A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

One, two, three strikes,

- HALLIE MILSTEIN AND MARY ALICE RUSSELL

AND THE SAVANNAH BANANAS are out for the inning. Rushing back to the dugout, one yellow-clad player springs into a backflip, landing effortlessly on his feet, and accepts a pat on the back from his 10-foot-tall teammate (elevated by a pair of stilts). This isn't a typical baseball game.

Played in Georgia's Grayson Stadium, Banana Ball is everything you know about the sport turned on its head. Among the highlights are a two-hour time limit, a ban on bunting, and a whole lot of shenanigans.

"Baseball purists hate these games because they are totally different," notes Savanah Alaniz, who manages the Bananas' evergrowing online fan base.

The team, a combination of recently graduated college athletes and former Minor and Major League Baseball (MLB) players, walk on stilts, dance, and balance bats on their noses. They are often compared to the Harlem Globetrotters, but unlike the basketball stars (who are practically guaranteed to win), here, the stunts end where the real match begins. Spectacles abound, but so does a good, fair competition. Unfortunately, today the Bananas find themselves down by a run in the 2nd inning against their frequent rivals, the Party Animals.