Sheppard on final game: ‘If I can be there, I shall be there’
ByAs the final game at Yankee Stadium draws nearer, some of us wonder, what about Bob? Will the legendary Yankees PA announcer, who has had the gig since 1951, be healthy enough to lend his voice one more time? He sure hopes so, as he tells Jim Baumbach of Newsday.
“The doctor is questioning my stamina,” Sheppard said. Then he repeated the word stamina while slowly and carefully annunciating all three syllables. “Sta-min-a.”
“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?”
One alternative Sheppard suggested would be to have current PA announcer Jim Hall sit in standby. Says Sheppard: “And if I begin to get too tired, he would be my relief speaker, like a relief pitcher.”
While we all wish Sheppard to be the man to call the final game, his health certainly is a concern. He relates that his doctor wishes him to climb the 15 steps in his house 15 times a day, which would help build his stamina. However, he is not ready for such activity at this point.
Have we already heard the last of Bob Sheppard’s voice live at the Stadium? Perhaps. That would be quite sad. I suppose the Yanks will continue to use his recording for Derek Jeter‘s introduction until No. 2 retires, though.
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lets hope that last game inst until late october
*isn’t, wow I suck
This might be a bit silly, but is there no way to have him do the announcing from his bed at home? Some sort of live feed directly into the stadium or something like that. He could be watching the game on a special broadcast with no commercials, have someone relay the information to him as to what is going on in the game (pinch hitters, new pitchers, etc.), and do the announcing from there. It just doesn’t seem right that the stadium would go without him (or his voice) being there the final day.
My thoughts exactly. Its not exactly 1951 telecommunications-wise.
I agree. Why not at least record the intro and initial lineup?
um isnt he 98 years old? how do you expect a guy who is almost a fucking century old who is concerned whether he can last 8 hours sitting down to climb 15 steps 15 times a day.
Jimmy Key, what’s he, like 45? I could hit him…
sorry i dont get it, if its sarcasm please dont bother me with it today im just not up for it. i wish bob the best.
Ask his doc. From the tone of the interview, he seems in decent health, just suffering from normal wear and tear from age.
My car is suffering from some normal wear and tear but f***in chase finance is charging me $630 for it at the end of my lease. bastards.
well with all due respect i think its amazing that the voice of god who i have the utmost respect for is still alive. god bless him. hes a great story but hes not coming to play in the field is he? the story just sounded weird for me. im sure he gets the mayors treatment when he is in the stadium
Bob,
God bless you. Your iconic voice and class are legendary.We love you and hope you can be there is say goodbye to your home away from home.
Pete Q
I remember him from my childhood.
A lot of people don’t know; he used to announce for the New York football Giants too. We’re witnessing the passing of a true icon.
The Irony here I guess is , the stamina issue, he went across the river on Sundays in Sept. and Oct. to do the Giant games after the Yanks played sometimes.