An old online biography of Sgt. 1st Class Romeo Santos may have downplayed things a bit, saying that his personal interests include "attending Baltimore Orioles baseball games."
Santos, a career counselor with 3rd Battalion, Army Reserve Careers Division, out of Fort Meade, Maryland, certainly does that. But the bio neglected to mention the orange-and-black hard hat with feathers sticking out of it, like a mohawk. Or the four marathons he's completed carrying an Orioles flag. Or the O's-themed tattoos that take up a good chunk of his arms – designs completed shortly before new Army tattoo regulations took effect, he said, "so that I'd be grandfathered in."
In recognition of these efforts, Santos now stands on the edge of the closest thing to Cooperstown for his ilk — he's one of 10 finalists to join the 2014 class of the Fan Hall of Fame, an ESPN-backed creation that's inducting its third annual group of members via an online vote that runs through Dec. 10.
Santos' super-sized fandom has its roots in his teenage days selling lemonade at Camden Yards, but truly took flight under less-idyllic circumstances. He and his wife, Tracy, had season tickets, and games became a needed distraction for the couple after Tracy's 2007 breast cancer diagnosis, which came shortly after their wedding.
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"I was the Cal Ripken of breast cancer husbands," Santos, 34, said. "I never missed a doctor's appointment. … That's probably the biggest achievement I ever had in my life."
The diagnosis also altered his military career. Faced with another deployment as a transporter (he'd already spent time in Kuwait supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom) and the need to care for his wife, Santos went to his career counselor for advice. The counselor's recommendation: Become a career counselor.
"I'll do this so I can continue to serve my country and I can take care of my wife at the same time," Santos, who has served for 15 years, remembered thinking. "It turned out to be one of the best things I've ever done."
Santos' wife died in 2011. The Orioles continued to offer him a respite, as did charity work, continuing his wife's efforts with the Maryland SPCA and backing The Red Devils, a local breast cancer charity that helps families cover expenses – everything from therapy to transportation costs.
He soon became an established presence at games, even striking up a friendly relationship with Boog Powell – Orioles legend, 1970 American League Most Valuable Player, owner of Boog's Barbecue at Camden Yards, and the only man to autograph Santos' hard hat.
Multiple times. On multiple hard hats.
Sgt. 1st Class Romeo Santos sports his signature mohawk-hard hat during a recent outing in Baltimore.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sgt. 1st Class Romeo Santos
Santos figures he's got about 40 Powell signatures per hat, and he's just created his sixth hat. It's become a regular game-day ritual.
After the second autograph, Santos recalled Powell saying, "'You know what, you get it signed four times, I'll give you a pit beef platter and a beer.' Now, I don't drink, and I'm a vegetarian, but I'm not going to say no to the man. He's the 1970 American League MVP."
Friends pointed Santos toward the ESPN contest in 2013, when he didn't make the final cut. He's seeking enshrinement again this year in what could be a Camden Yards curtain call, as Active Guard Reserve life threatens to move him away from the city and team he loves.
Well, almost.
"I'm about to PCS in a year or two. And I'm trying to go to Florida," Santos said. "You know, spring training is in Florida."
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
