NORFOLK, Va. — While the Norfolk Tides are out of town this week, there's still plenty of entertainment and fun happening at Harbor Park this weekend. The famous Savannah Bananas are playing from Friday to Sunday.
Those in attendance will notice this isn't your father or mother's baseball. There are roughly 40 players on the team, including two former Norfolk State University players, Danny Hosley and Brandon Crosby.
There's a heavy emphasis on fun, music, dancing, and oh yeah... baseball! For players like Jake Skole, who was once a first-round 15th overall pick of the Texas Rangers in 2010, it brings out your inner child.
"It's kind of a monkey off your back," he said. "When it comes to playing with a smile on your face and you know it's not all about your results like you fall into the minor league grind. It's still competitive, but we still get to love the fans just as much as we love our teammates."
Norfolk Tides general manager Joe Gregory quickly jumped at the chance to get "Banana Ball" in the 757.
"I immediately put our name in the hat to get on this tour and so we're definitely fortunate to do it," he said. "We've been planning this since the fall announcing it in October. A lot went into it. Luckily, everything lined up and we've got them for three games."
They'll take on the Party Animals and if you're looking for tickets, they were sold out months ago. In fact, according to the team's website, they've sold out “every single game — over 200 and counting.”