Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson,  the all-time stolen base king and 2009 Cooperstown inductee,  has died of pneumonia.  He was 65.

It may be a controversial choice to some,  but if I was to manage a team of MLB's all-time greatest players,  I'd have Henderson at the top of the lineup. 

In my mind,  there was been no greater leadoff hitter in the long history of the sport. 1406 stolen bases. 3,055 hits and 2190 walks.  297 home runs and 510 doubles. 1,115 RBI's to go along with a record 2,295 runs. An OBP of .401 and more than 111 career WAR.

My word. 

I still remember the day in 1982 when he broke the record for most stolen bases in a season,  right here in Milwaukee.  I seem to remember my Dad thought Rickey came off as a pompous here that day,  and maybe he was; sometimes humility takes awhile to catch up with immense talent. 

RIP Rickey. You were spectacular. 

Manager of the Year

On Tuesday Pat Murphy beame he first Brewers manager to be named Manager of the Year. 

The choice spawned a lot of online whining from Mets fans, who believed that Carlos Mendoza - who finished third in the voting - should have gotten the honor, in large part becaue the Mets eked by the Brewers in the post-season. 

A - It's a regular season award

B - Murphy took over a team that was picked to finish 4th in the NL Central, and instead won the division by the largest margin in baseball. 

C - Menoza had about $200 million more in payroll on the field for him

In other words, those Mets fans are full of it.

Congratsulations Pat! 

An Honor(s) for the Crew

Best defense in the National League. A well deserved honor for an outstanding year in the field. 

And . . .

Officially the best defensive player in the National League. 

Congratulations Brice!

The Dodgers Win The World Series

The Yankees lost the World Series in five games,  and I can't even be mad about it. The Dodgers just played like the better team. They dominated most of the way, and even when they didn't, they capitalized on Yankee mistakes and came roaring back.

So,  for 2024 only,  congratulations to the Dodgers!