OT: Baseball

Base stealing has become largely a lost art in modern day baseball. While it does still happen there really has not been anyone like a Ricky Henderson that has stolen a 100+ in a season. This lost art may have been found by a minor leaguer in the Reds farm system. This kid just broke the old record by stealing 147 bases!! Sounds like a nightmare on the bases. We could see this kid called up for the playoffs.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8291219/billy-hamilton-cincinnati-reds-prospect-sets-steals-record-147

That is a ridiculous amount of swiped bags.

I'd be shocked if this kid did not make the 25-man playoff roster.

Interesting subject (to this ex-pitcher), so I'll chime in. I'm in agreement with both of your underlying points: the invaluable weapon a consistent basestealing threat is.

I've said it to everyone who's ever asked me: name one player from the past 50 years you'd want to build a team around, if you suddenly became a franchise owner. Answer was, still is, and will be so long as I know a baseball from a tennis ball: RICKY HENDERSON.

Nothing, but nothing, will unsettle a pitcher like a bonafide threat to take off, and make it, from first at any second. And with that "C'mon, MF'er, just try to pick me off!" look of his, he multiplied his effect on the pitcher x-fold...believe me.

And you needn't ever have pitched, at any level, to know what happens when a pitcher becomes unsettled/unnerved/has-his-mind-messed-up:
Fat meatball pitches to the hitter. Bases on balls. Errant pickoff throws. Balks. And bang, there goes a rally for the opponent.

And guys like Ricky could pretty much steal at will and there was nothing you can do about it. There has not been another like him in a long time.