Bummer: Voice of God still silenced

Unfortunately Bob Sheppard, the Voice of God, is not yet feeling up to announcing. I was hoping he'd make it to the ASG on Tuesday.

"I am not going to be physically able to perform my duties during the All-Star activities," Sheppard told The Star-Ledger from his home in Baldwin, N.Y. "I notified the Yankees that my back-up, Jim Hall - H-A-L-L - will be filling in for me."

Hope he's doing better and will be well enough to welcome the Yanks to the new Stadium next year.

Sheppard, who Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson once described as "the Voice of God," is a living link to the stadium's past. His first game behind the microphone was April 16, 1951 - which also was the first game for a young outfielder named Mickey Mantle.