Ziegler enjoying 3rd season with Savannah Bananas
SAVANNAH, GA. — Injuries derailed Alex Ziegler’s baseball career while he was playing for California (Pa.) University a number of years ago.
The Butler graduate’s baseball spirit has blossomed since.
Ziegler, who turns 30 in two weeks, is in his third season with the Savannah Bananas, a traveling baseball show that plays the game under radically different rules and emphasizes entertainment more than on-field performance. The latter can be pretty good as well.
“I don’t feel like I’ve been living a normal life. I feel like I’ve been in a dream for the last three years of my life,” Ziegler said. “And I want to keep going as long as I can.”
The Bananas started their season three weeks ago. They are playing games in six major league ballparks this season, beginning Saturday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The team’s 86 to 90-game schedule this season includes games in big league parks in Cleveland, Boston, Miami, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.
Most of the games on the Bananas’ tour are sold out. Ziegler will be playing in front of 41,000 fans in Houston.
“The biggest crowd we’ve ever played in front of is 15,000 or so,” he said. “It’s going to be wild, but I just let my adrenaline take over, block everything out and just do my thing.”
Playing the role of entertainer on the Bananas’ roster, Ziegler’s “thing” includes doing his unique bat tricks and balancing objects on his chin, including baseball bats, folding table, even a baby stroller.
Ziegler said he’s had three at-bats in the Bananas’ first eight games this year, two of those resulting in ground-rule doubles.
“I’ll get some playing time at first base, too, because I can catch a ball between my legs, behind my back ... do some things in the field that other first basemen simply cannot do,” he said proudly.
His father, Bruce Ziegler, said Alex will get a plate appearance at Minute Maid Park this weekend.
“He played on the Pennsylvania state Little League championship team when he was 12,” Bruce said. “Since he was a little kid, he’s wanted to play in the major leagues. Now, after all this time, he gets to experience stepping up to the plate in that setting, in a sold-out stadium.
“I won’t be there, but we will be making trips to see him play in Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia ... This is a very exciting time for our family.”
Savannah’s game at Fenway Park in Boston this summer has been sold out. Bruce Ziegler said there’s a waiting list of 200,000 people for tickets to see the game.
“I wish we could play a couple of games in Boston, to give more people a chance to see us,” Alex said. “We’ve only got one game at all of these big league stops. Major League Baseball keeps thinking we’re going to fall flat on our faces ... It’s not going to happen.
“We’re playing in front of more than a million people this year. It’s crazy how fast this has taken off.”
While the Bananas are not playing at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park this season, Ziegler is hopeful they will play there eventually.
“I did my bat tricks at FanFest for the Pirates this year,” he said. “I went to the mound with Ben Roethlisberger to throw out the first pitch at a game. The Pirate organization knows me pretty well now. I’d love for us to play there.”
In the meantime?
“I just love doing this,” Ziegler said of playing for the Bananas. “We’re making kids happy. When I was a little kid, my role models were major league players. Now kids are looking up to us that way. The game is fun again.
“I’m making kids happy and I’m making my parents proud. Those were always my two goals in life.”
When Ziegler is done playing, he’s hoping to stay with the Savannah Bananas in some other capacity.
“They’ve been so good to me,” he said. “I want to be good to them as well.”
