Stolen bases an afterthought as spring training starts

FILE - In this May 23, 1981, file photo, Montreal Expos Tim Raines steals home as Chicago Cubs catcher applies a late tag during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Chicago. The stolen base has been stolen from much of baseball, an afterthought when spring training starts next week. Raines swiped 70 or more each year from 1981-86, among the 808 he accumulated over 23 major league seasons. (AP Photo/Larry Stoddard, File)The stolen base has been stolen from baseball, an afterthought when spring training starts next week.

Baltimore swiped just 19 bases last year, the fewest for any team in more than four decades. In 1982, Rickey Henderson stole his 19th base on April 28 - Oakland's 20th…