banana ball and a*list, too!

"Those two things do not go together. Did you mean 'banana ball and youTube', or perhaps something else?"

Nope! I meant what I said and I said what I meant!

"Then you got some 'splaining to do, dearie." 

LOL! This ain't "The Jeffersons"! Still, I guess I should comply and let you know what's going on in March. I'll be going to Grayson Stadium with the four little blondes!!!

"That's wonderful!!! However did you manage that?"

Well, Christina had contacted me last week that Oatland Island was fundraising with the Savannah Bananas for the March 7th game. Did I want to go? DID I WANT TO GO??? "Yes," I told her, "I want to FOO @ Bananas with y'all!!!" So she bought me a ticket!!!

"Most excellent! I really like that phrase: Foo @ bananas. Hahaha!"

Me, too! Sounds like it'll be an amazing outing with them! But it gets even better...

"... because Michael has bought tickets and he and his girls will be there, too?"

Nope! Because I had promised Michael my five member tickets this year and Henry just opened the ticket exchange 'window' online... and March 7 was one of the dates I could swap my member tickets for!!! Hallelujah!!!

"How fortuitous!!! Who else is he bringing with his two extra tickets?"

I have no idea, they're his tickets, his choice. I'm just thrilled we will all be going together! Plus, we don't have to worry about wandering around looking for seats. These will all be over in right field in a brand-new seating area. It's still General Admission over there, but only folks with tickets to sit there will be allowed to do so. Woohoo!!!

"A new area past right field? That will sure be a different perspective for watching the game."

Yeah, like I actually watched the game last year. Remember? I had to watch it on youTube afterward to even see who had won! LOL!

"True, true. You had too much else going on!"

You got that right. And this weekend promises to be quite busy with PULSE18 and other events. In fact, that starts tonight, so I needed to finish up my AMC trio this afternoon. I only have one new dance on this A*List, but it's a very funny one, full of costume changes and misadventures! Keke Palmer is having "One Of Them Days" and it's hilarious! I hope to see it again next week, in fact.

"That A*List looks to be backwards then."

Hey, I can only show it the way AMC gives it.

"So you watched "Sonic The Hedgehog 3" again on Friday, then saw "Wicked Part One" yet again yesterday?"

Correct you are! And the only reason I went to Sonic again was for the 1000 Bonus points. AMC neglected to give them to me, but Tom made sure he added them for me. I had kept the ticket stub so he would have the proof. Gotta get those Bonus rewards! If I had known about the promotion last Tuesday, I would have seen Sonic instead of "Moana 2". No worries, though. I liked both of them!

"Very good. Hey, it's about time for PULSE at the Jepson, isn't it?"

Sure 'nough! Later chica!

two full minutes of screen time!!!

 

 

It's even better than I thought!

When I viewed the game video again, I discovered that our little quintet did even better than I'd thought with getting famous.

How so?

Well, we inadvertently photobombed Jesse Cole when he was giving kudos to the second Savannah team, the Party Animals, who had their last night of a home stand with us watching from the cheap seats.

The Savannah Party Animals were created in 2020 as opponents for the Savannah Bananas for the newly-created BananaBall games.

Even though the first BananaBall games were played in 2019, it wasn't until the BananaBall World Tours began that the need for another team who knew the rules became vital.

Enter the Party Animals - which, as happenstance goes, was one of the five possible names for the collegiate level team which was started in 2016.

There are now two other Savannah teams that play BananaBall, one of which - the Visitors - played in this home stand against the guys in pink and black.

The other team is called the Firefighters, but I don't know much about them.

Both of these new teams formed last year, to allow more games of BananaBall to be played in more venues for more fans, with sold-out crowds being the norm.

Wow, right?

Anyway, as I was saying, our front-row aluminum bleacher seats set us up in exactly the right spot to not only watch as Jesse got pranked by two of the Party Animals, but for at least one of our five to be in every frame from 1:39:00 to 1:41:00 of the video.

Never have I ever had that happen before, not even when sitting with Mister Willie!

Wait, yes I did, but that was for my birthday in 2019... what a blast that was!!!

Still, that was not with Christina Ann and her girls.

That's what made this so very special!

And they were in the game video at multiple times, too!!!

 

The first was at 1:04:00, when our section was background for the hair-whipping contest.

The next was at 1:13:50 for six full seconds of our section on screen.

 

For the sing-along with "Hey, Baby" at 1:15:48, there we were!

Me, my first niece, and her friend, standing tall and singing along!

Nice, right?

Our first big bout of screen time came during the Bananas Foster promo, with us serving as unintentional background for the spokeswoman from 1:18:55 to 1:19:15, then again from 1:19:33 to 1:19:50 - wow!

That was a whopping 37 seconds!

 

Plus, later on, when Pink's "Raise Your Glass" was played - it's apparently the theme song for the Party Animals - Christina and Kayleigh were both not only onscreen, but seemingly highlighted for the five-second segment from 2:02:02 to 2:02:07 - woohoo!

My party of five is even in the highlight reel after the game.

Wow...

what a grand time we had!

Thanks, Party Animals, for documenting that for us!!!

Right place, right time!

(smile!)

10,330 people have seen me on youtube!!!

Not just me, either, but also my first niece, her younger daughter, and her friend!!!

 

"Say what? How did that happen?"

 

We're in the video of the Savannah Party Animals game!!! I had thought it would have been on @TheSavannahBananas, but it wasn't. Turns out the other Banana Ball-playing team for this town has their own youTube channel, too! It's @thepartyanimals.bananaball, for future reference to myself and everyone else.

"Good for you for searching them out!"

Thanks! I watched the video for over an hour this morning and could not believe how many times we showed up in it. And that was all before the 5th inning! But the segment when they were talking about Bananas Foster is when we showed up repeatedly. Repeatedly!!!

"Wow, those front row seats in the bleachers really worked out for y'all!"

Yes, they did!

i thank You, God!

not tv, just a dryer

I was in need of distraction.

Specifically, I needed something positive to get my mind into a brighter space.

Remember that I was talking about the upcoming game at Grayson Stadium, and how excited I was to be going with my brothers and their wives?

I'd even sent them the link for the Bananas at Fenway Park, so they could watch 'with' me and get ready for some Banana Ball.

Well, Smitty told me today that neither he nor Mary will be going to the game.

Their kids have a special Father's Day thing for them at 4 PM this Saturday.

For real???

And now Tony has called and told me they won't be going, either, as it will be too hot.

No, I'm not kidding.

So, I've let Christina know that she and her little blondes can have the tickets.

She wants me to come, too, but I don't think that is the best option.

It'll be easier to get rid of a pair of tickets rather than one solo.

I told Smitty and Tony that I was getting rid of that Bananas membership, but I guess I'll hold onto it for one more year, so I can let Michael and the twins see the team play.

What an aggravation... but, it is what it is.

At least I've finally gotten all the winter bedding washed and dried so I can put it away.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

bananas in boston, boy-o!

"That's Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox! Wow!!!"

Heard! Those Savannah boys have been playing their Banana Ball at major league stadiums on their 2024 World Tour.

"Look at all those people that turned up and turned out for all that!!"

Amazing, right? That stadium holds over 37,700 and it was sold out. SOLD OUT!!!

"Oh, man, Jesse Cole is making money hand over fist, isn't he?"

I'm sure he's doing quite well, but here's the thing: he's touring like a rock band. Know what I mean? Not only does he have to get all the Bananas there, but he also imports the Banana Pep Band, the field emcee from Daytona Beach, Mark "The Shark" Ediss for music, all the pitching and hitting and catching staff, the dancing umpire, the dancing first base coach, and who knows who all else.

"Plus, this time, the Savannah Party Animals were all transported to Massachusetts, too."

That's correct, as Boston didn't have a Challenger team.

"Just out of curiosity, why had you tuned in? You haven't done that for a while."

Well, they're all playing at one of the oldest "big leagues" park in the whole country. I was curious to see how much yellow the fans would be wearing. Let my tell you, there was a whole lotta sunshine in those stands!!!

"Wow."

Right? Plus, I wanted to refresh myself on the Banana Ball rules. Not that I don't miss those days of baseball with the team, but those have been gone since 2021. Ah, well, change is the way of the world, right? Back on track: I'll be going to see the boys at play at Grayson Stadium next Saturday. I exchanged four of my tickets for that Saturday, June 15, game, for which I already had one ticket. That gave me 5, for me, Tony, Laura, Noah, and the boy's girlfriend. A family day at the ball park! Yeah, only it didn't work out that way. Noah, 18 now, and his girl didn't come to Savannah for the summer, so I invited Smitty and Mary. Woohoo! It's been quite a while since me and my brothers were there together!

"Oh, that will be very nice! Definitely a little something different for y'all to enjoy!"

I'm really starting to get excited about it! Oh, by the way, the Savannah Bananas will be on hiatus, so our game will be with the Party Animals and whoever they can scare up to play against. Honestly, the renegade boys in pink and black are actually the better ball players. They really are. Several of them used to play for MLB teams, so their baseball skills are top-notch. In that photo, they're waving their pirate flag, having bested the Bananas 4 to 1 in front of that sold out crowd.

"Good for them! I do seem to recall you bragging on the boys in pink before."

Yeah, I think next Saturday will be a good time! I'll just have to remember ear plugs to keep the circus noise level in the stands from being a distraction from the baseball. Guess I'll bring extras for my brothers!

banana ball, 2024

"I thought you weren't going to do that anymore."

 

Honestly, I don't plan to. But I did tune in for the "2024 Banana Ball World Tour Draft Day", as they're calling it, to see what's in store for next summer. It was to begin at 7 PM, but there were already more than 13,000 tuned in to the youTube channel. And when it began, it was clear that Grayson Stadium was full, too.

 

"That's surprising. I didn't hear that anything was scheduled for there tonight." 

Nor did I. They had a big bandshell on the diamond, with folks in the stands and on the sidelines. And they made sure all the staff and players got to take their turns on the stage. They made a production out of announcing each and every game's location this coming year.

"Well, I'm sure they wanted to show off how big a staff they have."

Oh, for sure. The Banana Nanas got to introduce a site. My favorite catcher, Bill Leroy, had a turn, as did the pitching coach in the cowboy hat, Kyle Luigs. Even the Man-Nanas got to be part of the show!

 

"Any real surprises?"

 

You bet. I guess having ESPN involved has given them some credibility with MLB. The Savannah Bananas will have games on several major league baseball fields!!! That will give them more visibility to more folks, too.

"So, I guess there are more 'Challenger' teams for them to play against?"

 

I guess so. I do know the Party Animals will be their opponents for some 'away' games, but that team will also host its own games here in Savannah. Oh, and the stadium here will have 1000 more seats, though I don't know where. Oh, and there will be a new team here, the Savannah Firefighters. I guess they really are trying to get their version of baseball to as many fans as possible.

 

"Still for $25? Still all you can eat?"

 

Well, the price has gone up 40%. Tickets are going to be $35 each, but still AYCE. I wonder if they're going to guarantee a seat with each ticket? And how is parking going to work?

"And you're planning to go?"

Nope. I've told Tony and Laura that they can buy the 5-game package off me. I mostly watched this tonight to let them know how the deal is working. I've let them know that I can buy extra seats, too, but they'll have to tell me specific games when that window opens for me. I think that will be in February. I don't know, that's when the first games are, so maybe the window will be earlier? Who knows. I've warned them to get there early, too, for the games, like two hours early, at least. They still want to go. Good for them. I know that Noah really gets a kick out of it.

"I just have to wonder how long this craze will last."

Me, too. It was good to see a real baseball game this summer. I miss those here.

a dragonfly, o-hi-o, and cheesecake

Remember that I had a dragonfly light on the tip of my index finger yesterday?

That one had clear wings, with brown smudges on the edges, and a black body.

Well, this afternoon, as I was heading out for a cool matinee on this hot day, I was stopped short by another!

The type that usually visits me in the summer has a black body with black blocks on its transparent wings.

This one has a big white body, but the same wings.

I think it was waiting for me!

It lit there just as I turned back from locking the door...

and then, there it stayed...

clicking its wings, but otherwise motionless...

even posing long enough for me to zoom in!

I thanked it for the shot and explained that I really did need to go, and it left.

Nice!

 

After the movie, I popped by the Food Lion.

They have the cherries on sale this week, so I got another pound.

So juicy and sweet!

Tony texted back about the photo from Saturday with the kids, and he had an invite to a cookout for the 4th!

Anything I could bring, since I was at the store?

Oh, yes! A cheesecake for their anniversary!

Sure, I could pick up one of those!

I finally chose the New York style, plain, so he and Laura could top it with fruit of their choice.

So lovely and creamy!

Then, I sat down to tune in the Bananas game, sure that it would have fireworks at the end.

Whoa, it was already into the seventh inning???

But it was not yet 8 PM, which made it 7 PM there at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio.

Ah, but they had started the game at 6 PM... odd.

That's okay, I was able to watch the kid on stilts serve up the yellow balls to the batter.

The Bananas ended up getting the point for that inning, were they acted as the visiting team and the Party Animals were the "home" team.

Every time the camera panned the stands, I looked for the telltale signs of yellow shirts on the fans...

but I guess those folks were just out to see what a circus looked like when the costumes didn't include spangles or fright wigs or red noses.

(smile!)

The Party Animals took the point for the 8th inning, continuing to secure their lead by 2 points.

Then came the critical 9th inning. 

When every run counts as a point, the Bananas had a chance to at least tie it up... but did not succeed in doing so, as they failed to get a runner across home plate before the last out.

The Animals jubilantly raced onto the field, lighting sparklers along the way, and doing a victory dance!

Hooray for them!

They won both of those Ohio games!

Now, it was time for some real fireworks!!!

There goes the countdown...

and I heard the cannon boom...

but the sky was still so light at 8:33 PM that only the initial burst of the explosive catalyst was visible.

A puff of grayish smoke was the only result.

More booms of the fireworks cannon, over and over!

More puffs of smoke vying for space with the clouds.

Well, drats.

Even the big finale, shown here, had barely discernible color.

That was okay, though.

Plenty of folks in my 'hood were shooting off bottle rockets and such, with an occasional burst of color making it through the trees.

In fact, that's been going on since Thursday night.

I expect the big blasts to go on at dusk tomorrow!

(smile!)

 

Oh, and here was a bright spot at the grocery store!

One of the workers there was trying to get a motorized grocery cart back into the store, along with a short string of regular carts.

I had grabbed that train as I came up to him, then pushed them inside, having to slow down for some shoppers on their way out.

A dark-haired woman had stopped when she saw me, watching until I had the carts in.

Then she came up with a big smile.

"Do you remember me?", she asked.

I knew her face, actually mistaking her for one who was in the neighborhood fb group.

"Jamie?", I asked.

No, it was Mara King, one of my former students!!!

Wow!

I told her that August will make six years that I've been retired.

She told me she still had her notes from my chemistry class, that she had so enjoyed learning chemistry from me, and that she has a daughter who is now taking chemistry and concerned about doing well with it.

She had told her, "Don't worry, I've got you on this, I still have my notes."

Isn't that amazing???

I just beamed!!!

How blessed to have that encounter!!!

Right place, right time... and I was doing a good deed, shining my light.

i thank You, God.

(smile!)

finishing the season with Scott!

How marvelous!!!

I was able to have my final Savannah Bananas game as I'd had my first of this year: in the company of my favorite Eagle Scout!

Like the Marines, right?

Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout.

(smile!)

He had texted earlier, to say a friend of his had four tickets, but wasn't able to go... did I want to?

I told him I already had one, as this was the last of my five allotted games.

Well, did I know anyone who would like to go?

Hey, it was already after 3 PM...

that meant it was pretty short notice for folks to try to get out there and be in line in time to snag seats for the sold-out show.

I told him I was going to be there early anyway, as I had been invited for the 4 PM meet and greet with the top Banana team owner and his new book and I had paid the extra for that.

I could save a seat for Scott, and for whoever else came along with him.

Marvelous game plan!

So, that's the way it went down.

Here I am, posing with Jesse after he signed the book.

Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to flip the book around so the cover was showing.

My thanks to the other patron who volunteered to take my photo!

Jesse then took a group of us on a personal tour, sharing highlights of the team's history, as well as some missteps along the way.

That very much reminded me of Jim Reed's tour of Savannah through the lens of his own history, warts and all.

He also pointed out the historic timeline for Grayson Stadium, which has been updated to include the Bananas, as well as the posters for the famous men of baseball who have played here.

 

The tour eventually wound its way onto the field itself.

That was a highlight for me!

I made sure to tag first base while I was out there.

I would have liked to walk the bases, as I did back in 2012 when I visited the Field of Dreams...

but folks with me for this tour were watching Maceo dance and I didn't want to distract them.

I did take a moment to make sure Jesse knew of Willie's death.

He did, saying he held a tribute for him last weekend and would soon hang the Panhandle Slim painting in the grandstand.

(smile!)

Speaking of dear Mister Willie, I tried to get his seat, and the ones near it, for the game tonight.

Unfortunately, even though I was there and already in the stadium before the gates opened, some others who were with the meet and greet got there and were fully ensconced.

They were from Kentucky, same as the Challenger team, the Florence Y'alls, donned all in pale blue.

That is, the team was in that color, not the tourists.

(smile!)

I snapped this of the Bananas showing them how to dance and let their freak flag fly.

(smile!)

 

Being here this early, I discovered what goes on before the gates allow admission at 5:30 PM: rehearsals of the show, just like for any other theatre troupe.

The Banana Nanas came out and practiced their moves -

the Banana Splits went through their routine about six times -

even the band went onto the field and warmed up.

But not the ballplayers, not on either team.

No tossing of the ball back and forth, no practice pitching, nothing related to baseball.

That part would follow after those early game-watchers were in the stands and on the bleachers and in the picnic area.

Honestly, I have a real appreciation of this as theatre, perhaps cast from the same mold and patterned after the days of vaudeville.

P.T. Barnum would have been proud to have a man on stilts serving up a last pitch and final out!

I'm just glad that the Florence team did manage to post a point on the board - I was cheering for them the last few innings, too!

As I told Scott and Brian and Brian Junior, you don't invite someone to your house and then not let them have a good time, right?

Absolutely!

The Bananas finally won a game, scoring five points, so I guess Scott's pistachios did the trick!

I'm so glad he was there tonight!

And guess what?

No rule-breaking shenanigans for this game.

It was even over before the end of its two-hour time limit, letting me get home before dark.

Wow!

(smile!)

banana ball with the ex and a poodle

x1821
Hi there! Millie and I are going to watch the game with you.

1821
Major coolness! Was just leaving for the stadium!
[I had spent almost three hours doing vine pulling, tree cutting, and limb stacking in the front yard.

I was glad to have hotdogs waiting at Grayson...

and hoping for a parking space and a seat.]

 

1901
Start the clock!

x1902
The clock? Do the games finish at a prescribed time?
 

1902
2 hours
 

1903
Animals just scored, second man up.
 

x1903

I must be on a delay. Stand up triple just happened.
 

x1904
Ah, now I see the countdown clock.
 

1904
Took me twenty minutes to walk from where I parked.
 

1905
Just got second run!

 

x1907
Big homer.

x1909
Are the party animals like the bananas? I had surmised to Amy that the bananas were like the Harlem Globetrotters - in other words, they never played another team *like* the Harlem Globetrotters.
Not so here?

x1909
I asked because of that slip and slide stunt that the party animals just did.

 

1911
Both teams are based here, created here. Only the bananas play challenger teams out of town.

1912
Home run [for the Bananas]!

x1912
So is Grayson their home too?
 

1913
Not all towns have challenger teams. Yes, both are based at Grayson.
1913
Animals travel with bananas to towns without challenger teams.
 

x1914
I feel like the old man at the end of Moonstruck.
"I'm so confused."

 

1917
LOL!

1920
So, end of first. Animals had 4 runs, bananas just one, so the animals get the point for the inning. Most points wins.

1921
Only in 9th inning do things change. Then, every run counts as a point.
 

1925
Did you see that back flip catch of the pop fly? Amazing!
 

1930
That bananas batter has his own walk-up band! And hit a home run!
So, animals had no runs, bananas scored a run, so bananas get the point for the 2nd inning. Game now tied.

 

x1935
I had Amy on the phone for a while but I did see that backflip catch!
 

1935
Man who stole first just came in. Animals have a run.
 

x1937
Am I hearing music during gameplay?

1938
Oh, yeah. Hardly ever stops.
 

x1939
Hmmm.

1939
Dogs on the diamond, kicking [licking] peanut butter. Lol

[Bark In The Park night - I love those!]
 

1940
Have you not seen the umpire dancing? Music never ceases.
 

x1940
I guess I haven't. Poodle doesn't care for the peanut butter.

1947
No on field promotion, just shenanigans in the stands.
[my words, not the banana marketing machine's]

1950
Home run. Did you hear the train?

x1951
I guess I didn't. I had the sound on mute during the phone call.

1954
You know how walk up music would stop before the pitch? Now, just
keeps on going, then another song starts, with the batter still up.

x1955
Yeah, this really isn't about baseball is it?

x1957
What is this about every fielder has to touch the ball before the
runner goes to second?

 

 

1957
Not hardly. All about keeping people entertained. Very like a circus.
1959
No walks. When batter gets 4 balls, its a sprint and he gets to keep running
with no one allowed to try to get him out until all have touched the ball.

x1959
Oh.

2001
That goes for any man on base, so if bananas get a sprint, man on third can run in. 

2005
Animals got that inning point, too. So, score is 3 animals, one bananas.

x2007
This is just chaos, to me. So many new things to learn. So many things to UNLEARN, if these players ever won a shot at professional baseball.

2009
Just now, while an animal was at bat, the stands was singing happy birthday to an unnamed random fan.

x2010
I haven't noticed time for a pitcher to warm up at inning change. I haven't noticed inning changes!

x2010
Heard the happy birthday.

2012
Yeah, there's no warmups.

x2012
I get it now. During inning changes, they distract you by going to the broadcast booth. Smart.

[Note: that only happens for those watching online.]

2012
Bottom of the fifth.

 

 

2018
Salute to the troops at top of the sixth.

x2020
Guy in the broadcast booth just said 202 straight sellouts.

2027
Correct. All the games are sold out this year, too, even the away games.
[I had already left and was walking to my car.]

x2028
It may not be baseball per se but it's a successful business model.

2029
Jesse is a marketing major, as is his wife.
He is the team owner.

x2030
Is he the guy in the yellow suit and bowler? They were talking with him during the military salute.

2031
Yes.

2045
Home now! Just turned on the game.

x2045
Oh, you left before it was done?
[Not something I ever did during real baseball games.]

2046
Only missed the one inning? That's a surprise.
Yes, wanted to beat the rush. Others already were leaving, too.
Probably only tourists staying for the whole thing.

x2047
I get it.

2048
Nice that Bill Lee was on the mound!

x2049
I don't know him but I know they made a big deal out of him.
 

2051
He's a big deal from years back. They have had him pitch several games now.

2101
You notice they arbitrarily change rules. Like this game, each run in the 8th inning counts as a point. That rule is only supposed to apply to the ninth.

x2102
I can't keep up.
 

2102
Fifteen seconds left, but that means naught.
 

2103
What bothers me are the rule changes. Unnecessary changes.
2105
This particular change will make the game longer. More beer and liquor sales.

2110
And it's done!

x2111
Yeah, I think I'm going to bed.

2111
Back to our regularly scheduled lives!
2112
Good night, dear. Nice to have you 'with' me tonight!
 

x2112
Yeah, it was fun.
 

2113
I have one more game and I am done. Though I do know some folks locally who plan to have a game watching party. :-)

***

My thanks to Jeff for that textversation keeping me company tonight!

 

My thanks to that former Marine and his wife and daughter for making room for me to sit!

 

And congratulations to Jack Skole of the Party Animals for the first CYCLE of the season.

SINGLE - 1st inning

DOUBLE - 7th inning

TRIPLE - 6th inning

HOME RUN - 3rd inning

got hotdog?

Of course I did!

Nothing better at the ballpark!

Especially with catsup on it...

right?

That'll be my inside joke for Ronnie.

(smile!)

 

By the time I got loaded up with food (hotdogs, a burger, a couple of bags of potato chips, and condiments) and drink (Sprite), and up to an open seat, it was 5:45 PM.

I'd been at Daffin Park for right at an hour.

Admittance to Grayson Stadium had been nine minutes earlier, with the Bananas Pep Band playing "Welcome To The Jungle".

Everyone in line ahead of me had rushed in to snag seats.

I was the only one who'd wandered onto the apron to enjoy the rock and roll music.

(smile!)

As for the seat itself, it wasn't one I'd usually go for, but it turned out to be perfect.

I got to enjoy watching the dude from Daytona - i.e., Matt, the "Young Professor" - chatting up a visitor.

That was while I ate part of my first hotdog.

(smile!)

Another few minutes later, I observed Bill LeRoy atop the Bananas' dugout as he started working the crowd.

I guess he was standing in for Jesse tonight, as the Man in the Yellow Tux was absent for this home game.

That was fine by me -

Bill's butt is much better than his!

(smile!)

By that time, it was already past 6 PM.

Stuff and nonsense that had naught to do with baseball and everything to do with the circus ensued for the next thirty minutes.

The first-time visitors to either side of me chose that time to buy souvenirs for family back home.

They even fetched more food and drink.

None of them - nor even those in front of me or behind - were from Georgia, let alone this area.

Anyway, it finally got late enough for something else.

That's when the Party Animals stormed over the left field wall, pirate banner waving proudly!

Hooray!!!

(smile!)

So, enough clues!

Have you figured out where I was seated?

Not the exact place, just in general?

Well, that was definitely the first base gate, as well as first base, in the above photo.

That puts me along the wall at stage right, across from the aluminum bleachers. 

I was lucky, only four rows up.

The dog above belongs to this hunky, kilt-clad, Man Nana, who had come to stand before us to try to get the attention of the one in the center of the stadium running the "who's been married longest" gambit.

This fine fellow had found one across the lane who were wed for 56 years!

Sadly, they were beat by another pair by only 2 years.

Still, it must have been rewarding to have this man championing their cause...

it certainly was rewarding for me!

(smile!)

 

Oh, what about the game?

Well, the Party Animals easily took the first inning, getting in two runs after filling the bases.

So much for that "Mr. Electric" pitcher the Bananas had made such a fuss over!

The Bananas took the point for the second inning.

The third saw neither team score.

By that time, the temperature was sliding quickly toward 60 and I left.

It was not quite 7:45 PM.

Perhaps if the Big Ass fans were not running that might have changed my departure time, but I doubt it.

Even with my flannel wrap, my hands were chilly.

 

When I reached home, I tuned in to the game on youTube.

It was bottom of the fifth and the Party Animals had taken the 4th.

The 5th became another scoreless inning for both sides.

I took care of downloading my photos, then checked back just before 9 PM.

Yep, the game was still going, having advanced to the 9th inning.

By the time the bottom arrived and the Bananas had their last at-bats, the Party Animals were ahead, 6 points to 3 points.

The Bananas did score one last time, but that was not enough to make up the deficit.

Ah, well.

The time was 9:08 PM when I turned off the game.

Soon, the episode of "The X-Files" with Burt Reynolds will come on to amuse me.

Life is good!

(smile!)

new rules as they go along?

Yep, that's exactly what they did last night. 

"You want to catch me up, buttercup?"

Those Savannah Bananas.

"I thought you were too ill to go to the game."

Oh, I am. Thank God for Laura bringing me electrolyte beverages to help replenish all that I've lost since late last night, when the diarrhea started again. I'm not even going to wash those containers the leftovers were in, they're going right into the trash.

"Damn, g'friend. Good of your sis-in-law for stepping up to your rescue."

For sure. I'd sent her a text to give her my Bananas ticket and, when she responded, I'd told her about me being so ill all night and all day. None of them could use the ticket, but she and Tony went to the store to fetch fluids for me. I kept my distance, but did give her the Easter bag with her "early" birthday gift: a package of lily of the valley bulbs! She's a May baby, like me, and those are our flowers.

"That's very nice! You know, you really should do better about dropping by on them."

I know. I guess I'm waiting for Damon and his family to move to their own place, but I'm not sure when, or if, that's ever going to happen.

"Yeah, yeah. Now, what's that about the Bananas? I guess you were watching the game on their youTube channel?"

I was indeed. And the first thing I noticed? The people watching online were "buying" memberships and "donating" money to the team.

"Say what???"

Yeah. It's like there's this Cult of Banana and, like with all religious sects, they're only too glad to accept funds from online worshipers. People even "donate" so someone else can have a "membership" to the group. I tried to find out just what folks received in return for their money, but never located anything that spelled that out. At least the Bananas' spokesperson was good about thanking each person for their "donation"... although, again, nothing was said about any benefits attained through such transfer of funds.

"Yeah, sounds like an evangelical cult to me. But what's this about a new rule they made up tonight for the Banana Ball World Tour?"

Okay, here's the setup. The Party Animals have been taking charge, as they have more often than not. So, it's the bottom of the 8th and the Bananas have a man on base that's stolen his way to third. My Number 1 man - yes, that is his number - is taking what will be his last turn at bat.

"Are you sure that's Bill LeRoy?"

Of course I am! See that marvelous catcher's butt? All those squats really pay off! (smile!)

"Yes, dear."

So, there he is, with the play clock counting down. All the Bananas need is one run to take that inning's point, as the Party Animals didn't get a man across the plate that inning. And, wonder of wonders, Bill gets a hit... the Banana runs in... and they end the inning with that walk-off run (even though they still had one out to go)... gaining the point... and tying the game... with three seconds left on the play clock.

"Well, that sounded pretty exciting!"

It was! And since three seconds of play was all that was left, and the game was tied, I expected them to go into the showdown rounds. But, nope! The play-by-play guy said that as the eight inning had been completed with time left on the play clock, then the 9th inning could be played to complete the game. Say what???

"That sounds like one of those bullsh*t rules your brothers would make up so they could win playing pool against you."

Exactly. I thought the same thing. So, I turned the game off. I'm done.

"What does that mean, that 'I'm done'? You not renewing your 5-game membership?"

I mean I'm done for the night with that nonsense. I'm going to rethink my membership strategy, offer to buy game tickets for friends and families on my plan when I get the chance next year, making sure folks know they have to pay me upfront. I think that will be more satisfying to me, and them, than watching the madness online.

"Now, that's a good idea!"

Thanks. Now, it's time for "The Vicar of Dibley", so... bye!

great scott, it's men in kilts!

But, of course there were!

This was the only home game that preceded Saint Patrick's Day here in this seaport, so naturally the boys were clad in that attire!

Scott, on the other hand, was sporting his team colors, as much as the weather would allow.

Bananas on his shirt, bananas on his cap, and lucky pistachios in his pockets!

How did he happen to be there?

He exchanged one of his games for this one so we could both have our first game of the season together!!!

How very sweet of him!!!

Had we known there would be kilts at this game?

Nope!

I was thrilled!!!

He was rather nonplussed about the situation.

But what was that in the distance?

In this parade that preceded the gate opening at 5:30 PM?

Oh, my goodness!

It's the 10-foot tall ballplayer!

He's a Banana in a kilt on stilts!!!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

(He didn't end up at bat tonight, but was cool to see!)

Later, as game time finally drew nigh -

yes, we were there more than 90 minutes early -

you know, for "the show" -

and seats that were decent -

the Savannah Bananas charged onto the field, with a hearty neigh from the leader's horse!

Well, I may have imagined that sound, taken as I was with the view from our primo seats!

Not only were they square behind home plate, they were also in front of the Shark Tank, and beside the cameraman, so we were fairly isolated.

Great seats, Scott!

I think his recent two-week bout of COVID influenced his choice, but that's fine by me!

Remember, I caught COVID at my first game last year - no desire to repeat that, ever.

Where we sat, our closest neighbors were easily four feet in front of us or to the side.

Plus, the crazy circus act didn't make it up to our area - hallelujah!

We were free to enjoy the baseball, such as it was, and this fine time of the evening that I love so, as the sky darkens above the green pines - ahhh!!!

So, how went the game?

Well, at one point, a trick "rodeo" pitcher was rolled out to the mound inside a barrel, and was rolled back to the dugout afterward.

That was different.

The Bananas did a Rockettes-style cancan after they finally got the point for another inning.

That was pretty cool in the kilts!

And the emcee known as The Professor in Daytona, the one I had so liked at my 45-inning vacation?

He's apparently part of the Banana Ball World Tour, so he was there tonight, too.

How did the game turn out?

Well, the Bananas and the Party Animals made a ridiculous number of errors tonight.

Even so, the Bananas fared the worse for them.

Their opponents took the lead early and never relinquished it.

The final score was 5 points for the Party Animals to only 2 for the home team.

And just what is that last photo?

That's my boy, Bill LeRoy, having his last at-bat of the game in the 9th inning.

(smile!)

He wasn't able to make any headway for the team, but I sure enjoyed watching him try.

(smile!)

I'm so glad Scott made a point of being here tonight!!!