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RiseFromUrGrave t1_jciiudr wrote

Reply to comment by mthwdcn in Victory! Minor League Baseball Players Are Finally Unionized. by theworkeragency

Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron all played at Grayson Stadium. Wonder what they would think of Banana Ball?

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hubagruben t1_jcis3u0 wrote

Have you heard of barnstorming? Many of the players you listed participated in it, and many elements are similar to Banana Ball. It’s not traditional baseball and it’s not supposed to be. It’s an entertaining variation.

“Batters hit one-handed or on their knees. Satchel took his warm-up throws sitting down, with his catcher stationed behind the plate in a rocking chair. Best of all was a riff called shadow ball. The hitter swung so hard, fielders reacted so convincingly, and the runner tore down the line so fast that fans could hardly tell that it was pantomime. It was baseball so brilliant it could be played without the ball.”

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RiseFromUrGrave t1_jcitolm wrote

Didn’t mention Satchel Paige. I didn’t see in that article any of the players I mentioned. But you might be referring to that time Mickey Mantle wore oversized pants and caught bananas thrown at him from the grandstands.

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hubagruben t1_jck5aaa wrote

Jackie Robinson Barnstorming

Babe Ruth Barnstorming

Hank Aaron (and Willie Mays) Barnstorming

Ironically, the only one I couldn't find a sufficient example of is Mantle, who you've given an example of silly antics for me. I guess my overall point is to keep in mind that different variations of baseball have always been played, and the Savannah Bananas are simply adding to the history. You may not like the TikTok dances, and that's completely fair (I hate TikTok culture), but it's more than that. I stream a lot of their games and am very entertained watching that version of baseball. I also watch "traditional" baseball every day and enjoy that, but that doesn't mean I can't get down to what the Bananas are doing.

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RiseFromUrGrave t1_jck6tf3 wrote

Look, I get the antics. It brings out people who would normally not enjoy a normal baseball game. The team used to strike that balance. They were in a league. While there are TONS of people who come out for the dancing and bat tricks. There were a loyal contingent of Savannahians who actually appreciated the fact that you could watch a normal baseball game in our hometown. I can’t tell you how many hours long rain delays my family and I sat through so we could watch the Bananas finish a game at 1:00AM. But with the withdrawal from the CPL and move to only play Banana Ball, the fans who were loyal to that team were kind of left out in the cold.

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hubagruben t1_jck8ujg wrote

I feel for ya. If something local that I enjoyed suddenly changed to a different version of it that I didn’t enjoy, I’d be pissed too. I guess what would’ve been better is if Banana Ball would’ve been strictly tour-based, not a replacement of a traditional baseball team. Hopefully another traditional team comes Savannah’s way soon.

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