Countdown to Christmas - 99 days

Wow.... has it really been since January?? My feable attempt to be an active blogger has failed. So much has happened since January. Most folks know all that has happened so I won't go into them here, but it's been a roller coaster ride to say the least. Lots of highs, and some valleys along the way. But the good news is.... the Countdown is back!

Coming up with a baseball 99 was tough. There are other sports where 99 is a fairly common number. There's the Great One. Also Warran Sapp. There's a song about that many balloons and also that many beers on the wall (probably my normal monthly consumption as well). And my favorite secret agent from Get Smart. But good luck trying to find a good number 99 in baseball. Manny Ramirez wore number 99 while with the Dodgers, and former Phillies star Mitch Williams wore number 99. Both are excellent choices to start the countdown, but not the top choice.

I'm going to back into the 99 today by using a baseball icon's age. Bob Sheppard, long time announcer for the New York Yankees. Bob passed away this summer at the age of 99. "The voice of God" announced more than 4,500 Yankee games in the Bronx over 56 years. Yaz once said, "You're not in the big leagues until Bob Sheppard announces your name." He also announced for the NY Giants. During my first trip to Yankee Stadium in 2003, I remember actually getting goosebumps when I heard him announce "Good afternoon... ladies and gentleman... and welcome... to Yankee Stadium." Sheppard passed away on July 11, 2010. The Yankees' July 16, 2010 home game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the first after Sheppard's death and the first with the new Sheppard uniform patches, was played, in his memory, with an empty PA booth and no public address announcements.

I can't say I heard him often as I have only seen 2 Yankees games in person, but Bob, you are missed.