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PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Jon McCann is making a name for himself at the ballpark. Whether it’s shouting from the seats or heckling from outside the gates, his passion for the Philadelphia Phillies is unmistakable.
Regardless of how the 2022 season ends, McCann is set to be part of the rowdy crowd this weekend that’s raining down a nightmare of decibels on the San Diego Padres. It will be a wonder if he has a voice by Monday.
“Look, we’re going to mentally damage these Padres,” said Jon McCann, better known on YouTube as “The Philly Captain.”
There is a method to McCann’s madness. Doesn’t sound as bad as “mental damage”. But it’s his way of supporting the Phils and representing the city he loves.
“I actually think it’s a good thing that we have a bad reputation,” McCann said. “I think it makes players nervous and scared when they enter our stadium.”
It was a most unlikely run for either National League Championship Series team, but especially for the Phils, whose McCann was listless under former manager Joe Girardi, and rejuvenated under Rob Thomson.
“I feel like we have overtime in heaven,” McCann said. “Because this season I don’t feel like it was supposed to happen, but it does happen and everything is spinning on all cylinders.”
The art of heckling – “no need to get personal with anyone”
McCann, 45, of Bridesburg is a shameless rowdy.
“YOU STICK AND I DON’T LOVE YOU!” is a common beard that he will direct at the player or coach of an opposing team. Perhaps he will go after a referee – like the hugely unpopular Ángel Hernández.
As a lifelong ‘6 for 6’ fan — including the Union and the Wings — McCann remembers falling in love with baseball going to Veterans Stadium as a kid with his dad and falling in love with the atmosphere and green grass.
But the heckling didn’t start until Citizens Bank Park, when fans were able to close in on the two-tier center field relievers, especially the opponents.
“You just yelled at them,” McCann said. “You can say whatever you want. I think it’s a fun way to, uh, you can watch the game there (in Ashburn Alley). And you can make your friends laugh. It’s a good time Oh I love heckling players. It’s just one of my favorite things to do with the game.”
He particularly enjoys playing with Atlanta Braves assistant coach Eddie Pérez.
McCann says his heckling doesn’t get personal.
“You can just say, ‘You stink. You are a tramp. You are garbage. Things like that. Adjectives, you get yourself a thesaurus,” he said. “You look for words or stench or whatever and you just say those things.”
There was even at least one moment when McCann directly affected what happened on the playing field.
In 2020, when fans weren’t allowed to attend games during the pandemic, McCann was among the crowd outside the stadium making so much noise with horns that Yankees manager Aaron Boone asked umpires about the noise that came from beyond the gate of the center field.
“I was so proud of that,” McCann said.
The Philadelphia Captain
McCann’s nickname was given to him, in part, by a fisherman along the Delaware River. McCann says that about a decade ago he had a kayak and would take it around Delaware watching Phillies games. One day this random person called him the captain of his ship as he was transporting the kayak to the dock. So it gets stuck.
And in 2018 when he wanted to create a YouTube page, “Captain” was already taken for the name, so he added in the “Philly”.
In his videos, McCann often wears a custom blue Phillies jersey that says “Philly Captain” on the back along with the numbers “215”. He is lively. He is noisy. He is energetic.
McCann said YouTube, which he considers his profession, helps him deal with his depression.
“If I work, which I do about 12 hours a day, I don’t get depressed,” he said. “It becomes kind of zen, where I continue to focus on my work. So I work so hard to fight depression.
Not only do his videos help him, they make others laugh, including Oscar Alvarado and Brett MacMinn, the founders of ‘The Phandemic Krew’ – the group of fans who stood outside Citizens Bank Park during the 2020 season shortened by COVID and watched Games.
“John just isn’t a big Phillie fan,” Alvarado said. “He’s a big Philadelphia fan – like in the city, man. This guy, he wears his heart on his sleeve.
“He really cares about the city,” MacMinn said. “And sports teams are part of that. You can always count on him to bring something different, unique.
But here’s the question: what does McCann look like when the camera isn’t on?
“Philly Cap is a family man,” Alvarado said. “He’s a really good friend, man. He’s down to earth… And what you see on camera is how he looks when the camera is off.
Friendship through ‘The Phandemic Krew’
McCann’s love for the Phillies and baseball has fostered some of his most treasured friendships, and “The Krew” symbolizes that. He has only known Alvarado and MacMinn since 2020, but he considers them very close.
“It’s just a lot of fun watching matches with Oscar and Brett and everyone in the Phandemic Krew,” McCann said.
Since the ballpark reopened to spectators in 2021, McCann has continued to develop his friendship with fellow Phillie lovers.
“So it started off as sporting friends, but now some of these guys are like the best friends I have right now.”
It is also a family affair. McCann – father of four – recently brought his infant grandson to Krew’s former location beyond Ashburn Alley for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in St. Louis.
“Within the first 10 minutes, he met the five mascots. He got a rally towel. I don’t think there’s a better way to play sports in Philadelphia than as a kid,” a- he said. “And, you know, since I’m the captain of Philadelphia, I had to give him that experience, didn’t I.”
Despite the odds, McCann predicts a Phillies parade down Broad Street in a few weeks. And if he has any semblance of a voice by then, South Philly is sure to hear it.
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