Where were the players?

From Bill Madden:

At Bob Sheppard's last Mass Thursday, his friends and family were reminded what it was like to be in the presence of "a good and decent man" who, as a husband, father, athlete, wartime naval officer, teacher and public address announcer, lived about the most perfect life, for 99 years, as anyone God ever placed on this Earth.

It was just too bad that not a single player whose name Sheppard introduced, ever so properly and eloquently, over 57 years as the Yankees' P.A. announcer, was among those paying their final respects to the "Voice of God." Even if one player - certainly one among the former players employed by the team for this very purpose - would have shown up, it would have provided the touch of class George Steinbrenner always made sure to exhibit in these circumstances.

Any player that wasn't a Yankees while Sheppard was still doing games gets a pass, but what about Joe Girardi, A-Rod, Mariano, Pettitte, Posada, Reggie Jackson, and Derek Jeter, the guy who still comes up to a recording of Sheppard announcing his name? Where were they?

Their All-Star break was more important than paying their respects to a Yankee icon?

Good for Brain Cashman, who was there delivered the eulogy, but for an organization that usually does these sorts of things the right way, the players failed this time around.

Remembering The Voice and The Boss

I picked up the NY Post this morning before I got on the train for work, and almost the entire thing was deticated to George M. Steinbrenner III, as it should be.

One thing that I was very pleased with was the short little caption next to this picture. The Yanks will wear the GMS patch above the left breast, and the Bob Sheppard patch on the left sleeve.

Classy move Yanks.

Some More Quotes About Sheppard

Chad Jennings has a bunch of quotes from Yankees players and staff about the passing of the great Bob Sheppard. Check out the post, but for now here's what Michael Kay said. I think he summed up the feelings of many Yankees fans across the country.

“Bob Sheppard’s voice was the only voice you can think of coming out of the grandest sports cathedral in our country. His stentorian tone was the embodiment of class and represented everything that the Yankees and Yankee Stadium stood for. Yankee Stadium will never sound the same because no one will ever come close to the ‘Voice of God.’ He will be greatly missed. He was a gentleman of epic proportions, and an absolute joy to be around. My thoughts go out to his wife Mary and his family.”
– Michael Kay

Press Release From The Yankees About Sheppard

Via the Yankees:

It is with deep sadness that the New York Yankees announce the passing of longtime public address announcer Bob Sheppard - "The Voice of Yankee Stadium." Sheppard passed away this morning at his home in Baldwin, N.Y., with his wife, Mary, by his side. He was 99 years old.

A wake will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Fullerton Funeral Home located at 769 Merrick Road, Baldwin, Long Island, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day. The funeral will be held on Thursday at 10:45 a.m. at St. Christopher's Church at 11 Gale Avenue in Baldwin.

Born in Ridgewood, Queens, Sheppard began his tenure as Yankees public address announcer on April 17, 1951-Opening Day of Joe DiMaggio's final season and Mickey Mantle's Major League debut. Among the approximately 4,500 baseball games he worked over his tenure with the Yankees were an incredible 121 consecutive postseason contests (1951-2006), including 62 games in 22 World Series.

"Most men go to work, but I go to a game," Sheppard said. "How many men would love to do that?"

Sheppard's incredible career behind the microphone started when he volunteered his services for a charity football game in Freeport, Long Island, in the late 1940s. An executive from the Brooklyn Dodgers football team of the All-America Conference was at the game. He liked Sheppard's style ("clear, concise and correct") and hired him. The football Dodgers folded after only one season at Ebbets Field (1948), but one of their opponents-the New York football Yankees-heard Sheppard's booming voice and offered him their PA job at Yankee Stadium. Baseball's Yankees then heard him and offered him the same role for them for the 1950 season. Though his teaching schedule could not accommodate the 77-game home schedule for baseball (plus World Series games) and he turned down the offer for 1950, he reconsidered the next year.

In addition to his baseball duties, Sheppard was the public address voice for the football Giants for 50 seasons-from their move to Yankee Stadium in 1956 until his retirement after the 2005 season. Sheppard also served the New York Titans of the American Football League at the Polo Grounds, the New York Stars of the World Football League at Downing Stadium, the New York Cosmos (soccer) and St. John's University basketball and football. Sheppard also handled PA duties for five Army-Navy football games in Philadelphia.

Some of the events he listed as the most memorable of his incredible career were: Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series on October 8, 1956; Roger Maris' 61st home run on October 1, 1961; Reggie Jackson's three home runs in Game 6 of the World Series on October 18, 1977; and the Giants-Colts overtime NFL Championship Game on December 28, 1958.

In one of the game's truly memorable moments, Sheppard introduced President George W. Bush before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series (on October 30) as Mr. Bush became the first sitting President to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

Sheppard attended St. John's College, which eventually became St. John's University. Always a talented athlete, he received a full athletic scholarship to the school, playing quarterback on the football team all four years. He later enrolled at Columbia University, where he received his master's degree in speech and worked his way up from teacher-in-training to substitute teacher to permanent teacher to department chairman. In order to supplement his teaching salary, Sheppard played semiprofessional football on Sundays in Long Island with the Valley Stream Red Riders and the Hempstead Monitors, earning $25 a game.

In 1998, Sheppard was presented with the prestigious William J. Slocum "Long and Meritorious Service" Award by the New York chapter of the BBWAA as well as the "Pride of the Yankees" award by the ballclub. Yankee Stadium's media dining room was named "Sheppard's Place" prior to the 2009 season to commemorate his legacy.

On May 7, 2000, a plaque was dedicated to Sheppard in Monument Park of the original Yankee Stadium to commemorate his 50th anniversary season.

The native New Yorker was elected to the St. John's University Sports Hall of Fame, the Long Island Sports Hall of Fame and the New York Sports Hall of Fame. He was awarded honorary doctorates from St. John's University (Pedagogy) and Fordham University (Rhetoric), and in 2007, received St. John's' Medal of Honor, the highest award that the university can confer on a graduate.

Sheppard also made cameo appearances in numerous motion pictures and television shows, including 61*, It's My Turn, It Could Happen to You, Anger Management, Seinfeld and Mad About You.

Sheppard announced his final game at Yankee Stadium on September 5, 2007, a 3-2 Yankees victory over the Kansas City Royals.

At the request of Derek Jeter, a recording of Sheppard announcing his name has been played prior to each of his at-bats since Sheppard's absence in 2007.

On September 21, 2008, Sheppard provided a valedictory in the bottom of the seventh inning of the final game at the original Yankee Stadium. Unable to say goodbye in person as he continued to recover from illness that had kept him away from the Stadium since the final weeks of the 2007 season, Sheppard gave his tribute through a taped segment played on the video board. He recited, "Farewell, old Yankee Stadium, farewell / What a wonderful story you can tell / DiMaggio, Mantle, Gehrig and Ruth / A baseball cathedral in truth."

The "Voice of God" Has Been Silenced

It's a very sad Sunday in Yankeeland, because legend and long-time PA announcer, Bob Sheppard, has passed away.

He died earlier this morning at his home in Baldwin, N.Y. He was 99.

R.I.P. Mr. Sheppard. You will be sorely missed.

Here are three of our last memories of Sheppard at Yankee Stadium. The first in his final live lineup announcement, the second is his speech about Yankee Stadium prior to the final game, and the third is the lineups from that night.

This final video is from a CNN report from Joe DiMaggio day back in 1999. In it you will here Sheppard call the lineups for Game 6 of the 1951 World Series, between the New York Yankees and New York Giants.

Olden Talks About Replacing A Legend

From Anthony McCarron:

"I don't know that I'll last as long as Bob - the fact that he was working in his mid-90s is amazing in any job," Olden said Friday in a telephone interview. "This is one of the best jobs I've ever had, especially coming in the first year and going all the way, the team winning. When this comes along, you want the ride to go for a long time."

Olden and Sheppard are friends, a relationship forged when Olden was a Yankee broadcaster in the mid-1990s and later when he did Rays games. Olden recalled sitting at Sheppard's corner table in the press dining room at the old Stadium, listening to Sheppard's stories. Sometimes he got Sheppard to tell a few on his pregame show.

Olden knew Sheppard was retiring, saying, "He needed to get to a place where he could hear himself say those words and I think he got there." In recent conversations, Sheppard "kind of gave me his blessing" as his replacement, Olden said.

"That was so important to me," Olden said. "I thanked him. Oh, my gosh, it's almost beyond words to describe a man of his stature saying that to me."

There had to be a ton of pressure on the guy coming into this year, but he handled it well. He's no Bob Sheppard (nobody is), but he does a good job.

How would you guys rate Olden's first season?

Bob Sheppard Tribute

Here's a video tribute that they played at Yankee Stadium during "Bob Sheppard Day" on May 7, 2000. Enjoy. (Hat-tip to New York Baseball Digest)

Bob Sheppard Retires

Bob Sheppard has officially called it a career. The 99-year-old "Voice of Yankee Stadium" had this to say to Bryan Hoch:

"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."

...

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."

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.

BREAKING NEWS: Bob Sheppard Retires

UPDATE 4:38 p.m.: Here's an update from Peter Abraham:

The Yankees refuted the report on Bob Sheppard retiring. Team officials said they spoke to his son Paul, who denied making the statements attributed to him. But Mr. Sheppard is 98, in ill health and has not worked a game since 2007. The odds of his return are slim. Hopefully he’s able to announce a game or two this season.

Hopefully this is true, and he can come back. But as Abraham says, it seems those chances are slim.

Here's some very disappointing news fom Jack Curry:

The new Yankee Stadium will sound much different than the old one. Bob Sheppard, the public-address announcer for the Yankees since 1951, has retired.

Paul Doherty, a friend and agent who has represented Sheppard, said Sheppard’s son, Paul, told him about Sheppard’s plans on Wednesday morning.

“I think Bob just wants to take it easy and no longer have the pressure of, ‘Can he? Will he? Or won’t he?’” Doherty said in an e-mail message. “And, at 98, who can blame him?”

Doherty added that Sheppard remained active.

“I’m happy to say that Bob is still doing well enough to drive a car,” Doherty said. “He picked his son up at the train this past weekend.”

The article also states that Jim Hall, Sheppard's longtime backup, will not be Sheppard's replacement. They've hired Paul Olden to do the two games against the Cubs.

UPDATE 3:24 p.m.: Here's a little info on Paul Olden:

Paul has been the radio and/or television play-by-play announcer for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Yankees, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and New Jersey Nets. Paul has also broadcast several sports for Fox Sports Net, ESPN, The Football Network and KMPC-AM in Los Angeles.

Since 1994, has been the stadium public address announcer for every Super Bowl since 1994.

Yanks Press Release On Bob Sheppard

Last Thursday I posted this about a Neil Best article in which he stated that Bob Sheppard would not be attending opening day. Today the Yankees posted this press release on Yankees.com:

The New York Yankees announced today that longtime public address announcer Bob Sheppard will be unavailable at the commencement of the Yankees' 2009 inaugural season, including the club's workout on April 2 as well as the first exhibition games at Yankee Stadium on April 3-4 and Opening Day on April 16, as a result of his continuing recovery from a bronchial infection.

For the Yankees' workout day on April 2 and their exhibition games vs. the Chicago Cubs on April 3-4, Paul Olden will substitute for Mr. Sheppard in the public address booth at Yankee Stadium while he continues to recover at his home on Long Island. A 12-time Super Bowl public address announcer, Olden's broadcasting career spanned 17 years, including two seasons in the Yankees' television broadcast booth from 1995-96, alongside Bobby Murcer and Phil Rizzuto.

This season marks the 58th anniversary of Sheppard's debut as the Yankees' public address announcer. His first game was on Opening Day, April 17, 1951, as the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 5-0.

"I will not be able to be at Yankee Stadium for the series with the Cubs or Opening Day," Sheppard said. "My personal physician advised me to wait until I am ready. It is in the hands of God. I am looking forward to doing games in the new Stadium."

What happen to Jim Hall?

Bob Sheppard Will Not Be At Opening Day

From Neil Best:

Bob Sheppard likely will not be at the public address microphone when the Yankees officially open their new stadium April 16, his wife, Mary, said Thursday.

"His doctor said he doesn't have the stamina yet to go back at this time, but he's hoping sometime during the season he'll be able to,'' she said from their Baldwin home.

So the opener is out of the question? "He would love to be there; he would love it,'' she said. "But at the moment the stamina isn't there.''
...

Mary Sheppard said warmer mid-season weather might help ease her husband's return.

"He's been through a lot,'' she said. "But there is no one particular problem. His weight is fine. And his voice is still excellent.''

Very disappointing news. I was really looking forward to hearing Bob in the PA booth again. Hopefully, like his wife said, the warm weather will get him there, but at this point I don't know if that will happen.

Sheppard on his way back?

The voice of god himself, Bob Sheppard, was on Ed Randall's show this morning on WFAN. He said he's feeling better, and that he's back at "good fighting weight" and he's "happy."

He also said that his doctor told him that once he's up to 145 lbs and has "adequate stamina" he could come back to work. Well now he's up to 145 1/2 lbs and feeling great, and he's got three months to work on his stamina, and hopes to be back by to open the new Yankee Stadium. This is great news for us Yankees fans. It just wouldn't be right to open up that new stadium without Bob Sheppard.

You can listen to the entire interview below:

A Day at The Stadium

First of all, a hat tip to Bryan Hoch for posting this great video.

For anyone that remembers what Yankee Stadium sounded like with Eddie Layton and Bob Sheppard worked together, this is for you. It brings back a ton of great memories. This is how I remember Yankee Stadium sounding from when I first started going when I was five years old.

Chris Pavia does a very good impression of Bob Sheppard and plays the organ just like Eddie Layton.

Here's the Youtube description:

Bob Sheppard and Eddie Layton impersonator Chris Pavia takes us through time reflecting back and impersonating the legendary Bob Sheppard and late great Yankee stadium organist Eddie Layton. Listen as Chris takes you back in time sitting in your seat 45 minutes before the game and listening to the sounds of Eddie Layton and Bob Sheppard. And just for the record...that is Chris's real voice!!! no chips, no computers, just a dead on impersonation !! (using his own voice and the same organ , 2 keyboards, and drum machine that Eddie used at Yankee stadium from the mid 80s until 2003-ENJOY!

Chris has several other videos, including the 2007 starting lineup, the all-time greatest Yankees, and a tribute to Bob Sheppard.

Sheppard: Yankee Stadium is like a second home

From Steve Serby:

The Post's Steve Serby chatted with the legendary voice of Yankee Stadium, who started as public-address announcer in 1951 but has missed the ballpark's final season due to illness.

Q: Your thoughts on the last game tonight at Yankee Stadium?

A: After having been there for more than 50 years, and missing this year because of illness, I shall miss the ending. I had planned being there if I could, but I don't have the stamina and I can't get up there and back (from Bellmore, L.I.), even though the Yankees have been so generous offering limousine service there and back and a seat in Steinbrenner's box. But physically, I wasn't up to it.

Q: What will your emotions be watching the finale on television?

A: Nostalgic. Really, really nostalgic. I started so long ago, and I never realized how many years I would spend up there. Never did I dream I would go on and on and on, like a river flowing constantly. Like the Energizer Bunny, I guess you could call it.

Q: Sum up what Yankee Stadium has meant to you.

A: It was like a second home. I was doubling, doing baseball for the Yankees and football for the Giants, and I loved them both, and I enjoyed doing football as much as baseball, and baseball as much as football. And when I retired from the football Giants a year ago, it was on my own wishes. I just felt the trip over to Jersey and back to Long Island got to be a little bit heavy on me.

Q: What would you say Yankee Stadium means to baseball fans across America?

A: I liken it to a cathedral, like St. Patrick's Cathedral is to the Catholic people of New York. The Yankee Stadium - and I hope I'm not being un-Christian here - the Yankee Stadium is like a cathedral for baseball people. I think it has a certain aura of dignity . . . name . . . history and star appeal . . . the kind of appeal that comes only with Ruth, and Gehrig, and DiMaggio, and Mantle, and Rodriguez and Jeter and so on. This place, Yankee Stadium, truly has been blessed, not only with the great stars, but with the phenomenal record over the years. I don't know how many World Series I did in my years up there, but what other announcer would have the joy and pleasure of being there and seeing all those World Series games? It was a bonus, even though they paid me too.

Q: The new Yankee Stadium?

A: Tell the people who read The Post I'm looking forward to next year.

Read the rest of the interview here. Sheppard discusses some of his favorite Stadium memories including Larsen's perfect game, Maris' 61 in '61, Reggie's three homers in game 6 of the '77 series, and others, as well as players from the past and present.

Sheppard to Miss Stadium Finale

From Newsday:

Longtime Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Sheppard will not be at the Stadium finale Sunday night, he told Newsday this morning.

"My heart will be up in the Bronx," Sheppard said. "But my body will be in front of television."

Speaking from his Baldwin home by phone, Sheppard said, "I don't have enough muscle to get up to the Bronx, even if I sit there in Steinbrenner's box. They offered me a seat there if I wanted to come up there and just watch the game."

But he turned that down, too.

"I really feel that if I had to leave my home at 4 o'clock and get home at midnight, it would be too much of a taxation on my whole body," he said.

When it became clear that he wasn't going to be able to attend, Sheppard said he wrote a speech on paper that he has thought about sending to the Yankees.

"It was that I was regretting not being there, you know, saying briefly what my memories of over 50 years of doing game after game after game, being friendly with some of the players," he said.

But he has not yet decided whether he will send it to the team, "because if it's to be delivered vocally, I would want to do it, and I can't do it from Baldwin."

"Next year is beckoning," he said. "And I have a two-year contract, so I intend to be back in the new stadium next April. I'm looking forward to that."

It really would have made the finale very special if he was there. This whole year has been strange without Mr. Sheppard at The Stadium, it hasn't felt, or sounded the same. But obviously the most important thing is Sheppard's health so you can't blame him for not wanting to risk it.

I hope he sends his speech, he should be part of the Stadium's finale in some way. But I think it would be even better if he recorded himself reading it, and the Yankees played that over the PA system, just so the fans could hear his voice for the final time in that great stadium.

Sheppard Hopes to Return for Final Game

From Jim Baumbach:

Everyone knows the only fitting way to close Yankee Stadium is with Bob Sheppard returning to be the public-address announcer for the final game. His health has kept him from doing a single Yankees game this season - which would have been his 58th - but rest assured he has visions of returning for the finale.

"If I can be there, I shall be there."

That's what he said by phone Thursday morning from his Baldwin home, and he spoke those words using the same tone, diction and precise pronunciation that became synonymous with Yankee Stadium many decades ago. He was jovial and upbeat during our 10-minute conversation, sounding no different than he has for decades.

"The doctor is questioning my stamina," Sheppard said.

"In other words, can I leave my home in Baldwin at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and get home at midnight and not suffer any relapse?"

"Each day I'm getting a little bit better," Sheppard said. "Each day from January until now there has been an improvement in my weight, in my stamina, and in my outlook."

It would be great if Mr. Sheppard could return for the final game at The Stadium. It's the way it should be. Hopefully things work out and he's able to be there.

Bob Sheppard To Miss All-Star Game

From The Star-Ledger:

"I am not going to be physically able to perform my duties during the All-Star activities," Sheppard told The Star-Ledger from his home in Baldwin, N.Y. "I notified the Yankees that my back-up, Jim Hall - H-A-L-L - will be filling in for me."

Sheppard has not worked this season while recovering from a series of illnesses. His weight had dropped from 150 to 105, but this spring, had regained enough strength that the Yankees were optimistic he could make his return in time for the July 15 festivities.

Instead, Sheppard , 97, would not speculate on when he might be well enough to return during the final season at Yankee Stadium.

"After 57 years of doing every game at Yankee Stadium, it is deeply disappointing," he said. "But I have no control over my well being. I have faith that God will get me back to the ballpark whenever he's ready for me to get back."

It's a shame, I'm sure every Yankees fan was hoping he would be there that night. The Stadium really hasn't been the same this year without him. Hopefully he can return at some point this season.

Sheppard Improving, May Be Back For All Star Game

From Mike Puma:

June 5, 2008 -- Public-address announcer Bob Sheppard's health is improving, and the 97-year-old Yankee Stadium icon could be in his familiar seat in time for the All-Star Game on July 15, Yankees COO Lonn Trost told The Post yesterday.

"We've spoken to Bob, and with a little luck he'll be there," Trost said at an All-Star game press conference in Manhattan.

Sheppard has not worked this season while recovering from a series of illnesses. Trost said Sheppard had lost significant weight while ill, dropping from about 150 pounds to 105, but has since regained strength, prompting optimism for his return.

"He's back up to 130 or 135 [pounds] and the doctor said he can come back when he hits 140," Trost said. "We want him to finish off this year. We want him for the All-Star Game and, of course, we want him to open up the brand new stadium."

Great news. Jim Hall has done a fine job replacing him, but it's about time Sheppard gets back where he belongs. Plus the All Star Game at Yankee Stadium would not be the same without him.

Sheppard Targets July 1st Return

From BustedHalo.com, with a hat tip to Peter Abraham:

According to the doctor, when I reach, “my fighting weight” about 145-150, he will allow me to go back to Yankee Stadium and finish the season. So my target date to be back is July 1. There is an All Star Game to be played at Yankee Stadium on July 15th and one of my goals is to be there and announce it. I did one years and years ago at Yankee Stadium but I can’t recall it. So now this would be something to remember. I do want to be there next year when we open a new Stadium. And I’d like to be the one who says, “Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen…Welcome to the NEW…Yankee Stadium.”

Well I've been to several games this year, and even though Jim Hall does a good job, I really do miss hearing Sheppard. The Stadium needs his voice back.

Sheppard to Introduce Jeter, Sort of

From Bryan Hoch:

NEW YORK -- Bob Sheppard's voice will be at Yankee Stadium after all for Monday's season opener, the final Opening Day in the ballpark's history -- although he will be heard for just one batter.

Sheppard, the Yankees' public address announcer since 1951, will not be able to attend the game as he recovers from health issues that have limited his workload. But shortstop Derek Jeter plans to have Sheppard introduce him for his at-bats, the first of which will come in the bottom of the first inning against the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay. Jeter has had Sheppard's introduction recorded on tape.

"It's unfortunate, because one of the first things I looked forward to when I was called up was coming to Yankee Stadium and hearing him say my name," Jeter said on Monday. "I had Bob Sheppard record introducing me. I'll always come to the plate with Bob Sheppard."

Good idea, it just isn't the same going to Yankee Stadium without hearing Sheppard's voice.