Was Rickey Henderson the “greatest” stolen base artist you ever saw?

Tragically, Henderson passed away recently from a bout of pneumonia at the age of 65. Henderson left a legacy of being the game’s greatest base thief, but he also was a good all-around player.

I this week’s version of my Yesterday column — reminiscing about sports and pop culture from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes before and beyond — I’ll take a look at some of the game’s “greatest” along with some of the “greatest” contributions to pop culture.

Finally, what team did Henderson steal the most against in his record-setting year? What team did Lou Brock break his record against in 1974?

Who is the Phillies’ all-time leader in stolen bases? What player did the Eagles acquire for first-round picks in consecutive years in the late 1970s?

And what cereal has tasted “great” since 1952?

See Rickey Run ... Henderson broke Lou Brock’s single-season record of 118 — which was set in 1974 — when he swiped 130 in 1982. In that year, Henderson had just 13 more hits (143) than steals, and he had 25 more steals than singles. In 1982, Henderson totaled 15 steals against Cleveland; 13 against Milwaukee, Seattle and Baltimore; and 12 against Minnesota.

For his career, Henderson totaled 1,406 steals, easily eclipsing second-place Brock (938). Ex-Phillies Billy Hamilton is third on the list with 914, but most of you won’t remember him.

Hamilton played in the 1880s and 1890s, and he stole 111 bases in both the 1889 and 1891 seasons.

You Guessed It ... Many of us remember Brock for his large leads and quick breaks from first base, finishing with his seated, cross-legged slide.

Brock broke Maury Wills’ record of 104 against the Phillies on Sept. 10, 1974 in St. Louis. I remember the game and can still see Brock sliding into second in front of a throw to Larry Bowa in the first inning and later in the seventh inning on a one-hop throw to Bowa.

Dick Ruthven was on the mound and threw a complete game 8-2 victory with Bob Boone behind the plate. Mike Schmidt hit his 35th homer of the season and drove in four runs to bring the Phils to 71-71, while St. Louis slipped to 74-68 behind losing pitcher Alan Foster (remember him?)

Surprisingly, the attendance was only 27,285.

Phil-It Up ... Who are the some of the “greatest” Phillies of all time? Here’s one man’s opinion in no particular order in the modern era (1950-present) based on stats and presence to the team (I’ll save posting the stats):

1) Mike Schmidt

2) Steve Carlton

3) Robin Roberts

4) Chase Utley

5) Dick Allen

Honorable Mention: Jim Bunning, Johnny Callison, Jimmy Rollins, Del Ennis and Curt Schilling.

Built Bergey Tough ... Along with Henderson’s passing, former Eagles’ middle linebacker Bill Bergey also recently passed away at the age of 79.

To me, Bergey was a hard-nosed Chuck Bednarik clone who was a game-changer for the team when he arrived in a trade from Cincinnati in 1974.

If you remember, the Eagles caught some backlash for trading their first round picks in 1976 and 1977, and a second-round 1977 pick in July 1974 for Bergey. At the time, the Eagles were coming off a 5-8-1 record the previous season.

Bergey didn’t disappoint as he recorded five interceptions and had a fumble recovery in his first season. He became a legendary figure even after his playing days as a broadcaster and spokesperson for the team and for commercial spots around Philadelphia.

Bergey was a regular participant in the Eagles Youth Football Camps that were held throughout the Lehigh Valley. He also had a brother Bruce, who had a cup of coffee with the Chiefs and Oilers before he played in the Canadian Football League.

When you think about great Eagles players, Bergey can be included in this mix.

Flying High ... Here are my top five “greatest” Eagles’ players in no particular order based on overall stats and club presence (again, I passed posting the stats):

1) Chuck Bednarik

2) Reggie White

3) Steve Van Buren

4) Harold Carmichael

5) Donovan McNabb

Honorable Mention: Bergey, Brian Dawkins, Randall Cunningham, Wilbert Montgomery, and Eric Allen.

How Often Did You Play It? ... Through the years, there have been a number of “great” board games?

“Monopoly” would have to top the list and it was created in 1904 before it became officially patented in 1935.

In the 1960s and 70s, how about “Life,” “Twister,” “Chutes and Ladders,” “Stocks and Bonds,” “Pay Day,” “Risk” and “Clue” as some of the “great” games.

What’s in a Name ... Of course, “The Greatest” nickname can only be linked with Muhammed Ali, who lived up to his name. There also was Jackie Gleason in “The Honeymooners,” whose famous line to his wife Alice was “Baby, You’re the Greatest!”

In 2003, Kellogg’s released a number of “I Feel Great!” commercials. They are very interesting, and it’s worth a watch on YouTube.

WWWF/WWE ... Each week, I’ll recall a wrestler from our past.

This week in keeping with the “greatest” theme, here are five wrestlers from my youth who I believe are in the “greatest” category in no necessary order from the WWWF and other associations:

1) Bruno Sammartino

2) Hulk Hogan

3) Ric Flair

4) Andre the Giant

5) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Honorable mention: Lou Thesz, Dusty Rhodes, Brett “The Hitman” Hart, “Randy “Macho” Man Savage, John Cena and Shawn Michaels.

I would like to hear about your choices.

“Look Up in the Sky, It’s” ... No, it wasn’t Superman, However, it was the “Greatest American Hero,” an ABC-TV series that aired from 1981-83 and starred William Katt.

Katt played a remedial high school teacher in Los Angeles, and his suit gave him the same powers as Superman.

You probably remember the theme song, “Believe It Or Not,” sung by Joey Scarbury reached No. 2 on the USA Billboard Hot 100, and No. 3 on the USA Billboard Adult Contemporary lists in 1981.

“They’re Great!” ... You can hear the saying in your head from Tony the Tiger, who promoted Kellogg’s “Frosted Flakes” that began in 1952.

Tony the Tiger competed against Katy the Kangaroo for the cover of Frosted Flakes, but he won the competition. He is still active today.

Greatest Show On Earth ... How many of us attended a circus in our youth? Ringling Brother billed themselves as “The Greatest Show on Earth,” and their shows weren’t always present in the greater Lehigh Valley area.

I do remember going to the Beatty Brothers circus, as they were more prominent back in the day. A circus was always something different and special.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, manager, coach or media personality from our yesterday.

Do you remember former Phillies’ top pick outfielder Jeff Jackson? He was billed as being one of the franchise’s next “great” players when he was drafted from Chicago’s Simeon High School in 1989.

Well, Jackson never got farther than Double-A Reading after being in the Phils’ system for six years. He never hit above .242 and was under .200 for three seasons.

Jackson was in the Cubs’ system for nearly three seasons and ended his career in the Independent League in 1998.

Your thoughts are always welcomed; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com