Former Montreal Expos and New York Yankees outfielder Tim Raines got the word this week he had hoped to hear for many years. He will be inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in July. Raines will be joined by former Houston Astros star Jeff Bagwell and former Texas Rangers' catcher Ivan Rodriguez who also spent time with the Yankees.
Many analysts consider Raines to be the second-best leadoff hitter in baseball history behind Rickey Henderson who played for the now defunct Newark Bears in 2003. Raines, meanwhile, managed the Bears from 2009 to 2011.
Raines was a seven-time All-Star and four-time stolen base champ in MLB. He’s the only player in history with at least 100 triples, 150 homers and 600 stolen bases. He also had the highest stolen-base percentage, 84.7%, of anyone in history with at least 400 attempts, eclipsing Henderson (80.8%).
Listen above to a 2009 interview when Raines was first announced as the new skipper in Newark. Raines tell's WBGO's News Director and SportsJam host Doug Doyle what he thinks about his baseball philosophy and jazz.