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Why has Rickey Henderson not been signed by a major league team?

He's old. He's 46. He started playing in the bigs before I was born. He's still active, but he's not playing in the majors.

He's playing in the Golden Baseball League, a new independent league. Rickey does not belong on the San Diego Surf Dawgs.

Nobody has scored more runs or stolen bases than Rickey. He's the best leadoff player in history. He has 3,000 hits.

In his independent Golden Baseball League, Rickey has 4 stolen bases and the only home run on his entire team.

Surf Dawgs' manager Terry Kennedy put it best to the San Diego Union-Tribune:

"I think he wants to be the first one to hit a home run, cross home plate and collect his salary check, pension and social security all at the same time."

Surely there's a team out there in need of a utility outfielder. A pinch runner. A few extra sold tickets. A veteran of the game to lead the young talent by example.

The D-Rays. The Indians. The Royals. How about his first team, the one he's most synonymous with -- the A's? They are dead last in stolen bases (11) and are also in a rebuilding year. Eric Chavez, Marco Scutaro and Mark Ellis are smart, fast baserunners, and with a team like Oakland in dire need of playing small ball to annually compete with big market teams, good baserunning is a staple of a winning formula.

So here's to hoping Oakland GM Billy Beane signs up Rickey, if he knows what's good for his team, which this year needs any publicity and education they can muster.