John Adams impact on the Cleveland Guardians was monumental

The Cleveland Guardians fandom has lost an icon with the passing of John Adams.

The city lost a fan among fans on Monday, as legendary outfielder drummer, and Cleveland Guardians superfan, John Adams, passed away at 71. Adams was known for his consistent drumming out in the left field bleachers for decades, at both of the team’s most recent stadiums. He was a regular fixture out there, and any fan who has been to a game over the last three or four decades surely has heard him beating his drum to inspire the team.

Now, the Guardians team and fandom have to move on into a new season without their iconic drummer.

While a fan passing may not make headline news for most teams, if you’re new to the Cleveland sports scene or aren’t familiar with the Guardians, Adams may not be a name you’re familiar with. Maybe you’re even confused why this much attention is being given to a single fan but if you were to search his name, you’d see the dozens and dozens of national outlets that are covering Adams.

Not only that but Adams’ passing was featured in the AP news update on Monday, as well as by MLB.com itself. His impact on the team, his commitment to the club, and his overall identity being associated with those outfield bleachers can not be understated. He was a consummate fan, who supported the team no matter what.

His presence was impactful and he will be missed.

The Cleveland Guardians should honor John Adams in 2023 in a big way

Few nonexecutives, managers, or players deserve to be honored by a club. Being a fan is nice, but unless you worked for, coached, or played for the club, being honored is nothing you should expect. That isn’t the case for Adams, as he define the game experience for decades and frankly, should’ve been well compensated for his time (assuming he wasn’t).

Adams deserves to be honored by the club, and likely will, as they’ve done several special events for him in the past, like letting him hit the first pitch with his iconic drum. A statue in left field of his iconic drum, or of him and his drum would be a good way to go about things. He was a permanent fixture with the team no matter what, so why not memorialize that in a tangible way?

Place it right where he sat, so his seat is reserved no matter the game.