Savannah Bananas — minor league baseball team or circus?

When I caught the tail end of a segment on ESPN about a minor league baseball team, I went directly to their website. I saw enough on the telly to whet my curiosity. The information online confirmed my suspicions. The answer to the question in my title is "both, with a huge nod towards the latter!"Savanah, Georgia is a beautiful city with many places to visit. I have been there several times and many years ago I picked up a baseball souvenir. The son of a former student collected mini baseball bats from minor league teams. I was in a shop on River Street (a must stop) and saw a bat with the local minor league team name engraved upon it.You have to love the name Sand Gnats and that team's bat is what I purchased. I was sure the kid didn't have one and though I did not get to a Sand Gnat's game before they moved to the capital of South Carolina to become the Columbia Fireflies, it was something I'd kept in the back of my mind.Now I have that desire again… I think. A baseball purist would not go to a Bananas game. It's not really baseball as we know it. But if you are looking for a couple hours of entertainment (two, not three hours — I'll explain) you will find it at Grayson Stadium.The owner of the Savannah Bananas is Jesse Cole. To suggest that he has a little P.T. Barnum in him would be a huge understatement. In fact he has quoted the great showman. "Without promotion something terrible happens, nothing."Cole's promotion has caught on with the people of Savannah. The games have been sold out since the team's first year in 2015. There is now a waiting list for tickets. If I wanted to go, I might not be able to!So what brings out the faithful on a nightly basis? Well to start with, would you like to watch a baseball player wearing a kilt? How would you like to watch the players dance on the field between innings? Would you be impressed if the players met you as you came into the park?All this happens at Bananas games.If you have an aversion to the color yellow, this may not be the place for you. One set of players uniforms are all yellow, as is the owner's tuxedo which he wears to every game. The mascot's costume is a banana and his nickname is Split — oh, but of course!The team's theme is "Go Bananas" and each night an infant is plucked from the stands, put into a banana costume and taken to home plate where he or she is introduced to the entire crowd.With so many wacky things going on it's hard to pick out the strangest. For my money though, sending a batter to the plate while wearing stilts might be the winner. A picture shows the opposing catcher standing with his glove outstretched far above his head. Either he wants the pitcher to keep the ball low in the strike zone (the guys knees are nearly as high as a basketball rim) or he just can't reach any higher.In the major leagues players have songs that are played as they come to bat. In Savannah the players take a microphone with them and announce themselves. I'm not sure if any of them sing while strolling to the plate.In recent years major league baseball has introduced several "gimmicks" to try to shorten games. Starting extra innings with a runner on second is the most obvious of these though it didn't work very well for a Dodgers/Padres game this week. As a baseball purist, I'm not sure I understand the concept as I don't ever recall being at a game and wishing the darn thing was over!If however, you are on a time schedule, a Bananas game will accommodate you. There is a two hour time limit for each game. If a game is tied after that length of time a tie breaker is used to determine the winner. Each team selects a pitcher and catcher. When the opposing batter hits the ball he has to try to score before the pitcher can recover the ball and throw it to the catcher.Hey, it's time to go home!Again there are so many things going on at a Savannah Bananas game that it is impossible to tell you about all of them. I was just on the website looking at some images and I saw one that melted my heart. Apparently the Bananas adopted a seven week old puppy to be their bat dog! Daisy is such a cutie that she alone would be worth the price of admission.So if you are in Savannah try to take in a Bananas game. If nothing else go down to River Street and try a meal at Huey's On The River. A New Orleans themed restaurant, the beignets are delicious.If you do get to a game be sure to take your glove. If a batter pops a ball into the stands and you catch it you have a souvenir. And, by the way, the batter is out!