1982 Topps - Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson was a force of nature. His combination of base-thieving and lead-off hitting excellence put him in a class above everybody else for impacting a game. There is something about a guy who can steal bases at will. When you are watching a player like that, you feel like anything can happen, and everyone knows it. I think that is why this '82 Topps card is one of my favorite Rickey Henderson cards. He is in his classic position of getting a lead, and something is about to happen.

The '82 design is not very good. In this one, with the black background and no other cards to give it context, the pink really stands out. If you take the time to look, you can see the prevalence of pink (and other awful colors) in many of the Topps designs in the 1971 - 1982 years (of course, the Athletics still get a pink highlight in '83).

RIckey's 1980 Topps rookie card is another good one, as good as the '82 Topps is bad. Alas, I don't have that one.