Later this week, the roll call of Yankees in the Hall of Fame will grow by two. While most of the mass media will treat Sunday’s induction of the late (but deserving) Joe Gordon as an afterthought, there’s little doubt that the other former Yankee will grab the center of attention. We all know that Rickey Henderson is the game’s greateast leadoff batter and most prolific basestealer; he was also a legitimate four-tool talent whose throwing arm was his only attribute to elude greatness.

Henderson was also that rare breed of superstar who happened to be a colorful and clownish character. Through his unusual habits and sayings, Henderson became one of baseball’s leading eccentrics of the late 20th century. In my mind, that’s the aspect of his career that is just as worthwhile as exploring as his on-base percentage and his “Man of Steal” persona on the basepaths.

Even the beginning of Henderson’s life involved an uncommon occurrence; he was born in the backseat of an Oldsmobile on Christmas Day in downtown Chicago. He simply couldn’t wait for the car to reach the hospital, where a more conventional birth would have taken place.

As a ballplayer, Henderson brought some unorthodox qualities to the field. He batted right-handed and threw left-handed, an unusual combination for most non-pitching ballplayers. (Of all major league players with 4,000 or more at-bats in their careers, only two others—Hal Chase and Cleon Jones—batted right and threw left.) At the plate, Henderson batted out of a severely exaggerated crouch, which looked uncomfortable but created the illusion of a particularly small strike zone.

During the course of his major league journeys, Henderson gained notoriety for several peculiar tendencies, along with a few incidents best described as strange. Let’s consider the following from the Henderson files:

*Known for his deep voice and habit of slurring his words, Henderson enjoyed speaking in the third person. Rarely using the word “I,” he often referred to himself as Rickey. While most athletes who spoke in such a fashion received criticism for being arrogant and overbearing, the mumbling Henderson came across comically, giving himself an appealing, almost innocent quality.

*In the early 1980s, Henderson signed a contract with the Oakland A’s that included a $1 million bonus. Later that same year, Oakland accountants found an unexpected balance of $1 million in their ledgers. They soon discovered that Henderson had never cashed the sizeable check, instead putting it in a frame and hanging it on a wall in his home.

*After breaking Lou Brock’s all-time stolen base record in a 1991 game against the Yankees, Henderson addressed his home fans at Oakland’s Alameda County Coliseum. “Today, I am the greatest of all time,” said Henderson, doing an unintended imitation of Muhammad Ali. Although Henderson later said that his words came out the wrong way, he drew severe criticism for sounding less than humble on the national stage.

*According to many of his teammates, Henderson spent part of his time in the clubhouse before each game looking at himself in a full-length mirror—all while completely naked. As he soulfully admired his muscular physique, Henderson softly and repeatedly mouthed the words, “Rickey’s the best.”

*In a much-disputed incident (most observers consider the story to be false, but a few “eyewitnesses” claim otherwise), Henderson heard Seattle Mariners teammate John Olerud discussing his problems with a brain aneurism suffered in college, a medical condition that necessitated he wear a helmet at all times, even while playing first base. As Henderson listened to the explanation, he allegedly exclaimed that he had previously played with another player who also wore a helmet in the field—an amazing coincidence! Remarkably, Henderson didn’t remember that it was the same man—Olerud—who had played with him only one season earlier with the Mets. The two men had also been teammates with the 1993 world champion Blue Jays.

*Out of work late in his career, Henderson placed a phone call to Padres general manager Kevin Towers. Hoping to find gainful employment with the Padres, but using a manner of speaking foreign to most job seekers, Henderson left the following message on Towers’ voice mail: “This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball.”

Many of Henderson’s antics made him endearing. Some of his on-the-field habits drew a more mixed reaction, including his signature “snatch catch,” in which he caught balls one-handed, snapping his glove toward the ground before whipping it behind his back. At his worst, Henderson could be exasperating. In 1989, Henderson reached a low point when he pulled a Manny Ramirez-like protest during the first half of the season. A long stretch of half-hearted play included jogging after balls hit to left field and running the bases at three-quarter speed, all because of unhappiness over his contract with the Yankees. The stunt brought Henderson a desired result—a trade back to Oakland—but also made him a pariah with much of the New York media and Yankee fan base.

Henderson’s occasional lackadaisical play, coupled with his tendency toward showboating, may have cost him some votes in balloting for the Hall of Fame. On the ballot for the first time in 2009, Henderson easily achieved the 75 per cent of the vote needed for election, but was rather remarkably left off the ballots of 28 writers. The various snubs left Henderson with a somewhat disappointing 94.8 per cent, a low total for the all-time stolen base king and the man generally regarded as the greatest leadoff man ever. For some observers, the vote total was a bewildering result, even for the man whose behavior often bordered on the bewildering.

And once Henderson has concluded his induction speech on Sunday, I have a feeling there will be additional material that will bewilder us even more.

Bruce Markusen writes “Cooperstown Confidential” for The Hardball Times.