Rickey Being....Hitting Coach?

In what surely signifies an official end to his playing career, Rickey Henderson has accepted the hitting coach duties for the New York Mets. Aside from imparting hitting wisdom upon the mix of old dogs and fresh pups on the Mets major league roster, his tasks will include but are not limited to: mentoring Jose Reyes on the basepaths, flexing in a mirror, and teaching the players the value of speaking in the third person. When asked how he felt about the challenge that lies ahead, he said "Rickey physica (sic) dission (sic) is in excellent condission (sic) to help deez (sic) playazz (sic) learn what Rickey knowz (sic)".

Just as important is how manager Willie Randolph will handle having Rickey on his bench. It may prove difficult for Randolph to convince Rickey that just because he's in the dugout does not mean he is on the active roster. The Mets offense has been mired in a deep funk as of late, so perhaps replacing Rick Down with Henderson will provide the spark needed to keep the Braves at bay. If nothing else, it should provide an entertaining story or two.