CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's the top of the ninth with a man on second. High atop the bleachers comes the rhythmic thud of the Indians' war drum.

Just as he has for the last 43 years, John Adams is pounding out a beat meant to focus the batter, get the fans on their feet and throw the opposing team off its game.

When does Adams beat the drum?

When the team runs onto the field

Whenever the Tribe is in scoring position (with a runner on second or third)

When the team is in position to tie the score

After two outs in the ninth inning.

"There are no hard and fast rules, I make up my own since I march to the beat of my own drum," he said with a laugh. "Honestly, the game dictates when I play."

Why does he play?

The life-long Tribe fan said his love of banging the drum during games came from being a "seat banger" when he was a child.

"As a kid, you couldn't make a lot of noise during the game, so in the old stadium, we banged on the seat backs to let the players know we were behind them," Adams said.

The drum he beats today is the same bass drum from a drum kit he bought for $25 when he was 22 years old. Adams considers it one of his most prized possessions and carries it to and from each game with him.

What does he think of his celebrity?

Once inside Progressive Field, fans stop Adams or make the pilgrimage up to his perch to shake his hand and snap a picture.

Almost every first-timer asks if they can bang the drum. The answer is always a polite no.

For years, the Indian's front office basically ignored Adams as long as he paid for an extra ticket for the drum and no other fans complained. That is, until a Cleveland Press photographer followed the beat and took a picture that was printed on the Sunday front page. Adams became somewhat of a celebrity.

"The first time I saw people waiting to take my picture, I thought, 'Wow! Someone important must be here,'" he said.

After that, the team asked Adams to attend every home game.

When the team made the move to Progressive Field, Adams wasn't sure there would be a place for him. But calls from national media asking where Adams would be assured him, and his drum, a place in the bleachers.

Adams has the distinction of being the only season ticket holder in history to hold a ticket for an inanimate object - which up until five years ago, he paid for.

Now his place is assured. The two seats in the center of the last row of the outfield bleachers are reserved with a plaque declaring the space reserved for the No. 1 Tribe Fan and his drum.

Adams said he plans to occupy that seat for another 43 years before calling it quits.

"Right now I am living every little boy's dream. I get to make all the noise I want and no one tells me to stop," Adams said.