Spanning the last few decades, here are just some of the special, charismatic and mostly popular figures who devoted much of their lives to worshipping Detroit teams and trying to entertain their fellow fans.
"Eat em Up Tigers" guy. In honor of his death, Eat em Up goes first. Since Comerica Park was opened, James VanHorn has graced fans approaching the stadium with his intense, rhythmic and passionate cheer of "eat em up Tigers, eat em up!" Over and over at machine-gun pace. If nothing else, his stamina was incredible. Eat em Up usually wore a huge green Hulk Hand that held the cup he used to collect donations. Never in many encounters did I hear Eat em Up ask for money, but I always heard him say "bless you," if you gave. A classic.
Leon "The Barber" Bradley. The very verbal 60s-something man designated himself as the Pistons' No. 1 fan. He attended nearly every Detroit game in the 80's and verbally lashed a majority of opposing players and coaches. Pistons players weren't even spared from his heckling. Leon was very creative in his digs and there have been more than one player complain about his personal attacks.
"The Brow." Joe Diroff was a retired, 30-year math teacher with an affinity for making creative, albeit obvious, signs that he would hold up in appropriate situations. Always dressed in white shirt, tie and fishing hat, The Brow - aptly named - stood out for several reasons, not the least of which was his legendary, almost scary unibrow. The Brow was known for standing up and inciting the fans with loud, demonstrative cheers. The Brow also was a mainstay at Detroit Metro Airport, greeting all the teams when they returned from road trips.
"Dancing Gus." Pistons fans over the age of 45 will probably remember Gus Sinaris. A rotund, rugged looking middle-aged man in the 1970s, Gus was a vendor at Cobo Arena, then the Pistons' home. At least once a game, Gus would come charging down the steep steps in the balcony, lean over the railing and belt out primal screams at the fans below. Many of us were certain that's the way he would leave us. Of note: Gus's son, Jimmy "Tiger" Sinaris, would go on to become a vendor at Tiger Stadium. Both, sadly, have passed.
"Hot Dog Guy." Singing at the top of his very ample lungs, Opera Guy belts out Hoottttttttt Dawwwgggsss! in a dramatic operatic tone at Tigers games. Still active at Comerica Park, Hot Dog Guy's arias were restricted a few years back to designated innings so as not to scare infants or blast out hearing aids.
"Herbie Redmond." Perhaps my favorite, little Herbie was a member of the grounds crew at Tiger Stadium from 1969-89. When the gang would come out to smooth the infield with the big brooms, John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" would blare. When Herbie made his turn near first base, he would stop, shake his bootie and wave his hat to the crowd. Unofficially nicknamed "Herbie the Hoofer," by some. Herbie had several variations on his shuffle, including a limbo version and a polka version. A very versatile super fan.
"Mo Cheese." Who doesn't remember Mo Cheese from the Red Wings' glory Stanley Cup era. A good-sized fella who always sported a Red Wings jersey, Mo did his version of the Curly Shuffle from Three Stooges fame, flashed on the arena big screen. Rarely has a big man been blessed with such quick feet, no doubt fueled by the crowd and a few cold ones. During the playoffs, Mo would do his shtick with a Stanley Cup replica perched atop his noggin.
"Lions Super Fan." Known apparently just for wearing outlandish Lions gear, including a full set of shoulder pads and oversized shades. After a lengthy and thorough investigation, Lions Super Fan appears to just be a strong team supporter with little or no lasting gimmick. On his facebook page (I know, right?), he lists his job as "self-employed football fan and CEO of Superfan Enterprises" and studied at "University of Lions football." OK. Continued...
With the passing of Comerica Park fixture "Eat em Up Tigers" guy recently, memories were sparked of other colorful Detroit sports Superfans.Spanning the last few decades, here are just some of the special, charismatic and mostly popular figures who devoted much of their lives to worshipping Detroit teams and trying to entertain their fellow fans.
"Eat em Up Tigers" guy. In honor of his death, Eat em Up goes first. Since Comerica Park was opened, James VanHorn has graced fans approaching the stadium with his intense, rhythmic and passionate cheer of "eat em up Tigers, eat em up!" Over and over at machine-gun pace. If nothing else, his stamina was incredible. Eat em Up usually wore a huge green Hulk Hand that held the cup he used to collect donations. Never in many encounters did I hear Eat em Up ask for money, but I always heard him say "bless you," if you gave. A classic.
Leon "The Barber" Bradley. The very verbal 60s-something man designated himself as the Pistons' No. 1 fan. He attended nearly every Detroit game in the 80's and verbally lashed a majority of opposing players and coaches. Pistons players weren't even spared from his heckling. Leon was very creative in his digs and there have been more than one player complain about his personal attacks.
"The Brow." Joe Diroff was a retired, 30-year math teacher with an affinity for making creative, albeit obvious, signs that he would hold up in appropriate situations. Always dressed in white shirt, tie and fishing hat, The Brow - aptly named - stood out for several reasons, not the least of which was his legendary, almost scary unibrow. The Brow was known for standing up and inciting the fans with loud, demonstrative cheers. The Brow also was a mainstay at Detroit Metro Airport, greeting all the teams when they returned from road trips.
"Dancing Gus." Pistons fans over the age of 45 will probably remember Gus Sinaris. A rotund, rugged looking middle-aged man in the 1970s, Gus was a vendor at Cobo Arena, then the Pistons' home. At least once a game, Gus would come charging down the steep steps in the balcony, lean over the railing and belt out primal screams at the fans below. Many of us were certain that's the way he would leave us. Of note: Gus's son, Jimmy "Tiger" Sinaris, would go on to become a vendor at Tiger Stadium. Both, sadly, have passed.
"Hot Dog Guy." Singing at the top of his very ample lungs, Opera Guy belts out Hoottttttttt Dawwwgggsss! in a dramatic operatic tone at Tigers games. Still active at Comerica Park, Hot Dog Guy's arias were restricted a few years back to designated innings so as not to scare infants or blast out hearing aids.
"Herbie Redmond." Perhaps my favorite, little Herbie was a member of the grounds crew at Tiger Stadium from 1969-89. When the gang would come out to smooth the infield with the big brooms, John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" would blare. When Herbie made his turn near first base, he would stop, shake his bootie and wave his hat to the crowd. Unofficially nicknamed "Herbie the Hoofer," by some. Herbie had several variations on his shuffle, including a limbo version and a polka version. A very versatile super fan.
"Mo Cheese." Who doesn't remember Mo Cheese from the Red Wings' glory Stanley Cup era. A good-sized fella who always sported a Red Wings jersey, Mo did his version of the Curly Shuffle from Three Stooges fame, flashed on the arena big screen. Rarely has a big man been blessed with such quick feet, no doubt fueled by the crowd and a few cold ones. During the playoffs, Mo would do his shtick with a Stanley Cup replica perched atop his noggin.
"Lions Super Fan." Known apparently just for wearing outlandish Lions gear, including a full set of shoulder pads and oversized shades. After a lengthy and thorough investigation, Lions Super Fan appears to just be a strong team supporter with little or no lasting gimmick. On his facebook page (I know, right?), he lists his job as "self-employed football fan and CEO of Superfan Enterprises" and studied at "University of Lions football." OK.
Contact Brian Marshall at (586) 716-8100 or bmarshall@voicenews.com
Source: http://www.voicenews.com/articles/2013/08/03/opinion/doc51fd0b1995910870775823.txt
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