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I loved baseball as a kid. It was always fun to me. But now as an adult, sometimes, it’s a bit…boring (Blasphemy!) I only have so much free time to spend. Three hours is a long time to dedicate to watching people play catch and occasionally smack a ball around. I mean MLB league wide batting average in 2025 was < .250. That’s a lot of downtime.
Enter Banana Ball. And this Savannah Bananas book by the founder of all the wackiness himself, Jesse Cole (with the assistance of sports writer Don Yaeger.)
I’m still a baseball purist at heart. But golly, I love me some Banana Ball. Why not mix in a bit of fun and foolishness with America’s pastime? And honestly, I’ve always had a soft spot for anything out of left field.
My Banana Ball (Savannah Bananas book) review:
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Where to Get It
Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).
- 🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
Banana Ball (Savannah Bananas Book) by Jesse Cole with Don Yaeger
Full title — Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of The Savanah Bananas
Banana Ball is Jesse Cole’s behind-the-scenes look at how he turned a struggling minor-league baseball team into the most entertaining circus in sports. Cole explains how the Savannah Bananas blew up by doing the exact opposite of traditional baseball: dancing umpires, trick plays, walk-up choreography, a senior-citizen dance team, and fan-first chaos woven into every inning. A baseball fever dream.
But the book isn’t just about gimmicks. It’s about a philosophy. One that, surprisingly, turns out to be good business. Cole breaks down the “Fans First” mindset, showing how joy, surprise, and absurdity can thrive in the traditionally rigid baseball world. He talks about failures, skepticism, money problems, and risks. Cole also dives into the creation of Banana Ball itself: a faster, louder, more chaotic version of baseball designed to fix everything that makes the sport slow and boring.
Banana Ball is a story about taking big swings, embracing fun, and reinventing baseball.
So you like books about sports? Check out these golf books!
Or maybe books about running?
Who is Jesse Cole?
Jesse Cole is the high-energy, yellow-tux-wearing owner of the Savannah Bananas. He’s part showman, part entrepreneur, and part baseball innovator. Before all the circus-level fun, he was a college baseball player with dreams of making it to the big leagues. Injuries (and maybe a bit short of MLB talent) shifted those dreams. But he stayed in the game. Just in a wildly different way. Now he’s reinventing baseball by replacing tradition and seriousness with joy, creativity, and nonstop fan engagement. His mission is simple: make baseball fun again.
Find Jesse Cole here:
Who is Don Yaeger?
Don Yaeger is a sports journalist, bestselling author, and leadership speaker with decades of experience turning athletic stories into meaningful lessons. A former associate editor at Sports Illustrated, he’s written or co-written more than 30 books, including multiple New York Times bestsellers. Today he coaches leaders, hosts the Corporate Competitor podcast, and teaches organizations how to build high-performing cultures. In Banana Ball, Yaeger’s storytelling experience helps shape Jesse Cole’s high-energy antics into a cohesive, engaging narrative without losing any of the Bananas’ signature chaos or charm.
Find Don Yaeger here:
How do you get Banana Ball World Tour Tickets?
It’s a lottery! I’m waiting for my shot at Banana-mania.
Tickets | The Savannah Bananas
Now onto the rating! Banana Ball – Savanah Bananas Book Review:
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 5/5
I love Banana Ball. The energy, the creativity, the sheer joyful chaos of it all. It’s my kind of sports revolution. I’m pretty sure Jesse Cole would drive me absolutely bonkers in real life, but I’m not married to him. So from the safe distance of this book (and the occasional TikTok scroll), his relentless enthusiasm is charming instead of exhausting. And I absolutely loved reading the Savannah Bananas “origin story.”
Things I liked:
- The Banana Ball origin story. Easily my favorite part. How a struggling team, a wild idea, and a yellow tux snowballed into a phenomenon.
- The behind-the-scenes. All the trial-and-error, the failures, the experiments… it’s fascinating to see how much work goes into making something look fun and easy.
- The “Fans First” philosophy. It’s refreshing to see a sports organization that genuinely puts entertainment and fan experience above tradition and ego. Take note sports teams!
Things I didn’t like:
- Not really a “didn’t like,” but I found myself curious about the player perspective. Jesse Cole comes across as a high-energy, obsessive, relentlessly persistent boss. And depending on your personality, that could be inspiring… or intolerable. He seems fun from the outside, but I wouldn’t be shocked if a Banana “whistleblower tell-all” drops someday. I’d read that one too, obviously.
Still curious? Here are your options again:
- 🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
What’s your favorite baseball book? Or circus book? Or book about bananas? Send suggestions my way in the comments!
