“Now batting, number 23, Don Mattingly. Number 23.” The first time I heard a particular voice say those words over the Yankee Stadium P.A. I think deep down I knew it would come to mean a lot to me as far as a connection to my favorite team. Learning that the proprietor of that voice, Yankee and New York Giants announcer Bob Sheppard, passed away on Sunday just a few months away from his 100th birthday, I realized it meant so much more. In a world that is ever-changing, in a sport that loses more and more innocence with each allegation of steroid use and blockbuster trade, there Bob Sheppard remained as the voice of the Yankees, a role he had since 1951. Even though he’s been retired for three years, his voice can still be heard throughout the game and Derek Jeter uses taped Sheppard intro each time he walks up to the plate. For Jeter, like the rest of us, anyone else doing it just wouldn’t be the same.