Ex-Yankee to speak at Regional Tournament banquet

By Alan Ford
Bobby Richardson found a niche in his post-baseball days as a motivational speaker.
He’ll be the guest speaker for the Southeastern Regionals premiere banquet on Aug. 13 at Shelby City Park. The former Yankee second baseman also served in that capacity for the 2002 Southeast Regional in Shelby as well as the 2004 North Carolina State Tournament banquet here.
Richardson’s abilities at the microphone may make some folks forget that he was quite exceptional at his first career. During his 10 years (1957 to ‘66) with the New York Yankees:
The Sumter, S.C., native was voted the Most Valuable Player in the 1960 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (though he admittedly would trade the honor for the Yankees winning that dramatic seventh game decided by Bill Mazeroski’s landmark home run)
He played in seven World Series in his career
Five times he won the Gold Glove for being the best fielding second baseman in the American League
In 1962 he led the league in hits and finished second to teammate Mickey Mantle in the A.L. Most Valuable Player voting
Seven times he was selected for the Major League All-Star mid-summer classic
In three seasons (1964-65-66) he was rated the most difficult player in the American League to strike out
In 1963 he was given the Lou Gehrig Award, presented every year by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, to the major league player “who best exemplifies the spirit and character of Lou Gehrig, both on and off the field.”
In the 1964 World Series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals, Richardson’s 13 hits in a seven-game series has yet to be surpassed
Following his playing days, Richardson served as the head baseball coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks and later made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Congress from his home state.