Freddy Schuman (May 23, 1925 – October 17, 2010), better known as Freddy Sez or Freddy "Sez", was a

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * '' The ...

and supporter of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, known for his activities in promoting the team and encouraging fan participation.

Biography

Schuman was born on May 23, 1925, and was a resident of

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

for most of his life. When he was 9 years old, he suffered an accident during a

stickball Stickball is a street game similar to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City and Philadelphia. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, ...

game, in which he lost the use of his right eye. From about , until his death, he was an unofficial promoter for the Yankees.

Yankees promotion

The pan

Schuman carried a frying pan with a shamrock painted on it, which he said "Brings 'em luck." Fans were encouraged to bang on the pan with a spoon to make noise. This made a distinctive sound that echoed throughout the stadium and could be heard in the background during TV broadcasts. One of his pans is on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and another is at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Signs

Schuman also carried a number of colorful hand-painted signs adorned with messages to encourage the team and the fans. The signs usually began with "Freddy 'sez'". Some Freddy messages included "Again & Again Yankees Prove ''They Are Great''", and "Fans, We Got To Help Yankees ''Out Of Slumps''". Sometimes, Schuman would give the sign to a fan at the end of a game. Schuman also took his signs and frying pan to other events, as shown below.

Route

Before the games, Schuman could be found outside

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

. During the games, he moved throughout the stadium, making his way from the grandstand down to the main section, and finally to the field level.

Sponsorship

Schuman can be briefly seen in a baseball themed MasterCard commercial that aired during the 2007 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. He can also be seen for a few seconds near the end of

House of Pain House of Pain was an American hip-hop trio that released three albums in the 1990s. The group consisted of DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Everlast. The group's name is a reference to the H. G. Wells novel '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'', a refer ...

's 1992 music video for their hit single "

Jump Around "Jump Around" is a song by American hip hop group House of Pain, produced by DJ Muggs of the hip hop group Cypress Hill, who has also covered the song. It became a hit in 1992, reaching number 3 in the United States. A 1993 re-release of the ...

". Schuman claimed his tickets circa 2003 were sponsored by

Modell's Sporting Goods Modell's Sporting Goods is an American online sporting goods retailer that had locations in the Northeastern United States. Modell's carries both sporting goods and related apparel. Modell's had more than 150 retail locations in ten states and ...

. After his death in 2010, Schuman can be seen briefly in a

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

Boom commercial, featuring Craig Robinson and

Robinson Canó Robinson José Canó Mercedes (; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Die ...

Other teams

College basketball and football teams whose games Schuman had been known to attend and promote include the Manhattan College Jaspers, the Fordham University Rams and Lady Rams, the

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Lions, the

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

Tigers, and the

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

Big Red. In 2008, Freddy was spotted at the New York Giants parade in New York, commemorating their Super Bowl XLII victory.

Death

Schuman died at the age of 85 at

Lenox Hill Hospital Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH) is a nationally ranked 450-bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, servicing the tri-state area. LHH is one of the region's many unive ...

on Sunday, October 17, 2010, after suffering a heart attack the previous Friday night. In a tribute, the Yankees displayed some of his memorabilia and held a moment of silence prior to Game 3 of the

2010 American League Championship Series The 2010 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was the best-of-seven game series pitting the winners of the 2010 American League Division Series for the American League Championship. The American League wild card-winning New York Yankees ...

References

External links

Freddy "Sez" Home Page
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', (May 15, 2006).
Photos tagged "Freddy Sez" on Flickr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuman, Freddy 1925 births 2010 deaths Baseball spectators New York Yankees People from the Bronx Place of birth missing