One of the more remarkable aspects of legendary Yankees & Giants PA announcer Bob Sheppard's life was his anonymity. Reggie Jackson once said he possessed the 'voice of God' and he's got a plaque in Monument Park, but for the bulk of his 50+ year career would have gone unnoticed in a mob of the most rabid NY sports fans. I can picture him at one of the sports bars on 161st Street beside the old Stadium, bravely wading through a crowd of burly fans, most of them wondering what a stick-thin and tweed-jacketed older gentleman is doing in a packed tavern. Finally catching the eye of a barman, the dapper man with a book tucked under his arm opens his mouth.
Thank you. If you will. Please bring me. An ice. Cold. Budweiser. With a glass. Budweiser.
All but a TV above the bar is silent. Men freeze, beers in mid-swallow, fingers in mid-point. He's here. The voice of Yankee Stadium. Here. Right here. The men watch his face like construction workers ogling a woman in hotpants. The barmen hands him a longneck. The men brace themselves as Bob Sheppard's mouth opens again. Thank you.
Bob Sheppard drinks his beer while around him men use hard hands to rub away tears. No one approaches him. Who would dare? Firemen, cops, Wall Street bigboys, all overwhelmed to share space with the holy spirit of their cathedral. None feel worthy to address this ordinary man with a seminal voice.
Bob Sheppard finishes his beer. Men want to reach for their wallets to pay for his drink -- these same men want to pick the small man up and carry him through the streets -- but it's too late. Their bodies are numb from shock, happiness, awe.
All they can do is watch as Bob Sheppard lays a $5 bill on the bar, adjusts his jacket and walks out into October twilight. He crosses 161st Street and disappears into a navy blue ocean of fathers with children, vendors, young men with wives and girlfriends, all buzzing with pre-game hope. Bob Sheppard casts a thin shadow as he strides to the press gate, going to work, just as he's done in the Bronx since 1951.The lights are on. The field is bright green. Bob Sheppard is at the microphone. Yankee Stadium is ready for baseball.
2 comments:
Nicely done! I can actually picture that scene-the pauses in the phrasing were at the perfect times. If anyone has seen interviews with Bob Sheppard, his "stage" voice is no different than his normal speaking voice.
The name boomed over the PA, often to a less than sold out stadium-this relatively new sellout at each game, are just that, new, ten years or so. At one point, 2 million was the bell weather in attendance, no more.
I always held out hope that he would make it back for just one game in the new stadium, then "retire". But, it was not to be- what a shame.
And, lest not forget, his replacement for the occasional days he was off, Jim Hall, was a total sound alike- I wish the Yankees would have signed him up PA duties at the new place.
See you Bob- Your impact on the game is more probably than even you realized. Truly, the Original Yankee Stadium is gone in all ways now.
I love your story Joe. Even at 99 I still think we lost him too soon. The man left his mark on so many people. Going to see the Yankees or Giants for the first time as a child is a huge event for most people that grew up in the New York area and Bob was a big part of that experience for all of us. I remember watching the Giants and Yankees games with you so many years ago. I remember you being a very big Reggie fan (I guess we all loved Reggie). Over the years so many celebrities pass that many of us become numb to it (I know I have) but this one is different than most. I already miss him and his iconic voice. RIP
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