Meet the Savannah Bananas — a minor league team playing ball for the enjoyment of thousands of fans.
The Savannah, Georgia-based team plays ball during the regular baseball season, but this ball game is different.
Think basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters with a dash of old-style carnival mixed in — and a bit of Abbott and Costello, too.
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The Savannah Bananas play “banana ball,” or baseball with a twist.
They play a two-hour (maximum) game with no walks — and each inning is worth one point.
The game, created by team owner Jesse Cole, has unique rules. The over-arching goal is to bring a fun experience to the fans in the stands.
Fox News Digital spoke with Cole about the Bananas and how this sports culture came to be.
“We had a dream that we could make baseball fun, if we could just get people to come see it,” he said.
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Cole and his wife, Emily, bought the Savannah minor league team in 2016. They also obtained approval to play at the iconic Grayson Stadium, he said.
Grayson Stadium has seen many legends over the years — Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson among them. It’s served as the home base for the Bananas since their first game, said Cole.
Shortly after purchasing the team, the Coles named it the Savannah Bananas, which instantly grabbed the attention of the community, he said.
There are comical and fun aspects to a Bananas game — including a ball coach that break-dances throughout the innings and a “baby of the game.”
The Banana Baby of the game is chosen from among the crowd and held up for the entire audience to see, Cole said.
“That started getting attention because we came up with the Bananas Nanas, the senior citizen dance team, and the male cheerleading team, and the break-dancing coach, the Banana Baby and the Banana Band,” he said.
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