By Merv Moore
Sports Director & Head Baseball Coach
Let me paint you a picture of a typical professional baseball game I might coach: crisp uniforms, signs for every pitch, a sacred bunt signal, and a dugout where the biggest outburst is a firm clap and a “good eye.”
Now, let me describe the Savannah Bananas, who just played their first-ever home game in a Major League stadium: players in bright yellow kilts, a pitcher doing a backflip off the mound to start an inning, and a first-base coach who might break into a choreographed dance number if a runner takes a big lead.
Sponsored Links
I should hate it. My old-school, Swiss-league-coach brain says this is anarchy. And yet, after seeing them pack an MLB park with more energy than a World Series Game 7, I have one burning question for my Coconuts staff: Can any of you do a backflip?
The Bananas are not just a team; they’re a three-ring circus where the main act is also, infuriatingly, really good baseball. That’s the magic trick everyone misses.
It’s easy to write them off as clowns until you see a 98 mph fastball from a dancing pitcher, or a hitter launch a home run while his teammates in the dugout are wearing banana costumes. The entertainment isn’t a cover for a lack of skill; it’s the glitter on top of legitimate, high-level talent.
They’ve turned the sacred rulebook into a suggestion box. Kickball fielding? Sure. Batters stealing first base? Why not! They play like a bunch of kids who just discovered the most fun game in the world and decided to improve every single rule. And the fans, from toddlers to grandparents, are screaming for every second of it.
This is where my Bohol Coconuts brain kicks in. For years, I’ve talked about our mission to “grow the game.” We do it with community soup kitchens, affiliate clubs, and a 10-year prospect plan.
The Bananas grow the game by making people fall in love with it again. They remove every barrier of stuffiness and tradition and say, “Look! This is FUN!” They’re not just playing to the crowd; they’re pulling the crowd onto the field with them in spirit.
Watching them, I realized something: we’re both in the experience business. We just operate in different zip codes. We’re building a lifelong connection to baseball through structure, development, and community care. They’re building it through sheer, unadulterated joy and spectacle. And honestly, the sport needs both.
So, to the Savannah Bananas, I tip my cap (and briefly consider whether our team could pull off kilts). You’ve made me laugh, you’ve made me wince, and you’ve absolutely made me respect the craft.
You’ve proven that the best way to get people to care about a pop fly is to first make them care about the people catching it—even if they’re catching it behind their back.
Marvin “Merv” Moore is the head coach of the Bohol Coconuts Baseball and Softball Club. He has coached in both Europe and Asia, and helped start the Mister-Baseball and BaseballdeWorld international baseball websites.
