Growing up in the south in the 60s, before pro teams moved to Atlanta, Charlotte and Florida, there were no locally teams to choose from. So, as a kid, I picked the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics and Baltimore Colts. A strange geographical mix, but I’ve remained faithfully loyal through lean years and championships.

One of my heroes all these years has been Bobby Richardson, second baseman for the Yankees from 1955 until 1966. Winner of three world championships, five gold gloves and eight All Star appearances, he is the only player in MLB history to win the World Series MVP for the losing team. But for all his heroics on the field Bobby is most known for his influence off the field.

This summer, some friends and I met Bobby[1] at a restaurant in his hometown of Sumter, South Carolina. We’d all read his book, Impact Player, and he was gracious enough to invite us to his favorite restaurant to discuss it. We wanted to pay for his lunch, but when we discovered the restaurant didn’t take credit cards, he picked up the tab. Awkward! Bobby then invited us back to his house to meet his wife and to see his baseball memorabilia.