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One of the world’s greatest professional athletes has transitioned. Major League Baseball legend Rickey Henderson has died at age 65.
As reported on CNN Sports, the former Hall of Famer is no longer with us. On Friday (Dec. 20), his family confirmed his passing. “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of my husband, Rickey Henderson,” the statement read. The release would go on to detail his impact professionally and personally. “A legend on and off the field, Rickey was a devoted son, dad, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle, and a truly humble soul. Rickey lived his life with integrity, and his love for baseball was paramount. Now, Rickey is at peace with the Lord, cherishing the extraordinary moments and achievements he leaves behind.”
The Chicago, Ill., native played in the MLB for 25 seasons. During his time as a left fielder, he changed the game with his unique gifts of speed and power. Nicknamed the “Man Of Steal,” he retired as the league’s all-time stolen base leader (1,406) and all-time runs scored leader (2,295). In addition to his quick moves, he was respected as a fierce competitor by his peers and well-respected teammate. In 2009, he was voted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
During his inception speech, he professed his love for the game that changed his life and gave tribute to his biggest inspiration, Muhammed Ali. “He said at one time ‘I am the greatest.’ That is something I always wanted to be. And now that the Association 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 humble.”
You can see some of Rickey Henderson’s highlights below.
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After months of speculation and anticipation, MLB superstar slugger Juan Soto has decided to stay in New York City, but unfortunately, for Yankees fans he’ll be relocating to Queens as he signed a massive $765 million deal with the New York Mets.
Needless to say, half of the Big Apple is on cloud 9 while the other half is heartbroken and distraught. At least Juan Soto remains a New Yorker, right? Yes, a 15-year $765 million contract seems ridiculous, but the man is only 26-years-old and has already built himself a career worthy of the Hall of Fame, so by the time his contract is up he’ll still probably be a problem when stepping into the batter’s box.
According to NPR, Soto’s record-breaking contract isn’t only well-earned but well-deserved.
Per NPR:
From the beginning of his major league career, the Dominican-born Soto has been a star. In his first start as a 19-year-old with the Nationals, he hit a home run in his first appearance at the plate. He quickly became a fan favorite with his easy smile and “Soto shuffle,” his trademark shimmy at the plate. He won a World Series title with the team in 2019, the first in the franchise’s history.
In 2022, he was traded to the San Diego Padres, who then dealt him to the New York Yankees ahead of the 2024 season.
On a one-year deal in New York, Soto had the best year of his still-young career, with 41 regular season home runs and another four in the playoffs during the Yankees’ unsuccessful bid for the World Series. He received the third-most votes in the American League MVP race. Since his debut in 2018, he’s won a total of five Silver Slugger awards and four All-Star game appearances.
Yankees fans were hoping to see Soto and Aaron Judge terrorize pitchers for years to come, but it now seems like it’ll be Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor doing the terrorizing.
How do y’all feel about Juan Soto bouncing on the Bronx to turn up in Queens? Let us know in the comments section below. We know this guy wasn’t too happy…
https://twitter.com/NickTurturro1/status/1865994781433970844
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Baseball legend Reggie Jackson recalled the shocking instances of racism that he endured in Alabama during an interview.
On Thursday (June 20), Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was being interviewed by the Fox Sports broadcast crew covering the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama honoring Negro League Baseball. Alex Rodriguez, the former New York Yankees star player, asked Jackson what it was like being back there. Jackson, who’d go on to greatness as a power-hitting fielder for the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees, started with the minor-league Birmingham A’s who played at Rickwood in 1967.
“Alex, when people ask me a question like that, it’s like, coming back here is not easy,” Jackson replied. “The racism that I played here, when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled — fortunately, I had a manager and I had players on the team that helped me get through it. But I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.” The crew went quiet
as Jackson continued: “People said to me today — I spoke and they said, ‘You think you’re a better person, you think you won when you played here and conquered?’ I said, you know, I would never want to do it again.”
“I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and say, the n—– can’t eat here. I would go to a hotel and they say, the n—– can’t stay here,” the legend known as “Mr. October” said, the emotions from that time vivid in his face. “I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and say, the n—– can’t eat here. I would go to a hotel and they say, the n—– can’t stay here. We went to Charlie Finley’s country club for a welcome-home dinner, and they pointed me out with the N-word. ‘He can’t come in here.’ Finley marched the whole team out, finally they let me in there, he said, ‘We’re going to go the diner and eat hamburgers. We’ll go where we’re wanted.” Reggie Jackson would go on to thank his Birmingham A’s manager, Johnny McNamara, and teammates Rollie Fingers, Dave Duncan, and Joe Rudi who with his wife Sharon gave Jackson a place to stay – until racists threatened to “burn our apartment complex down unless I got out.”
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The legendary Willie Mays, a trailblazing Black, pro baseball star, has passed away. He was 93.
On Tuesday, July 18, the San Francisco Giants and Mays family announced that he had passed early in the afternoon.
“My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,” said son Michael Mays in a statement. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.”
Known as the “Say Hey Kid,” Mays’ talent included an incredible mix of power, speed and finesse, which made him one of the MLB’s most popular players during his heyday, no pun, and beyond.
Mays began his career with the Negro Leagues in 1948 and made his Major League debut with the then-New York Giants in 1951 at 20 years old, winning Rookie of the Year honors. Mays played in 24 All-Stars game and secured 12 Gold Glove Awards before ending his career with 660 home runs and a .301 career batting average when retiring in 1973.
In Game 1 of the World Series in 1954, the New York Giants were at home playing the Cleveland Indians, who were the favorites. With the scored tied 2-2 at the top of Cleveland’s Vic Wertz hit a fastball to deep center field in the Polo Grounds. Mays tracked the ball down, using all his speed to bring in the drive with an over the shoulder catch, with his back to home plate. The play would become known as “The Catch.”
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Mays was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 and his number 24 was retired by the San Francisco Giants. Mays was awarded the prestigious Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015.
Rest in powerful peace Willie Mays.
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Shohei Ohtani, one of the top talents in the MLB today, announced a new deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend that has baseball fans stunned and reacting to the big news in various ways. Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers for 10 years and $700 million, a cause of concern for some considering the two-play superstar has had surgeries.
ESPN reports Ohtani, 29, will sign with the Dodgers and while an official breakdown from the team about the contract is still presumably in the works, an outlet of ESPN’s stature wouldn’t come forth with their additional report without confirming some facts. With the deal, Ohtani, who hails from Japan, was awarded the richest contract in North American sports ever.
“Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers is for 10 years and $700 million,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Passan via X, formerly Twitter. He added, “Shohei Ohtani’s contract has significant deferrals that include most of his salary — an idea, a source said, that was Ohtani’s. In deferring the money, it reduces the cost of the competitive-balance-tax hit and will allow the Dodgers to build a better team around him.”
The news was big enough that even Shams Charania, who typically breaks news on the NBA, had to share with his massive audience the size and scope of the deal.
Ohtani’s credentials as a pitcher and DH cannot be put under scrutiny as he’s proven over the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has won the AL MVP twice and did so unanimously this past season with a .304 batting average along with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs. He also started 23 games as a pitcher, winning 10 games with a 3.14 ERA. With the Angels, Ohtani’s numbers have averaged 30 home runs and 90 RBIs.
In addition to his talent, concerns have been raised around Ohtani getting a version of Tommy John surgery to repair an ulnar collateral ligament tear. It is the second surgery he’s had over the past five years according to reports. Still, Ohtani is on track to resume his dominance on the diamond, and given that he has the highest-selling jersey among MLB players, he’ll have several adoring Dodgers fans sporting the apparel here in the States and abroad.
As mentioned above, Ohtani shared the news first with his 6 million fans on Instagram but didn’t share a ton of details.
From Instagram:
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process. Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me. The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever.
Check out reactions from MLB Twitter below.
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