In Oakland, a Day to Remember Rickey Henderson

When Oakland A’s legend Rickey Henderson passed in December, he left a legacy rife with accomplishments — not just a long list of records, but a following of fans forever influenced by his approach to the art of playing baseball.

Those fans now get a chance to honor the Hall of Famer as Henderson’s family and the City of Oakland host a free public celebration of life for Henderson on Feb. 1.

Beyond the records and stats — Henderson remains the all-time leader in steals and leadoff home runs — Rickey brought a flair to the game during his 25-year career that made a sometimes monotonous sport thrilling to watch.

He’d pop his collar while rounding the bases after hitting home runs. He’d take huge leads off of first base, informing everyone in the stadium that he was going to steal, and wouldn’t get caught as he did.

Even prior to swinging at a single pitch, he’d step into the batter’s box with character. At 5’10”, Rickey was not necessarily a short man, but when he stepped to the plate, he’d crouch. By bringing his chest closer to his knees, he’d make himself compact, minimizing the strike zone and frustrating opposing pitchers.

As a kid playing baseball at East Oakland’s Greenman Field, just blocks from where Rickey played, I’d imitate his batting stance. At 5’5”, I’d crouch down as Rickey showed me; evidence that being a shorter player wasn’t a disadvantage if you knew what you were doing. (That lesson was easily transferrable to life, as many lessons in baseball are.)

Rickey’s death is an exclamation point on what’s been a heartbreaking couple of years for longtime A’s fans. After seasons of selling fans false notions of being rooted in Oakland, in September of last year the team played its final game in the Town. As the A’s leave for Las Vegas, stopping first for a few seasons in Sacramento, fans are still mourning the death of a dynasty; one that brought four championships to Oakland during 57 seasons of calling the East Bay home.

Earlier this week, when I talked to Bryan Johansen, co-founder of the clothing brand-turn-community service organization The Last Dive Bar (which is also supporting the memorial event), he was driving around dropping off small capsules of coliseum dirt to people looking to hold on to a piece of the deceased franchise.

“It’s really like the ashes of fandom,” Johansen says of the infield dirt. Acquired from former A’s head groundskeeper Clay Wood, The Last Dive Bar bottles and sells it. Johansen says they then donate all proceeds to Loyal To My Soil, an organization that runs local baseball clinics and programs for young people, founded by former Oakland A’s pitcher (and childhood teammate of mine) Tyson Ross.

The spirit of baseball will remain in Oakland, even if the A’s don’t. And despite the disdain fans have for the team’s owner, the love of the legends remains. Notable players like Miguel Tejada, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Henderson and Rollie Fingers will forever be etched in the hearts of baseball fans.

But arguably, none more than Rickey Henderson. Raised in Oakland, a graduate of Oakland Tech, Rickey embodied the Town.

His daughter Alexis Henderson tells me that people who attend the upcoming event honoring Rickey’s life should expect to be in community with family, friends and loyal fans. She hopes the event will, “enlighten the beauty and legacy of my father as it will continue to move forward.”

A free public celebration of life for Rickey Henderson gets underway at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Oakland Arena. Tickets and information here.