Savannah Bananas stars trade baseball dreams for kids' smiles: 'Exactly where God put me'

Reese Alexiades and DR Meadows had shot dreams conscionable similar the remainder of america – getting to the large leagues. But their journeys took them connected a way unimaginable adjacent little than 5 years ago.

Alexiades played assemblage shot astatine Pepperdine University, portion Meadows played for Division II schoolhouse Columbus State. Neither played insignificant league ball, but they present play successful beforehand of 1 of the largest shot crowds ever.

Alexiades and Meadows deed the large clip successful different way, becoming stars for the Savannah Bananas. Meadows is the organization's all-time person successful "trick plays," portion Alexiades plays with a cape on.

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Savannah Bananas Reese Alexiades and DR Meadows conscionable with children astatine a children's infirmary with Dairy Queen. (Dairy Queen)

Despite selling retired MLB ballparks and adjacent playing successful beforehand of six-figure crowds astatine shot stadiums, shot purists volition ne'er get connected committee - unless, Alexiades says, "if they came to a crippled and caught an out." (If a instrumentality catches a shot connected the fly, the batter is out.)

But what fans bash not recognize the most, Meadows says, is that, contrary to fashionable belief, their games are not "scripted" like, say, the Harlem Globetrotters.

"There's a immense difference. In our league, each our teams are retired to win. We're precise competitive... Just this past weekend, we mislaid 2 retired of 3 successful Chicago against the Firefighters, and our guys were not happy," Meadows told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "At the extremity of the day, we're determination for a bigger picture: to enactment connected a amusement for the fans, interruption down the partition for the kids determination and enactment smiles connected faces. That's what makes Banana Ball beautiful. Even though we get to person amusive competing, winning and losing, we inactive get to marque somebody's day."

No 1 Meadows and Alexiades' property grew up wanting to beryllium Bananas – but that whitethorn person changed by now.

"One of the large reasons wherefore I fell successful emotion with shot is looking up to different players. Now kids tin look up to us, and what we're each astir is bringing amusive to the crippled of baseball. Kids being capable to spot america and spot however overmuch amusive we have, that's what it's each about. We effort to beryllium the champion relation models we tin beryllium for kids due to the fact that the kids are what it's each about," Alexiades said.

Meadows added, "You spot kids astatine the Little League World Series listing their favourite players, and immoderate are Bananas players. To cognize we person that benignant of level — and similar Reese was saying, it each comes from having fun, playing the crippled and having fun. Youth sports these days should beryllium little unit and a batch much fun. I deliberation it's chill that kids are getting to spot however overmuch amusive we person and get to instrumentality that to their ain game."

The Savannah Bananas' mascot Split dances atop the archetypal basal dugout. (Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

FORMER SAVANNAH BANANAS PLAYER NAMED MLB ALL-STAR, HOURS AFTER HITTING FOR CYCLE AS A ROOKIE

Alexiades and Meadows precocious visited a children's infirmary successful Tennessee to springiness them immoderate Dairy Queen, and connected Thursday, for each Blizzard bought astatine prime locations, astatine slightest $1 volition beryllium donated to Children’s Miracle Network to assistance enactment section children’s hospitals.

"That's the quality of our level and this partnership: We tin truly marque an impact, and truthful tin different people," Alexiades said.

"Getting to spot those kids, enactment a grin connected their faces, bring them Blizzard Treats and bask those with them was ace cool. The magnitude of joyousness DQ brings and the Bananas bring - it each made sense," added Meadows.

So, portion it whitethorn not beryllium the large clip they primitively thought, it's the 2026 mentation of the large time, which is conscionable good with the shot subordinate successful a cape - virtually and figuratively.

Members of the Savannah Bananas be a children's infirmary with Dairy Queen. (Dairy Queen)

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"The full extremity is to beryllium capable to play the crippled we emotion for arsenic agelong arsenic we can. A batch of us, maine included, and radical successful this enactment person been told nary astatine immoderate constituent successful their careers. The Bananas person fixed maine a accidental to support going, support playing and recognize that it's for a bigger intent now," Alexiades said.

"I get to spell and astir apt person much amusive than I would person ever had if I played successful the large leagues. So I'm having the clip of my life, and this is precisely wherever God enactment me."

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