Why Did a Baseball Player Hit a Home Run in Ski Boots?

Reese Alexiades skis through the baseball field, up to the plate, and then hits a 430 foot home run. By the way, he has ski boots on.

What is this strange sport resembling a conglomeration between a fever dream and a child's dream come true? It is a game from the Savannah Bananas, an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based out of Savannah, Georgia. Watch the unique spectacle below.

Savannah Bananas Ski Boots Homerun Video

Dubbed "banana ball", the Savannah Bananas seek to entertain audiences and play baseball, in that order. Where circus antics meet the traditional American pastime, no two tricks happen quite the same.

Zack Frongillo, Director of Entertainment, said this type of occurrence was hardly out of the norm for a Bananas game. "For us, I would say that's a Tuesday, really." Phillips explained, "The game itself is built more towards entertainment, fun, and excitement. Our whole goal is to do crazy stuff on a baseball field. Every game, we want someone to leave saying, 'wow, I can't believe that they did that on a baseball field.'"

Frongillo also explained that the team has meetings where they come up with new ideas to put into action at the next game. "We brainstorm 10 to 15 new ideas every single night. One of our considerations is, 'how can we integrate ourselves into their culture?'"

Despite the team being based in Savannah, Georgia, Frongillo has been a skier his entire life. "My parents were instructors in Vail, Colorado, and the snowboarding lifestyle has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember."

When the Savannah Bananas announced that they were headed to Utah about three months ago, Courtney Harkins from the U.S. Ski Team reached out to Frongillo. "I saw that they were coming to Salt Lake, and U.S. Ski and Snowboard Center of Excellence, is in Park City, 25 minutes away from the stadium," Harkins explained. "We had been following the Savannah Bananas for many years, and they are so fun to watch on social media and in person."

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard team is interested in expanding its audience, doing collaborations with groups like NASCAR over the past few years. "We figured this would be a way to get our athletes in front of a fanbase that doesn't normally follow ski racing."

"Everyone was excited about it. We want to get some of the Bananas to the World Cups this year."

Harkins went into further detail, "it was some of the loudest cheering I've ever heard. Everyone was dying when he was being dragged in on a pair of skis. He was so excited when he hit that homer, too. He was in ski boots."

The practice that went into the event was significant. The man running in ski boots was a snowboarder, and he had size 12.5 feet. "Finding a pair of ski boots that fit him was really difficult," Harkins said. She borrowed a pair of ski boots from a former member of the ski team, found old race skis at a store in Park City, used her husband's poles, and one of the U.S. Ski Team's speed suits.

"It was me driving around in circles around Park City trying to get everything together, with not a lot of time. Getting to know the team was so rewarding. Everyone was so friendly, the staff was remarkable, and everyone was excited about getting to learn about our sport," she said.

The best part of the Savannah Bananas games, according to both Harkins and Frongillo, is their ability to appeal to all different types of people.

Frongillo said, "you don't have to be a traditional baseball fan. We have a grandma dance team called the Banana Nanas, who are all 65-plus, so it could be a 62-year-old who wants to join in a few years. Or, it could be a little girl who is inspired by Princess Potassia."

"Having people from different lifestyles come together for one event is always super special."

Are more collaborations between the U.S. Ski Team and the Savannah Bananas on the horizon? It is possible. Although this exact show will never go down again in Banana history, as events never repeat themselves, collaborations are on the minds of both Phillips and Harkins. This event hit it out of the park, pun intended.

Related: The National Ski Patrol's CEO Talks New Membership Program

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