Miss baseball? Savannah Bananas are ‘playing’ online now but hope to start 2020 season on time
While sporting events across the globe continue to be canceled as the coronavirus spreads, sports fans are wondering when they’ll be able to cheer their teams again.
The Savannah Bananas summer league baseball team in Georgia doesn’t want to keep them waiting.
The team - which consistently sells out games and stays on the national radar for its quirky entertainment such as its dancing first-base coach and dressing its players in kilts - is hoping it can continue on as usual come game time later this year.
“We’re fortunate in the sense for Bananas fans that our season doesn’t start until the end of May,” team co-owner Jesse Cole said in a Facebook Live last week while wearing his trademark bright banana yellow tuxedo and top hat. “We know things can change, but we’re set to go as of today.”
The Bananas team plans to be transparent and share updates if/when circumstances or plans change relating to the upcoming 2020 season, co-owner Emily Cole said.
“People crave human interaction, and we hope to be able to provide that later – but there are bigger things going on right now,” she said. “We want to be in a place of respect and take care of our people and everyone in our community. We want to continue to focus on our fans.”
The couple said almost 1,000 players typically apply to play with the Bananas each season, but that number could increase this year with high school and college sports being canceled due to the coronavirus.
Jesse Cole said in the last two weeks, hundreds of coaches have reached out to Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum because “players are just wanting to play and their coaches (also) want them to.”
“There’s an influx of talent that’s never been out there before and players that are just hungry to be a part of the Bananas and our experience,” he said.
In the meantime, as S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has discouraging gatherings of three or more and the City of Savannah is under a shelter-at-home order, the Bananas are trying to keep the fans across the Lowcountry entertained and happy.
“Our motto is ‘fans first, entertainment always,’” Devon Ashton, group ticket experience coordinator, said Tuesday. “Our biggest goal is to keep everyone entertained using what resources we have.”
And they’re doing just that with the Savannah Bananas’ Facebook page.
On Friday, the Bananas used Facebook Live to stream “the opening game of the 2020 season” against their rival team Macon Bacon.
In actuality, it was a one-player video game.
Nonetheless, the livestream featured an announcer in what appears to be his living room with a few fans in the background sitting an appropriate length away for “social distancing” purposes. They all stood for the Star Spangled Banner ahead of the game as usual, then the Bananas faced off against their rival team, the Macon Bacon.
The virtual team had Bananas jerseys on and were stacked with players from previous seasons. The announcer provided live commentary with stats throughout the entire game. There was also updates and “promotions” between innings.
The Bananas shutout the Macon Bacon team 16-0.
Ashton said fans should expect similar new programming to continue until the real home opener in — hopefully —May 28.
“We’re planning on moving forward with the season while taking public health into consideration, but we’re really excited to open those gates at Grayson Stadium,” she said. “We want to be a beacon of hope at the end of all this... something people can look forward to.”
