The votes are in, and Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Henderson was a no-brainer, Rice, not so much.
Rickey Henderson blocked Bubba when he was a Dodger:
SARASOTA, FL (March 31, 2005) – Rickey Henderson is still available, presumably in great shape and ready to resume his career. The Yankees, to Bubba Crosby's relief, are not interested.
Henderson, a future Hall of Fame outfielder, represented the most deflating moment in Crosby's career. After six minor-league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Crosby had finally learned how to hit. He was bruising the Pacific Coast League in the summer of 2003, and the Dodgers were desperate for hitting.
But instead of calling up Crosby, their former first-round pick, the Dodgers signed Henderson, who was 44 years old. Henderson batted .208. The Dodgers traded Crosby to the Yankees for Robin Ventura two weeks later, when he was batting .361 at Triple-A.
"Even though Rickey Henderson is one of the greatest baseball players ever, it was still, to me, kind of a slap in my face that I didn't get an opportunity," Crosby said. "I was a Dodger, and in that organization, that's all they talk about – breeding young talent, moving through the organization. It was kind of like, what else do I need to do?"
Well, I guess if you're going to be blocked, it might as well be by a future hall of famer.
