Will Bob Sheppard Return?

Troubling news from Richard Sandomir in the New York Times this morning:

Bob Sheppard, the Yankees’ distinctive public-address announcer since 1951, who missed the division series last October because of a bronchial infection, “is struggling to recover his health,” a spokesman for the Yankees, Howard Rubenstein, said Wednesday.

The team “hopes he can return to the booth,” Rubenstein added.

It scares me that Big Stein's personal mouthpiece released this statement. It indicates to me that things might be really bad.

Let's hope for good health for Mr. Sheppard, and that he's introducing the lineups on Opening Day both this year and in 2009 at the new Stadium.

The rest of the article, along with notes on the return of David Cone to the YES broadcast team, is here.