Many firsts were accomplished this weekend in Houston for the Savannah Bananas visit to H-town! We saw the first ever celebratory Banana champagne spray, the debut of a bulletproof Banana and the legendary social media troll/hip hop superstar 50 Cent completed his first successful first pitch at the start of the Savannah Bananas game on Friday night.
50 got everyone on their feet as he came out to his debut hit single “In da club” from his critically acclaimed first studio album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” that dominated airwaves in 2003 and remains relevant to this day. The Banana ball players joined behind 50 on the field as they broke out in dance to further propel the now viral clip that as of Sunday was nearing a million views and 11 thousand comments.
50 was born Queens, NY and grew up in Southside Jamaica Queens. He was invited by the New York Mets now more than 11 years ago to throw out the first pitch at Citi Field. That pitch resulted in a viral clip for a far different reason, as Bob Uecker would say..”Juuuuuuust a bit outside” as the pitch nearly hit those standing between the dugout and home plate! This time the pitch safely landed in the glove of Banana catcher Bill LeRoy even though it more resembled a jump shot with a lot of arc.
This surprise guest may have tipped the scales and shown the reach of Banana Ball as 50 might be the most famous person ever to put on a Banana jersey and take the field with the team. As always Jesse Cole didn’t disappoint as this weekend was the Banana Ball World Tour finale. 50, born Curtis Jackson has many trophies in the case at home as he has won a Grammy, 13 Billboard Music Awards, 6 World Music Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award! His list of accomplishments also includes acting in film as well as television, producing the hit show Power and proving himself in the boardroom as well with shrewd partnerships like his deal with Vitamin Water, G-Unit clothing and footwear, and in his latest venture with his own high-quality Branson Cognac and his own champagne, Le Chemin du Roi!
As the multifaceted business mogul and magnate departed the mound you could clearly see his incredibly recognizable bottle of Le Chemin du Roi Champagne positioned on the bump for the world to see. 50 took to Instagram later to share his experience with the Bananas in Houston. In his post he shared a video and captioned it saying, “ Pulled up on the @thesavbananas game they bring the energy — and now I’m officially bringing the celebration. Check out my @bransoncognac & @lecheminduroi the official cognac and champagne of the Savannah Bananas. @bransoncognac @lecheminduroi.” Many were confused to see the famous New York rapper as the special guest so far from home but he actually has made Houston a second home and invests heavily in the community through events like the Houston Rodeo, Houston Tycoon Comedy and Music Festival and has made Houston the base for his Sire Sprits brand and his philanthropic work with his G-Unity Foundation and the G-Unity Business Lab.
After a magical weekend in “Hustle Town” the Bananas now look forward to October 2-5 back home in Savannah, GA at the Historic Grayson Stadium.
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