Trevor May Wants You to Get Loud

May originally floated out his idea to introduce a drum or similar noisemaker on Twitter Tuesday evening, and even offered up a ticket to the volunteer drummer for every 2019 home game.

https://twitter.com/IamTrevorMay/status/1044814308683714560

When you think about a drummer in a baseball stadium, Progressive Field in Cleveland immediately comes to mind. Indians fan John Adams has pounded a bass drum at every single home game since 1973. But May’s inspiration was actually drawn more from the fans in Oakland.

“I’ve been there (in Oakland) when they weren’t very good, obviously their attendance was lower than now, but those Bleacher Creatures are always there,” May said. “As a player, you notice it.”

Those dedicated Bleacher Creatures at the Coliseum are a group of rowdy fans who occupy three sections. Even during their down seasons, this group consisted of 30-40 fans waving flags, shaking cowbells and just generally making all sorts of noise.

“I know that me, personally, I feed off that,” May said. “It adds all kind of stuff to my game and I live for that. It makes the game more fun.”

Scrolling through some of the responses May received to that original Tweet, you can see about a 50/50 split between people who love the idea and people who loathe it. Several people showed interest in joining the band, other’s threatened to boycott the stadium.

May was the driving force behind creating “FortDay” at Target Field, an event that brought together a couple hundred fans of the video game Fortnite to watch May and some of his fellow E-Sports competitors play on the stadium video board, so he has some experience with the ins and outs of how things work. He acknowledged there were some logistical issues and security concerns to address.

“It’s bringing them in that’s the problem, bringing extra stuff in,” May said. “I don’t think the noise itself is the problem, I think it’s when you open up to letting people bring that stuff in. My idea was to have a drum and keep it here … I’m talking about putting them way up in the right field stands.”

Unlike his days as a starting pitcher, May has enjoyed being able to get hyped up and let things loose over shorter bursts out of the bullpen without having to think about conserving energy.

“I love that. I think that’s why I really like relieving,” May said. “I struggle to keep that adrenaline going, that atmosphere going in my own head when I’m starting.”

May mentioned former White Sox starter Jake Peavy and current Nationals ace Max Scherzer as a couple of rare examples of starting pitchers who are able to maintain a high-level of intensity and adrenaline over the course of a long start, but those types are a rare breed.

May expressed gratitude for the support he’s received at Target Field, but that last trip to Oakland has him wondering what could be.

“It just got me thinking about how to engage fans a little better,” May said.