bananas salute to the military, past and present!

It isn't as if the Savannah Bananas don't pay tribute to the military already.
They do so at every game, and, as I've noted before, I love receiving that respect and recognition at the games.
But tonight, all night, has been directed at honoring those who serve, and have served, to protect our country.
Amen to that!

After the "first banana" had been thrown,
a VIP soldier came to the mound
to toss out the first pitch...
and the Bananas rushed to greet him with handshakes and "thank you"s.
Very nice.

Soon, the Savannah Bananas
were back on the field,
this time to
line up
respectfully
along the first base line
as the color guard
marched onto the diamond.

The Lexington Blowfish stood along the third base line
and gave recognition to the military brass band.
What a treat to have the national anthem played by such a fabulous group!

Then, in the second inning break, I saw something I've never seen in any ball park, ever.
These seven people were sworn in as soldiers, right there in front of a sell-out crowd!
Amazing.

This wasn't a military event, but it sure got me on my feet, and the rest of the crowd, too!
Christian Hollie sailed one over the left wall, making his homerun the first score for the Bananas.
Hooray!

The Bananas became an unstoppable scoring machine then!
And this young man received a 4-year college scholarship from the military!
Good for him!
I know his mom was very proud!

By that time, I had moved up into the cheap seats, partly to be near Mister Willie, partly to take advantage of the breeze off those Big Ass fans.
What a hot summer it's been!
Still, I can think of no better place for my stay-cation in the heat than here at Grayson Stadium.
Hallelujah and pass the ice-cold sodas!