I speak often of Yankee Stadium being my one true home but there was a presence there that to me epitomized baseball. It was the voice of Bob Sheppard.
To me the defining moment of a Yankee world series game always came down to one moment, one moment of bottled up intensity that sent the crowd into a fever, it was excitement exemplified and it came at the bottom 8th inning…
—-
Enter Sandman hits on the PA, and the crowd rises to their feet as Metallica’s anthem begins to pump through their veins like the fuel injection of a car.
“Now pitching for the New York Yankees… number forty two Mariano Rivera.”
—-
It was Bob Sheppard’s voice.
Bob’s presence is the perfect contrast to Metallica’s it reminds the fans that this is class, this is prestige, this is the New York Yankees, the greatest sports franchise of all time.
Bob’s voice is that brand, it is the Yankees. Thank you for all the memories Bob, may you sleep soundly.