The Yankees lost one of their biggest—and noisiest—fans: Freddy Schuman, better known to New Yorkers as "Freddy Sez" who rallied fans with homemade signs and by banging his frying pan, passed away on Saturday at Lenox Hill Hospital. A friend told the Daily News that the 85-year-old collapsed on Friday said, "Freddy was a true Yankee legend and a No. 1 fan [who] will be missed."
Schuman brought his fan fervor to Yankees Stadium since 1988 and the Yankees even flew him out to a World Series game in 2001. Last year, when the new stadium opened, he had problems getting tickets, stirring outrage about the Yankees' possibly elitist ticket prices (the Yankees found tickets for him eventually). One of his frying pans was even donated to Cooperstown and he can be seen in House of Pain's "Jump Around" video (at 2:55). Schuman once revealed that he couldn't practice his frying pan routine when his wife was at home.
Yankees player Nick Swisher told the News, "I've seen him out there all the time. I know he's been here forever. I definitely send my best wishes to his family." And Tina Lewis, the queen of the "Bleacher Creatures," said, "It's going to be very strange without him, without hearing Freddy and his pans. He wasn't a Creature, but we respected him out in the bleachers. I wish he'd lived to see what I hope is one more great postseason."
