The Voice of God

Love them or hate them, the Yankees are a team rich in tradition. Two years ago I experienced some of this when I went to Yankee Stadium for my first and only visit to this historic building. You can't help but be struck by two things: the low ceilings in the concourses and some of the legends of the sport that played there.
    
Today, though, isn't so much about players like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, or Derek Jeter. It's about the man that was the voice of Yankee Stadium, Bob Sheppard. Sheppard died today, two months shy of his 100th birthday.

From 1951-2007 Sheppard's eloquent prose reverberated around Yankee Stadium. His voice was comforting, yet ominous, like a grandfather who didn't say much, but when he did you listened. Anyone who ever had the pleasure of experiencing this, be it on TV or live, can relate.  He was to the Yankees what Paul Morris was to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens for so many years. Hall of Famer, Reggie Jackson may have said it best when he dubbed Sheppard "the voice of God."

He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. Next time you watch a Yankee game, listen to Derek Jeter being announced - that's a recording of Sheppard's voice - the voice of God talking to you.

Revered Yankees PA man Bob Sheppard, 99, dies - SI.com