Miscellaneous

       The Aitkin Anglers did themselves proud at the SATT State Team Championship on Pelican Lake. Each school brought their top six anglers to form three teams competing for a combined limit of their 15 largest smallmouth or largemouth bass. After three challenging days of pre-fishing the team felt fully prepared for tournament day. Following the 7:00am take-off the three boats headed in different directions according to a strategic game plan. One boat targeted shallow reeds and lily pads and the another went offshore to target smallmouth bass in larger boulder fields. Within the first few minutes two boats landed impressive fish, briefly putting the team in 5th place. As the morning progressed a quick four fish flurry shot Aitkin up the leaderboard to 3rd place with over 47 pounds. Around noon two major upgrades added over 2.5 pounds to the total maintaining the 3rd spot with an impressive 49.94 pounds. With less than an hour remaining the team made three more culls bringing their final weight to a whopping 51.01 pounds. Unfortunately, in the final minutes of the tourney Brainerd made a few upgrades, dropping Aitkin to 4th place. Despite that late shift, the tournament was a massive success. Finishing 4th in the State Team Championship marks the highest finish in Aitkin history. It was an incredible team effort and phenomenal conclusion to an amazing season.

(Team pic from left to right are Colton Weimer, Captain Kolbe Sahr, Gauge Tscheu, Garrett Guida, Noah Moss, Captain Jordan Moss, Noah Hughes, Captain Scott Hughes and Lenny Hughes)

      If you haven't heard about the "banana ball" craze you are about to. The Banana Baseball Championship League is well into their first season with all six teams in action. It all started with the Savannah Banana's back in 2016 when they started a team that competed in the Coastal Plain League, a summer baseball league for collegiate players. By 2023 they were playing exhibition games against their touring partner teams. They were getting followers on Tik Tok and by 2025 they had amassed 10.5 followers, more than the MLB official count. Banana ball is special of course and have their own special rules. Each inning is scored by how many runs each team scores. If you outscore your opponents, you get a point, so games are not always won by the team that scores the most runs. There is a two-hour limit so play continues at a fast pace. No inning can start after the two hours. There is a ball four sprint. If there is a walk, the batter runs to first and can keep going until all the defensive players touch the ball and that means runners can score or continue to run the bases until all have touched the ball. Outfielders have to run in so they can touch the ball as well. If a foul ball is caught by a fan, it is in an out, and there are other rules as well. There are now six teams playing "banana ball" in the league. The Savannah Banana's, the Indianapolis Clowns, the Firefighters, The Texas Tailgaters, the Loco Beach Coconuts and the Party Animals. But it's not just a baseball game. Players perform dance routines, comedy sketches and more between and sometimes during innings. I was in Fargo Friday for the matchup between the Clowns and the Firefighters and I can honestly tell you I have never seen anything like it. There were over 5,000 in attendance and boy did they have fun. They sometimes pull people out of the stands for between inning competition and also have a band that plays at intervals during the game. Make no mistake about it, these guys and gals are real baseball players. Many played college baseball or minor league ball and the Clowns even have former MLB player Jackie Bradley. They can hit and pitch and field. It's high caliber baseball to be sure. I watched the Banana's on Saturday night on ESPN and they drew over 60,000 at Autzen Stadium in Oregon so this isn't a fluke, this is entertaining baseball with a lot of extra's thrown in. This was a great experience, but it was also a history lesson in the old Negro Leagues and how they were eventually advanced to the world of Major League Baseball. They started in the 30's and continued until the Negro Leagues disbanded. They continued to play as a barnstorming exhibition team into the 80's. Hank Aaron was just one of many who played for the Clowns before becoming a Major League star. They also spawned the careers of "Goose" Tatum, John Wyatt and Choo-Choo Coleman and female players like Toni Stone and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson. Look up some of these players and you will be amazed at what they did back in the day.     At this point you even have to get into a lottery to win the ability to buy tickets in a lot of places but look for an opportunity. You won't be disappointed; it's a two-hour window that you can just sit back and watch entertaining baseball and be pleasantly surprised at what these players can do. They have been called the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball and that's exactly what they are. Who thought "Banana Ball" would get this big.