Savannah Bananas bring stilts, shimmies and sing-alongs to rock Sahlen Field (2024)

Princess Potassia got the final touches on her yellow ball gown outside Sahlen Field, then quickly made her way to the entrance gates with a microphone in hand.

She broke into a rendition of “Pure Imagination,” the song actor Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka sang as he led his golden-ticket guests into the Chocolate Factory. But Friday afternoon, this golden royal tailored version welcomed a traveling phenomenon that’s taken baseball by storm and makes its first visit to Buffalo.

“Welcome to Bananaland, everybody!” she announced to the hordes of fans who eagerly sweated out the start of an afternoon that wasn’t just about baseball. Friday was the first of a three-game weekend series that showcases the goofy brand of baseball the Bananas have taken across the country as part of their 2024 Banana Ball World Tour.

Princess Potassia’s greeting was low-key, compared to what was about to unfold over the next few hours. Sahlen Field is normally home of the Triple-A Bisons, but has turned into a rock concert, three-ring circus and golden-hued diamond extravaganza with the Bananas’ visit this weekend.

For Alex Ziegler, Friday became yet another night to do it with dozens of his closest friends.

“The best part?” said the infielder nicknamed Ziggy. “Being with these guys. Everyone says that, but you’re around these guys and there’s so much love.”

Barnstorming and Buffalo wings

The Bananas are a barnstorming group and before arriving in town, Zack Phillips put out a clarion call of sorts on social media.

“Buffalo NY for the weekend! Any know a good spot for buffalo wings?” the Bananas pitcher wrote on his Threads account.

Well, that’s like asking Yogi Bear for advice on the best picnic sites. Phillips was inundated with dozens of responses − 85, at last count on Friday afternoon.

His first stop: Duff’s, where he found wings that were tangy, spicy and sweet − a lot different than the wings he’d grown up eating in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“I’m a big Buffalo wing fan, so if I order wings anywhere back home, it’s always Buffalo-style,” Phillips said. “When I got Buffalo wings here, it was different. It’s a different color, but it tasted so good! It was a good spice. Back home, the wings are just hot. I think I had 16 wings here.”

Everywhere Phillips goes, he puts out the same query: Where’s the best place to eat the local fare? He’s asked the question of Columbus, Ohio, and Nashville, Tennessee, and found barbecue in Indianapolis.

It’s part of the thrill of Phillips getting to see the world. He played in the Kansas City Royals’ farm system but didn’t realize the grind − if you can call it that − of baseball until he joined the Bananas.

“Being able to travel and just have fun, and knowing you’re going to have fun, it’s real baseball but it’s also entertainment,” he said. “Coming from the minor leagues, it was just strictly, go play baseball. So this is a dream come true.”

Dance the night away

As each of the Bananas reached first base, they didn’t see the traditional first base coach. Instead, Maceo Harrison was standing on his head while shaking his tail feather to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”

Harrison has one way to describe himself: “I’m just a vibe.”

About 3½ hours before the first pitch, Harrison walked through an elaborate routine with a player to James Brown’s 1985 hit “Living In America” outside the Bisons clubhouse, which was repurposed to accommodate the Bananas.

As Harrison set up in the dugout later in the afternoon, he described his influences as a dancer and what he incorporates into his style.

Harrison explained how his training in martial arts and capoeira, a Brazilian discipline that includes dance and acrobatics, wove into some of his routines. He broke into an impromptu moonwalk, in homage to superstar Michael Jackson.

And, he said, he’s never played baseball.

“I did everything but,” Harrison said. “I played basketball. I played football. I did cheerleading. Once I went into dance in the 10th grade in high school, I said, ‘Yeah, this is what I want to do.’”

Harrison’s vibe fit right into the Bananas’ entrance into Buffalo, one that was fit for a party − a dance party. A little girl led the crowd, already pumped up on the Bananas’ high-energy introductions, in a series of spins, turns, shimmies and shakes to get even more invigorated.

Then, a familiar song broke out: “Shout!” More appropriate for a Bills game down the road at Highmark Stadium, but enough of a bop to get the fans into even more of a frenzy.

Feast for the baseball senses

A nine-inning game itself is only a sliver of the fun of Banana Ball. It quickly turns into an overwhelming feast for the senses, and it’s easy to get lost in the sideshows of the experience.

Between the first and second innings, several players went into the stands to hand out yellow roses to eager fans. Savannah’s yellow banana mascot, Split, lounged in centerfield during the late innings.

When one of the Bananas leaped off a ladder above home plate and onto a folding table the announced crowd of 16,000 went into a deafening roar.

Blink and you might miss something lively on the field − like a lead-off runner on second base wearing a motorcycle helmet. That’s Flash Tha Kid, aka Malachi Mitchell, the son of former Olympic gold-medal sprinter Dennis Mitchell.

Shortstop Ryan Cox opened the second inning by executing a behind-the-back grab of a ground ball, and first baseman Eric Jones fielded the throw with an effortless behind-the-back catch. Then, center fielder D.R. Meadows did a backflip after catching a fly ball for the second out.

Blink again and the game goes to the seventh inning. But you can’t miss pitcher Dakota “Stilts” Albritton, who entered the game in relief standing nearly 11 feet tall.

Or the dancing. Between the second and third innings, Harrison led four players, including Ziegler, and they busted their best moves to “Living In America.” The twist at the end was actually a backflip by Harrison, who fell into a quartet of Bananas as they waved in adulation to him − and cooled him off on a sticky, 84-degree night.

“I tell these guys all the time, I’m here to help you guys look good doing it, even though you’re stepping outside of your comfort zone,” Harrison said. “You’re baseball players but everybody can dance. You just gotta find your rhythm.”

It’s easy to say the Bananas found their groove in Buffalo with a 4-1 win against the Firefighters, in a tidy 95 minutes.

Most people probably won’t remember the final score. But they will remember the roses handed out by players. The marching band that led the Bananas into the stadium.

And that leap into a folding table.