The Party Animals, formerly the Savannah Party Animals are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. The team was founded in 2020 and has played at Grayson Stadium since its inaugural season. The Party Animals play the Savannah Bananas in the "Banana Ball" format, along with their rivals the Firefighters, and the Texas Tailgaters, similar to the decades-long format of basketball's Harlem Globetrotters and their partner touring team, the Washington Generals.[1] The team has been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, CNN 10, and Sports Illustrated because of its on-field hijinks and viral videos.[2]
| Party Animals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | Banana Ball Championship League |
| Location | Savannah, Georgia |
| Ballpark | Grayson Stadium |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Colors | Pink, green, and black |
| Mascot | Pharty the Party Animal |
| Ownership | Fans First Entertainment (Jesse & Emily Cole) |
| Coach | Tyler Gillum and Adam Virant |
| Manager | Mike Vavasis |
| Website | thepartyanimals |
History
edit2020 (Inaugural Season)
editDuring the 2020 shortened Bananas CPL season, the organization debuted its second team, the Savannah Party Animals. Previously, the test Banana Ball games were played as scrimmage games of the CPL Bananas pre-season. The creation of the team gave the Bananas a true home or away opponent in its exhibition gamedays during most of the season.
2021
editIn March 2021, the season kicked off at Grayson Stadium with the Bananas winning 5–2. Later that year, the Bananas would play in a "world tour" in Mobile, Alabama, and sold out both nights at Hank Aaron Stadium, with a combined crowd of over 7,000 fans.[3]
2024 (World Tour)
editAt the 2024 Banana Ball "world tour" draft, it was announced that the Party Animals would have their own "world tour". The "world tour" kicked off at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia on June 13 and ended a month later in Greenville, South Carolina.[4] On February 23, 2024, the Party Animals played their 100th game in Banana Ball. On June 8, the Party Animals beat the Bananas at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, 4–1. Before the world tour kicked off, they announced that they would have a mascot named "Pharty the Party Animal".[5] On their "world tour" they played the Firefighters in Las Vegas and The Visitors at Grayson Stadium. On September 21, the Party Animals beat the Bananas at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 3–2.
2025
editThe Party Animals are slated to return in 2025 as part of the four-team Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL), along with the Bananas, the Firefighters, and the Texas Tailgaters, the newest and first non Savannah, Georgia based team, which will mainly play in Texas and in Southeastern college towns.[6]
References
edit- ^ Palmer, Joseph (May 26, 2023). "'More than baseball': how the Savannah Bananas became the greatest show in sports". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Heupel, Shannon (March 17, 2022). "Going Bananas! Two wild nights of 'the greatest show in baseball' coming to Montgomery". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ "Savannah Bananas bring their 'One City World Tour' to Mobile". WKRG News 5. March 29, 2021. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "The 2024 Banana Ball World Tour Draft". YouTube. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Dave (June 11, 2024). "Savannah Bananas rival the Party Animals unveil their mascot: Meet 'Pharty'". WJCL. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ Hauari, Gabe. "Savannah Bananas to visit 40 cities across 25 states in 2025: See full schedule". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved October 4, 2024.