not going lytely this time around

Not that I've been given a choice about which colonoscopy preparation solution I would like to toss down my gullet today.

Maybe things have changed since I last had this exploration for polyps and the solution will actually be tasty.

Somehow, I doubt it.

I think it's more a matter of different doctors having their own preferences.

Dr. Craig prescribed the SuPrep solution, so that's what the pharmacists in Charleston has sent for me.

This is to be taken twice, not once.

The first time will be at 5 PM, though I somehow doubt it will seem like a 'happy hour' cocktail.

One of the 8-ounce bottles will go into the mixing container, to be added to 8 ounces of water, then drunk.

Another two 16-ounce volumes of water are to be drunk within an hour.

Then, tomorrow, I get to repeat all that at 5 AM. 

Oh, joy.

I've already been peeing more than usual, as I haven't had anything solid to eat since dinner yesterday.

That was a delicious 'big salad' (as 'Elaine' of "Seinfeld" would order), with lots of tuna, using the Publix Makoto Honey Ginger package.

Truly was marvelous! 

Ten years ago, I drank the Go Lytely stuff and then rode the shuttle from the Savannah VA Center to the Ralph Johnson VA Hospital in Charleston, where I had the colonoscopy as well as the surgery for the carpal tunnel in my left hand.

Christina was up in Summerville, South Carolina, visiting her boyfriend, so she came to the hospital to pick me up and bring me home to Savannah.

Amazingly, she will be coming to my rescue again on Monday!

She'll be dropping off her girls for their annual camp at the Fresh Air Home at Tybee Beach, so she won't need to make a special trip to town.

i thank You, God.

And what shall I do to pass the time today in between trips to void my bladder and my intestinal tract?

Well, Comcast has given me a $1 movie rental, and I chose "Merrily We Roll Along", a musical from last year - hooray!

It's based on the eponymous Stephen Sondheim musical from 1981.

I've already watched it once and am quite pleased with Daniel Radcliffe's work.

No wonder he won a Tony for that role in 2023 when the musical was revived on Broadway - good for him!

I already had an item to help the time pass, though: a baseball game!

This will pit the Savannah Bananas against the Savannah Party Animals.

The venue is Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon... LOL!

Why does that make me giggle?

Well, it will be one of those right place, right time moments for me.

My first husband, Keith Schiller, called that town his home and I got to visit it, for the first and only time, when we returned to the States from Galeta Island in Panama.

Wouldn't it be funny if he was there watching the game, too?

Hahahaha!

back to back bananas for me and stella!

For my last vacation in Georgetown with Stella, I'd been surprised to find the Banana Ball game on TV.

This time, I made sure to check their schedule!

That was a good call.

That meant I was prepared yesterday for the night game...

and I was prepared tonight for the second in that series of three!

 

Of course, I made sure to dine with my brothers last evening.

I wanted to talk with them about our Aunt Linda, who is in the hospital.

I am so grateful Smitty and Tony came with me for her Birthday Tea last year, spending quality time with her!

Nice for me to spend this quality time with family and friends at the S&K Friday Fiesta, too.

I jetted off about 7 PM, though, to make sure I got back to Stella before night fell... and before I missed too much of the game!

I arrived in time for the bottom of the 3rd inning in this game that pitted the Savannah Bananas against the Indianapolis Clowns in their home city of Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Great American Ball Park.

How very cool those aerial shots were, with the downtown surrounding that diamond of green!

The Bananas took the point for the first inning, the Clowns got the one for the second inning, and neither got a point for that 3rd one.

However, the Clowns, playing on the field they'd last been on 37 years ago, got a fire lit up by the crowd, taking the points for the next three innings!

That meant that at the bottom of the 7th, they led, 4 to 1.

Then Joe Gray, Jr. smacked a walk-off home run, bringing it to 5 to 1!

The Bananas managed to get the point for the 8th inning, but couldn't score again in the 9th, leaving the final at Clowns 5, Bananas 2.

Great game!

Tonight, here's the scene, with the same teams, same field, bottom of the 3rd inning.

Kyle Luigs was the starting pitcher for the Bananas and he had kept the Clowns from getting any runs.

That streak fell apart in the third, with the Clowns getting that point!

The Clowns also took the point in the 5th inning to tie the score 2 to 2.

Not to be outdone, the Bananas took the points for innings 6 and 7!

So exciting, with the thunder rumbling outside!

Their lead may have been aided by Hall of Famers for the Cincinnati Reds doing cameos on their team.

Both Adam Dunn and Aaron Harang played in those two innings!

But it wasn't time to count out the Clowns!

They got three runs in the 8th inning to take the point, bringing their score up to 3 against the Bananas' 4.

That's when they brought in Peanuts the Elephant to pitch in the 9th.

Although the fans loved it - as did I! - that may not have been the best for the team in this close game.

See, the Bananas had already scored three runs that inning.

However, Peanuts kept them from scoring any more, so that was good.

Sadly, the Clowns didn't score any runs that inning, so the Bananas took that game, 7 to 3.

There'll be a third game tomorrow, but I'll miss that.

Can you imagine?

The folks in that Ohio town are getting three Banana Ball games in a row!!!

Wow!

That means over 120,000 fans will have seen the games over this home stand.

That's amazing!!!

i was 1 of 5 again!

"Was there another special meeting at the Savannah VA Center?"

You do realize this is Monday, right? And that I was one of five last week for Music Bingo here at the Midtown Sports Grill?

"Pardon me if I don't count how many folks you list."

It's alright, dearie, I know you have other things on your mind than math. As for me, I like to have fun with numbers. You know this is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America being a country, right?

"Well, of course I know that. It's also the 50th anniversary of your graduation from Jenkins High School, though I haven't heard of a party for that yet."

Nope, neither have I. But I did hear that this was the 150th anniversary of Anheuser-Busch! They're touring the Clydesdale horses around the USA at various historic sites and they were here in Savannah last Saturday. They were at at Grayson Stadium for its 100th anniversary!!! Well, kinda sorta. They were adjacent to the baseball stadium, but the Bananas had a game there, so it would have been too crowded for security of the horses.

"I would think so! And you forgot a personal anniversary for you. This makes 30 years since you got your PhD at FSU!"

You're right! Nice that it falls where it does with these other numbers!

"Yes, indeed. Now, what's this about '1 of 5' for Music Bingo?"

Well, there was me. Elissa came with Sandy. Plus Amanda brought Merritt along. That made five of us, so we were at a table again, instead of a booth. I like that much better, as I can stretch my legs. It also helps for dancing in my seat, which I did a lot tonight! Such great music Russ was playing all night!

"Very good!!! It's always more fun with good tunes!"

This was my card for the first game. Just look at that diagonal!!! What a story that bingo would tell!!! "Call Me" to be "Flirtin' With Disaster" over a Free Space, then there'll be "Dancing In The Dark" while I "Kiss You All Over" - mercy me, I'd have had to go home for a cool shower if those had all come up as a winner for me!

"Hahahaha!!! Yes, I know you would have!!! You can be such a sailor!!!"

Hey, I just can't help it... or just won't... take your pick! (smile!)

"So, did Sandy win again tonight?"

No, she did not. I was the only winner at our table and that was for the second game. It was "New School Rock Mix #1" and had a lot of tunes I was singing at the table. That prompted Merritt to suggest we have a karaoke night some time!!! I know Sandy would be down for that, too.

"Hey, doesn't his band have a gig at Tybee Post Theater this month?"

Yep, but I can't go. It's on June 28th, and, as I told him tonight, I have colonoscopy prep that day and night, so I'll be at home. Certainly can't be spewing body fluids all over town! LOL!

"For sure. So, what did you win?"

The second game's prize is always a free appetizer, so that's mine now! I didn't have food tonight, just a lemonade, made fresh by Chris. Really good, too! Nice and tart, but not sweet, and ice cold.

"That does sound good!"

It was, as was the music. My bingo was on the opposite diagonal to that above, starting with "Glycerine" in the lower right and ending with "Kryptonite" in the upper left. BINGO!!!

"Good one! You've even heard Three Doors Down perform that in concert!"

Right?! It was just perfect! And the couple sitting near us clapped for me! The guy told me I 'deserved to win because I was singing along to all the songs"!!! That really made me feel special!!!

"Well, it sounds like you're doing well at carrying a tune these days. That's very good! I know you've always enjoyed singing. I hope you and your friends will do some karaoke in the near future. That will be great fun!"

Yes, it will, most definitely. Now, I'm going to enjoy my House Salad along with this new "Game With Balls". In honor of the FIFA tournaments, they're using giant soccer balls to bop folks into the water for wrong answers. Tonight, the USA is taking on England for fun and dips in the channel! Later!

he's famous for it!

That's what Patrick Renna said to his grandson, who responded, "You're famous?"

Oh, the things kids say!

Their conversation was during a new 'Hershey's Chocolate' 'mercial in which Renna is teaching the boy how to make a s'more.

Apparently, the child has never seen "The Sandlot", or he'd be familiar with his grandpa, now 47 years old, as a 14-year-old, teaching the new guy on the team how to make the campfire delight.

It's really one of my favorite bits in the movie!!!

I also love Renna as the vampire with the need for fake teeth in that episode of "The X-Files" with Luke Wilson.

Titled "Bad Blood", it has a lot of humorous moments, with Renna as a pizza delivery guy who has watched too many Dracula movies!

I think it just may be time to enjoy "The Sandlot" again... such good baseball that reminds me of being a kid!

(smile!) 

bananas at night, bananas in the afternoon, kinda sorta

What's with the 'kinda sorta'?

There weren't any Savannah Bananas there at all!

This is from last night's game of the Party Animals versus the Coconuts. 

It was the bottom of the second inning, there in Milwaukee, so the Party Animals were at bat, as they were the 'home' team.

Why was that?

Well, one of the players was from that area.

That's all I know about that.

As for what's going on here, the man at bat had sent a ball flying, so the Party Animal on third base had lit out for home, trying to tie up the score.

Meanwhile, it was unclear whether the hit ball had been fair or foul...

but it was clear that the runner to home was out...

but the home umpire didn't want to make the call until the first base umpire had made his decision.

As it turned out, that was a double out for the 'home' team.

 

The game went on there at the American Family Field, lickety split, and soon enough it was time for a batter to give us a show...

and that's exactly what Andy Cosgrove did!

He entered the stadium singing like a rock star, doing "Mr. Brightside" every bit as well as The Killers ever did - oh, yeah!

Then, as he neared the batter's box, he stripped off his jersey... RAWR!!!

I just wish my photo was a bit clearer of him starting his run after his hit!!!

 

That game came close to not having a 9th inning.

See, it's the bottom of the 8th inning, and the Party Animals only have one out.

The time clock shows 4:52 remaining on the 2-hour game clock.

If the clock ran out before the 8th inning ended, then that would become the last inning of play.

The Coconuts had scored 4 runs that inning.

If the 8th inning became the last inning, those runs would all count as points.

That could well mean a loss for the Party Animals!

But the game did continue into the 9th inning, with about a minute left on the game clock.

That was a close call!

Not that it mattered, as the Coconuts gained the point for the 8th inning, and neither team scored a run in the 9th inning.

Final score: Coconuts 4, Party Animals 2.

 

Fast forward to the afternoon game today.

I had other plans, so I recorded it to view later, as I've now done.

This time, the Coconuts were actually playing Banana Ball.

Yesterday, these boys from the MLB were playing like they were still in the majors, meaning they were heavy on the baseball and short on trick plays.

I think Jesse Cole must have had a good talking to them about that.

If they're going to be in the Banana Ball League, the tricks are required.

See, there he is, sporting Party Animals' hot pink under his yellow tux!

 

The game had been a bit slower than yesterday's.

The only point had been in the first inning, by the Coconuts.

It wasn't until the bottom of the 7th that the Party Animals tied it up.

The Coconuts were still far behind the Party Animals in trick plays, though.

They lagged with only 6 to the 'home' team's 14 - wow!

That meant they would not get the equivalency Point in the 8th inning, nor did they get the Point for that inning.

Heading into the 9th, with 16 minutes still on the play clock, the score was Party Animals 2, Coconuts 1... and so it still was after the Loco Beach Coconuts had their last at-bat there in Milwaukee.

Woohoo, a win for the Savannah Party Animals...

but also a win for the Savannah Bananas and Jesse Cole.

Tanner Thomas, Kyle Perry, Bryson Bloomer, Garret Delano - all four played today for one team or the other, and all four had been with the Savannah Bananas when they were still a summer collegiate team at Grayson Stadium more than six years ago.

 

So, how about some stats for the six teams in this Banana Ball League?

Well, somebody is keeping up with those!

The Bananas are half a game out of first place, which is sewed up by that Texas team I have not yet seen play.

Everyone else is three games or more out of the running, but the season is still young.

I'll pay more attention after July to who looks good for the championship.

Go, Party Animals!!!

(smile!)

world ocean day on my beach!

Such a bright sunny forecast for this World Ocean Day!

I've had the curtains pulled back, letting all that sunshine in!!!

I even went outside at one point, but not to bask like a lizard.

Was it to go to the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography for their events?

Nope!

It was to address the man wielding the leaf blower next door.

They keep blowing the leaves into my yard.

As I told him and his boss, I cannot even see my driveway anymore for all the leaves and dirt that have been transferred over here.

I was polite, and they were polite, but they didn't stay long.

I guess if they couldn't play with their toys they would just go home.

Hahahaha!

I kept my cool, and kept it cool in my house with some "Deadpool"!

Hard to believe this rom-com, superhero, action flick is a decade old!

That's what I told my first niece when I sent her that picture.

"Remember seeing that on Valentine's Day and getting a rose at the cinema?" 

Yes, yes, she did!

Then she placed an order for the dvd of that movie to view at home, even though it would be months before it was available for that.

Then she and I watched it on the day she picked it up!

Good times, very good times!

I'll get to relive those for the next three days, as I have Ryan Reynolds - and the music of George Michael - for a 72-hour rental.

Very nice!!!

Now, though, I'm getting ready for a bit of baseball this evening!

Thanks to The CW, I'll be watching another new team in the Banana Ball league.

This time, it's the Savannah Party Animals - running rampant since 2020 - versus the Loco Beach Coconuts!

That team is new to the league, having been formed just last year, just like the Indianapolis Clowns were.

I'm thinking their origin town may be Cocoa Beach, Florida, but who knows?

According to their web presence on fb and instagram, "Loco Beach" isn't a real place, but "a state of mind".

I'm ready to watch them play ball.

This is a two-game series, just like the ones for my bday68 weekend.

I'd missed the Saturday night game, but caught most of the Sunday afternoon, which are the ones I usually prefer for baseball in the summer.

The Clowns won the first game and lost the second.

I wonder how the Coconuts will fare against the Party Animals?

That's a team that tends to beat the Bananas on a frequent basis.

I think my money will be on the pink and black for this two-game series!

They'll be in front of a crowd of almost 42,000 screaming fans, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the gorgeous American Family Field.

No worries of rain delays, as it boasts a retractable glass roof that can be put into position in ten minutes!!!

Isn't technology amazing???

Okay, gotta go!

Stay tuned for a watch party at my house on June 20th.

The Party Animals will be taking on the Texas Tailgaters at 7 PM and the game will be aired live on The CW into my living room on my Element!

Woohoo!!!

those bananas are such clowns!

"Well, as you know, going to a Banana Ball game is akin to having a bit of the circus with your baseball game. That's been true since long before Jesse Cole made his own rules and changed up from being in the collegiate league with his team."

I was actually trying to lead up to finding that the CW had graced me with a game for my birthday this year! While looking for my British mystery shows on PBS, I found out that the Savannah Bananas were playing a live game at 3:30 PM today! They're up against the Indianapolis Clowns, at Kauffman Stadium. That's in Kansas City, Missouri, and the place holds almost 38,000 people. Wow!!!

"Holy leapin' lizards!!! And there are six teams now? Does Jesse own all of them? Are they based in Savannah like the Bananas and the Party Animals?"

I honestly do not know. I think the Coconuts are out of Florida. The Tailgaters are in Texas. My guess is the Clowns are based in Indiana, but I don't know that as a fact. All I can say for sure about them is they are named for one of the Negro League teams. Here's the funny thing about that: those Clowns were up to shenanigans in the 40's and 50's, before Jesse Cole was even born! At one time, that original team was referred to as the "Harlem Globetrotters of baseball".

 "So Jesse just codified the shenanigans, he didn't invent the incorporation of the circus into the baseball games."

Correct, though I do wonder if he might have gotten the idea from reading books about the Clowns of the Negro League. That could have been the start of Banana Ball! These Clowns, though, are affiliated with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum there in Kansas City, Missouri. The museum even had its president at the game!

"Good for them! That has to be good for history buffs, as well as folks who need a bit of enlightenment."

I agree!

"I recognize that kid! That's 'Stilts' Albritton, right? I'm glad to see that he's still playing with the Bananas."

Yep, that's him! When Jesse started interviewing players for Banana Ball, he'd asked the guy what special talent he might bring to the game. Pitching and batting and running on stilts was Dakota's reply! And guess what the Clowns have? A player in an elephant suit!!! I saw him walking around, but didn't see him in action on the field. By the way, that photo was taken at the top of the 7th inning. The time was 5:28 PM.

"That meant it only had two minutes left of play, right? Isn't one of the rules about the game lasting no more than 2 hours?"

That's correct, but I misspoke earlier. The pregame nonsense is what began at 3:30. The game itself started at 4 PM. So they still had about thirty minutes to wrap things up. At the time that 'Stilts' had his turn at bat, the score had the Bananas in the lead, 3 to 1.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense! Did they win?"

I have no idea. Tony and Laura came by to take me out to dinner and I missed the last two innings. I guess I could look up the score, but I haven't yet. I'm actually hoping that the Clowns won, as they did last night. I don't know why, but it seems the Bananas, as a team, are not quite as good, with a few exceptions, as the spin-off teams are.

"But you still like watching them play?"

I like watching them on TV, that's for sure. Going to the games in person is an exercise in chaos, as there is so much going on in the stands that it's hard to follow the baseball action. For the televised games, the cameras are focused on the diamond, so every play can be seen. I love that. I don't even mind the chatter from the press box, as it can be helpful when an inning is moving a little too fast. I plan to tune in next weekend to the CW for more of these baseball games. The Bananas will be up against the Coconuts on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Maybe I'll even have a watch party here at my house!

"That would be great! It's been forever since you've had folks over for a party!!!"

Hey, I said 'maybe', okay? But I am wanting to do something like that. I'll have to whip this dining room table into shape first, but that won't take long. It's more of a clutter than anything else. Yes, watching the game with others sounds like a good idea. Now, let's see if I can turn it into a plan! But not right this minute. ABC has "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" as it's Sunday Disney movie and I haven't seen that in years!

"Cartoon, romance, film noir... that one has it all! Enjoy!" 

baseball is in my blood, as mr. willie would say

I missed the first two games of the World Series.

I'm not sure why I missed them, but I did.

Then, on Monday night, during Game 3, I accidentally tuned in... and stayed right there for seven innings. 

Here's the funny part: I was on FOX for "Two And A Half Men", as it was midnight30 and they are my signal to chill out for bed.

However, the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays had stalled out in a tie, so play continued.

There are no ties in baseball.

Even Banana Ball acknowledges that there are no ties in its version, with play rocking on in three tiebreaker innings designed to force a win.

Anyway, as I was saying, the show I'd come to see was not on... but I stayed.

My thought had been: it's already the 12th inning, it should be done soon.

Silly me.

I had not known that it had been tied since the 7th inning.

It would continue to be tied until the 18th inning.

Just think about that: thousands of fans still watching the game, there in Dodger Stadium, waiting for that tie-busting win to be played.

That's why I stayed for SEVEN INNINGS, waiting right along with them.

And, as I watched, getting familiar with the players' faces and names, I started feeling like a baseball fan again.

As I watched, my mind went back to a Savannah Sand Gnats game that went on for a mind-numbing TWENTY-ONE INNINGS, on a chilly April night.

Those of us die-hard fans that stayed until the last out was played did so not because we wanted to know who won - oh, no.

We stayed because the game wasn't over yet.

When a game goes into overtime on a baseball diamond, that's called "free baseball", meaning more innings you didn't have to pay to see... and that was like a party atmosphere!

I bet that 21-inning game was more than 25 years ago.

Who won?

I have no idea.

After a while, all of us at Grayson Stadium just wanted someone, anyone, to break that tie so we could, in good conscience, go home and get warm!

Funny, right?

My guess is the folks in Los Angeles wanted the same thing Monday night.

The temperature there had dropped into the mid-60's by that 12th inning and folks were wearing light jackets to try to keep warm in that game without end...

but the stands were still full of people who, like me, were waiting for that final out or that tie-breaking run.

The latter was what we all got, at the bottom of the 18th, when Freddie Freeman, a 35-year-old Dodger, hit a homer to end the game.

That put the Dodgers at 2 wins to the Blue Jays 1 win in the World Series.

The time was 3 AM.

I didn't bother to see if the Harper boys' show was coming on or not.

(smile!)

Somehow, I missed Game 4.

All I knew was that the Blue Jays won it, tying up the series.

Then, after I was done with all else I wanted to do, I tuned in for Game 5, the last one to be played in Los Angeles.

That meant I was there to watch a rookie 22-year-old pitcher - Trey Yesavage - strike out TWELVE Dodgers, a new record!

I was there to watch as the Blue Jays scored two runs in the 7th inning, then follow that up by making a double-play against the Dodgers!

I even enthusiastically wrote about it on fb!

I knew Jim Casey, a former pro baseball player, was watching the game, too.

Nice to feel like we were watching it together!

 

I even made sure to take a photo of the last pitch.

I knew for certain when it was coming in the bottom of the 9th.

The Dodgers never scored but the one run, so Toronto took that win!

What a marvelous game!

I do hope the Blue Jays win...

nothing against the Dodgers, but I do like Canada.

(smile!)

yes, i have no bananas

Yesterday, I received an email from Henry Symulevich, the guy in charge of memberships at the Savannah Bananas.

He was under the impression that I had not used my 5-game package this year.

Au contraire! 

 

---------------------------------------- 

Hi, Henry!
 
I have no idea why my five tickets would be showing up as unused.
I had swapped them for five tickets to the one game on Friday, March 7th, for my nephew and his twin girls to use with friends.
I was to have gone with them, but it was a cold night and I have a-fib and cannot be in cold air.
They had a wonderful time, though!
https://beachoffaustina.blogspot.com/2025/03/foo-at-bananas.html
 
Last year I had done the same for my niece and her family.
I was able to go to that summer game with them and we all had a wonderful time watching the Party Animals.
https://beachwalksoffaustina.blogspot.com/2024/06/busy-with-2-little-blondes-at-ballpark.html
 

That said, I am choosing to relinquish my 5-game ticket package at this time.
I have offered it to various family members and all are happy to go to games if I'm the one paying, but none want to foot the bill.
That's fine.
I've had a full 10 years as a fan of the Savannah Bananas and as an owner of season tickets or a multi-game membership, and have truly enjoyed it.
I am proud to have been part of the supporting cast all these years!
However, I am at a time in my life where attending the games is not as possible as it once was.
Thanks for checking in... Go, Bananas!

 

---------------------------------------

I've just checked my email and he's written back.

Good!

Glad to have that off my list of things to do!

 

------------------------------------------

"Hi Faustina,

We truly appreciate your fandom and are sad to see you go!

Thank you so much for your years of support and for continuing to support us moving forward!

Best,

Henry Symulevich"

asbury bananas?

Perhaps Banana Ball fever has swept into Reverend Billy Hester's brain.

The title of today's sermon was "Savannah Banana Theology".

Prior to his taking the stage to deliver his message, various members of the choir came up and, literally, played ball in the sanctuary.

Yes, they did!

We had Nick wielding a tennis racket to knock the pitched balls into the crowd, with the promise of a reward for all who caught one of the balls!

Tim was the man in the top hat and tails, three of the older women were in lieu of the Banana Nanas, and there was even a catcher in case Nick missed the pitch.

The choir loft resembled the bleachers over at Grayson Stadium, with a plethora of baseball jerseys and ballcaps on parade!

What a motley crew they were!

(smile!)

The sermon was all about getting folks as excited about coming to church as they were to be going to the circus of a Bananas game.

(Or to a Party Animals game, or a Firefighters game, or a Tailgaters game - they all play by the rules Jesse Cole first introduced to the world about 7 years ago.)

Reverend Billy and Cheri have spent a lot of time in New York City this summer, as they have for the past two years, now that they have their first grandson.

My guess is Billy's been getting an earful about Banana Ball selling out Yankee Stadium on the 12th.

The capacity there is 46,537... and it had been sold out for months for that one game that wasn't even baseball.

So, why was he looking into so many empty seats in the sanctuary?

After all, if folks were showing up in droves to find joy at the baseball diamond, why wouldn't they come to Asbury Memorial to find joy, too?

I was actually surprised by the sermon.

I could tell that Reverend Billy was serious.

He even seemed to get a little emotional about the pews not being full.

Well, I can't speak for others whose presence has been lacking the past couple of years, but I can certainly address why I haven't been there.

Ever since Asbury Memorial Church started mixing politics in with the messages, I've not been comfortable being in the congregation.

I can hear about politics anywhere, and everywhere, else.

I do not come to the church to hear about that topic.

I come to the church to fell better about the world and that's been harder to do for the last two years.

The activists in the congregation have muddied the safe space with the stuff they are slinging.

I keep waiting for Billy to straighten them out about the function of the church, but perhaps I am the one who has missed being part of that change.

I do hope this shift to being a so-called "justice ministry" will change soon.

Until then, I may be watching the service on youtube more often. 

I would have liked to be there in person today for this one, though.

All of my photos were taken from the video of the service.

I had promised Dawn I'd be in Georgetown today, and so I was, to help her and The Koz prep for BYOP.

I'll try to talk with Billy sometime soon about my discomfort with the direction that Asbury has been taking.

I wonder what he'll say?

the bananas are where???

They're on AARP now, in the Sports Trivia game.

"You must be mistaken, dear."

Read it for yourself. "The Savannah Bananas play a variation of baseball called "Banana Ball." What is one way it differs from Major League Baseball?" 

"Holy leapin' lizards."

I know the correct answer, of course, as I live right here and have been to quite a few of those games since "Banana Ball" was created in Grayson Stadium. I wonder how many other people are aware that the second choice is the correct one?

"Well, they've had games shown on ESPN and their World Tours have played in quite a few cities since the pandemic. So, it could be that quite a few folks are expected to be familiar with them by now."

That's got to be the rationale for including this question. It was the puzzle bonus question, by the way, meaning the player would see it up to three times, unless they answered correctly the first time.

"That seems to be an old photo."

Well, that's true, if anything about Banana Ball can be called "old". It's only existed in its current form since about 2021 or so. But, yes, that shirt is not something that's been worn for a couple of years.

"The Coles must be elated!"

Oh, for sure. Good for them! Of course, it means they can never leave Savannah. This city is linked to the Bananas for the long haul. Good for us, too!

foo at bananas!

I was supposed to be at Grayson Stadium with the Hinesville contingent of the family tonight.

I've been looking forward to this Savannah game between the Bananas and the Party Animals ever since January 14th.

That's when Christina told me she bought me a ticket for her Friends Of Oatland Fundraiser, and Michael had me exchange my 5-game membership into tickets for that same night.

 

Then, the long-awaited day arrived... and the weather was to be in the 50's after 6 PM, far too chilly for me to be out in it for four or more hours.

Not wanting to miss out on this event, I opted to watch the game online... and still had fun!

Admittedly, it wasn't as much fun as being with my first niece, her brother, and their four girls, but it was still baseball, albeit a sped-up version with clown antics.

 

I didn't start taking photos until the top of the 3rd inning.

I wanted to document two things.

First, the game had only been going for 27 minutes and was already into the 3rd inning.

Considering each top and bottom of an inning still had a 2-minute break, that's 8 minutes of non-play and a total of 19 minutes of actual play.

Yes, far faster than baseball with regular rules!

Second, the score shows that the Party Animals - the 'Visitors" tonight - had taken the points in the first two innings, having scored more runs in each than had the Bananas - the "Home" team.

By the time Garret Delano came up to pitch for the 4th straight inning, the Bananas were still scoreless.

It was now 7:43 PM.

The Party Animals' pitcher in the black cowboy hat was still wearing his hot pink Daisy Dukes, too, and the matching sleeveless shirt.

Even the online announcer had to comment about that scantiness of clothing!

After all, the temperature at the stadium was 54 F, making it a chilly evening for that summertime wear.

The online announcer also mentioned a fun fact: both Garret Delano and Bill Leroy had been players on the Savannah Bananas collegiate baseball team in 2018.

Nice that they still play ball!

These two women were using pool noodles as if they were light sabers - notice they're clad in warm clothes.

That was just before the 6th inning.

Here, it's 8 PM, the scoreboard shows that the Bananas got a point in the 5th inning, and trail the Party Animals by 1 point.

Kyle Luigs, the Bananas pitching coach, is now on the mound in his classic yellow cowboy hat and his black boots.

By the bottom of the 6th, the Bananas tied up the score.

That tie was short-lived, as the Animals would end up taking the point for the 7th inning.

Not even switching out pitchers during that inning, putting the novelty man, Stilts, on the mound, would offset the run that the Bananas were unable to surpass during their turn at bat.

Neither team got a man across home plate in the 8th inning, leaving the score at 3 to 2, in the Animals' favor.

That's how the numbers still stood at the end of the 9th inning, when each teams' runn would have added another point to their scores.

Good for the Party Animals for their win!

Good for Garret Delano for being named Best Player!

Good for Banana Ball for getting the game done in less than two hours!

The time at game's end was 8:50 PM. 

Wow.

The family that traveled from Hinesville all had a good time, too.

That's the best part of all!

highlights of missed bananas

So.
I missed the game last night.
I had obligated myself as an usher at the Lucas.
I'm sure Haley would have granted me leave from my post, but...
I had wanted that "spoonful of sugar"...
which I had signed up for when the Bananas were in 4th place, weeks ago.
Then, my boys of summer had jumped onboard a winning streak and obtained top ranking going into the Western Division Coastal Plains League championship playoffs!
Wow!!! I'm so glad I was there for that ride!
The wins had granted them the possibility of an extra week of games right here at Grayson Stadium.
But I already had made other plans to occupy my evenings. In fact, my dance card has been full every night since this time two weeks ago.
So.
The first playoff game, on Wednesday, I had missed.
My seat in Section J didn't go unoccupied, though. I had sold it to Susie (a fellow Lucas usher and baseball fan) at the screening of "Grease" last Friday. She had thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sit in the box seats! The game was pretty good, too! It had been an intense bout against the Asheboro Copperheads, but the boys reigned victorious in the bottom of the 9th with a walk off win!
That led into a second playoff game last night, Friday night, against the Forest City Owls.
As I mentioned, I was already obligated to dance with another... so I allowed Susie to buy my seat again. She was thrilled! And what a pitchers' duel that was! Absolutely scoreless, for both sides, until the bottom of the 8th inning.
Incredible.
Here are the highlights, gleaned from the camerawork from WJCL.

Ryan Flores, #5, launches one from the mound...

... and comes off the mound later, whipping off his ballcap, all fired up!
He should be!
The boy pitched a scoreless eight innings to the Owls.

In the bottom of that 8th inning, the Bananas scored!
Clint Hardy, #25, got on base...

... then Jameson Hannah, #3, slammed the ball toward the rightfield wall!
Was it a homerun???
The ball had hit the pole and bounced back on the field...

... but Clint, an incredible runner, was definitely safe at home!
Yeah!
A run for the home team!

Then the four umpires reached a ruling:
home run for Hannah!
He was allowed to complete his victory trot from third base!
The boys had a two runs on the board!

The top of the 9th cinched the victory.
#6 Clay Dungan had fired the ball to #27 Jeff Nellis to secure the out at second...

... and Jeff had fired the ball to #32 Garrett Nelson to get the batter out at first base!
Gotta love those double plays!

And the
first-time-ever Savannah Bananas became the CPL West Division Champions
of the
college summer league!


What a Cinderella story!
A team coming from nowhere to win a title!
And, on Sunday, they compete for the Petitt Cup title against the East Division Champions in a best-of-three series.
That first game, against the Peninsula Pilots, will be on the Bananas' turf.
Susie already bought her own ticket.
You better believe I'm going to be there, too, cheering the boys on with my shouts of "Get a hit, hit, HIT!", and "Let's go, Bananas, lets' GO!" and "Strike him out! Pop him out! Throw him out!" and "Just one more out, Bananas!"
Oh, yes, I will!
Even though I already had something else scheduled for that night...
my boys of summer have one last game...
and I am so proud of them!
I get one last birthday:58 celebration with them!
Go, Bananas!

bananas with a side of odd lot!

Here, Ryan Flores and Clay Dungan had just given a big bouquet to Carol and Chatham Howard,
aka the "Sandpipers", their "parents" while in Savannah.
What was the occasion?

Time for gratitude!
Yes, indeed.
The last game of the season began with a big thank you to the many host families who took care of the boys of summer.
All in all, there were 27 families!

Who is the Banana in the stands?
Nick Choruby, #23!
All of the Bananas were going to their field positions after first making their way through the crowd.
How odd!

Of course, that wasn't the strangest thing going on the stands!
Odd Lot was in the house!!!
(I wish I could have seen them in person, but I did steal this photo. Shhh!)
(smile)

King Biggie Smalls was in the house, too, and right in front of me!
Yep, he and I watched the game with the Englers, after I joined them in Section F.
"Is that guy Rocky Pitbull"?

"Nah, man, that's
Bobby Campbell of the Red Wolves...
LOL!"
Split got such a big kick out of the name confusion!
He even stayed to cheer our last winning runs!

Then, he was out like a flash!
Game over!
Next stop: championship playoffs!
But first...
fiReWorKs
for all!!!
Hooray!
What a grand staycation and birthday:58 it has been!