"I have no plans of coming back," Sheppard said on Wednesday in a telephone interview. "Time has passed me by, I think. I had a good run for it. I enjoyed doing what I did. I don't think, at my age, I'm going to suddenly regain the stamina that is really needed if you do the job and do it well."
...
"I haven't been well," Sheppard said. "I had problems breathing for a while, and then I had a loss of weight. Now I'm trying to build myself back up again to get back to the stamina that I had when I played football at St. John's [University] many, many, many years ago, and life-guarding in the summer. I was at one time, about two years ago, down to 103 pounds.
"The doctor said that when I get to be about 145 pounds, he will give me clearance again. I have now reached about 137 and I'm not too far from what he wanted me to be. I have to keep building, and I'll be back at my best weight."
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Sheppard said that he doubts "very, very much" that he will be able to perform the public address duties for even one Yankees game in 2010.
Sheppard did has nice things to say about his replacement, Paul Olden, who he speaks with often.
Sheppard said Olden was a "dignified and professional fellow," and when he's listening to him on TV "he sounds clear. He sounds dignified. I think he sounds professional. That's what the Yankees were looking for."
Sheppard said Olden was a "dignified and professional fellow," and when he's listening to him on TV "he sounds clear. He sounds dignified. I think he sounds professional. That's what the Yankees were looking for."
This doesn't come as much of a surprise, he's been unofficially retired for a few years now. But still, it's the end of an era.
