Rice induction long overdue for some

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Jim Rice had one Hall of Fame endorsement a long time ago. The problem for Rice was, former teammate Dwight Evans doesn't have a ballot.

After 15 years of waiting, Rice was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday with Rickey Henderson and the late Joe Gordon.

"I couldn't be happier. He's finally being recognized," Evans, who played alongside Rice in the Boston Red Sox outfield during Rice's entire career, said prior to the ceremony. "I spent the entire 16 years with him. I think this is 10, 12 years too late."

Evans said he felt steroids helped keep Rice out of the Hall until his final year of eligibility.

"Steroids played a lot in the escalation of the stats," Evans said. "The stats are all padded. Finally, it's been exposed the last two or three years. They said, 'This guy did it on his own and he should be recognized for it.' I truly believe that's what has happened here. It's too late, but it's happening."

Rice played at a time when offensive numbers paled in comparison to the past two decades, the so-called steroid era. He batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs from 1974-89. He also drove in 100 or more runs eight times, batted over .300 seven times, topped 200 hits four times, and is the only player in major league history with at least 35 homers and 200 hits in three consecutive seasons (1977-79).

STEWART'S FRIEND: Former Oakland A's ace Dave Stewart is one of Rickey Henderson's best friends — and biggest supporters.

Henderson, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, led the AL in steals 12 times and holds the major league record for steals with 1,406, runs scored with 2,295, unintentional walks with 2,129, and homers leading off a game with 81.

"There's no words to describe him," Stewart said. "He's one of the top four or five players to ever play, in my opinion. He's a Hall of Famer for the problems that he created. He represented a run standing at the plate. He was dominating."

FLASHY GORDON: Joe Gordon was inducted posthumously into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, and his daughter, Judy, gave a glimpse of the man they called "Flash."

Gordon won the 1942 AL MVP, beating out Triple Crown winner Ted Williams, and was an All-Star nine times in 11 seasons with the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians, leading the league in assists four times and in double plays three times. He was the first AL second baseman to hit 20 home runs in a season — he did it seven times — and still holds the league mark for career homers by a second baseeman (246).