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.
Bu hikaye Southern Living dergisinin April 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Southern Living dergisinin April 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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When Jay Mallinckrodt pitched the idea of crafting cast-iron cookware to his wife and business partner, Heather, in 2020, she was hesitant. I immediately said no, she recalls with a laugh. But I finally agreed as long as we made something that we would actually want to use ourselves. Like many others during the initial throes of the pandemic, their multigenerational family operation, Heartland Enterprises (which specializes in machining parts for jet engines and gas and oil equipment), was seeing a lull. “No one was flying; no one was drilling, says Jay. So we had time to try something different.
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Oktober Feast!
While I respect your right to serve spooky food in October, you won't find any gory grub at my house this month. Instead, I'm hosting a gathering that's inspired by biergartens across the pond. The focus of the menu is a fondue made with Gruyère cheese and crisp Riesling-like beer-cheese dip but more elevated. It's served with a smorgasbord of dippers such as smoked sausage, grapes, apples, and a few amped-up store-bought snacks, like Mustard-Glazed Pretzel Bites and Smoked Paprika Potato Chips. (Just one taste, and you'll want to add this spice to every bag you open.) Pour yourself a Cider Shandy, and get ready for a good time. Prost, y'all!
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