SAVANNAH, Ga. — Walking around historic Grayson Stadium before the game, you can sense the 35-and-over MLBPAA team turning back the hands of time to face off against the Savannah Bananas. They’re acting like kids.
Jeremy Guthrie practices his dance moves by a banana beer stand along the concourse.
Dee Strange-Gordon takes grounders with some Banana players — trying out his best between-the-legs bounce and throw.
Heath Bell appears from the dugout with a muscle suit under his jersey and a pink Speedo over his baseball pants. He quickly takes off the Speedo when he sees fans arriving in the stands.
“This is a family environment … although they may make an appearance later,” Bell says, smiling.
The MLB Players Alumni Association was in Savannah over Labor Day Weekend for the final game of a three-game Challenger Series against baseball’s Harlem Globetrotters: A touring, fun-loving group of college-aged guys who are part circus, part legitimately talented athletes.
After losing the first two games of the series, the team of former MLBers was looking to take down the Banana ballers in Game 3. Guthrie, the starting pitcher and two-time Nanner, tried to pump up his squad with a rousing speech the night before at a downtown Savannah bar.
“It’s really enjoyable for us who’ve played previously to come back,” Guthrie told me. “To play the game in such a unique and fan-first way is really refreshing.”
The MLBPAA added a pair of newcomers for their third trip, two guys who were relatively fresh off playing competitive baseball: 2023 Team Czech Republic star Eric Sogard and 2022 Dodger Dee Strange-Gordon. Would these major additions lead to a victory? Yes (well, at least according to Strange-Gordon).
“Yeah man, they got me,” the former batting champ said.
But one of the most famous and best players at the field for the team of former big leaguers was a man with more than 300 homers and more than 2,000 MLB games under his belt: Curtis Granderson. Sadly, he was the manager and would “try his hardest to deny everyone trying to get him into the game.”
He did look fantastic for the part — mimicking Bananas founder Jesse Cole.
Unfortunately, game-wise, things did not go the MLBPAA’s way. It’s understandably tough when you’re getting together three times a year to play a game against 20-somethings playing almost every day.
But there were some fantastic highlights.
Granderson went on a tirade in the first inning and got a call overturned. (And no, he told me he has no interest in managing at the big league level so don’t ask.)
A Backstreet Boy showed up to play for the Bananas. Shawn Kelley struck him out, calling it “the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my career.” Here’s more on Brian Littrell’s electric walkup dance and how he got involved with the game.
Strange-Gordon had a couple hits and one epic scramble around the bases. John Buck cart-wheeled out to the mound for a pregame weigh-in. George Kottaras swung at a pitch from center field.
And the entire roster — plus their families — never sat down during the two-hour show. The players looked like Little Leaguers, perched on the grass in front of the dugout, hanging on every pitch and every plate appearance. They smiled and laughed along with the sold-out crowd.
That’s, really, why they were all there.
“My kids are here,” Strange-Gordon said. “They want to watch me play.”
“[My kids] are excited,” Sogard told me. “That’s the biggest thing, especially these days. It’s about the youth. And they absolutely love these guys.”
And, of course, it’s always nice to get the chance to reunite with fellow MLB brethren on a ballfield. A trip back in time to some of the best days of their lives.
“Yeah, some former teammates. Many guys I played against, many I played with,” Guthrie said. “We all love baseball. We’re just kids at heart.”
