lead off position because of his speed and home run power. He is also the owner of a record that may never even come close to being broken, 130 steals in 1982⁽⁴⁾. I am not sure how that is possible but the man would just get on base and steal any bag he wanted, whenever he wanted.

Rickey Henderson H.O.F Slide Show⁽⁵⁾

The other player, Jim Rice⁽⁶⁾, was a slugging machine, recording 100 RBI’s 8 of his 16 seasons⁽⁷⁾. His numbers would  lead you to believe he was capable of driving in runners at will. His best year came in 1978 when he scored 121 times, drove in 139 runners, hit 46 home runs and slugged .600⁽⁸⁾. Even with these outstanding numbers, Rice did not cater to the media and it may have hurt his chances to have been inducted earlier. His last year on the ballot, Jim Rice was awarded a spot in Cooperstown.

Jim Rice H.O.F Slide Show⁽⁹⁾

Needless to say, even though these two players were separated by time, they are together in Cooperstown. It seems fitting that they would be inducted together. They were each the best players for years during different spans of their careers, seemingly playing in a league of their own. Now they are joined as immortal players in Cooperstown.

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1. Mychael Urban – MLB.com Writer
2. National Baseball Hall Of Fame
3. Hal Bodley is the senior correspondent for MLB.com
4. Rickey Henderson Player Card – ESPN.com
5. Hall Of Fame Slide Show of Rickey Henderson
6. Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com
7. Jim Rice Player Card – ESPN.com
8. Jim Rice Player Card – ESPN.com
9. Hall Of Fame Slide Show of Jim Rice