Hall of Gamers Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Smith have different takes on Royals’ attitudes

Rickey Henderson sat in front of a TV last weekend and cycled through the channels until he landed on the Oakland A's game. Nearly six years after an induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Henderson still regularly tracks the franchise for which he played on four separate occasions, and he even uses the word "we" when referring to the team.

On this particular evening, Oakland had traveled to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game series, and by now, you certainly know how that unfolded. A weekend-long altercation, sparked by Oakland third baseman Brett Lawrie's slide into second base that injured Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, concluded with Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera's ejection for throwing a 100-mph fastball behind Lawrie's back.

It wasn't the Royals' first incident this season. And after Thursday's benches-clearing brawl in Chicago, it's no longer the most recent one, either.

"I'm really trying to figure out why. What does Kansas City do differently for it to seem like every team is mad at them?" Henderson said. "Maybe they're trying to protect their players. Or maybe they're going about it the wrong way. I don't know. But it's a little difficult for us in baseball to see that activity is going on."

Henderson was in Kansas City on Saturday as part of the second annual Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Game ceremony. He headlined a class that also featured Ozzie Smith, Ferguson Jenkins and Luis Tiant, along with Wendy Lewis, this year's Jackie Robinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The four players received a private tour from museum president Bob Kendrick on Saturday morning before a scheduled ceremony later in the evening. During the tour, Kendrick spoke of the flare Negro Leagues players exhibited while playing the game.

Henderson later commented that he felt a resemblance to his own style of play. There's thought the Royals have adopted a similar flamboyance this season — and perhaps it's not sitting well with some of their opponents.

But Henderson wasn't entirely on-board with the comparison.

"I was enjoying what I was accomplishing out there, compared to me trying to show the team up," he said. "... I think right now, there's maybe a little too much flamboyance going on (with the Royals). Let's play the game hard. Let's play the game right. I don't see anybody just tearing up the league and dominating that has the right to do that.

"It's difficult. Guys are trying to have fun with what they're doing. They're excited. I think they feel like it's entertainment. But how you go about it the right way is the most important thing."

Smith, a 15-time all-star shortstop with the St. Louis Cardinals, offered one potential reason for the seemingly never-ending string of incidents:

Winning.

"They went through some exciting times last year. I think they made a step forward, as far as their organization is concerned," Smith said. "And with that, comes the challenge of having to go out and compete against the best. When you're competing against the best, they're going to test you. The Royals are being tested right now."

A 1982 World Series champion with the Cardinals, Smith undoubtedly experienced similar take-everyone's-best-shot moments.

In that sense, he expressed little surprise to the events surrounding the Royals this season.

"If you're in sports, and you care about what you do, there's going to be a time when you'll fight for it," Smith said. "... These things happen. I think they'll go away.

"I don't think they're getting a reputation. Well, their reputation may be one that, hey, they're not going to be pushed around. That's OK. I hope people aren't saying it's a bad thing they're getting into fights. The fact they're fighting means they care."

This story was originally published April 25, 2015 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Hall of Gamers Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Smith have different takes on Royals’ attitudes."