Banana ball – not your granddaddy's kind of baseball

If one gets a chance to attend a Savannah Bananas baseball game you should be prepared for an experience. It will not be like any other baseball game you have witnessed. If I might suggest some things to be prepared for…You will be inundated with music. Songs (well, parts of them) play constantly throughout the two-hour event and yes there is a time limit. No inning can start after two hours of play. Dancing will be evident. That will include the players, umpires and yes, the person sitting beside you! People will sing along to the music. In fact I even got caught up in a song before I realized the pitcher had already thrown two pitches.Do not take your eyes off the action or you will likely miss something. The field announcer will let you know what to watch occasionally, but not always. The scoreboard even has Trick Plays on it and each time a player makes one (successful or not) the tally goes up.As the game began the Party Animals scored a run in the top of the first. I had wondered during introductions if the athleticism I was watching would translate into baseball playing abilities. It didn't take long to answer that question. In the bottom of the first and a Bananas player on first base, the hitter launched one well out of the park. Suddenly the inning was over as the two runs made the Bananas the winner of the first inning (you get a point for winning an inning) and took a 1-0 lead.The blast convinced me that these guys could play the game even if it was done with a flair. I saw an infielder catch a ground ball between his legs, through it behind his back (from shortstop) to the first sacker who also caught the out behind his own back. The Trick Play total went up by one even though I maintained it should have gone up by three.Have you ever seen a center fielder catch a fly ball as he completes a back flip? I did. Have you ever seen a first base umpire call a runner out while he's executing a front flip? Again, those things take place in Banana Ball.There is no question that one of the main themes of the evening is getting the crowd involved in the action. No fan caught a foul pop (the batter would have been ruled out) but many spectators had a chance to be involved in the many between innings contests. Some of those were fascinating and I will mention three of them.My favorite involved the four little girls who were all three years of age. They were given plastic lawn mowers near second base and were told to push them towards home plate. First one to arrive would be the winner. Two of the girls took off for home plate, but a third (apparently not as familiar with the game headed for third base. It was the fourth that drew my attention as she very slowly mowed toward the pitcher's mound. She didn't get half way to the mound, but her intent was to do a good job mowing!Another one involved four husbands racing in from center field to grab their wives near second base. They then had to put them on their backs and carry them to home plate. One couple won, but I hope the others had insurance! Another contest that I read about from the game the night before also involved married couples.The four partners had to race from the plate to first base while kissing. A couple that had been married for 68 years stole the show. They just stood at home plate smooching the whole time. I would assume that they had given up running a long time ago, but still were very much in love.OK one more. A game where four young men were given a bat where they placed their heads and spun in a circle commenced. When the ever playing music stopped they had to go hug a cheerleader. Since there was one less cheerleader than contestants it became a game of musical chairs.In last week's column I mentioned that the Bananas had a group of cheerleaders. I suppose at this point I should mention that they are called the Mananas. That is because they are all men. Their outfits consist of shorts and tennis shoes. They did not wear T-shirts and most of them could have been confused with sumo wrestlers. The person that suggested that I try out for the squad isn't nearly as funny as he thinks he is!The hugs consisted of the young men jumping into the arms of a cheerleader and it was hilarious.As the game wore on the Party Animals managed to win some innings. In fact they tied the score heading into the ninth as the time limit was about to expire. The field announcer said that this would be the final inning and when no team scored it appeared the game would end it a tie.But no – the Savannah Bananas baseball experience has a way of deciding a winner. It was not your typical extra innings as is played in most baseball stadiums including your local little league parks. They called it showdowns.Unfortunately I don't have time nor space to regale you with how it went so you will have to tune in next week to see how the game finally ended. It will be worth the wait.