John Joseph Adams (October 9, 1951 – January 30, 2023) was an American who was regarded as a
superfan of the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
, a
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
team based in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Ohio. Adams played his
bass drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
in the
bleacher
Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...
seats during nearly every Indians
home game
In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...
from late August 1973 through 2019, which brought him positive recognition from the Indians and other organizations. He was involved in several
ceremonial first pitch
The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...
es, he and his drum received free
season ticket
A season ticket, or season pass, is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.
History
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has illustrative quotations which show the term ''season ticket'' used in the United States in 1820 ...
s from the Indians, and the team gave away
bobblehead
A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to ...
s with his likeness.
Drumming
Adams first drummed at an Indians game on August 24, 1973, at
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball an ...
.
Twenty-one years old at the time,
[ he stated that he brought his bass drum to that first game because he wanted to add to the noise of "seat banging", a tradition at Cleveland Stadium in which fans would bang ]folding seat
A folding seat is a seat that folds away so as to occupy less space. When installed on a transit bus, it makes room for a wheelchair or two. When installed on a passenger car, it provides extra seating.
In churches, it may have a projection cal ...
s against their bases during tense moments in the game.[ But Adams preferred to sit in the ]bleacher
Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...
s, where there were no seats to bang.
During the game, Bob Sudyk, a reporter for the ''Cleveland Press
The ''Cleveland Press'' was a daily American newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio from November 2, 1878, through June 17, 1982. From 1928 to 1966, the paper's editor was Louis B. Seltzer.
Known for many years as one of the country's most in ...
'', interviewed Adams and asked if he was going to drum again at the following game. Adams said no, but Sudyk wrote in his article that he would. According to Adams, "not to make a liar out of Bob, I showed up with my drum, and then I came to the next game and the next game and the next game."[ The Indians' promotions director at the time, Jackie York, also approached Adams and asked him to play at every game. Adams formally declined but continued to attend games with his drum.][
From then on, Adams sat in the highest bleacher seat in left-center field with his bass drum; through the 2019 season, he missed only 37 home games in 47 seasons.] Adams played at Cleveland Stadium until October 1993, when the Indians played their last game there.[ The following spring he moved with the team to its new ballpark, Jacobs Field (renamed ]Progressive Field
{{Infobox stadium
, name = Progressive Field
, nickname = ''"The Jake"''
, logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg
, logo_caption =
, image =
, caption = Progressive Fiel ...
in 2008). Adams played the drum at his 3,000th game on April 27, 2011.
Adams continued to use the same -wide bass drum he began with in 1973. He stated that he bought it earlier on the same day he began bringing it to games, as part of a set
Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics
*Set (mathematics), a collection of elements
*Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively
Electro ...
for $25 either at a garage sale
A garage sale (also known as a yard sale, tag sale, moving sale and by many other namesSome rarely used names include "attic sale," "basement sale," "rummage sale," "thrift sale," "patio sale," "lawn sale," and "jumble sale".) is an informal ...
or through a "swap-and-shop publication". It had the same head on the side of the drum that Adams does not beat, but Adams stated that he would replace the other side about twice a year and also go through about three sets of mallets
A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...
each year.[ During games, Adams tended to drum at particular moments: when the Indians took the field at the beginning of the game, if the Indians had runners in ]scoring position
In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when they are on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter h ...
, if the Indians were tied or trailing near the end of the game, or if they were winning at the top of the ninth inning
In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...
.[ Because of his drumming, Adams became a celebrity and he was nicknamed Big Chief Boom-Boom by Indians radio announcer ]Herb Score
Herbert Jude Score (June 7, 1933 – November 11, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and announcer. Score pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1955 through 1959 and the Chicago White Sox from 1960 through 1962. He was ...
.[
Adams drummed until the end of the 2019 season. No fans could attend any major league games during the 2020 season because of the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and due to health issues, Adams was unable to attend any games in 2021 or 2022, the last seasons during his lifetime.
Recognition
Adams was recognized by the Cleveland Guardians and other organizations for his long commitment to the team. On October 4, 2007, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch
The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...
for the Indians' first game in the 2007 American League Division Series
The 2007 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2007 American League playoffs, began on Wednesday, October 3 and ended on Monday, October 8. The 2007 AL Division Series consisted of three AL division champions and one w ...
, against the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
. After Adams drummed at his 3,000th game on April 27, 2011, the Indians celebrated it the following Saturday, on April 30, 2011, by incorporating Adams in the ceremonial first pitch and putting on a pregame parade featuring Adams's fellow Indians fans carrying bongos
Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...
, snares, and plastic toy drums.[ For the ceremonial first pitch, Adams swung at the ball with his drum from ]home plate
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
after it was thrown by former Indians player Joe Charboneau
Joseph Charboneau (born June 17, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Cleveland Indians in the early 1980s.
After winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1980, Charboneau's career quickly flamed out amidst injuries, specifica ...
. On August 24, 2022, the 49-year anniversary of when he started drumming at Cleveland baseball games, the team—now renamed the Guardians—announced that Adams had been inducted into the Cleveland Guardians Distinguished Hall of Fame, and that a bronze replica of his drum, attached to his seat, would be on display in their stadium.
By 2009, the team gave Adams two complimentary season tickets for him and his drum, although Adams continued to buy two additional season tickets himself. In 2006, the Indians gave out bobblehead
A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to ...
dolls depicting Adams. Instead of having a movable head, his bobblehead had arms that moved up and down.
In 2008, he won the Hilda Award, which is awarded annually by The Baseball Reliquary
The Baseball Reliquary is a nonprofit educational organization "dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history and to exploring the national pastime’s unparalleled creative possibilities ...
"to recognize distinguished service to the game by a baseball fan" and is named in memory of Hilda Chester
Hilda Chester (September 1, 1897 – December 1, 1978), also known as Howlin' Hilda, was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and arguably the most famous fan in baseball history.
Early years
Chester was born on the East Side of Manhattan. She began her lon ...
, a dedicated fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
. In April 2012, Great Lakes Brewing Company
Great Lakes Brewing Company is a brewery and brewpub in Cleveland, Ohio. The first brewpub and microbrewery in the state, Great Lakes Brewing has been noted as important to Cleveland's local identity and as one of the initial forces behind the ...
, a Cleveland-based brewery and brewpub
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
, released a product called Rally Drum Red Ale in honor of Adams and Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
.
Adams also had a plaque located by his seat, on which he was described as the team's "#1 Fan".
Personal life and death
John Joseph Adams was born in Cleveland in 1951. He attended both Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland and Parma Senior High School
Parma Senior High School (alternatively known as PSH or Parma High School), is one of three public high schools in the Parma City School District in Parma, Ohio. The school is a member of the Northeast Ohio Conference. The Parma Board of Educati ...
in Parma, Ohio
Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, located on the southern edge of Cleveland.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 81,146. Parma is the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio, the largest suburb in the state, and ...
, where he played bass drum in band before graduating from high school in 1969. In 1975, he graduated from Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...
.[ Three years later, he married Kathleen Murray, who he met at a game; they later divorced.][
Adams worked on ]computer system
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These progr ...
s for AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
until being laid off in October 2016. In 1978, he began volunteering at Cleveland State University, where he taught an aquatics
Aquatics may refer to:
*Aquatic sports in the Olympics and other international competitions, including the disciplines of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and open water swimming
*Water-related sports more broadly (including boa ...
class for people with disabilities. Adams also volunteered his time as a member of the Kiwanis
Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...
service club
A service club or service organization is a voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. A service club is defined firstl ...
and the community emergency response team in his hometown and taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spont ...
and water safety.[ He lived in the Cleveland suburb of ]Brecksville, Ohio
Brecksville is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and a suburb in the Greater Cleveland area. The city's population was 13,635 at the United States 2020 Census.
History
Brecksville was founded in 1811, four years after several me ...
.[
Adams suffered from health issues beginning in December 2020, including emergency triple ]bypass surgery
Bypass surgery refers to a class of surgery involving rerouting a tubular body part.
Types include:
* Vascular bypass surgery such as coronary artery bypass surgery, a heart operation
* Cardiopulmonary bypass, a technique used in coronary artery ...
and thyroid
The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...
issues. He died in Cleveland on January 30, 2023, at age 71.[ His ]funeral mass
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
was held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of Cleveland, Ohio. The economic and symbolic center of the city and the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area, it is Cleveland's oldest district, with its Public Square laid out b ...
on February 4, 2023. Adams willed his bass drum to the Guardians, and they sent a pair of his mallets to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...
.
On August 24, 2023, the fiftieth anniversary of the first game Adams drummed at, the team announced that the bleachers at Progressive Field would be named for Adams starting in the 2024 season.
References
External links
Cleveland Guardians pay tribute to John Adams in video
– commemorative coverage of Adams drumming for 48 years
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, John
1951 births
2023 deaths
AT&T people
Baseball spectators
Cleveland Indians
Cleveland State University alumni
Cleveland State University faculty
Musicians from Cleveland
People from Brecksville, Ohio
Sports musicians