Goin’ Bananas
This past summer, Citizens Bank Park went bananas – with the Savannah Bananas, of course!
If you are unfamiliar with the Bananas, think “Globetrotters of baseball”. Since I’m all about making going to a baseball game more like going to a circus, I had to go see what the fuss was all about.
The Bananas started as an actual team in a collegiate summer league back in 2016 and converted to playing a zany, entertainment-packed brand of baseball – “Banana Ball” – in 2022. They have taken the show on the road and pack minor and major league ballparks throughout the summer. Fans come decked out in banana gear. On my walk around the concourse before the game I saw crazies dressed in banana costumes, clearly caught up in Bananamania. Before the game, the crazy contests and promotions had already begun. Two players from the Banana’s team tossed bananas down from the upper deck down to a guy trying to catch them in his oversized pants. Music blared as contestants faced off in a dance contest. Fans cheered their favorite players as they were introduced. On this night, the Bananas were playing the Party Animals and unlike the unlucky Washington Generals (the team that loses to the Globetrotters every game), the Animals were actually trying to win.
The games are clocked at two hours – no extra innings with Banana Ball. That keeps things moving at a dizzying pace. Players rack up points when they make a trick play. They caught balls between their legs, did flips before catching flyballs and picked balls out of the air behind their backs. A player on stilts pitched and batted but had a hard time running down to first base. Choreographed player dance routines broke out in the middle of the game while the home plate umpire shook his booty to the beat of the music all night long. Between innings, we were entertained by a geriatric dance troupe called the Banana ‘Nanas, a Dad Bod (think chubby) cheerleading squad and a youth dance team called the Banana Splitz. One of the between inning contests that got the biggest reaction was the baby race that featured pre-tottlers crawling on all fours to the finish line.
There were a bunch of tributes to Philly throughout the night. Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer all made appearances. (The crowd didn’t even mind that the Big Piece struck out). One inspired skit brought the house down. Doug Peterson and Nick Foles suddenly appeared on Phanavision. The clip was from the gutsy Philly Special call in Super Bowl LII. When Nick trots back onto the field and executes the play perfectly, the crowd at Citizens Bank Park went wild. On the field, between first and second base, the Banana players were set up in the exact formation to run the Philly Special. The pitcher was playing the role of Foles and caught the baseball on the pitcher’s mound. In one motion, he made the catch and threw it for the first pitch of the inning. Inspired stuff.
Sitting there taking in the spectacle, I thought of all the families that have come to see the Phanatic over the years. Not only have they come to laugh at the Phanatic at Phillies games, but the Phanatic has brought his special brand of zaniness to minor league and major league ballparks all over the country and all over the world. It’s fun going into a minor league town and giving the fans a chance to see the Phanatic up close and at their ballpark. It’s cool when the character that you’ve watched on TV or Youtube videos is now in your own backyard. That’s how I felt sitting there watching the Bananas. It was fun having them visit our town.
It was a different experience getting a chance to be the one being entertained and not the one doing the entertaining. As I sat watching the Savannah Bananas transform the game that we love into a circus-like three ring extravaganza, it reinforced the idea that people just want to forget their worries for a few hours when they come to the ballpark. They cheer for the home team but they also want to laugh and have fun. Come back anytime, Bananas!