Milwaukee, WI
Banana Ball brings sold-out crowd and hometown connections to Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE — On Saturday night at American Family Field, nearly every seat was filled, but the crowd wasn’t there for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Thousands of fans packed the ballpark as Banana Ball, the fast-paced baseball and entertainment phenomenon popularized by the Savannah Bananas, brought its traveling show to Milwaukee.
The event featured the Party Animals and Loco Beach Coconuts, two teams in the six-team Banana Ball Championship League.
For many fans, the attraction goes beyond baseball.
“It’s the music, the dancing, and a lot of things for families,” said Sue Liegeois of Muskego, who attended with family members visiting from Michigan.
Liegeois said she became a fan after watching on TikTok and then attending a Banana Ball event in Franklin in 2023.
“The first time I went, I was hooked,” she said.
TMJ4 News
Banana Ball has built a national following through viral social media content and its fan-focused approach to the game.
The Milwaukee stop also featured local connections on the field.
Brady Kais, a southeastern Wisconsin native and pitcher for the Party Animals, said playing in front of family and friends at a major league ballpark was a special experience.
“It’s unbelievable being able to see my friends, family — everybody I’ve seen throughout my whole life,” Kais said.
Kais attended Greendale High School and later pitched for the Lake Country DockHounds in Oconomowoc before joining the Banana Ball tour.
“Growing up, Banana Ball wasn’t a thing, so I definitely never thought this would be something I’d be a part of,” Kais said. “But once I saw it, I knew I needed to be involved.”
TMJ4 News
On the opposing side, Loco Beach Coconuts catcher Erik Ostberg also has ties to southeastern Wisconsin.
Ostberg spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Milkmen before joining Banana Ball and said his time in the area helped shape his career.
“The people here are great. A lot of the people here helped build me up, and I’m very thankful for the Milkmen and Milwaukee,” Ostberg said.
The event also drew young baseball players eager to see the unique version of the game in person.
“It inspires little kids to have fun and follow their dreams,” said Nelson Damrow of the Concordia Lakeshore Jr. Chinooks baseball team.
For longtime fans like Helen Evans, who traveled from South Carolina, sharing the experience with newcomers is part of the appeal.
“To share this with people who’ve never been able to experience it is almost as good as going to the game yourself,” Evans said.
The Loco Beach Coconuts defeated the Party Animals on Saturday night. The teams return to the ballpark Sunday for a second sold-out game
Garrett Mitchell celebrates with third base coach Matt Erickson after hitting a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE – Garrett Mitchell and William Contreras homered, Jacob Misiorowski delivered another winning performance, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the rival Cubs 6-2 at American Family Field on Friday night.
Jacob Misiorowski
By the numbers:
Misiorowski (9-3) struck out eight over six innings and 105.5 mph, tied for the third-fastest since pitch tracking began in 2008. He allowed one earned run – a Seiya Suzuki home run in the fifth – on two hits but walked four. His earned run average for the season now sits at 1.45.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Home runs at AmFam
By the numbers:
Milwaukee trailed 1-0 when Misiorowski threw his final pitch of the night, but Mitchell belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to put Miz in position for the win. David Hamilton made it 3-1 with a triple that scored Cooper Pratt later in the sixth.
Contreras added insurance with a two-run home run of his own in the seventh. Suzuki drove in Pete Crow-Armstrong with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to close the gap for Chicago, but Christian Yelich doubled home Pratt in the bottom half.
Abner Uribe pitched a scoreless seventh for his eleventh hold of the season, Aaron Ashby gave up the sac fly to Suzuki in the eighth and Trevor Megill walked one but worked a scoreless ninth.
Former Milwaukee pitcher Colin Rea pitched five innings in the start for Chicago, but Ethan Roberts was credited with both the loss and a blown save.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who had surgery Thursday for a ruptured disk in his back, guided his club from a safe spot near the dugout.
Saturday’s game
What’s next:
LHP David Peterson (3-6, 6.09 ERA) makes his Cubs debut after being acquired Thursday from the New York Mets for minor league third baseman Cole Mathis. LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.50) starts for the Brewers.
The Source: Information in this story is from Brewers.com. The Associated Press contributed.
There are few things that the Milwaukee Brewers haven’t done right so far in 2026.
Milwaukee has navigated difficult injuries all season and yet it is 49-29 and has the second-best record in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (52-29) heading into an important series against the Chicago Cubs. How many teams out there could accomplish this feat when guys like Andrew Vaughn Christian Yelich, Quinn Priester, Jackson Chourio, and Brandon Woodruff all missed significant time at various points in the season? These are legit, star-level pieces and the Brewers navigated the losses admirably.
Right now, all of them are healthy, except Priester. The young starter will miss the entire season. Now, Milwaukee is firing on all cylinders and yet it could be even better. Soon enough, Logan Henderson will be back. Also, the offense would arguably be even better if Vaughn was given more opportunities. Since May 4, Vaughn is only eighth on the team in plate appearances, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Despite this, Vaughn has done nothing but tear the cover off the ball. In 39 games, he has slashed .355/.444/.542 with a .987 OPS, two homers, 12 doubles, and 23 RBIs. That’s the type of production you need in the lineup every night, regardless.
The Brewers Need To Give Andrew Vaughn More Time
Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged that Vaughn has had a weakness with some righties, as transcribed by Hogg.
“Heavy east-west sometimes is more troublesome for him,” Murphy said. “But for him this year you can look at it and go, ‘Yeah, against the two-seamer he’s been [worse]. But what about the times against the two-samer that he took it and got something else? You don’t get credit for being good against the two-seamer when you take it. You only get dinged when you swing at it.”
Still, this is a guy batting .355 since May 4. He’s obviously not perfect, but Milwaukee’s offense is better with him in it. Even if the club has to get creative. Jake Bauers has made his mark this season and needs playing time as well and both play first base, among others. Throughout Vaughn’s career, he has seen time at third base, second base, left field and right field, along with first base. Throughout the season to this point, there’s been chatter about how the Brewers haven’t had enough offense on the left side of the infield.
They recently promoted Cooper Pratt to play shortstop, so third base has been handled by David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz. Maybe a good idea could be trying to shift Vaughn to third base for the time being because they could then get his bat and Bauers’ bat in the lineup consistently. In that scenario, the Brewers could also consistently roll with an outfield of Chourio in left field, Garrett Mitchell in center field, and Sal Frelick in right field.
At the end of the day, the Brewers need Vaughn’s bat in the lineup every day. If you can bat .355 over a 39-game stretch, you deserve significant playing time.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Milwaukee’s current wastewater treatment contract holder, Veolia Water Milwaukee, is under fire, with some calling for an audit.
A look at MMSD’s South Shore and Jones Island wastewater plants
A look at MMSD’s South Shore and Jones Island plants as leaders weigh a contested $700M, 10-year operations contract in Milwaukee.
It goes without saying that Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is an essential community asset.
Recently, MMSD has been in the news and not in a good way. The MMSD Commission voted to approve an audit of the district’s private wastewater operator. This is less than six weeks after the community organization Common Ground launched a public campaign calling for an audit of Veolia Water Milwaukee, alleging mismanagement of the Jones Island and South Shore wastewater treatment facilities.
I was briefly on a six-member MMSD advisory committee for the 1998 United Water Services contract. Now 28 years, and 2008, 2018, contracts later, the question is what firm to hire for the 2028 contract. I read Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Urban Milwaukee articles, whistle-blower letters and other materials and jotted down concerns listed below (there are others):
- Veolia cut corners on treatment time and process chemicals
- Veolia allowed MMSD assets — buildings and process equipment — to deteriorate
- Veolia provided inadequate staffing
- Employees, particularly those who questioned management, were treated poorly
- Reversing these conditions will be very expensive, if it is even possible to do so
Aren’t these issues sufficient to disqualify Veolia from future consideration?
MMSD has an innovative civil engineering history.
The national American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) designated the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage Treatment Plant a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark when they honored Milwaukee in 1974 for developing the waste-activated sludge treatment process and pioneering a beneficial reuse of biosolids (Milorganite). MMSD has also been recognized for the Deep Tunnel and many innovative infrastructure and flood management projects over the years.
Wisconsin has a strong civil engineering community, which includes the American Society of Civil Engineers-Wisconsin Section (ASCE-WI); five civil engineering university programs with three —Marquette, MSOE and UW-Milwaukee — in Milwaukee); as well as many technical school and apprenticeship programs. Civil engineering projects require many types of expertise and skills.
Is anyone asking questions such as what should be the future of wastewater treatment in Milwaukee? Or what do citizens know about wastewater treatment? Or what do citizens need to know about treatment options to make informed decisions about parameters such as feasibility, public health, environmental protection, costs and financing?
Before the next contract is decided and awarded, shouldn’t human waste generators (citizens), civil engineers and the wastewater industry be asking some of these important questions?
Carol Diggelman, PhD, Emerita Professor, Milwaukee School of Engineering, where she taught for over 30 years, has since retiring, resumed volunteer activities with the League of Women Voters and organized many programs at the intersection of infrastructure and natural resources.
-
Minnesota44 seconds agoWho’s the greatest Minnesota high school athlete of all time? Vote now in ‘USA 250’ poll
-
Mississippi8 minutes ago‘Mississippi firsts’ from Neshoba County Fair
-
Missouri11 minutes agoLake of the Ozarks ranks among cleanest US lakes, study finds
-
Montana16 minutes agoMissoula and Western Montana neighbors: Obituaries for June 27
-
Nebraska23 minutes agoExtreme Heat Watches and Heat Advisories issued across Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota
-
Nevada26 minutes agoNevada QB Thaddeus Thatcher commits to Oregon State, breaks down his decision
-
New Hampshire31 minutes agoGoing with the flow in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region – The Boston Globe
-
New Jersey38 minutes agoMore than 681,000 New Jersey children to receive Summer EBT benefits – WRNJ Radio
