Yankee Stadium icon Fred "Freddie Says" Schuman dies

FROM KEITH GROLLER

It has been a tough year for the Yankee family.

Legendary P.A. man Bob Sheppard and longtime owner George Steinbrenner died within days of one another back in July.

And now, Fred Schuman, better known as Freddie Sez, has died at age 85. Schuman was a good friend of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and was a diehard fan and a fixture at Yankee Stadium over the years, encouraging fans to hit his fryin' pan with his spoon. His colorful handmade signs were also a welcome sight in Yankee Stadium's upper deck.

If you listened to Yankees games on the radio and television, you could often hear the sound of Freddie's spoon meeting fryin' pan in the background.

According to Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club president Chuck Frantz, Schuman died around 2:30 Sunday afternoon in New York City.

Frantz, who had become a close friend of Schuman's in recent years and had him on bus trips and in attendance at several Lehigh Valley events, was notified of Schuman's death by Freddie's longtime companion, Suzie.

In an e-mail to the more than 500 fan club members, Frantz said, "Freddie was a true Yankee legend and a No. 1 fan will be missed."

In an earlier e-mail Frantz said Schuman had collapsed at the senior center where he lived on Friday and was rushed to a Manhattan hospital.

In one of his last visits to the Lehigh Valley last April for the presentation of the 2009 World Series trophy, Schuman said:

"With any good pitching, sustained hitting and decent luck, the Yankees are headed toward title No. 28," Schuman said smiling. "I had the good fortune to be on float No. 3 in the victory parade last year, and I had a wonderful, wonderful time. I have been in four other championship parades, but this was one was very special.

"I didn't like the new stadium when it first opened up, but what can I say -- I'm stuck with it. And I'm happily stuck loving the Yankees."

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/