Shannon Shark @metspolice – Page 4114

April 1, 2009

Bob Sheppard Has Retired. (Times) Won’t Be Jim Hall.

I doubt that the NY Times does April Fools jokes…I do find it odd that the “permalink” from the Times site says “Published April 2nd”

perhaps an exclusive hit the web early? I’m grabbing the entire thing in case it disappears. Sorry for sloppy formatting on this one. (day job and working fast).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/sports/baseball/02sheppard.html?_r=1&ref=sports

Voice of Yankee Stadium Retires

By JACK CURRY

Published: April 1, 2009

The new Yankee Stadium will sound much different than the old one. Bob Sheppard, the public address announcer for the Yankees since 1951, has retired.

Richard Perry/ The New York Times

Bob Sheppard, who started as the Yankees’ announcer in 1951, hadn’t missed an opening day until 2006 when an injury kept him out of the announcer’s box.

Paul Doherty, a friend and agent who has represented Sheppard, said Sheppard’s son, Paul, told him about Sheppard’s plans on Wednesday morning.

“I think Bob just wants to take it easy and no longer have the pressure of, ‘Can he? Will he? Or won’t he?'” Doherty said in an e-mail message. “And, at 98, who can blame him?”

Doherty added that Sheppard remained active.

“I’m happy to say that Bob is still doing well enough to drive a car,” Doherty said. “He picked his son up at the train this past weekend.”

The last lineup that Sheppard announced was actually his first. Doherty said that, two months ago, he had Sheppard recreate the first lineup he did, on April 17, 1951. It included Phil Rizzuto, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra.

“Now on to him seeing his 100th birthday in a year and a half,” Doherty said.

The Yankees have not named a replacement for Sheppard, but it will not be Jim Hall, Sheppard’s long-time backup. Paul Olden will fill in for the two exhibition games at the Stadium this weekend.

and the permalink

Sports / Baseball

Voice of Yankee Stadium Retires

By JACK CURRY

Published: April 2, 2009

The new Yankee Stadium will sound much different than the old one. Bob Sheppard, the public address announcer since 1951, has retired.

Paul Doherty, a friend and agent who has represented Sheppard, said Sheppard’s son, Paul, told him about Sheppard’s plans on Wednesday morning.

“I think Bob just wants to take it easy and no longer have the pressure of, ‘Can he? Will he? Or won’t he?'” Doherty said in an e-mail message. “And, at 98, who can blame him?”

Sporting News now has it too…

Longtime Yankees PA announcer Sheppard retires

SportingNews.com – â€Ž4 minutes agoâ€Ž

Bob Sheppard, the 98-year-old public address announcer for the New York Yankees, has retired, the New York Times reports. Paul Doherty, a friend and agent …

I feel bad for Jim Hall

April 1, 2009

5 Reasons Friday’s Game At Citi Field Won’t Be An Early Rain Out

1. The Mets actually want you to see the ballpark.

No Mets Police cattiness here. They are proud of their ballpark and want us to enjoy it. They’ll try their best to get the game in.

2. The forecast isn’t that hideous.

It’s not good, but it’s not a hurricane. With a little luck we get a window.

5pm: Definite light rain

8pm: Likely light rain.

My prediction, we all sit under umbrellas until 8:30 and then get sent home. They don’t like to start games in the rain.

3. $18 to park.

I don’t know how many parking spots there are, but if they call the game early then don’t bank $18 per car. Free money.

4. $6 beer and the Shake Shack

What do you do when there’s nothing happening on the grass…you walk around and eat and drink.

5. Yankees Poker

If the Mets call the game mid-day and the weather gods let the Yankees get their game in…..jerky fat bloggers like me pile on.

I have tickets. I’d rather head out there and get soaked than get buzzkilled at 2:30 in the afternoon. On a Tuesday in July I will have the opposite opinion (call games early so as to be nice to fans) but for Friday – open those gates!

April 1, 2009

The Wonderfulness of The Great Unknown At Citi Field

So I’m going with Cyclones Fan to the game on Friday. I have the tickets. I have to tell him where to meet and…..

….I’m stumped!

Where do we meet?

I know I suggested in the New Traditions article (you can find that in the links on the right side of the blog) that we meet at the Classic Apple – but not having been to Citi Field, I don’t know if we can actually get to it to meet there.

My brain wants to meet at “Gate E” but that’s gone. Do we meet at the “right field gate?” Would that be a good or annoying spot?

I love the unknown! We’ll never feel this way again…or at least we won’t until the Mets move to Mercury in 2021.

More unknowns: My seats are in the 520s. Is that good? Row 3? Is that good? Seats in the 20s…am I at the end of a row, or the middle or what? Can I see the scoreboard? Is the quickest way to the subway from left field going around the home plate side or the outfield side?

Fun stuff, can’t wait!

April 1, 2009

Where Are They Now – Sidd Finch

He’s 52 now.

The hair is thinner and the waist a bit wider, but he can still get into the lotus position with ease.

â€œThe secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.â€

He goes by simply Hayden now, his actual given name. “Too many people knew of ‘Sidd’ after Mr. Plimpton wrote that article. I still honor my beliefs, but I had to change back to my given name. After all solitude is happiness for one who is content.”

He never did pursue that baseball career. “Baseball in its purest form is still a wonderous heavenly melding of movement and spirituality, however professional baseball takes the purity away from the action.”

“I would have stayed with the Mets but they wanted to give me money for pitching, they told me I would have to take money because the union said so,” Hayden reflected wistfully as he looked out over the trees from his cabin just outside Hinton, Alberta.

“I did not want the money – it was about the purity. If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him – if he has conquered greed, nothing can limit his freedom.” He shakes his head and raises the horn to his mouth.

He has not picked up a baseball since the day he left Florida. When Hayden decided that baseball was not his path, he decided to focus on the French Horn. His fame prevented him from playing with any of the major philharmonics, but that did not deter Hayden. He has played in small cities and towns across the globe.

Five years ago he played his horn at the Hinton Fohn Festival when he says he was “overcome with the power of the spirit.”

Hinton lies on the edge of Jaspar National Park – and whether it is the mountains, the trees, or the cool, crisp air, Hayden found the accoustics in Hinton perfect. “This is what I had been looking for over many years, after all perfection is only attained by slow degrees, it requires the hands of time.”

He has no TV, no radio, and no computer. He has his French Horn and he has the world. That is all Hayden (Sidd) Finch needs or wants now.

www.metspolice.com

April 1, 2009

Mets Say There Are No Obstructed Seats (Times)

According to the Times….

As for the Mets, they continue to maintain that there are no obscured-view seats in Citi Field, despite what some fans were contending after Sundayâ€™s game. Fans might miss a play or two, the Mets conceded. But, they added, the game action will be replayed on the scoreboards and the fans are closer to the field to begin with.

â€œWhenever you bring seating closer to the action, and put seating in fair territory, there will be certain angles where you lose a sightline here or there,â€ said Dave Howard, the Metsâ€™ vice president for business operations. â€œThatâ€™s typical in new ballparks, but a little different for our customers because Shea didnâ€™t have much of anything like that.”

No obstructed views? Really? Then explain this picture. Better yet, watch this video. Aren’t home plate and the pitchers mound things we’d want to see

I think the new park looks great and we’ll love it, but can’t the Mets be honest and admit there are a few duds?

The Times piece mentions:

Steven Gottesman, who has a 15-game ticket plan, went to see his four seats in Section 533, Row 15, near the top of the upper deck down the left-field line. To his â€œshock and horror,â€ he could not see the warning track or about 20 feet of the outfield from the left-field line to center field.

â€œIn other words, I will only know if a home run is hit if I am listening to a radio at the game or I wait to see the sign from the umpire,â€ Gottesman, 45, said in an e-mail message.

If there are no obstructed views then why did VP David Howard say this back in February?

“If you’re a shorter person it could be an issue,” Howard said, “but we think that can be addressed in some way with booster pads . . . For most adults it should not be an issue, and if it becomes an issue we’ll have the means to address it.”

Why did Neil Best write about this topic that same month?

Did the Mets Police doctor this picture? Unfortunately this is not our annual April Fools joke.

If there are no obstructed views then why is this article one of the most popular on our site week in and week out?

In happier news, Bloomberg reports beer now $6 down from $7.50

Mets, the park is nice. Just be honest with your fans. I see my left field seats are in row 3. If there’s a pole in my face expect some live blogging via iphone, and a visit from me to customer service with my audio recorder running.

Check out the Times piece.

SPORTS / BASEBALL

Itâ€™s Going, Going … Did You See Where It Went?

By KEN BELSON

Published: April 1, 2009

Yankees and Mets fans on a budget will have to settle for seats in far-off sections, some of which have obstructed views of the field in their new stadiums.