Since I am on a fix MLB kick, a thread on Banana Ball.
Bottom line up front: What is Banana Ball? It's wacky baseball: Think Harlem Globetrotters for baseball, but it is competitive.
Team: Savannah Bananas. They are a college summer wooden bat league team who plays regular 9 inning baseball. But: sometimes they play banana ball against what I guess you'd call the Washington Generals equivalent, the Party Animals.
Rules of interest:
-Game is match play by inning - team who scores most in an inning gets a point. Inning would end once home team scores more than the away team, a walk off inning.
-Game is limited to 2 hours, no new innings can start after 1:50
-Batters can steal first on a past ball in any count.
-On ball four, instead of a walk, batter sprints around bases until each infielder touches the ball.
-If a spectator catches a foul ball, batter is out.
-Play is fast paced. Not sure if it is a pitch clock but it looks like the pitcher and catcher just play catch really fast, good pace of play. No mound visits allowed. If batter leaves box it's a strike given.
-Extra innings: It is just pitcher and catcher versus batter. Batter runs around bases and tries to score before pitcher runs ball down and gets it to home.
-Shenanigans: Sometimes there are on field shenanigans. Saw one guy bat with a flaming bat, literally it was on fire. Defense will break out into dance routines. Saw a dude bat on stilts.
MLB cannot do a lot of this stuff, I get that. But I think the MLB could adopt the fan-first mindset of Banana Ball and improve fan experience and game exposure for sure.
Bottom line up front: What is Banana Ball? It's wacky baseball: Think Harlem Globetrotters for baseball, but it is competitive.
Team: Savannah Bananas. They are a college summer wooden bat league team who plays regular 9 inning baseball. But: sometimes they play banana ball against what I guess you'd call the Washington Generals equivalent, the Party Animals.
Rules of interest:
-Game is match play by inning - team who scores most in an inning gets a point. Inning would end once home team scores more than the away team, a walk off inning.
-Game is limited to 2 hours, no new innings can start after 1:50
-Batters can steal first on a past ball in any count.
-On ball four, instead of a walk, batter sprints around bases until each infielder touches the ball.
-If a spectator catches a foul ball, batter is out.
-Play is fast paced. Not sure if it is a pitch clock but it looks like the pitcher and catcher just play catch really fast, good pace of play. No mound visits allowed. If batter leaves box it's a strike given.
-Extra innings: It is just pitcher and catcher versus batter. Batter runs around bases and tries to score before pitcher runs ball down and gets it to home.
-Shenanigans: Sometimes there are on field shenanigans. Saw one guy bat with a flaming bat, literally it was on fire. Defense will break out into dance routines. Saw a dude bat on stilts.
MLB cannot do a lot of this stuff, I get that. But I think the MLB could adopt the fan-first mindset of Banana Ball and improve fan experience and game exposure for sure.
