Daily Hustle with Eric Byrnes, Savanah Bananas!

So this past weekend, I went out to Washington, DC and got to experience Banana Ball for the first time in about three years.

It was the first time I had the opportunity to see them in a big league stadium, and I can just tell you as somebody who was there at the beginning of this, this was fucking cool.

I am not exactly sure what the analogy is, but it's kinda like leaving your kid at six years old and you take off, or he takes off or whatever it is, and then you reunite down the road and this kid is a doctor, a lawyer, some Nobel winning Peace Prize winner, a, a star athlete, whatever.

Like, it, it was really fun to see what this has become.

And a lot of people have asked me, obviously were asking me throughout the course of the weekend, like, "Yo, dude, how different is this than when you were here?" And the simple answer to that is not much different at all.

Because we were doing a lot of the same shit that they're still doing now, but it's just done at such a bigger scale.

And it was something that, I even said this on the broadcast this past weekend, is like, look, we always knew this thing could scale.

I always believed it could scale.

The question was, how are you gonna do it? And one of the first conversations that Jesse and I had was, "Dude, we need to get a jumbotron." And I felt like that was one of the first investments that the Bananas ev- needed to make, even in Savannah.

And he was like, "Nah, I don't know, man." He goes, "I like this in-person feel and experience, and I don't want everyone looking at a fucking video board." And I'm like, "Yeah, no, I get it." But the issue becomes sometimes the action Doesn't get highlighted because it's not right in front of your face.

So for example, the three, two, two, which is the dancing thing that really put the Savannah Bananas on the map with the pitcher, and it was the third inning, I think it was third inning, two outs, second pitch was the exact thing.

And now they do it whenever, but it's really like he's going to do a pitch and then all of a sudden breaks into a dance and whatever, and then ends up throwing it.

And sometimes he's doing cartwheels or whatever.

Now they're have- actually people come out and join them for the actual pitch.

Still, it's so cool.

So cool.

But even in doing that, sometimes if you're in the stands and you turn around, like you miss it.

And so one of the beauties of Banana Ball is that there's so many things going on at one time, and it's just...

It was the same thing that I experienced with Cosmic Baseball.

I, I was talking to Breeland about this, and this is how I feel like they drilled it, is that you're just looking here and you're looking here, but I think the video board was one of the big things that was gonna be able to bring it home or at least highlight that for people that may not be, I won't say paying attention, but it gets highlighted on the board and they're able to see it, and especially obviously as you get into big stadiums.

And there's always been a sideshow, right? There's always been, whether it was just music or Macio, the dancing first base coach.

Uh, it, it doesn't matter what it was, the Banana Nanas, uh, the Man Nanas, the pep band, like all of it, the baby race.

There was always something different there to distract you.

And so when you're able to highlight that on the board, it actually can play to 41,000 people in a stadium like we had in Washington, DC.

The other thing that the Bananas have done a really good job with is taking the players and sending them out into the outfield, into the upper decks, into areas of the ballpark where you think there may possibly be some disengagement.

So this past weekend, I went out to Washington, DC and got to experience Banana Ball for the first time in about three years.

It was the first time I had the opportunity to see them in a big league stadium, and I can just tell you as somebody who was there at the beginning of this, this was fucking cool.

I am not exactly sure what the analogy is, but it's kinda like leaving your kid at six years old and you take off, or he takes off or whatever it is, and then you reunite down the road and this kid is a doctor, a lawyer, some Nobel winning Peace Prize winner, a, a star athlete, whatever.

Like, it, it was really fun to see what this has become.

And a lot of people have asked me, obviously were asking me throughout the course of the weekend, like, "Yo, dude, how different is this than when you were here?" And the simple answer to that is not much different at all.

Because we were doing a lot of the same shit that they're still doing now, but it's just done at such a bigger scale.

And it was something that, I even said this on the broadcast this past weekend, is like, look, we always knew this thing could scale.

I always believed it could scale.

The question was, how are you gonna do it? And one of the first conversations that Jesse and I had was, "Dude, we need to get a jumbotron." And I felt like that was one of the first investments that the Bananas ev- needed to make, even in Savannah.

And he was like, "Nah, I don't know, man." He goes, "I like this in-person feel and experience, and I don't want everyone looking at a fucking video board." And I'm like, "Yeah, no, I get it." But the issue becomes sometimes the action Doesn't get highlighted because it's not right in front of your face.

So for example, the three, two, two, which is the dancing thing that really put the Savannah Bananas on the map with the pitcher, and it was the third inning, I think it was third inning, two outs, second pitch was the exact thing.

And now they do it whenever, but it's really like he's going to do a pitch and then all of a sudden breaks into a dance and whatever, and then ends up throwing it.

And sometimes he's doing cartwheels or whatever.

Now they're have- actually people come out and join them for the actual pitch.

Still, it's so cool.

So cool.

But even in doing that, sometimes if you're in the stands and you turn around, like you miss it.

And so one of the beauties of Banana Ball is that there's so many things going on at one time, and it's just...

It was the same thing that I experienced with Cosmic Baseball.

I, I was talking to Breeland about this, and this is how I feel like they drilled it, is that you're just looking here and you're looking here, but I think the video board was one of the big things that was gonna be able to bring it home or at least highlight that for people that may not be, I won't say paying attention, but it gets highlighted on the board and they're able to see it, and especially obviously as you get into big stadiums.

And there's always been a sideshow, right? There's always been, whether it was just music or Macio, the dancing first base coach.

Uh, it, it doesn't matter what it was, the Banana Nanas, uh, the Man Nanas, the pep band, like all of it, the baby race.

There was always something different there to distract you.

And so when you're able to highlight that on the board, it actually can play to 41,000 people in a stadium like we had in Washington, DC.

The other thing that the Bananas have done a really good job with is taking the players and sending them out into the outfield, into the upper decks, into areas of the ballpark where you think there may possibly be some disengagement.