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Adams is dealing with a litany of health issues
John Adams will miss his second consecutive home opener,
he told MLB.com's Mandy Bell this week.
Adams not only missed the game last year but the entire season due to a boggling stretch of severe health issues that continue to sideline the Guardians' most famous fan.
It began with triple bypass surgery before last season and has since then included: another heart surgery, thyroid issues, multiple stays in the ICU, a broken hip and a severe infection in his heel that required a procedure that has left him now unable to get around much as he recovers.
The drum's absence, to anyone who went to a game last year, was noticeable. Its cadence and signal sorely missed, some bit of comforting and unifying energy lacking.
Adams, a fixture in the bleachers since 1973, is hopeful he'll be at his usual perch at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario at some point in 2022.
“I’m going to be ecstatic,” Adams told Bell when asked what the first game back will feel like. “I think I’ll be walking a foot taller off the ground.”
Unlike last year,
when Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney stepped in to bang away for the home opener, there will be no celebrity replacement for Friday night's game against the Giants.
