HOUSTON – “We have these dad bod dancers - the Man-nanas.”
That’s how the conversation goes with former Klein Oak baseball standout Eduardo Malinowski.
“And we have the Banana Nanas.” Naturally, dancing grandmothers,” Malinowski said.
Malinowski is spending his summer in the Coastal Plain League, playing wood bat ball for the Savannah Bananas - likely baseball’s most entertaining team.
“I remember when I first came here, we had like two hours of dance practice,” said Malinowski. “Then they fed us, then we had baseball practice.”
The Bananas sell out most of their games due to the team’s entertaining style. Players have choreographed dances, interact with fans and show off over-the-top celebrations.
“Three kids asked me to sign their foreheads,” said Malinowski. “I would have never thought I would do that.”
When he’s not playing a fake DJ after scoring a run, Malinowski celebrates home runs by hitting a banana after crossing the plate. It’s all a huge relief for a player who has missed two seasons of baseball due to COVID cancellations.
Malinowski graduated from Penn with a degree in economics, but because of the pandemic, has two years of baseball eligibility left. He’ll use those final two years at Virginia Tech after this summer.
Meanwhile, he’s helping the 15-1 (league-leading) Bananas win and entertain.