george vescey on the voice of yankee stadium

Wanna know why sports are cool, beyond what happens on the field? Check out George Vescey's column from today's New York Times on Bob Sheppard, the longtime public address announcer at Yankee Stadium who is recovering from bronchitis. As anyone who's seen a ballgame in the Bronx knows, Sheppard's voice is deep and distinctive -- what God must sound like if He were to recite a lineup card. Best of all, Sheppard is simple and never, ever obtrusive. Money quote from Vescey, on word that Sheppard would be back behind the mike by June or July:

This news was a glorious harbinger of spring, a reassurance we have survived the horrors of winter and the Knicks and cheating governors on both sides of the Hudson, and now it is time for the world to resume.

Cool.