Bulls' Richard says he left his heart in Durham

Bulls

Bulls' Richard says he left his heart in Durham

By Chris Morris

Oct 22, 2009

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Chris Richard is well traveled.

The first baseman has played in the big leagues in cities including St. Louis, Baltimore, Denver and Tampa. He's played minor league ball in Oklahoma and Indianapolis, but in the Triangle, he is best known for his work with the Governor's Cup and Triple-A National Champion Durham Bulls. Richard told 99.9-FM The Fan that there was something very special about being part of a championship team in Durham.

"Being close (to winning) the last two years, and then to finally win, is really special for all of us," Richard said. Richard led the Bulls in home runs and RBI this year, hitting 24 round- trippers and driving in 75 runs in 100 games. However, he was not on the field when the Bulls claimed the Governor's Cup title. Richard was called up to the Bulls' parent club in Tampa on Sept. 7 and got to finish the season back in the bigs, but he said his thoughts were still with his teammates back in the Bull City.

"I was watching the games online," he said."My heart was in Durham while I was up in the big leagues."

While he did miss out on the championship win, he was part of a special moment while in he Majors. Richard was at first base for the Rays the night that Derek Jeter passed Lou Gehrig as the all-time hits leader in New York Yankees history. So what did he say to the Yankee captain after his record-setting base knock? "Yankee Stadium was going crazy. When he got to first, it was so loud. I just kind of walked away," Richard recalled. "I came back and just said 'Congratulations.' You could tell he was very humbled by it."

Richard himself was very humble when discussing the Bulls championship season. He shared what he thought might have put the team over the top in the Governor's Cup this year, after finishing as runners-up the previous two seasons. "The last two years, (outfielder) Jon Weber and I were with the teams that lost. Then, when we were gone, they won. Maybe that had something to do with it," Richard joked.