Jim Rice: Making The Hall of Fame Bigger

The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York will need to get bigger as it prepares to welcome Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson as its newest members on July 26. The votes are in and there’s no turning back, but only one of these players belongs. In a career that took place in four decades, Henderson became the all-time leader in stolen bases at 1,406 and runs scored with 2,295. Henderson could beat you with more than just his speed. He had more power than anyone with three seasons of 100 or more stolen bases should. Three times the outfielder had a season where he led the American League in stolen bases and hit over 20 home runs. He also holds the record for most home runs to leadoff a game with 81. These statistics got Henderson voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Baseball historian Bill James said it best, “If you could somehow split [Henderson] in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers.” While his statistics are astonishin...