With the death of Willie Mays, the discussion of “who is the greatest living player” has begun. While Willie was with us, there was (of course) no debate.

Here are the names I have heard mentioned so far:

• Sandy Koufax
• Rickey Henderson
• Barry Bonds
• Roger Clemens
• Albert Pujols

The last name on the list, Pujols, doesn’t really belong on the list. Sure, Pujols was a great player. But the only people I have heard try to make the case for Pujols are people who live, breathe, and eat “Advanced Stat Metrics.”

Try this at home: close your eyes and try to picture Albert Pujols. Unless you are a Cardinals or Angels fan you really can’t do it. Even non-baseball fans could close their eyes and picture Willie Mays. Pujols is like Ralph Kiner. A player you know is really great but still kind of anonymous.

The other four pass the “Icon Test” that I think is necessary to be a true candidate for “Greatest Living Player.” Any baseball fan– and many non-baseball fans– can close their eyes and picture all four.

Obviously, the first questions to be answered is: if a player is currently excluded from the Hall of Fame due to “suspicions” of steroids and/or human growth hormones, can they be in the discussion. While I would answer the question, YES! I know many do not feel that way. (And YES, I believe Bonds and Clemens do belong in the Hall of Fame! Don’t get me started….)

The next question, of course, is: should pitchers, who only play every five days or so be in the discussion? I think this is a fair question. I am going to come down on the side of, no. Clemens and Koufax belong on a discussion of “Who is the Greatest Living Pitcher” but not Greatest Living Player.

That leaves two candidates: Bonds and Henderson. And if you feel that Bonds should be disqualified due to the aforementioned issues, that leaves only Rickey.

If I were to make a list (and I have done so many times) of the most “Charismatic Players” I have ever seen play in person, Rickey Henderson tops the list.

What do I mean by “Charismatic”? I mean a player that seems to gather all the light about himself, that you cannot take your eyes off of, that shines brighter than all the other stars who are on the field with them at the same time. When Rickey was at bat, in the field, AND especially on-base, you paid attention to him, not on anything else going on. Because Rickey was the game.

Unfortunately for Rickey, he did not play in a time when baseball was first and foremost in the minds of the American sports culture.. Other sports have usurped baseball in that respect. I also think Rickey was not a favorite “interview” for media types. Like Ted Williams, he was viewed as prickly and aloof. (Something else I think he shares with Barry Bonds.)

Two players belong in the discussion. Two Black men with prickly and aloof personalities. I think that is appropriate somehow. Fitting in a country where sports seem to be the only place we are “comfortable” with Black men succeeding. But only if they smiling a lot and not too “uppity.”

Rickey Henderson and Barry Bonds. Both iconic.. And both perfect inheritors of Willie Mays’s title as “The Greatest Living Player.”

Which do I choose? Rickey, of course.