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Rickey Henderson, baseball’s greatest leadoff hitter and the all-time stolen base king, died Friday in Oakland at the age of 65 after battling pneumonia, multiple sources confirmed on Saturday.

Henderson’s career was a testament to speed, power and charisma.

Over 24 seasons, he racked up a record-breaking 1,406 stolen bases, 2,295 runs scored, and 81 leadoff home runs. A 10-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, and 1990 American League MVP, Henderson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2009.

“My favorite hero was Muhammad Ali,” Henderson said during his induction speech in Cooperstown, New York. “He said one time, quote, I am the greatest, end of quote. That was something I always wanted to be, and now that the [Baseball Writers’ Association of America] has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time, and at this moment, I am very, very humbled.”

The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in California also inducted Henderson in 2020. READ MORE…

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Lou Brock, one of the best hitters and base stealers in baseball history, died Sunday at the age of 81.

A Brock family representative confirmed his death to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Known as a “stolen base specialist” according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Brock played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, with 16 of those for the Cardinals. He is one of 32 players to hit 3,000 hits or more and has the second-most stolen bases in MLB history.

“Lou Brock was one of the most revered members of the St. Louis Cardinals organization and one of the very best to ever wear the Birds on the Bat,” said William DeWitt Jr., the Cardinals’ CEO and principal owner. “He was an ambassador of the game around the country and a fan favorite who connected with millions of baseball fans across multiple generations. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”

An outfielder, Lou Brock began his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1961 before being traded to the Cardinals during the 1964 season. The trade ranks as the greatest in Cardinals franchise history, according to the team.

As a member of the Cardinals, Brock was a six-time All-Star and won two World Series titles in 1964 and 1967. Brock retired from baseball after a 1979 season in which he hit .304 at age 40. When he retired, he had 3,023 hits and his career batting average was .293.

Brock held the record for stolen bases with 938 from 1971 to 1991, when he was surpassed by Rickey Henderson, the current record holder with 1,406.

“Lou was among the game’s most exciting players, becoming the 14th player in history to reach 3,000 hits and holding Baseball’s all-time record for stolen bases in a season and career for many years,” said MLB commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. “He was known for his dominant performances in his three career World Series. Lou was an outstanding representative of our National Pastime and he will be deeply missed.”

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/06/us/lou-brock-obit-spt-trnd/index.html

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