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Some of these not-so-secret admirers could sell their own jerseys in stadium stores. Some should be locked up. (And one is.)
1. Bobby Murcer’s Biggest Fan
Our first story has a fairy-tale middle and a horrible ending. In August of ‘77, Bobby Murcer of the Cubs promised to hit a home run for terminally ill fan Scott Crull. That night, Murcer hit two of them. Pretty amazing, especially when you consider Murcer only hit nine homers the whole next season. But that’s not why Crull – a 12-year-old from Calumet City, Illinois, with bone cancer – makes this list.
Broadcasting the game nationally on ABC, Keith Jackson told the country how Murcer had fulfilled the dying boy’s last wish. Eyes watered, spines tingled. There was only one problem – nobody had ever told the boy he was dying. His parents were horrified. Three weeks later, Crull passed away.
2. The Good Luck Charmers
Every sport has its own strange traditions. I’d argue hockey’s “throwing an octopus on the ice for good luck” is the weirdest. Tossing the eight-tentacled cephalopod was the brainchild of Detroit storeowners Pete & Jerry Cusimano. The date: April 15, 1952. The logic: one tentacle for each of the eight playoff victories it took to win the Stanley Cup. Later that spring, most likely fueled by the good luck octopus, the Red Wings won the title. PETA has objected to this practice, which continues to this day. The Red Wings mascot is not a Red Wing, but Al the Octopus.
3. The John 3:16 Guy
Also known as “Rainbow Man,” the born-again Rollen Stewart and his John 3:16 signs were fixtures at major events in the 1970s and 80s. He brought his message to the World Series, Super Bowl, Olympics, and World Cup. He was outside Buckingham Palace when Di & Charles wed; he went to see the Pope in Alaska. But he was more religious fanatic than sports fan. According to the LA Times, Stewart planned to assassinate President Bush and candidate Clinton in 1992. And he’s now serving three life sentences for holding a maid hostage at a Los Angeles Hyatt, also in 1992.
By the way, chapter three, verse sixteen of the Gospel of John says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is also printed on cups at the In-N-Out Burger.
4. The All-Star Heckler
For 12 years, Maryland lawyer and Washington Bullets fan Robin Ficker was the NBA’s most prominent heckler. With season tickets behind the visiting team’s bench, his antics were legendary. When he reminded Frank Layden of the Jazz that USA Today had rated him Worst Dressed Coach, Layden had to be restrained by security. With the Bulls in town, Ficker loudly read excerpts of Maverick, coach Phil Jackson’s sex-laden 1975 autobiography. During the 1993 Suns-Bulls NBA Finals, Charles Barkley (of the Suns) flew Ficker to Phoenix and bought him a ticket behind the Chicago bench. Ficker was ejected in the first quarter.
The Bullets became the Wizards in 1997 and moved into the MCI Center the following season. Ficker’s new seats were not in shouting distance of the visiting team, forcing him into heckling retirement. In 2006, he received 9.5% of the vote in a losing bid for Montgomery County Executive.
5. Kim Jong-il
That’s right, the world’s most feared dictator is a hoops junkie. During a 2000 visit, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented him a basketball signed by Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls are the favorite team of Kim Jong-il, who reportedly has a video library with every game Jordan ever played. At 5′3″, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army is roughly the same height as Mugsy Bogues.
6. David Letterman’s Stalker
David Letterman’s biggest fan was also his biggest headache. When she was arrested for stealing Dave’s Porsche in 1988, Margaret Ray told police she was Mrs. Letterman. She was a frequent trespasser on Dave’s estate, once camping out on his tennis court. Ray’s antics made her a regular monologue target. But the jokes stopped in 1998, when Ray killed herself. The collective guilt spread when we learned she was schizophrenic, as were her two brothers, who also committed suicide.
7. Joe from Saddle River
A die-hard Jets, Mets and Rangers fan, Joe Benigno was a frequent caller to WFAN, New York’s all-sports radio station. Benigno won the station’s Fan Appreciation Day contest in 1994, earning a chance to guest-host his own show. By 1995, Joe was WFAN’s overnight guy, a title he held for almost a decade. In 2004, he was deemed ready for daytime and given the 10am-1pm timeslot. For all the lonely and passionate talk radio callers out there, Joe gives hope.
8. Steffi Graf’s Biggest Fanatic
Deranged and obsessed with seeing Steffi Graf return to the top of the rankings, Gunter Parche stabbed Monica Seles during a 1993 match in one of the most disturbing incidents in sports history. Almost as disturbing was his punishment. Parche received a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to attend mandatory counseling. Even more shocking, I can’t find footage of any of this on YouTube.
Comments (45)
Comment
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Nothing says Christianity more than holding a maid hostage and planning to assassinate political figures. Thanks “Rainbow Man” (insert rolling eyes here).
posted by Beth on 12-28-2007 at 1:05 pm
I was expecting a Steve Bartman review
posted by Rosebud on 12-28-2007 at 1:39 pm
In & Out Burger is a Christian owned business they have a lot of different Gospel stuff under those cups.. beware..
posted by Zetta on 12-28-2007 at 2:01 pm
In-N-Out prints discreet references to Bible verses on their paper utensils. The print is small and out of the way, and only contains the book, chapter and verse numbers, not the actual text of the passages. The practice began in the 1980s during Rich Snyder’s presidency,[27] a reflection of the beliefs held by the Snyder family
posted by Suzette on 12-28-2007 at 2:05 pm
You mean to tell me John 3:16 has NOTHING to do with baseball?
posted by mike on 12-28-2007 at 9:20 pm
I am trying to convince my hubby to paint an octopus on his goalie mask. I wonder if PETA will object?
posted by Amy on 12-29-2007 at 9:59 am
My dad always used to refer to him as “The John .357 guy”.
At first I thought he was kidding. Nope. Not kidding.
Given what passes for Right Wing Christianity today, I guess it isnt that far off anymore.
posted by Jett Rink on 12-29-2007 at 12:45 pm
Jett Rink Says: December 29th, 2007 at 12:45 pm My dad always used to refer to him as “The John .357 guy”.
Heh, that’s a good one. I should remember that.
posted by jake3988 on 12-29-2007 at 2:16 pm
3 life sentences for holding a maid hostage??!! In what country, Iran?
posted by Mark on 12-29-2007 at 5:55 pm
Joe Benigno is a New York sports talk legend in my meaningless opinion. He’s a regular guy who’s easy to root for.
posted by TTquick on 12-29-2007 at 7:15 pm
I used to work with Robin Ficker’s son. Nice guy, surprisingly normal. It’s weird seeing his name again. I thought everyone had forgotten about him.
posted by Poppy on 12-29-2007 at 8:32 pm
What? No Steve Bartman? Horse cockles!
posted by J on 12-30-2007 at 12:55 am
Being from Detroit I was told that the 8 limbs represented the 8 original hockey teams in the league, which includes the Redwings. In fact it takes far more than 8 wins to win the Stanley Cup, at the very least (sweeping everyone) it takes 16 wins.
posted by Elliot on 12-30-2007 at 7:32 am
Elliot — There were only six original teams (Detroit, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, NY, Chicago). And in 1952, there were only two rounds of playoffs, meaning you only had to win 8 games.
posted by Jason on 12-30-2007 at 10:06 am
Well, there ya go!
posted by Elliot on 12-30-2007 at 11:11 am
According to the Wiki, he also had 2 other people with him that he kidnapped and held hostage. So, a life sentence for each person I guess.
posted by Lacey on 12-31-2007 at 10:43 am
I was hoping the f’da eagles girl would have made it, but maybe still to soon, or too obscure?
posted by Cory on 1-1-2008 at 11:59 am
I wonder if the Obama Girl will be remembered for decades like some of these famous fans.
That’s strange (and a little comforting, in my opinion) that you can’t find any footage of Monica Sales being stabbed on YouTube. I’ve seen footage of it on TV before, so footage exists… wonder if someone pulled it all?
posted by Molly W. on 1-2-2008 at 11:51 am
Hellooooooo????!!!!!
Steve Bartman should be the king of this list. Hands down the cream of the crop of bad fans.
posted by DieSlow on 1-3-2008 at 9:57 pm
In #6 (David Letterman’s stalker), Margaret Ray did now ‘throw’ herself in front of a train. She knelt down on the tracks and then was run over. Although the end result would be the same, it’s an erroneous use of words. I wouldn’t care except this ended up on CNN as ‘news’ of sorts.
posted by Ann on 1-22-2008 at 6:24 pm
Who was that woman with huge tits that used to run out onto the field at baseball games to kiss the pitcher?
posted by Rocky on 2-19-2008 at 3:43 am
John 3:16 is printed on the bottom of clothing store Forever 21’s bags
posted by Liz on 2-23-2008 at 10:09 am
-Who was that woman with huge tits that used to run out onto the field at baseball games to kiss the pitcher?-
That was Morganna – and the only reason I remember her is from sneaking a look at her ’80s pictorial from my dad’s Playboy collection (and yes, they were huge).
posted by Steve In San Diego on 5-12-2009 at 2:09 pm
From what I remember, cameras never actually caught the Seles attack. I think the best footage they caught were just stills (well) before and after the incident – and when security mobbed the attacker.
I was born & raised in Toronto, and there wasn’t any video of the attack on any of the city’s channels…
posted by amitcdn on 6-2-2009 at 12:37 pm
recaptcha: Nixon poorer.
just thought that was amusing :)
posted by Jen on 7-23-2009 at 1:53 pm
What about Pamela Anderson wearing the tight T-shirt at a football game (?) in Vancouver years ago? That’s how she became famous. They put her on the big screen and I believe the t-shirt was for Labbat’s beer. If I’m correct, the story goes she was later hired as a model for the brewer. The rest is history.
posted by Sonya on 7-24-2009 at 9:24 am
reCaptcha freaks zone
…sweet and befitting.
What about Barrel Man from Denver? There’s even links at the bottom of that page to more freaks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel_Man_(Denver_Broncos)
posted by roi_ratt on 7-25-2009 at 12:45 pm
How about the fan that tumbled our of the upper deck into the netting at Yankee Stadium?
posted by Haveatomato on 8-6-2009 at 11:26 pm
Nice read! Though I was hoping to see my all-time favorite, the Just Bleed Guy back from the bloody days of UFC 15: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WaUOs2UkQE&feature=related
posted by Victor Rosberg on 8-10-2009 at 5:20 pm
What about the raiders dude? that dude is crazy! with all the spike and stuff and face paint!’
I’m surprised that i don’t see the orange storm trooper with stripes on his helmet @ the bengals games! dude that is soooo cool!
(hate the raiders, love the bengals)
posted by xanderjones on 8-12-2009 at 7:58 pm
How about “Fan Man”? The guy who flew his little paraglider/ultralight craft into the ring of a boxing match. Thus inspiring the patrons to pummel the crap out of him.
posted by Colleen Conway on 8-20-2009 at 7:34 pm
the john 3:16 thing is on forever 21 bags too
ive always wondered why that was showing up everywhere !
posted by Ciara on 8-21-2009 at 7:25 pm
There is a great indie documentary called “Rainbow Man”.
posted by Robert Holdridge on 8-31-2009 at 6:52 pm
I know it’s a US site ‘n all and football (no,,, the REAL football) isn’t much to you guys liking but I just wanna add the so-called Danish football “fan” who took the field in an important Denmark-Sweden qualifying game for the Euro champs.
This total nutjob took a swing at the ref and got him on the chin before the players chased him off. As a result Denmark lost the game and missed qualifying. The ‘tard now lives in Sweden and is regularly threathened with a severe beating if he ever sets foot in Denmark again.
The spineless freak even claimed to have been drunk and “couldn’t remember anything” even though clips of the whole thing shows nothing of the sorts. I guess the blackout-memento thing is a regular excuse for having done moronic things.
posted by Cmod on 9-13-2009 at 1:01 pm
Okay, maybe I am off here, but are we talking about actual fans, or the ones that crossed the line? I thought of Mark David Chapman and his fatal fandom for John Lennon. Or should fans/stalkers should be a separate post altogether?
posted by Marty on 9-16-2009 at 3:13 pm
recaptcha: Stanley help
haha!
posted by Drina on 9-16-2009 at 7:17 pm
Forget about Robin Ficker? That can never happen – he’s a local legend! And it’s not mentioned here, but he’s also prominently an anti-tax activist. Every time there’s an election in suburban Maryland, he gets something on the ballot against some tax or another, or making it more difficult for the local governments to raise taxes.
posted by NG on 9-17-2009 at 5:09 pm
Videos of the Monica Seles stabbing are up on youtube! But you don’t get to actually see it, its edited. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl-2uVhNLJI&feature=related
posted by Justine on 11-5-2009 at 1:52 am
Perhaps I am missing the point, but when it’s written, “But he was more religious fanatic than sports fan…” and then go on and tell of his trying to assassinate people and holding people hostage, you’re insinuating that someone who’s religious would do those things. I understand he’s a fanatic, but I don’t think it was because he was religious or loved sports…he was just a fanatic.
posted by Helenann on 12-1-2009 at 3:26 pm
\What about the raiders dude? that dude is crazy! with all the spike and stuff and face paint!’\
yup!
and on a different note…anyone remember when the dying kid in seinfeld insisted that one of the yankees players hit a home run as his dying wish??
posted by kelly on 12-10-2009 at 1:12 pm
@ xanderjones
There is way more than just one Raiders dude. There’s a Raider Nation. Go to an Oakland home game the entire black hole is filled with them.
posted by chris on 12-24-2009 at 3:23 pm
[...] I usually share it with him first. If I think about TVS athletics, I recall Dennis Fleming. Here is an interesting list of various teams and their famous (or infamous) fans. Who would you add? Steve [...]
posted by List of Most Famous Sports Fans « The Blog of Tim Hoch on 1-12-2010 at 3:54 pm
Why would you want to see Monica Seles get stabbed??
I think the mention of that incident should also note that it effectively ended her career, since she experienced something akin to PTSD afterward. Such a shame — she was a terrific champion and she seems to be a lovely person.
posted by Amy on 1-30-2010 at 4:58 pm
Let’s not forget Joe Earley. He was a Cleveland Indians fan who wrote a letter to the editor of the Cleveland Press, (perhaps satirically) calling for a special night to honor the common man, instead of just big names like Ken Keltner or Bill Veeck. Veeck, master showman and owner of the Indians, picked up on the idea and held “Good Old Joe Earley Night” at the ballpark on September 28, 1948. Special items were given to some of the fans in attendance, ranging from an old horse or three stepladders, to fresh orchids from Hawaii for the first 20,000 women. Earley himself received a substantial (and broad) assortment of gifts as well, including a new convertible and an old outhouse.
posted by amaneaux on 2-3-2010 at 3:34 pm
I don’t think Al the Octopus belongs in this category.
posted by Barbara on 3-11-2010 at 12:05 pm