John Adams Cheers on the Cleveland Indians With His Drum

If you’ve ever been to a Cleveland Indians game, chances are good that you’ve heard John J. Adams banging away on his drum in the stands.

Adams has been bringing his drum to the games since 1973.

Adams, a Brecksville resident, said he got the idea sitting in the bleachers one day. With no seat to bang, the AT&T employee and musician was struck with inspiration.

“Well, maybe I’ll just get a bass drum and bring it down,” he said.

The management at the stadium told him he was welcome to bring a drum, so long as he didn’t bother anyone. At that first game—Aug. 24, 1973—Adams moved from a seat at the bottom of the bleachers to one at the top and hasn’t looked back since. He makes it to most home games, taking vacation days for the few afternoon games when he can, and some away ones, too. He hit his 3,000th game last April.

“It’s been great,” he said,” a lot of fun.”

The team helped him celebrate his 3,000th game last spring. Instead of throwing the first pitch, Adams asked to get the first hit of the game. Of course, he used his drum to hit it.

On why he loves baseball:
Adams said he was born a fan of the Cleveland Indians, and he’s loved baseball for as long as he can remember. He first went to a game in 1954 as a little kid.

“I can still see it like it was yesterday,” he said, describing the bus ride, the walk down to the stadium, the smells, the sounds. Every spring, seeing the colors of the field against the lake is “like Dorothy opening the doors to Oz,” he said. He gets to relive that first game every opening day. 

On the beer named after him:
Great Lakes Brewing Company named a beer in Adam’s honor earlier this year. The catch? Adams isn’t a beer drinker.

Still, he agreed and even gave “Rally Drum Red Ale” a try. It was the only beer he’s ever really drank and it was a good one, he said.

On what he likes about Brecksville:
Adams lives in a neighborhood near the center of town where the houses are all unique and he can walk wherever he likes. It reminds him of the Cleveland neighborhood he grew up in. The neighbors all know each other and have parties and chat.

“It’s not the real world, but that’s OK,” he said.