The Thrill(egde) of Rickey

As many of you know, I have always had a thing for athletes who speak in the 3rd person. From Roy Jones Jr to Hulk Hogan, each and everyone of these guys simply cracks me up. But the king of the 3rd person is and will always been Mr. Rickey Henderson.

As the stories go, Rickey used to stand in front of a mirror before a game, practicing his swing, saying over and over, "Rickey's the best! Rickey's the best!"

Well, from the stories I have been reading and hearing lately, the greatest base stealer and leadoff hitter of all time is having quite an impact on one Lastings Milledge.

Take last night for example. Milledge came into the game already knowing he could steal a base anytime he wanted off Shawn Chacon. So after Willie had Reyes bunt LMillz over in the 2nd with nobody out in the 9th, the Thrill already knew his next step would be to swipe 3rd. 2nd pitch to Castillo and he is on 3rd base. After the game Lastings said that Rickey & him had already figured out Shawn Chacon's move the night before and that is why he was able to confidently steal the base.

I know some Mets fans will never forgive Rickey for the card playing incident. It does still leave a sour taste in all of our mouths. But Rickey has taken LMillz under his wing and I for one couldn't be happier. LMillz is playing with a fire that is missing from so many players on this club and he is batting .314 too. He has confidence in himself that reminds me of Rickey.

Of course I am not comparing him to the greatness of Rickey but I wouldn't be surprised if one day we hear David Wright telling reporters "he stands in front of his locker before games practicing his swing saying 'Lastings is the best, Lastings is the best'"