Yankee Stadium fixture 'Bill the Baker' dies at 67

NEW YORK (AP) A fan befriended by former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who became a press box fixture for more than 30 years known as ''Bill the Baker,'' has died. He was 67.

The Yankees said Bill Stimers died Thursday at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Bronx. They did not give a cause of death.

Stimers worked for Entenmann's Bakery and first met Steinbrenner in the mid-1970s outside Yankee Stadium. Stimers often gave him chocolate chip cookies and impressed the bombastic boss with his encyclopedic knowledge of baseball.

Steinbrenner later gave Stimers a seat in the press box. Over the years, Stimers traveled with the team as Steinbrenner's good-luck charm.

Stimers remained a stadium regular when the Yankees moved to their new ballpark across the street in 2009. Steinbrenner died in 2010 and the team kept giving Stimers a seat, often in the stands.