OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A group of Florida State baseball fans are constantly cheering, chanting and screaming. It's something they’ve done at every game for the last 41 years.
“We’ve got a cheer for everything and we just never stop. And a lot of fan bases, they just cheer maybe when their team is batting, or maybe when their team has runners on base. From the first pitch of the game, we start cheering from the first pitch of the game,” says Johnny Mac, a leader of the Animals.
He’s not kidding. they’re always chanting, to the confusion of fans everywhere they go.
“They just always look at us like we’re crazy, and we sing these really weird cheers, but they’re like ‘what are they saying over there,” says Alicia Cross, a member of the group.
When the bases are loaded, an Animal dons an inflatable duck, and the rest yell ‘ducks on a pond.’
“It’s a lot of fun, you get a lot of attention,” says Cross.
And some lucky Seminole players get their own chant.
“I mean Reece Albert, the only person I know with the last name Albert is Fat Albert. So when he comes up to bat we just yell “Hey, Hey, Hey, it’s Reece Albert,” says Mac.
Their most well known chant, isn’t really a chant. During the 5th inning they sing the Canadian national anthem.
“If it’s a team that has never come, they’re like why are they singing ‘O Canada right now,” says Cross.
It started during the 1988 Olympic Games, which were held in Canada. Somehow 'O Canada was hummed when the Noles were trailing, they then came back and won the game.
“That’s where the tradition started, it’s been going ever since,” says Mac.
During Super Regionals in Baton Rouge, one LSU tigers fan wasn’t fond of the tradition.
“This lady who we call ‘Anthem Annie’, tried to call security down there and the guy tried to take my flag, however my buddy Doug had a firm grip on the flag and he was not letting it go until we were done,” says Mac.
Most of the animals didn’t expect to be singing 'O Canada in Omaha at all this year, the team barely made Regionals before going on their magical run. And so plenty have showed up in the heartland to see if their team can make history, winning their first title ever.
“The community allows us to be ourselves and hangout with like-minded crazy Animals and maybe we’ll get some nice ring jewelry along the way and we’ll send our coach out with the greatest story in Florida State sports history,” says fan Brandon Sims.
