Born in the backseat of a speeding Oldsmobile on Christmas Day 1958, Rickey Henderson entered the world in a blur of forward momentum that foreshadowed a 25-season career. He turned down football scholarships and an Oakland Raiders dream on his mother's pragmatic advice, then, as a natural lefty who batted right-handed, accidentally wired himself for freakish bat control.

Henderson engineered every variable he could control, from a strike-zone-shrinking crouch to a headfirst slide modeled on airplane landings. His mere presence on the bases disrupted the entire defensive ecosystem, and his eccentric persona was widely misunderstood.

• Stole a still-untouched record 130 bases in a single season in 1982
• Became the first player with 20 home runs and 80 steals in one season
• Won an MVP and two World Series rings, includi ...