The Savannah Bananas spent Thursday meeting fans in Dedham before they take the field at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro this weekend for their first games there. The free event at Dick’s Sporting Goods gave people a chance to see members of the Savannah Bananas and the Loco Beach Coconuts up close, ahead of Friday and Saturday night’s Banana Ball games.
Diego Chevere was among the fans who lined up for the meet-and-greet, where autographs, photos and Banana Ball merchandise were part of the draw. “It’s crazy I get to meet professional baseball players,” he said, a reaction that fit the mood of an event built around giving supporters an early taste of the team’s arrival at one of the region’s biggest sports venues.
The games are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., with parking lots opening at 1 p.m. and gates opening at 4 p.m. before each night’s event. That timing matters because the Bananas are not just playing a pair of games; they are bringing a traveling show to an NFL stadium, and the weekend marks a new stop in a tour that has helped turn Banana Ball into a draw well beyond ordinary exhibition baseball.
For the players, Gillette is not just another field. Bryce Grizzaffi said the turf is thicker than what the team is used to and noted that right field is usually shorter, which could push some hitters to the opposite side. Even so, he said it is for the most part the same game. JD Urso pointed to another piece of the matchup, saying the Loco Beach Coconuts are guided by Shane Victorino, who played for the Boston Red Sox, won a world championship there and is from Hawaii.
Harry Barnette called Gillette a special space, and that is the basic reason the weekend has drawn so much attention: the Bananas are bringing their choregraphed dances, unique uniforms, scoring celebrations, walk-up songs and breakdancing coaches to a stage built for far more than baseball. Grizzaffi said each game is different, and that is the promise here. Fans who met the players in Dedham got the preview; Friday and Saturday nights will show whether the show changes again once the lights come on in Foxboro.
