The Sign Man of Shea Stadium has passed away...

[brooklyndodger14]

Just heard on 1010 WINS radio that Karl Ehrhardt, the Sign Man of Shea Stadium from the Mets' early years has passed away this past Thursday at age 83.

A fixture on the 3rd base field level seats, Karl could always be relied upon to display a humorous comment via his handmade cardboard signs.

In this final year for both Shea & Yankee Stadiums, it is sad to think that with the Sign Man's passing and the serious illness of the Yankees PA announcer Bob Sheppard, two memorable NY ballpark fixtures might be lost before the season ends.

Rest In Peace, Karl.

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

That's too bad.

1969


2006

[Urbanshocker13]

Wow, this sucks! It's also kind of eerie that the sign guy and bob sheppard are gone or might to be gone the same time that the stadiums that they are famous for are leaveing. Lets hope "Feddy Sez" is ok now!

[efin98]

Wow, this sucks! It's also kind of eerie that the sign guy and bob sheppard are gone or might to be gone the same time that the stadiums that they are famous for are leaveing. Lets hope "Feddy Sez" is ok now!

They say that kind of bad news comes in threes...

[Sean Ryan]

Relax fellas, 'the Voice of Yankee Stadium' has not yet passed to the other side.

[Wahhmbulance]

Thankfully, Freddy is still around and still rooting hard for New York teams

[jimmyjimjimz]

Wow, this sucks! It's also kind of eerie that the sign guy and bob sheppard are gone or might to be gone the same time that the stadiums that they are famous for are leaveing. Lets hope "Feddy Sez" is ok now!

I can't stand Freddy. How can he afford to buy tickets to 81 games a year? I bet Steinbrenner gives him the tickets for free. So, that means if I bring a stupid sign to Yankee Stadium with a frying pan on it and a spoon, will I get free tickets to every game? Him and Giuliani piss me off.

[Gary Dunaier]

I can't stand Freddy. How can he afford to buy tickets to 81 games a year?

I also wonder how some of the "superfans" got to be that way. Karl Earhardt, Freddy Sez, Cow-Bell Man, Ronnie Woo Woo, and such.

So, that means if I bring a stupid sign to Yankee Stadium with a frying pan on it and a spoon, will I get free tickets to every game?

Does it begin that way? If I were to start going to every game, walk around the ballpark with silly signs, and the fans liked them, would I wind up becoming another "superfan"? Does it get to a point where some of these people get free tickets?

[Wahhmbulance]

I can't stand Freddy. How can he afford to buy tickets to 81 games a year? I bet Steinbrenner gives him the tickets for free. So, that means if I bring a stupid sign to Yankee Stadium with a frying pan on it and a spoon, will I get free tickets to every game? Him and Giuliani piss me off.

you can't stand an elderly man who loves the Yankees and roots for them through thick and thin? You must be a huge tool.

p.s. if you brought a sign to Yankee Stadium with a frying pan and a spoon, you would just be a douche with a sign and a pan. I imagine some bleacher creatures would find a nice place to shove that spoon.

[Gary Dunaier]

if you brought a sign to Yankee Stadium with a frying pan and a spoon, you would just be a douche with a sign and a pan.

I suppose this belongs in a new thread, and I certainly mean no disrespect to Mr. Earhardt or any of the other "superfans"... if anything, I'm a little jealous of them, but that's my cross to bear... anyway, I guess I'm repeating what I said a couple of posts ago, but how does one go from being a, er, "douche with a sign and a pan" to a beloved ballpark fixture? If memory serves me right, I think I read in an article that Freddy Sez' antics weren't all that appreciated when he started being Freddy Sez.

[Wahhmbulance]

I suppose this belongs in a new thread, and I certainly mean no disrespect to Mr. Earhardt or any of the other "superfans"... if anything, I'm a little jealous of them, but that's my cross to bear... anyway, I guess I'm repeating what I said a couple of posts ago, but how does one go from being a, er, "douche with a sign and a pan" to a beloved ballpark fixture? If memory serves me right, I think I read in an article that Freddy Sez' antics weren't all that appreciated when he started being Freddy Sez.

i guess after awhile even the most hardened, "tough" fans like Mr. Jimz up there can't deny the passion these folks have. Freddy and Karl turn from what people view as annoyances to staples of fandom.. something not many people can do. To be 100% devoted to a franchise no matter what takes alot of effort. And even if they ended up being given tickets for free, i'd like to think guys like them deserve it.

[Yankeefan90]

I can't stand Freddy. How can he afford to buy tickets to 81 games a year? I bet Steinbrenner gives him the tickets for free. So, that means if I bring a stupid sign to Yankee Stadium with a frying pan on it and a spoon, will I get free tickets to every game? Him and Giuliani piss me off.

What does him being old have to do with going to 81 games a year? It's called dedication jimz, and love for his team. I'm sure the man was very smart and saved alot of his money up, and now in his old age is spending it on what he loves most. And even if he did get free tickets, you do know the Yankees don't have a mascot. Freddy Sez has become somewhat of the unofficial mascot of Yankee Stadium. As for the Sign Man of Shea Stadium, it's too bad the Mets didn't have him for the last season at Shea. I guess now it's time to start new traditions in both ballparks.

[jimmyjimjimz]

What does him being old have to do with going to 81 games a year? It's called dedication jimz, and love for his team. I'm sure the man was very smart and saved alot of his money up, and now in his old age is spending it on what he loves most. And even if he did get free tickets, you do know the Yankees don't have a mascot. Freddy Sez has become somewhat of the unofficial mascot of Yankee Stadium. As for the Sign Man of Shea Stadium, it's too bad the Mets didn't have him for the last season at Shea. I guess now it's time to start new traditions in both ballparks.

1. I never said anything about him being old.
2. If you actually think he pays to go to 81 games a year, you gotta be kidding me.
3. The Yankees never had a mascot? I just found this on wikipedia:

Dandy was a short-lived mascot of the New York Yankees. He was a large pinstriped bird that sported a Yankees hat. He had a mustache that gave him an appearance similar to that of former Yankee pitcher Sparky Lyle. His name was a play on the classic American folk song "Yankee Doodle Dandy". He appeared at the start of the 1980 season and was so unpopular that he was quickly cancelled. Dandy was beaten up by fans who didn't want a mascot, and quit, leading to the elimination of the character as the Yankees chose not to replace him.

Along with this experiment, the Yankees briefly had mascots resembling ballpark food (plus Yankees hats on top) during the mid-1990s. Outside of these two occasions, the Yankees have not had an official mascot or cheerleading squad roam the stands or perform on the field.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandy_%28mascot%29

HOWEVER, as a Yankee fan, the day Freddy dies, I'll be crying with everyone else. But I DEFINATELY won't be crying when Rudy Giuliani dies. He probably gets free tickets to every game too. I just hate people who get free tickets.

[Wahhmbulance]

HOWEVER, as a Yankee fan, the day Freddy dies, I'll be crying with everyone else. But I DEFINATELY won't be crying when Rudy Giuliani dies. He probably gets free tickets to every game too. I just hate people who get free tickets.

hating people is ridiculously immature, Jimz. Hating people because they get free tickets is just stupid, do yourself a favor and be less stupid..if that is possible of course.

[efin98]

Relax fellas, 'the Voice of Yankee Stadium' has not yet passed to the other side.

He is in poor health though, which is slightly better but still not good news.