Friday was the first time he touched the shoe since he untied it 28 years ago.

Henderson was in his own world for that fleeting moment, with his wife, Pamela, by his side. It was a moment as fleeting as his sprint from first to second ahead of a helpless catcher's throw.

"They don't make 'em like this anymore," Henderson said, clad in black slacks and a white checkered shirt while poring over artifacts from a big league life. "It makes you sad that not many guys steal bases today. You should be able to move to the next base, to get yourself in scoring position. I used to steal to get in scoring position because I wanted to be the person to score the most runs."

In a career that spanned 25 seasons, Henderson stole the most bases, and he scored the most runs. For that reason and more, he will be enshrined right here in less than three months along with Jim Rice and Joe Gordon at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Henderson was here at the Hall on this day for an informal orientation visit -- a chance to tour the exhibits alongside fans, to see the archives and look through the Hall's collection of his game-used equipment, publications and photographs.

One could see Henderson's speed on a wall of the museum, where Rickey and Pamela first saw his presence portrayed at the Hall. It was a life-size photo of Henderson in a yellow jersey and white pants. "That was a jam shot," he gasped, looking at himself fighting off an inside pitch.

In that same display area, there is a head shot of Jose Canseco, and right under that is a head shot of Mark McGwire the Bash Brother days. Henderson was the leadoff power-hitter extraordinaire, the guy who hit more homers at the leadoff position than anyone. Under McGwire's likeness is a pair of encased spikes, and those are Henderson's, too.