Yankees, Fans Remember Announcer Bob Sheppard

NEW YORK (CBS) ― He never threw a pitch or swung a bat, yet generations of Yankee fans will never forget public address announcer Bob Sheppard, who passed away Sunday at the age of 99.

Sheppard's simple greeting, "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Yankee Stadium," was as much a part of the Yankee's identity as the pinstripes themselves. His career spanned more than half a century.  He was there for Joe DiMaggio's last season as a Yankee in 1951 and the first season for Mickey Mantle.

Yankee Captain Derek Jeter said he still got a thrill every time he heard his name called by the "Voice of God." "He was a part of the whole Yankee stadium experience. I grew up listening to him. It was a thrill for every player to get introduced by him."

Sheppard was there for nearly every great Yankee moment at the old Yankee Stadium, but one was most important to Sheppard himself: "Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series. That was a thriller," he said.

Sheppard was perhaps the only Yankees employee never criticized by owner George Steinbrenner, who called him "The Gold Standard."

"It's really extremely sad. When you think of all the tradition with the Yankees, you think about Ruth and Gehrig and Yogi and Joe D. and Mantle, I think you mention Bob Sheppard. That's how important he was to the franchise," Joe Girardi said.

WFAN sports radio host Ed Randall once sat in the chair Sheppard called his home away from home, calling a weekend series in 2008.

"It gave me such an appreciation for the art form that was Bob Sheppard. He talked about the three C's, be clear, concise and correct," Randall said.

When Sheppard called his final game in 2007, he summed up what he loved about the job. "Most men go to work. I go to a game. And with that attitude, you have a sense that it's a pleasure and it has been."

CBS 2HD's Magee Hickey contributed to this report.