A look at the honorees to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today:
RICKEY HENLEY HENDERSON: Born: Dec. 25, 1958, in Chicago. ... 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, threw left, batted right. ... played for Oakland (AL) from 1979-84, 1989-93, 1994-95, 1998; New York (AL) 1985-89; Toronto (AL) 1993; San Diego (NL) 1996-97, 2001; Anaheim (AL) 1997; New York (NL) 1999-2000; Seattle (AL) 2000; Boston (AL) 2002; Los Angeles (AL) 2003. ... 10-time All-Star with .279 lifetime batting average, 3,055 hits and 297 homers. ... led AL in steals 12 times and holds the all-time rec?ord for steals with 1,406, runs scored (2,295), unintentional walks (2,129), and homers leading off games (81). ... won 1990 AL Most Valuable Player award and won World Series with 1989 Athletics and 1993 Blue Jays. ... in 1976 reported to Boise after being drafted by Oakland in the fourth round of the draft and hit .336 with 29 steals in 36 attempts. ... in 1977 led the California League with a then-record 95 steals, scored 104 runs and became the fourth professional player to steal seven bases in one game. ... in 1978 led the Eastern League with 81 steals and also led all outfielders with four double plays and 15 assists. ... in 1979 was brought up by Oakland at midseason and led the club with 33 steals. ... in 1980 became the first AL player to steal 100 or more bases in a single season with 100 to break Ty Cobb's record of 96 steals in 1915. ... in 1982 set the modern major league record for stolen bases with 130 to break Lou Brock's mark of 118 and also set record for most times caught stealing at 42. ... in 1983 went over 100 steals (108) for the third time in his career. ... in 1986 his 146 runs led AL and was the highest total in the major leagues since Ted Williams scored 150 in 1949; also became the first AL player to hit 20 homers and steal 50 bases in a season and set an AL season record with 9 leadoff homers. ... in 1989 postseason won ALCS MVP honors with Oakland and in nine games hit .441, scored 12 runs, had 15 hits, eight for extra bases, walked 9 times, had 8 RBIs and 11 steals. ... in 1990 hit a career-best .325 and matched his career high with 28 homers, led the AL in runs (119), on-base percentage (.439) steals (65), and won MVP honors. ... in 1993 became the first man in baseball history to steal 1,000 bases when he swiped third at Detroit on May 1. ... in 1994 his 24th steal of the season was the 1,066th of his career, breaking Yutaka Fukumoto's world record. ... in 1998 at age 39 finished with an AL-high 66 steals. ... in 2000 joined Ted Williams as the only players to steal a base in four decades.
JAMES EDWARD RICE: Born: March 8, 1953, in Anderson, S.C. ... 6-2, 205 pounds, threw and batted right-handed. ... played for Boston (AL) 1974-89. ... had 2,452 hits, 373 doubles, 79 triples, 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs. ... hit at least 20 homers in 11 of his first 12 full seasons and led the AL in total bases four times, homers three times, and RBIs and slugging percentage twice each. ... eight-time All-Star. ... won AL MVP in 1978 when he collected 406 total bases, the most in the AL since 1937, hitting .315 and leading the league in home runs (46), RBIs (139), hits (213), triples (15) and slugging average (.600). ... one of only two AL players ever to lead the league in both triples and home runs in the same season and only player to lead the major leagues in triples, home runs and RBIs in the same season. ... in 1986 batted .324 with 200 hits and 110 RBIs and collected 14 hits, including two home runs, scored 14 runs and drove in six in 14 postseason games.