Yankees fans are the bedrock of the team that won 27 world champions and boasts a legacy that any other team can seldom overshadow. Their home ballpark, Yankee Stadium, is one of the few places in the country where the home team has as much of an advantage as it does there. But those on the bleachers are loud, proud, and annoying in the best way, and it is an accepted culture in the Bronx.
Baseball is more fun when the fans are loud, and the right field in the Bronx is the best place to see this.
The Bleacher Creatures, who are known for their cheers and boos, are a big part of the home-field advantage. The “roll call” is one of the most important traditions.
It’s a simple idea that happens in the first inning.
Fans speak with one voice and call out the names of each Yankees player, as if they were taking attendance. They keep chanting a player’s name until he turns and acknowledges it.
Even though no one knows for sure, the first roll call probably started in 1998. No matter when it started, it has been going on for at least 20 years.
The whole thing started when a lumber salesman with a loud voice who was known as “Megaphone John” called out the name of the first baseman, Tino Martinez. Martinez turned and waved his glove toward the outfield.
Megaphone John then did the same for second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, who also did the same. The whole tradition only grew from there.
“Guys who have retired talk about their time in New York and say that one of the best things they remember is coming up in the dugout to listen to the Bleacher Creatures do roll call every day. That’s crazy to us, because we’re just fans who want to have a good time.
— Vinny Milano, who led the “roll call” from 1998 until 2015, via MLB.com“
One man is at the front of the roll call and deserves the most respect. The video from Friday’s game between the Yankees and the Twins shows more.
The person in charge tells everyone to be quiet, announces his presence, and starts clapping. When the man in front of him didn’t clap along, he tapped him on the shoulder and told him to get involved.
He is in charge and everyone around him has to do what he says.
For me, it’s the tap on the shoulder. That takes it to the next level!
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
