This was a no-brainer. Rickey: The Life and Legacy of an American Original by Howard Bryant is an instant classic. Rickey Henderson is a pure lightning rod in American sports. His life is part Paul Bunyan legend, part Muhammad Ali reality, but all Rickey Henderson. He really did do a lot of the things he is credited for…and for the other part, I dare you to tell him he didn’t do them. The bottom line: Rickey Henderson is, by far, the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. He is the greatest base-stealing threat in the history of the game. And analytics make him even greater than the baseball historian eye test. He was amazing on the field and a cultural character off the field.
Howard Bryant is my favorite sports writer. He blends Rickey’s athletic genius with the realities of man and the cultural climate. His writing is a stroke of genius. This book is a must-read for any true baseball fan.
Howard says it best during our Mixtape Talk podcast; when I asked him, “Why Rickey?” He said that not too many players could hit all the bases of the times and be interesting throughout. He was right. The book is captivating from start to finish. It’s my book of the year.
