RIP Bob Sheppard

Sheppard's philosophy that all of the current PA screamers need to adopt:

"I'm not a cheerleader; I don't think a public address announcer should be one. I'm not a circus barker, who strings out the announcement of a home team player. That curdles my spirit when I hear it."

 

A big part of my childhood and times I spent with my dad. RIP.

 

Was lucky enough to hear him live, too. A close second to James Earl Jones as best voice ever.

 

Think someone with his style of presentation would get hired today? I don't, unfortunately.

 

A lovely tribute in the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/sports/baseball/12sheppard.html?_r=1&hp

“The Yankees and Bob Sheppard were a marriage made in heaven,” said his son Paul Sheppard, a 71-year-old financial adviser. “I know St. Peter will now recruit him. If you’re lucky enough to go to heaven, you’ll be greeted by a voice, saying, ‘Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to heaven!’ ”

 

Went back east in 2000 when talk first surfaced about the Yankees and Red Sox dumping or renovating their stadiums. Hearing Sheppard was awesome - similar to seeing Johnny Cash or George Jones live.

 

I am so sad. Nothing more to say.

 

Maybe he'd still have a chance in baseball, since the intros aren't quite as nuts as the NBA or NFL. But I think that with the Lakers longtime PA guy Lawrence Tanter. There's no way he'd be hired starting today, he's so understated.

There was a story a year ago or so about Jim Hill, guy who had been Sheppard's backup at the Stadium. He'd been the backup since like the 1960s.

 

Good call on Lawrence Tanter. He's the only NBA PA guy I can listen to and enjoy.

Doesn't Tanter still host a jazz radio show in L.A.?

 

I just bought "Billy Ball" by Martin/Phil Pepe this afternoon at a thrift store for 99 cents.
Looking forward to reading it.

RIP Mr. Sheppard (who I was not familiar with until now)

 

I guess God needed his voice back.

RIP to a wonderful announcer. It was absolutely always a highlight to hear his voice at the games.

From reading the AP article, it seems as though he was a pretty funny guy. "Anglo-Saxon names are just not very euphonius. What am I supposed to do with Steve Sax?"

I also think it's great that, behind Mickey Mantle, his favorite name to announce is Shigetoshi Hasegawa. I happened to be at a Yankees-Mariners game when Hasegawa pitched and that's actually the name that sticks out in my mind when I think of him announcing. I can still hear it.

And my third favorite part of the article was the part about Mickey saying he gets goosebumps every time Sheppard announces his name, to which Sheppard replied, "Mickey, so do I."