What kind of things can fans expect from the Savannah Bananas in Des Moines this weekend?
As Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole and his staff prepared for their trip to Des Moines this week, there was some important bit of research they needed to do.
The traveling team, known for its outlandish skits and unique rules, tries to tailor bits of each game to the town they’re in. So, to get a better understanding of Des Moines, Cole did some googling. One of his searches.
The Iowa State Fair.
“We always search unique competitions, unique challenges, unique things we can do,” Cole said in a telephone interview with the Des Moines Register this week. “So, just by doing research, you can find what some of the national headline-worthy things that happen.”
It’s a slight sneak peek into one of the most anticipated shows to come to Des Moines this summer. The Bananas are scheduled to play in front of sold-out crowds at Principal Park, the home of the Iowa Cubs, on Friday and Saturday. Both games are sold out, but you can try the secondary market (StubHub, SeatGeek, etc.) to obtain tickets.
The team will have its typical unusual antics which have made them world famous along with some other twists and turns.
More: Savannah Bananas baseball team sells out two games at Principal Park in Des Moines
They have their Banana Ball rules that include two-hour time limits, no stepping out of the batter's box, no bunting, no walking and no mound visits. Batters can steal first base and fans can catch foul balls for outs. Every inning is worth a point and there is a showdown tiebreaker. The Bananas are also well-known for their choreographed dances, wild walk-ups to the plate and epic scoring celebrations.
Cole guarantees fans that no matter what stop on the tour they go to a game, they’re assured to see something different. Even opening night in Des Moines will have some wrinkles that the second night won’t. And vice versa. The only constant, he said, is the majority of the team’s pre-game activities. Other than that, everything else is a wild ride of craziness that he assures will keep even frequent fans on the edge of their seats.
“We have some fans traveling,” Cole said. “It’s almost like Deadheads, back in the day and you went to different Grateful Dead shows because they were doing different set lists every single night.”
Keeping everything fresh is vital and difficult. But the Bananas have done it and become YouTube stars and must-see action wherever they’ve gone this summer. Cole credits their weekly OTT (over-the-top) meetings with their creative team. He said players have also come up with their own ideas, some of which they've discovered online, that they try to mix into the evening.
More: Excitement is building for the Savannah Bananas' Des Moines stop. Here's what to know
The ideas have led to a wide range of entertainment on the field this summer. The Bananas lit a ball on fire, turned off the stadium lights for a special hitting entrance and even had a player, who used to play hockey, go to the plate with a stick.
In the past, they've enlisted the help of celebrities with pitcher Jake Peavy pitching in a game with his Gold Glove. Cole said they haven't lined up any celebrities for their stop in Iowa yet. They will, however, tap into Iowa's world-famous fair as part of the festivities.
“I think we’re going to have some fun with some unique competitions,” Cole said. “We know the Iowa State Fair is known for some of their unique competitions. I think we’re going to play on that with some of the promotions and some of the things the guys will be doing, some of the fans will be doing.”
Coming up with the ideas is just the first part of the plan. Finding a way to work them into games is the next hurdle. The team traveling party, which consists of around 150 people including players from the Bananas and their opponent the Party Animals, the front office staff, the ticket and entertainment team and the broadcast crew, arrives in Des Moines Thursday. They'll spend two hours every game day doing rehearsal for the skits.
"There's some promotions that we're going to do that I think will be fitting to Iowa," Cole said. "But in regards to player stuff, we're still crafting that. We've got a lot of opportunities, a lot of things we haven't done that we've had on our wish list that will probably come out as we're nearing the end of the tour."
If things go well this weekend, Des Moines could be back on the Bananas' tour. Cole said the city is already on his radar for a possible return because of the size of the stadium and the strong interest from fans. But how the entire experience goes will play a big role in the decision.
So far, he likes what he sees, especially the outpouring of support the team has heard from fans gearing up for this weekend's games. The excitement was so strong that the Bananas, who originally scheduled only one night in town, added a second date.
"There's a lot going for Des Moines for the future and we hope that we can come back," Cole said. "That would be our goal."
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Savannah Bananas are coming to Des Moines this week. Here's what you might see
