You know the saying..."you never know what you'll see at the ole ballpark". That's true. But there are some faces that you can always count on seeing at the ballpark. Actor Paul Rudd, pictured above, is a Kansas City Royals fanatic. Ben Affleck loves the Boston Red Sox. Jerry Seinfield loves the New York Mets and Dick Vitale loves the Tampa Bay Rays. These figures, however, are stealing all of the "Super Fan" limelight. That's why we wanted to pay tribute to Major League Baseball's most well known and respected "true" super fans. We'll first start with Fenway Park.
Mike Schuster - Boston Red Sox.
53 year old Mike Schuster is perhaps the most intriguingly dressed super fan on our list. He has been a Boston Red Sox fanatic since 1975 as he claims and has been going to games for who knows how long. Not only is he a Red Sox super fan but he’s a fan of the other three Boston professional teams. He lives in suburban Boston in Foxboro, Massachusetts which is where the New England Patriots call home. He dresses just as crazy for Patriots games as well and has been to three of their Super Bowls. Not only does Mike have a cameo in the motion picture “Fever Pitch” with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, but he has his own website – MikeSchuster.com. You can usually spot Mike with his stomach painted with the Red Sox logo or a few choice words for Yankees fans. We aren’t sure exactly where he sits for games at Fenway Park but if you ask around, he won’t be too hard to find.
Romeo Santos - Baltimore Orioles.
Romeo embodies everything that not just a baseball fanatic should be but an American should be. He fought in Iraq for our country’s military (Sgt. First Class). He lost his wife to breast cancer in 2011 and has continued her charities ever since. Through the couples’ SPCA and Red Devil charities, they have raised more than $70,000. The couple were Orioles season ticket holders and the team is what helped Romeo deal with the grief of her death. He has completed four marathons while hoisting the Baltimore Orioles flag. He even used to sell lemonade at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in his younger days. Finally in 2013, Romeo received the most coveted award among sports fans – he was elected to the ESPN Fan Hall of Fame.
Romeo can be spotted fairly easily at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He is a smaller statured guy and is always wearing an orange construction helmet with the Orioles logo on the front. The helmet is full of signatures but by only one player; former Oriole great Boog Powell. Of the six construction helmets Santos wears to games, all are signed by Powell. Romeo isn’t at every game and sits in a variety of different sections but if you attend 10-20 Orioles games each season, you should have no trouble locating him for a photo.
John Adams - Cleveland Indians.
John Adams has been a mainstay at Cleveland Indians baseball games since 1973. He has been a season ticket holder at Municipal Stadium and Progressive Field since around the same time period. In fact, he is now so important to the Cleveland Indians organization that they comp two season tickets for him every season; one for him and one for his drum. John was the inspiration for the drummers in the bleachers in the motion picture "Major League" starring Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes. The Indians also dedicated a bobblehead night to John back in 2006. How the drum was introduced was entirely by accident. The bleachers at the old Municipal Stadium were made of wood which didn’t produce a loud noise when fans went to bang on them with their hands. This was an old tradition. He bought the drums at a garage sale for cheap. After beating the drum for the first time in 1973 vs. the Texas Rangers, Adams was asked to come to every game by a reporter from the Cleveland Press. He initially said no but against his word, continued to come to every game thereafter. John only beats the drum at certain moments throughout the game. 1) When an Indian player is in scoring position. 2) At the beginning of the game. 3) At the end of the game if the game is close. John can be found in the very last row of the bleachers at Progressive Field and is often the only person in the row. So if you’re ever in Cleveland for an Indians game and have bleacher tickets, go say hello. He is as friendly of a sports fan as they come.
Zack Hample - All Major League Baseball Teams.
Zack Hample is the only fan on our list that has actually appeared on late night television. Both Jay Leno and Conan O’brien have had Zack on their show. Zack is a little different than our other super fans being that he seems to be more of a fan of the game than of any particular team. He lives in New York City and his claim to fame is the thousands of baseballs he has collected from games. Most of them are retrieved from batting practice but he doesn’t keep all of them; many are given to children at games. Many others are donated to the charity “Pitch in for Baseball” which donates baseball equipment to under privileged kids all over the world. Since the origin of his charity, Zack has raised more than $190,000 in charity. Zack has also caught a number of memorable baseballs including Mike Trout’s first Major League home run, the last New York Mets home run ball at Shea Stadium, the ball from Mariano Rivera’s 313th career save and the ball from Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit. He also caught Barry Bonds' home run number 724 in 2007. He was recently sponsored by BIGS sunflower seeds and they paid for Zack to travel to all 30 Major League Ballparks to promote their brand. If any of you are interested in purchasing any of Zack’s books on how to retrieve baseballs from Major League games, they’re available for purchase at Amazon.com
Chuck Dorn - Cincinnati Reds.
Chuck Dorn or “Chuck D” as he is called has been a fixture at Great American Ball Park for Cincinnati Reds games for years. Chuck is a landscaper by trade as well as a season ticket holder. Knowing Chuck, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a season ticket holder during the days when the Reds called Cinergy Field home. Chuck is known for his sometimes outlandish outfits and enthusiasm for the Cincinnati Reds. In the times that I’ve encountered Chuck in person, he has always been polite to both home and visiting fans. He doesn’t harass the opposing team’s players and if he does, it’s in good fun. To my knowledge he doesn’t drink at games and always welcomes fellow fans to join him underneath the large “Power Stacks” in center field. Unfortunately, Chuck has encountered some scrutiny for his loud behavior. So much that the Cincinnati Reds organization have asked him to stand behind a yellow line at Great American Ballpark. And we wonder why Cincinnati Reds are often quiet and conservative during games. If you’re ever at Great American Ballpark, venture over to the Standing Room Only area in center field and say hello to Chuck. In all likelihood, he will say hey to you first.
Laurence "Marlins Man" Leavy - Miami Marlins.
At this point, I don’t know who is more well known throughout Major League Baseball; Zack Hample or “The Marlins Man”. Laurence Leavy is his name and for virtually 300 days a year, he attends a major sporting event. Maybe even more than that. Laurence is an attorney with a tireless work ethic and knack for paying nice gestures forward to other fans. The Fort Lauderdale, FL resident has been to a whopping 27 Super Bowls, multiple Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals and World Series games. He’s also known to attend the Triple Crown events in horse racing. He’s not very hard to find, either. Virtually every day, Laurence is wearing his orange Miami Marlins jersey and sun visor and occupying the best seats in the house behind homeplate. One little known fact about Laurence, however, is that he hasn’t always been a Miami Marlins fan. He has also spent time as a fan of the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. Like Zack Hample, one could say that Laurence is more of a fan of the game than of any particular team. As Laurence discusses in the Youtube video below, he has acquired a lot of haters since he’s become more recognizable. Most of us can obviously see that this is pure envy because this man is living the dream. If you see Laurence at a game you’re attending, be sure to stop and say hello.
Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers - Chicago Cubs.
Wrigley Field has seen its share of characters and legends. Billy Sianis and his billy goat, Harry Caray, Steve Bartman, Ernie Banks and Sammy Sosa. But there is one man who has endured and idolized all of those characters and his name is “Ronnie Woo Woo”. Ronnie attended his first Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field during the late 1940s and it was almost like love at first sight. He has been going to games ever since and is able to attend most Cubs games in the bleachers due to donations from Cubs fans. For much of his life, Ronnie was a custodian at Northwestern University. Following a number of tragic deaths in his family, Ronnie found himself homeless and without a job for a period during the 1980s. That didn’t stop him from attending Cubs games. Today, he can be seen washing the windows of area businesses in Wrigleyville where he has become a symbol of pride for the entire neighborhood. He also receives social security and is in a much better place than he once was. Ronnie was finally able to sing “Take Me out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Field in 2001; a privilege typically given to celebrities. Just a few short years later, a documentary on Ronnie was released by Paul Hoffman entitled “WooLife” and is available for purchase at Amazon.com.
Every one of our super fans has their own unique background and story. If there is one thing that their fan hood says about them, it’s that they have an undying lover for the game of baseball, perseverance and loyalty to their team. Getting drunk and teasing opposing team’s fans just isn’t in their nature. We all could take a page out of their books.
JUMP TO
- How to Visit all 30 Major League Ballparks on a Budget
- 5 Cool Features at Major League Ballparks you Probably Didn't Know About
- Pete Rose, Barry Bonds and their Narratives in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame.
- Seating Reviews - MLB Stadiums
- What is a Personal Seat License (PSL) and Should I Purchase one?
- Top 10 Largest MLB Stadiums
