Latest news with #Bananas


Tom's Guide
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
HBO Max just got a live sports upgrade for every tier — here's what's coming
HBO Max is giving us another reason to keep it our top pick for the best streaming service out there — Banana Ball. Yes, the baseball sensation that's sweeping the nation is coming to HBO Max. Starting with The Savannah Bananas vs. The Firefighters at Rate Field in Chicago (home of the White Sox) on Saturday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. ET, you'll be able to watch Banana Ball live on TruTV and HBO Max. For those of you who've heard of the Bananas, you already know this is awesome news. The one-time collegiate summer league baseball team has transformed into the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, ditching traditional baseball for fast-paced, two-hour games featuring everything from dancing grandmas (the "Banana Nanas") to iconic 2000s pop-punk band The All-American Rejects performing an impromptu concert during a game. As someone lucky enough to attend a game in person, I promise you that the hype around this sports sensation is earned. My wife does not like baseball in the slightest, and she had a blast, as this live sporting event is easily as much about the entertainment as it is about the baseball, if not more. And when I say "lucky," I mean it. These games sell out fast, so watching on TruTV or HBO Max might be the best chance you have at seeing what all the fuss is about. Unlike with most live sports, everyone will get access to these Savannah Bananas live broadcasts. Back in February, HBO Max announced that its Bleacher Report Sports add-on, which gives subscribers access to live sports streaming, would become free for most users. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. HBO Max gives you tons of hit shows and movies, from HBO Originals to A24 movies and more. But there was a catch: only Standard and Premium subscribers got this free perk. If you had the Basic with Ads plan, you wouldn't get it, including those who get HBO Max through the Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle With Ads Plan. Not this time, though. All 19 Banana Ball games on truTV will be free to all HBO Max subscribers, including those on the ad-supported plan. So tune in on Aug. 16 and get ready to go Bananas. If you don't have HBO Max, don't worry. As these games are on TruTV, you can also get them through most of the best live TV streaming services. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately:


New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A summer Saturday night is the ideal time for Savannah Bananas baseball. Here's how to tune in
Eve says 'Philly, Philly,' while Stilts says 'Banana, Banana.' The 2025 Banana Ball World Tour continues this weekend with a stop in Philadelphia, a city known for its passionate baseball fans and yellow-suited surrealism. What a seamless fit this will be. This broadcast will also be available on ESPN+. Below is our 2025 explainer on the 'Banana Ball World Tour,' which finds baseball's premier humorists barnstorming around the country. If you're already acquainted with the Bananas spectacle, consider this an itemized reminder, as well as an open space for stray Lucille Bluth quotes. If you're new to all this, though, here's what you need to know about a unique and lively remix of America's pastime. Advertisement Our peeled protagonists are independent and unaffiliated with MLB. They used to compete as members of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball collective based in the South Atlantic. By 2023, the Bananas split (yup) from that league and shifted into full-time exhibition ball. Why be the life of someone else's dreary luncheon when you can throw your own lampshade-on-head banger? Not exactly, because the team itself is up in the Bronx for a weekend series versus the New York Yankees. Retired MLB players tend to pop out at Banana Ball games, though, adding a local flair to each ballpark on the tour. Is that low-hanging fruit for local nostalgia? In lesser hands, maybe, but the fruit in question here is a glorious yellow banana, and the former players really do bring a palpable enthusiasm to each outing. In 2024, the notable former Phillies-turned-Bananas were Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer and Ryan Howard. They boogied like it was 2008. Let's see what's on tap for this year's Philly stop. The Bananas face off with a short rotation of league-owned partners. Saturday's game is against the Texas Tailgaters. What's a goon to a goblin? What's a partier to a plantain? We don't have that answer yet, but stay tuned as our research progresses. Kind of. The game itself is unscripted and (somewhat) competitive. The Bananas and their opponents do indeed keep score. Still, proceedings go off the rails right quick, and we'll find precious few fans stressed about bullpen matchups or bad base-running. Of course there are. For starters, no bunting. That's an automatic out. No mound visits, because that's a waste of time. And no games exceeding the two-hour mark, unless a tiebreaker is needed. Fair enough. Now, for the true loopiness. Here's a five-pack of extra-unique Banana bylaws: Existential dread wilts in Bananaland. This is the team that turns strikeouts to potassium. Trust that this action is informed by a strange, unshakable love for baseball. None of the current players achieved MLB fame, but several have established themselves as comic performers, internet personalities and delightful novelties. Dakota Albritton is the best known of the Banana bunch, because he charts at 10-foot-9 on his trademark stilts. Seeing is believing, and oh, how we will now believe: The stilts are just the tip of the iceberg, if that iceberg were a colossal frozen banana. Here is a limited list of Banana Ball occurrences: Come for the Bananas, stay for Ham Porter or Travis Hunter. We may even wake up every evening with big smiles on our faces: Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Dakota 'Stilts' Albritton: Jaiden Tripi / Getty Images)


New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Savannah Bananas player faceplants on CNN after brutal backflip attempt
Maybe Robert Anthony Cruz just slipped on a banana. The Savannah Bananas player — known as Coach RAC — embarrassed himself in shocking and hilarious fashion Thursday, faceplanting live on a segment of 'CNN News Central' after attempting a backflip. Cruz stepped into an open area in the show's studio to attempt the stunt, but he didn't get enough lift on his flip and landed with a thud on the floor, as one onlooker in the studio softly exclaimed, 'Oh Jesus.' An awkward silence ensued for the next couple of moments as a stunned Cruz sat on his knees and eventually allowed an incredulous smile. 'That, what you just saw there, is a brand-new twist on America's favorite pastime,' said CNN host John Berman as Kate Bolduan stood silent, trying to hold back her laughter as she held her face. The clip instantly went viral on social media, with dozens cracking jokes at the absurd moment. 3 Robert Anthony Cruz faceplanted on CNN. x/BaileyCarlin 'Not the same footing as that natural gas,' quipped one user on X. 'That's gotta be so embarrassing,' wrote another. 'Flopped like a banana.' 'Should have played dead,' said a third. Others questioned whether or not the moment was staged to go viral, but the shocked reactions of the CNN hosts and Cruz himself made it clear that the flopped flip was very real. Cruz, 26, is a former Nationals prospect who played his college baseball at Biola University before joining the Bananas, the uber-popular exhibition team that has risen to prominence in the last few years. 3 RobertAnthony Cruz with the Bananas on July 13, 2024.3 Savannah Bananas dancing 1st base coach Maceo Harrison flips over Bananas mascot, Split, during Banana Fest on Saturday February 25, 2023 at Historic Grayson Stadium. Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The player was on CNN to promote the team in a segment called 'Going Bananas.' Cruz later explained the incident in a video on his Instagram account, which has 755,000 followers. 'They say all press is good press, huh? Well, you've probably seen the video. Your boy is bouncing around the internet like a beach ball at a Nickelback concert,' said Cruz, who went on to explain that the CNN crew asked him backstage if he had 'any tricks up his sleeve.' Cruz told the producers he'd do a backflip — he's known for back-flipping while catching fly balls in Bananas games and said he has done 'tens of thousands of backflips in my life.' 'I had zero reason to doubt my abilities,' Cruz said. 'Anyways, I'm standing on the stage, I get the countdown, it's time. I send the clip. Next thing I know, I am on the floor and I'm rattled.'


Chicago Tribune
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Tourism agency issues ap-peel to lure Bananas team
Jimmy Nelson is asking the Savannah Bananas – please, with chocolate syrup and a cherry on top – to come to Northwest Indiana when the Banana Ball Championship League monkeys with its 2026 schedule. 'The hottest sports ticket in the country has got to be the Savannah Bananas,' said Nelson, director of sports for the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority in Hammond. He was at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center in Porter Friday morning to shoot video asking the Bananas to play in Gary. It's just one of many stops for Nelson and his video team. Nelson had posters with corny sayings for participants to hold: 'NWI thinks UR A-PEEL-ING!' 'I'm head over PEELS for you!' 'Let's go nuts (crossed out) bananas.' 'It would be bana-nice to meet you!' That afternoon, Nelson was with Lake Station Mayor Bill Carroll at Riverview Park to get another video clip. He has similar video clips with mayors in Valparaiso, Portage, Crown Point, Gary and Whiting so far. If you're not familiar with the Savannah Bananas, think Harlem Globetrotters but for baseball, not basketball. The team's antics delight fans. It's not just playing a game; it's about entertaining the fans. 'I'm a total banana,' said yellow-clad Dawn Bettag, of Porter, after the video shoot. 'I would love to take my son to the RailCats stadium to see them,' she said. Bettag's daughter, who does marketing for Indianapolis events, told her about the team. Kim Rubens, of Porter, showed up in her duck flotation device. She's a true baseball fan, having seen three ballgames in person in the three days before Friday's video – the Cubs on the north side, the White Sox on the south side and the RailCats in Gary. 'Camping is just ducky,' the fun-loving teacher believes, explaining the inflatable ring around her waist. She drops off ducks on campers to spread the Jeep trend to more wacky – quacky? – vehicles. 'I like the entertainment, all the little stuff they have on the screen, the races going on,' at ballgames, Rubens said. Curt Lesnick, of Porter, wore a bright yellow print shirt and yellow shorts. He found out about the video shoot Thursday night and wanted to participate. 'They look like a very interesting group, and I'd love to see them,' he said. Nelson is a fan of the Bananas, but he's also a fan of the attention and dollars the team would bring to Northwest Indiana. They usually travel with about 200 people for a four- to five-day visit. Nelson won a ticket lottery to see the Bananas play at Rate Field in Chicago on Aug.15. He's trying to get the video done by then so he can present it to Savannah Bananas CEO and owner Jesse Cole. 'He does everything on video,' Nelson said. The Banana Ball Championship League has four teams, but there will be six next year, Nelson said. That gives him hope that the RailCats stadium could be suitable. It has 6,100 seats and could accommodate 8,000 with a little effort, compared to the 5,600 seats at Clemson, the team's home base. Nelson said another stadium in Northwest Indiana is possible in a few years, too. Why not dream big and try to lure the team to make Indiana its permanent base? It worked for Indianapolis when it lured the Colts from Baltimore, after all. Nelson wants as many people as possible to attend the Aug. 1 RailCats game, where the last video shoot will take place. The video is a gamble. The Bananas might come, they might split. But even if they don't find Northwest Indiana to their taste, the video won't just slip on a banana peel and fall. It will have served another purpose. It will have brought Northwest together for something fun, Nelson said.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
78-year-old Red Sox legend records out, rips off shirt in game at Fenway Park
For the second year in a row, Boston Red Sox legend Bill 'Spaceman' Lee suited up for the Savannah Bananas at Fenway Park. This year, it got a little wilder. The 78-year-old Red Sox Hall of Famer took to the mound with two outs in the sixth inning of Sunday's game between the Bananas and The Firefighters. Lee faced one batter and threw four pitches before inducing a fly out to left field to end the inning. Advertisement After celebrating with his Bananas teammates, Lee turned back to the mound and stripped, whipping his jersey and undershirt to the mound. Lee, now shirtless, stopped for an interview as he walked off the field. 'No, it never gets old here,' Lee said about pitching at Fenway. 'This is my house. You don't hit in my house. This is my team, my town. I'm just gonna say goodbye to New England, because I'm going to Canada to see mom.' You can watch Lee's appearance on the Bananas YouTube page. Lee is one of the most colorful and timeless personalities in Red Sox history. Nicknamed 'Spaceman,' Lee played 10 seasons in Boston, making one All-Star team in 1973. Advertisement As the Bananas announcer declared to the crowd, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Lee's appearance in the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Lee's one-batter cameo came in the second of two games for the Bananas, a popular exhibition team that tours the country playing under a unique set of rules called 'Bananaball.' They're like the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. In 2024, Lee made a similar appearance, recording an out during a one-batter outing at Fenway Park. This weekend's series featured a number of surprise appearances. Four different Red Sox champs suited up for the Bananas, including Jackie Bradley Jr., Matt Barnes, Keith Foulke and Brock Holt. Advertisement The game on Saturday also featured a surprise performance by 2000s pop-punk band The All-American Rejects. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.