It was 1996 when Barry Werner, then the Sports Editor of the New York Daily News, approached Filip Bondy, his columnist, with a thought.
"We need a story from the fan’s perspective."
That was easier said than done, Bondy remembers, because so many of these features are impossible to read. "It had to be more than just getting a quote from someone saying, ‘I think we’re gonna win!’ That’s unreadable stuff.
"So, I approached a core group of the most rabid, passionate fans and took on their persona. The News put a cartoon logo on top of the column to make it known that it was not Filip Bondy writing it. It was the Bleacher Creature."
The origin of this creature, however, is open for debate. "We, at the Daily News, will take some credit for that," Bondy stated. "But, there are groups in other ballparks –in Boston, for instance- who will tell you that they were Bleacher Creatures before the group at the Stadium. So, it wasn’t a revolutionary breakthrough or anything like that."
Nine years after Bondy first ventured into Section 39, this concept has come full circle. "Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium" [Sports Publishers, LLC, $24.95, 250 pp] is the author’s fourth book and includes a foreword by ex-pitcher David Cone.
Bondy recalls the early days with a smile.
"I went out there, trying to sell them on the idea of having an interloper in their midst. It took a while, but they did come to accept me. Once they got to know me, they opened up a little bit more. Then, I learned about their lives outside the ballpark as well as inside."
The Creatures are a diverse bunch. Bondy estimates that the ratio of men to women is no more than 4:1 and, using 40 years of age as a barometer, there are twice as many younger fans as there are older.
He tells of Bald Vinny, the entrepreneur of the group. "He’s the one who sells the T-shirts behind the Stadium and also the one who, in 2000, started the Roll Call."
When the Yankees first take their positions, the Creatures break into a rhythmic enunciation of each fielder’s name. Only after they are acknowledged –either with a wave or a tip of the cap- does the Roll Call continue until each of the nine are accounted for.
"This is really unique," Bondy noted. "No where else, that I know of, is there that kind of interaction between the fans and the players. Particularly since the fans initiated it."
Milton Ousland was chosen to succeed Ollie Ramirez as ‘The Cowbell Man’. "After Ollie’s death in 1996, there was a bit of a transitional mess," Bondy said.
"The group decided, over the next few months, who should get it. There was a relative of Ollie’s who wanted to do it, but that particular relative didn’t show up to enough games, so they gave it to Milton and, today, he is the only one authorized to bang the cowbell.
"These days, Milton is a father and he’s trying to balance his life with his responsibility as the official Cowbell Man.
Tina Lewis is both a cancer survivor and Queen of the Bleachers. She has taken Ollie’s seat and each July, on the anniversary of his death, she will bring a bouquet of flowers. There is a bench with his name on it, along with a little plaque.
There, too, is Donald Simpson, the bleacher’s only known millionaire. And, Midget Mike, the grump of the group.
Simpson, who can afford to purchase any ticket in the park, has no immediate plans to relocate.
"He was sitting among the Creatures before he became a millionaire, Bondy said, "and he’s gonna continue to sit there. That’s his family. They give him comfort in hard times.
"One of the nice things about them is that no one is judged by the size of their wallets. Everyone wishes everyone else well for the 20 hours between games, but no one really cares if you’ve made a fortune or not during that time. Just as long as you make enough to buy a season-ticket package. Donald has been out there a long time and he has a lot of friends.
"Mike, though, has something bad to say about everything. When Don Mattingly was introduced as the batting coach, he was the only one to jeer and put his thumbs down."
While the cast of characters is, certainly, important to this story, there was something else which was equally important.
"I have spent a lot of time with these people," Bondy reflected. "It was an organic experience. The book grew from doing these columns. But, I came to understand that some of them were aging out, that some of them had been sitting there for decades and now had families of their own. So, they were coming to the park less often.
"I thought -if I’m gonna document championship seasons in the bleachers or, at least, look back at the people who were factors in that- then I better do it now. That was the catalyst for doing this."
Buy Filip Bondy's book at Amazon.com.
