I’ve been going bananas about the Savannah Bananas ever since watching an HBO feature a year ago about the barnstorming team that’s become baseball’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters. Their games are a ton of fun, especially for young, non-traditional fans.
The yellow-clad Bananas’ shenanigans include players on stilts, humorous, choreographed dances, flaming bats, and rules such as a batter being called out if a spectator catches a foul ball cleanly in the stands. Bananas’ players mingle with fans throughout the game, occasionally encouraging them to join in a ballpark conga line up and down the aisles. It’s a riot.
The team was the brainchild of Jesse Cole, who appropriately lists P.T. Barnum, Walt Disney, and all-time, fan-first baseball owner Bill Veeck as his heroes. Cole started out owning a college summer league baseball team in Savannah, Ga., in 2016, but he always had grander plans in mind. He eventually started a professional team to play alongside his amateur team, and this is where he introduced a version of the game he calls “Banana Ball.” It’s baseball — but it’s not. And they’ve become hotter than one of those lit-on-fire Louisville Sluggers the players occasionally swing during at bats.
Rules include two-hour time limits, no mound visits, no stepping out of the batter’s box, no bunting, and an option to steal first base. The emphasis is on entertainment, and Cole’s team — which plays each game against a club known as the Party Animals — is all about making sure everyone has a good time.
The Bananas took their show on the road this summer, playing more than 80 games in 33 minor-league parks across 21 states, stretching from Maine to California. Each game sold out — usually in a matter of minutes. I had hoped to catch their tour finale Saturday at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, but I had a schedule conflict.
Fortunately, this year’s tour was such a success the Bananas are going to do another one next summer, featuring several stops in Major League Baseball parks.
I asked Red Wings General Manager Dan Mason about that possibility of a game at Rochester’s Innovative Field, and he told me, “We have an offer into them.”
Keeping fingers and toes crossed it works out because there’s no doubt in my mind Rochester will go bananas over them, too.
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I applaud Hall-of-Fame golfer Phil Mickleson for acknowledging his serious gambling problem and for seeking help. In a long post on X (formerly known as Twitter) he candidly and painfully acknowledged his struggles, writing he had “crossed the line of moderation into addiction.” There have been reports the golfer known as “Lefty” has wagered and lost more than a billion dollars. In his post, Mickleson wrote that his family’s financial security had never been threatened, but admitted his gambling harmed loved ones.
“ ‘You’re here, but you’re not with us’ is something I’ve been told often [by family and friends] throughout my addiction,’’ he said. “It affected those I care about in ways I wasn’t aware of or could fully understand. It’s like a hurricane is going on outside and I’m isolated in a shelter, oblivious to what’s happening. When I came out, there was so much damage to clean up that I just wanted to go back inside and not deal with it.”
I admire Mickleson for having the courage to seek help and go public with his addiction. Here’s hoping he finds the courage to never bet again.
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A week after some wondered if quarterback Josh Allen needed to see a psychiatrist, everyone (except opposing defenses) can breathe a sigh of relief. Josh is going to be fine, and so are the Buffalo Bills. He bounced back nicely from that four-turnover season-opening loss to the Jets with a surgical, error-free performance, completing 84 percent of his passes and tossing three touchdowns in a romp over the Las Vegas Raiders. He feasted on the short stuff, and that will only help him in the long run.
There were several other positive developments from this game. James Cook’s 123-yard rushing day, along with solid relief jobs by Damien Harris and Latavius Murray give hope for a dependable run game that will alleviate Josh’s leg load and make him and the Bills offense even more effective.
Beleaguered right offensive tackle Spencer Brown’s performance against top-notch defensive lineman Maxx Crosby was encouraging. And the sterling job pressuring the quarterback and stopping the run (reigning NFL rushing champ Josh Jacobs was limited to minus-two yards on nine carries) also bodes well, particularly considering the Bills defense will receive a huge boost when Von Miller returns from the injured reserve list in three weeks.
If they take care of business in Washington Sunday against another stout defensive front, they’ll have an opportunity to reclaim control of the AFC East when they host the unbeaten, high-octane Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium October 1.
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The more I watch Garrett Shrader, the more I admire him. The Syracuse University quarterback rushed for 195 yards and four touchdowns in a road victory at Purdue Saturday. (He would have been over 200 yards, but college football statisticians foolishly count yardage lost on sacks against rushing totals.) Play fakes by quarterbacks can be hugely effective, and Shrader was a magician against the Boilermakers. All 11 defenders descended upon the running back during one of his fakes, allowing Shrader to run untouched for a touchdown.
SU is 3-0 heading into this week’s home game against Army, but relying on Shrader to continue to carry the ball 25 times is not sustainable. Losing top receiver Oronde Gadsden to a season-ending foot injury has put strain on the other receivers, and, unfortunately, they didn’t step up Saturday, dropping several well-thrown passes, including two that might have resulted in touchdowns. They need to start making those catches or I’m afraid this Orange season is going to be a repeat of the previous two where Shrader was hamstrung by injuries down the stretch.
Best-selling author and nationally honored journalist Scott Pitoniak is the Rochester Business Journal sports columnist.
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