Back when the Oakland Coliseum was a nice, airy, open ballpark — and you could see the golden hills in the distance beyond center field — there weren’t too many more exciting announcements made by longtime Oakland A’s announcer Roy Steele than this one:

“Now batting, number 24, left fielder, Rickey Henderson!”

I remember the afternoon vividly, a Sunday in June of 1993 against Kansas City.

It was Father’s Day — my dad and younger brother and I went to the game, and the final ended up being 4-1.

But here’s what I remember most. After Steele’s announcement, Henderson swung on the first pitch, cracking a perfect parabola toward the left field seats.

Everyone knew it was gone, and it was like the already unimaginable excitement just got that much better.

Yep, Rickey had parked another one, leadoff style, and made a lasting Father’s Day memory for my family in the process.

So it was a pretty cool moment Monday when Henderson was elected to the Hall of Fame, with just about the same success rate on the ballot that he used to steal a base — 94.8 percent.

The numbers are what got him there, of course.

Henderson is Major League Baseball’s career leader in stolen bases (1,406) and runs scored (2,295), and is second all-time in walks (2,190).

He was named to 10 All-Star teams and was the 1990 American League Most Valuable Player with the A’s, with whom he won a World Series title in 1989.

He holds the Major League Baseball record for steals in a season with 130, and he holds the big league record of 81 home runs leading off games.

(One of which, like I said, I saw in person.)

His rookie card, which I got back in the day as a birthday present, is one of my prized possessions.

But what I remember about Rickey the most is the fact that he was one of the original hot dogs. In a good way.

He made the game fun, with his “snatch” catches in the outfield and his low, menacing crouch toward second when he was ready to steal a bag.

He always did it with color and flair, but unlike many of today’s idiots who simply cannot walk their talk, he always backed it up.

When you think about it, you could make a case that he is possibly the most dangerous player ever in terms of sheer offensive mayhem — because, how do you defend him?

He could go deep, which he did more than any leadoff batter in history.

If you pitched around him and he walked, that was almost worse, because he’d be standing on third before you knew it and you were probably behind in the count to the next batter.

It was literally a no-win situation with him at the plate.

Plus, he was a Gold Glove outfielder in his day.

What more could you want?

The only question is, which hat will he be wearing on his induction plaque in Cooperstown?

I’m guessing and hoping it’s the A’s, but he also played for Anaheim, Seattle, San Diego, the Mets, the Yankees, Toronto and the L.A. Dodgers.

I think I got all nine. But anywhere he played, he was one of the best.

And Register sports staffer Ted Sillanpaa made a good point on Monday — who exactly are the 5.2 percent of the voters who did not cast their ballots for him?

——

Tony Dungy retired as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts on Monday at the ripe old age of 53.

My guess, and you heard it hear first, is that he’s not done yet.

Probably for 2009, sure, but in 2010 he will be coaching (drum roll, please) ... my beloved Detroit Lions.

Why, you ask, would he possibly want to coach the Detroit Lions?

Because, like me, he is a proud native of Jackson, Mich.

It’s been my experience with athletes and coaches that it’s very, very hard for them to get competing out of their blood.

Dungy is a different kind of person in that he has many other interests and passions beyond football — namely, his work with his faith — but I am willing to bet that his name will be in the mix for the Blue and Silver.

If it happens, remember that you read it here first.

Sports Editor Randy Johnson can be reached at rjohnson@napanews.com or 256-2222.