In defense of Corky

Who knew one man’s Hall-of-Fame vote would cause such an uproar?

On Wednesday, the official ballots for baseball’s class of 2008 were released to the public. Rickey Henderson’s name appeared on all of them except one — our very own Corky Simpson’s.

The response was overwhelming. Our site’s traffic increased tenfold. People were outraged.

“How could anyone leave Rickey off the ballot?!” they asked.

Simpson’s Dec. 10 column detailed who he was voting for and why, but he barely made any mention of baseball’s stolen-base king. He casually lumped Henderson in with Ron Gant, Jay Bell and Greg Vaughn.

Simpson’s ballot turned into the perfect quirky news story that people e-mailed to their friends. Baseball fans are undeniably passionate about a player’s credentials for Cooperstown, so Henderson’s exclusion ruffled more than a few feathers.

ESPN, the Boston Herald and Deadspin are just a few of the major media outlets to pick up on this.

“Geez, I thought I voted for some very good ballplayers,” said Simpson in a Thursday e-mail. “I feel awful about being the only guy who didn’t vote for Rickey, thus preventing him from being a unanimous inductee. Mr. Selig, can I have my ballot back?”

When Corky sent in his Dec. 10 column, the first thing I asked him about was Henderson’s exclusion. I mean, it’s Rickey Henderson! He was the most destructive offensive force in his era and completely changed the way baseball was played.

Nobody will come close to breaking his stolen-base mark of 1,406. In sports, you’re never supposed to say “never,” but in this case, I’m saying never. That is an untouchable record. A player would need to steal 70 bases every season in a 20-year career to approach it.

In any list of the greatest baseball players of all time, Henderson cracks the top 20 — maybe even in the top 10. If I had a ballot, Henderson would’ve been the first person I voted for.

But I don’t have a ballot. Corky does, and he can use it in any way he wants — even if that means voting in Tim Raines (a player who can best be described as a poor man’s Rickey Henderson).

While Corky and I may disagree on the Henderson issue, I think his vote will end up serving a greater good.

Henderson is a sure-fire, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but did he deserve the distinction of being baseball’s first unanimous selection since the special election held to enshrine Lou Gehrig?

Eight voters didn’t vote for Cal Ripken when his name came up. A mind-boggling 23 writers didn’t feel like Willie Mays (arguably the greatest position player of all time) deserved inclusion.

Babe Ruth, the most famous baseball player who ever lived, was left off 11 ballots. Hank Aaron, baseball’s home-run king, wasn’t on nine ballots. Ted Williams, the last man to hit .400 and possibly the best pure hitter in history, didn’t see his name on 20 ballots.

Is Henderson a more deserving ballplayer than these legends? Considering he’s responsible for the maddening athlete trait of speaking of oneself exclusively in the third person (“Rickey Henderson thinks Rickey Henderson had a great game today...”), I say no. His on-field talent is only exceeded by his relentless self-absorption.

Corky is a fantastic writer and a great baseball fan. He’s a Hall-of-Famer in his own right, becoming the first person inducted into the Arizona Associated Press Sports Editors’ Hall of Fame. He was also named “Sportswriter of the Year” by The Associated Press in 1988.

In no way does he deserve the anger that has been directed his way. If a writer leaves Rickey Henderson off his or her Hall-of-Fame ballot, that writer should expect a fair amount of criticism. But c'mon, let's keep the conversation civil.

While the Internet has revolutionized the way we absorb media, it has also shown how ugly some people can be when they’re behind a keyboard.

Some people have gotten downright nasty in the Henderson fallout, demanding that the Hall takes Simpson’s ballot away. That would be a travesty. As Simpson told me yesterday, he really didn’t think this would cause this much of a commotion.

Look, Henderson’s getting in. He deserves it, with or without Simpson’s vote. There’s no harm done, right?

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747