Run Rickey, Run

Rickey Henderson got word Monday on what Rickey Henderson already knew long ago. Rickey Henderson is a Hall of Famer.

While the 2009 MLB HOF election rightly selected Red Sox great Jim Rice, one has to ask how a player as transcendent as Henderson (both on the field and in person) only appears on 94.8 percent of voters' ballots.

Henderson is undoubtedly the greatest leadoff hitter ever. But aside from that, a very strong argument could be made that he's one of the greatest players ever as well. There is no comparable player in baseball history. Who else can make that claim?

Rickey hit for power. Rickey hit for average. Rickey got on base. Rickey stole bases like Bernie Madoff stole money. Rickey was an All-Star. Rickey won Gold Gloves. Rickey won a MVP. Rickey won World Series. And most important, Rickey was Rickey.

So it seems rather absurd that 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America deemed Rickey unworthy of being a first ball Hall of Famer.

Yes, Rickey played about five years too many (I don't think he ever officially retired). But is it fair that some 250-pound sports writer from Birmingham who eats Tony Roma's and sucks down Cold Stone six times a week can vote "no" on Rickey for any assortment of reasons (my favorite is the ever present rocky relationship with the media cop-out)?

Everyone rightfully criticizes the BCS for being a complete farce. Computers clearly can't determine a true college football national champion. But for the Hall of Fame, computers make sense.

Think about it. In a sport as entrenched in numbers as baseball is, wouldn't computers be the logical choice for determining who makes it into the sacred Hall?

Jim Rice had to wait 15 years to gain election (the longest I've ever waited for anything is the nearly two year gap from Season 5 to Season 6 of Sopranos). And in the 15 years it took for Rice to push his way in, his career numbers stayed exactly the same.

Computers would surely elect Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven - two players who should be in but may never make it.

Set the program to eliminate the roiders (sorry Mark "I'm not here to talk about the past" McGwire).

Let the numbers speak for themselves and within their historical context.

Because if anyone deserved to be elected with 100 percent certainty, it was Rickey.