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'I thought it was a home run' Henderson turns double into single with lack of hustle
Posted: Saturday May 13, 2000 01:36 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Rickey Henderson found himself in the middle of another controversy Friday night when the Mets outfielder jogged to first-base on a single to the left-field wall in the first inning. Henderson, placed on waivers earlier this week, led off New York's 6-4 loss to Florida with the drive that hit the wall on the fly but ended up only as a single. "It's not acceptable, hitting a ball 400 feet and then pulling that [stuff]," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. Mets general manager Steve Phillips, who agrees with Valentine on very little, agreed with his manager. "He certainly should have been at second base. He knows that," Phillips said. But Henderson, who is now hitting .219, didn't apologize. "What do you want me to answer? I should have been running no harder than I ran. I thought it was a home run," he said. "Don't tell me about running and hustling. You got out and do what I do. I've been doing this all my life so don't ask me no stupid ... questions like that." Henderson drew two walks, stole a base and scored a run later in the game. "He was just trying to help us win the game," Valentine said when asked if he thought Henderson was hustling later in the game to make up for the first-inning gaffe. Valentine said he didn't pull Henderson because it would have hurt the team, but might consider a fine. "I'm not sure," Valentine said. "It wasn't an act of not hustling, it was an act of misjudgment." Henderson is unhappy with his contract situation, having been turned down for an extension beyond this season. His grousing began early in spring training when he said he did not want to make the trip to Tokyo for the regular-season opener against the Chicago Cubs. Throughout the season, the 10-time All-Star has made no secret of his displeasure.
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