I went to Coca Cola park last night, but not to see the Iron Pigs, but the âParty Animalsâ playing the "Texas Tailgatersâ in Banana Ball. (The same style as the Savanah Bananas.) Some interesting rule differences--you can steal first base, the ball is live after a walk only after all fielders have touched it, so you can run to second or a runner on third can score), innings are each scored as âpointsâ up until the final inning, there is a time limit on games, lots of dancing and entertainment during and between innings. Non-stop music. It wasnât my sort of thing, but it was a sell-out and the crowd seemed to love it in general. More for younger people than for me.
I was impressed by the talent of the player-entertainers. They are very good ballplayers, especially defensively. They are mostly recruited from older minor leaguers who have topped out, independent league players, and college guys who were not offered affiliated contracts. They make high 5 figure salaries, so one of my reactions was how great it was to see 150 or so players able to make a living in baseball without playing for a MLB team. The article I read said they make more than all but the highest salaried affiliated players in the minors. The umps were entertainers, too, doing flips, etc,. after calls, interacting with the fans (especially kids), and trying to make the game interesting. No wasted time between innings, either. About 30 seconds and the next half-inning would start unless there was a specific activity planned.
Iâm glad I went; I wouldnât go again.
