David Cross favorite and sometime Oakland Athletics left fielder Rickey Henderson is finally on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame, contingent on his not randomly being picked up by a Major League team sometime between now and the vote in July. Rickey will clearly be elected on the first ballot, but probably not for the correct reasons. I all but guarantee that the first thing mentioned on Henderson’s plaque in Cooperstown will be his ownership of baseball’s all-time stolen base record. However, Rickey’s base-stealing prowess merely augmented his actual value on the baseball field, as well as in the hearts and minds of a generation of novelty connoisseurs.

There is almost no aspect of Henderson’s life or career that does not teem with some degree of hilarity and/or novelty. According to MLB.com Mets beat reporter Marty Noble, Rickey was born in the back seat of a ‘57 Chevy and was given the name, “Rickey Nelson,” after the “Travelin’ Man” singer of the same name. It’s safe to say that Henderson probably loved the name, as he would famously refer to himself in the third person on numerous public occasions, although he sometimes appeared to regret his illeism, once noting: “People are always saying, ‘Rickey says Rickey.’ But it’s been blown way out of proportion. I say it when I don’t do what I need to be doing. I use it to remind myself, like,`Rickey, what you doing, you stupid….’ I’m just scolding myself.”

Rickey has often been referred to as “the prototypical leadoff hitter.” This sentiment is true, however, it has little to do with his ability to steal bases. The most important part of Rickey’s game, and likely the most overlooked, was his ability to draw walks and get on base. Rickey is baseball’s all-time leader in unintentional walks, topping even Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth. He is second in total walks, behind Bonds, but drew all but 61 of his career BB on his own accord. Additionally, it should be noted that Rickey also hit 297 home runs during his lengthy career, including 28 in both 1986 and 1990.

Playing on seven different teams between 1997 and 2003, including a fourth stint with the Athletics and joining the exclusive Mets/Yankees club, Rickey’s career was as productive as it was novel all the way to the end, as he posted a .383 OBP with 158 extra-base hits during that time. Following his final season in the big leagues, Rickey signed on with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, where he would play several seasons and get on base roughly half the time he came to the plate. It is my hope that Rickey gets his wish and returns to the Majors at some point this season, preferably after the Hall of Fame ballots have been printed.

Plaxico Burress provided all the comedy we could handle this morning, so a few jokes we liked didn’t make the cut. Here they are:

Other Giants alluded to owning guns themselves, with Brandon Jacobs adding, “if you come in between that door frame of my home, I’m going to kill you.” Jacobs backed up his words by producing the bodies of six Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Fedex driver and Ed McMahon holding a giant check.

Plax will be repped in court by Benjamin Brafman, who previously defended Michael Jackson against molestation charges and Sean Combs against charges of being the worst rapper ever. Legal analysts say the “You forgot about Deion Sanders” defense that freed Diddy won’t hold up this time around.

Well both A-Rod and Madonna were in Mexico City yesterday, but reports say Rodriguez didn’t show up for the Material Girl’s concert as he spent the night in the hotel room with a terrible case of Guy Richie’s Revenge. Nooner insiders have learned that Guy Richie’s Revenge is a new action thriller from Paramount starring Jason Statham.

The Mets will offer salary arbitration to Oliver Perez today. Experts expect Perez to turn down the offer, but know better than to try to predict what Ollie Perez will do on any given day.

Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress turned himself in to New York police on Monday, after a bizarre accident involving an illegal handgun and a self-inflicted bullet wound on Friday night; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is investigating as to the extent of Pacman Jones’ involvement in the incident.

Giants shake off distractions, dominate Redskins in Washington; Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reportedly infuriated as his rivals are only a coke charge away from proving they have stolen the recipe for his 90′s success.

Jets D messy in the rain in loss to Broncos; Offense surprisingly ineffective as well considering quarterback’s experience in sloppy field play.

Knicks guard Chris Duhon set a franchise record for assists with 22 this weekend against the Warriors; With the young guard’s stock at an all time high, Donnie Walsh has begun scouring the league for an expiring 2010 contract to trade him for.

Devin Harris scores career-high 47 as Nets toast Suns; Mark Cuban far more worried about the long term consequences of his trade for Jason Kidd than for his involvement with insider trading.