Jan 12 2009
Henderson, Rice Elected to Hall of Fame
Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in results announced Monday. The two will inducted in a ceremony in August in Cooperstown, New York.
Henderson earned nearly 95 percent of votes from the 10-year members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He was in his first year in eligibility and is baseball’s all-time leader in runs scored and stolen bases. He played 25 seasons and revolutionized the leadoff hitter position.
Rice was named on about 76 percent of the ballots returned. Rice was elected on the 15th and final time he’d be on the ballot. Had he not been elected this year, he would have put before the Veterans Committee as a future date.
Rice had seven more than necessary. Seventy-five percent was required. BBWAA members were allowed to vote for between zero and ten players. From 1975 to 1986, RIce led the American League in home runs, runs batted in and hits.
His 12-year span as a top-notch player should have earned him induction a decade ago but his frosty relationship with the media damaged his Hall of Fame prospects. Clearly, a sizable faction of the writers didn’t want to include him in the club. However, that number lessened slightly with time.
