Bleacher Creatures

The Bleacher Creatures are a group of fans of the New York Yankees who are known for their strict allegiance to the team and their merciless attitude to opposing fans. The group's nickname was used by New York Daily News columnist Filip "Flip" Bondy, who spent the 2004 season sitting with the Creatures for research on his book about the group, Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium, which was published in 2005.

A prominent aspect of the Bleacher Creatures is their use of chants and songs. The most distinguished of these is the Roll Call, which is done at the beginning of every home game. Often, the opposing team's right fielder, who stands right in front of the Creatures, is a victim of their jeers and insults.

For the last two decades of the original Yankee Stadium, the Creatures occupied sections 37 and 39 of the bleachers. In 2009, When the Yankees' new stadium was built, they were relocated and currently sit in Section 203 of the right-field bleachers.

The founding of the Bleacher Creatures is often credited to Ali Ramirez. Ramirez rang a cowbell to inspire the fans to cheer (much like Freddy Sez's efforts in the Stadium's main grandstand) during the team's limited success in the early 1980s and 1990s. He died on May 8, 1996, and was given a tribute by the Yankees front office before the May 14 game against the Seattle Mariners, a game in which Dwight Gooden pitched a no-hitter. There was a plaque where he sat, in section 39, row A, seat 29 which read "This seat is taken. In memory of Ali Ramirez, 'The Original Bleacher Creature.'" A similar plaque was added to the new stadium,. and is cleaned by a Creature at the start of every game. The plaque is located at section 203, row 7, seat 25.

It was also during this period of drought that regular fans in the right field bleachers started chanting Dave Winfield's name. When Winfield left the team, they began cheering for Bernie Williams.

During one game in the 1990s, the fans started chanting the name of Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez. Martinez responded to the chanting fans with a wave, shocking the cheering fans; this started the tradition of Roll Call where the Bleacher Creatures chant the name of each starting fielder (except the pitcher and catcher). Roll Call has become one of the trademarks of Yankee Stadium.

...
Wikipedia