Hit King and Stolen Base King Should Live Under Same Roof

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

There are two things I’d like to address today. The first, a story on MLB.com by Mike Bauman, discusses how baseball fans’ voting for the All-Star game this year was, on the whole, a more accurate reflection of how particular players were doing this year versus the athletes’ names alone as credential for a vote. The second centers on the New York Mets’ hiring of Rickey Henderson. Together, these news items themselves lobby for the lifting of the ban on Pete Rose.



The All-Star voting suggests what I’d implied in an earlier letter: Baseball, its fans and overall popularity are on the rise. I imagine it won’t be long before most, if not all, of the fans’ wounds from the strike and introduction of astronomic salaries are healed completely. Baseball needs those fans. Baseball deserves those fans. The All-Star voting suggests people are playing closer attention to teams other than their favorites, and the stats that go with those teams. This is a good sign.



Ricky Henderson has been in baseball as long as I can remember. Mostly, I remember him as an A first, a Yankee second, the king of the steal overpowering both. The Stolen Base King, they say. He stole those bases, including 25 as a 42-year old, via instruction, raw talent, and above all, hustle. Sounds like the M.O. of the Hit King.



Pete Rose and Rickey Henderson are two of a kind. They achieved what they did with perseverance and determination, two qualities all athletes should have and all fans should admire. Let’s aid those fans that are paying more attention to our game. Illuminate Rose’s path toward Cooperstown, for the good of the game and so that the knowledgeable fans can admire the Hit King and the Stolen Base King under the same roof.