On the Road: Standing up for the JetHawks

Section 8, row B, seat 8.
"Captain Steve" Juhasz, dedicated Lancaster JetHawks fan, has been a season ticket holder at The Hangar for over 15 years. And, every season, his ticket has been for a seat in that same location. But ask Juhasz what's it like to sit there, and he can't tell you. 

"My behind has never been in it," he said with a laugh.
While at The Hangar, Juhasz never sits. Period.
"I was hyperactive ever since I was a kid, and I get antsy at ballgames," he explained. "Even when I go to one of the Major League games, Dodgers or Angels, I feel weird sitting in a seat."

Juhasz, always on his feet, watches the game from the same first-base-line location every night. To his left is a wall marking the end of the 200-section seating bowl; directly behind him is a portable beer stand. He stands on a small patch of artificial turf, his personal home plate.
Juhasz grew up fairly close to Lancaster, a windswept Mojave Desert city some 70 miles north of Los Angeles, but later relocated to Jacksonville, Florida. It was there where he caught the Minor League Baseball bug.
"I was in Jacksonville in 1998 and going to Jacksonville Suns game at that time. And they actually had the best record in baseball -- they were Double-A for the Tigers then. Robert Fick was there. Gabe Kapler," said Juhasz. "In 1999, I came back out to California and my first season actually following the JetHawks they end up with the worst record in baseball. So from one year to the other I went from the best team to the worst team."
That didn't deter Juhasz, who said the camaraderie and easygoing nature of JetHawks games more than made up for any on-field ineptitude.

"I got to meet the beer man. His name was Jim the Beer Man, and we'd talk during the game," he said. "I'd watch the game and lean right here [against the wall]. On a slow night, there was a lot of time to stand out here and talk to him. He ended up retiring five or six years ago and moved to Las Vegas."
During his years spent in conversation with Jim the Beer Man, Juhasz acquired his "Captain Steve" nickname.
"People kept telling me, 'You look like Captain Morgan,'" he said, referring to the 17th-century privateer for whom the brand of rum is named. "'Anytime I see you, you're leaning right there."
In 2012, Juhasz's ballpark presence further escalated when he added brief bursts of mobility to his longstanding routine. Whenever the JetHawks score a run, he hustles down the aisles and leads the crowd in a "Yes!" chant that's reminiscent of former professional wrestler Daniel Bryan. While doing this he carries a large sign reading -- what else? -- "Yes."
"The mascot, KaBoom, had a 'Yes' sign and a 'No' sign and sometimes he would do it and sometimes he wouldn't," said Juhasz. "So, kind of as a lark, I picked up the 'Yes' sign and started doing it with my friends and it just grew and grew."
He continued, "A couple of years ago [the JetHawks] actually came out with a shirt with my likeness on it, holding up my sign. And on the back it says 'Yes!' Yes! Yes!' I wear it every Saturday."
Tweet from @bensbiz: 5/15: @JetHawks fan Captain Steve celebrating w/ "Yes" sign after home team scores, as woman to the left busts out great subtle dance moves. pic.twitter.com/Mpny9fYtSk
Clearly, Juhasz is a man of routine. And if he deviates from routine, people notice.
"I actually took a cruise last year, so I had to tell everybody that I was missing three or four games," he said. "[My friends] actually brought a sign [to the ballpark] saying, 'The Captain is at sea.'"
But this particular captain will always be most at home at The Hangar. Therefore, Juhasz plans to come to JetHawks games for as long as he can stand.
"It's unexplainable. It's just a great feeling. I love it," he said. "Being at the ballpark is one thing, and then being able to have fun like this? It's just awesome."