Today we explore Chris Sacchi’s journey from a sports-obsessed kid in Connecticut to becoming a “video legend” with the Savannah Bananas. We start by tracing how early exposure to Syracuse athletics (the 2000's were a good time for this) and a small sportswriting opportunity in high school helped shape his path. Chris got to Syracuse knowing he loved sports but still figuring out how to channel that passion. Through friendships and encouragement, he found WJPZ, which became his first real home and creative outlet. That welcoming environment and early responsibility gave him confidence and direction.
WJPZ helped shaped Chris's growth. Experimenting with content, collaborating with peers, and stepping outside his comfort zone helped him develop both technical and creative skills. He mentions several mentors and alumni who provided guidance and opportunities, reinforcing the importance of relationships and community. Those experiences extended beyond college and directly influenced his professional path.
We shift to his post-graduation journey, which took an unexpected route into video editing at MLB Network. While he wasnt' initially focused on editing, he embraced the opportunity, which became a turning point. We stress the importance of adaptability and staying open to roles outside of one’s original plan. That openness ultimately led him to the Savannah Bananas through a connection with a former colleague.
As the Bananas' "video legend," he captures and edits high-energy moments in real time during games. He describes the fast-paced environment, the pressure to balance speed and quality, and the collaborative effort behind the scenes. We also explore the unique culture of Banana Ball, where entertainment and competition coexist. He explains that while the experience is fun and unpredictable, the players are still highly skilled and deeply competitive.
We close with the lasting impact of WJPZ and the power of community. Returning to Banquet this year reignited Chris's appreciation for our network and reminded him of the value of mentorship and connection. Staying open, building relationships, and embracing unexpected opportunities can lead to outcomes far beyond what we initially imagine.
(0:00) Introduction to Chris Sacchi
(2:25) Discovering Syracuse and Early Sports Passion
(4:10) Finding WJPZ and First Experiences
(6:10) Mentorship and Station Culture
(10:18) Building Confidence Through Responsibility
(14:56) Post-Grad Journey and MLB Network
(18:56) Path to the Savannah Bananas
(21:13) What a “Video Legend” Does
(27:33) What Makes Banana Ball Unique
(31:09) Life on the Road with the Bananas
(33:25) Reflections on WJPZ Banquet
(36:34) Closing Thoughts
Chris Sacchi Full Show
Speakers: Jon Gay & Chris Sacchi
Chris Sacchi (00:00):
A lot of what I do on game day is clip the best moments, trick plays, backflips, strikeout celebrations, you name it.
And then if something really big happens, like we have a special musical guest or something, a walk-up that a player does (so let's say a Kelly Clarkson song, whatever), I'll run down to the field in my polo, my name tag, my credential, get my peers' footage cards, because my peers are extremely talented.
They're on the field filming these crazy things. They're running backwards with cameras and all these backflipping guys, and they are in lockstep with some of these world-class athletes.
And then I get their little piece of footage, pop it into my computer, and while those 100,000 people are screaming, I'm hunkering down and editing that to make it look good, sound good, and look good to the fans.
I even say “smell good” as a joke sometimes to keep people on their toes. And “tastes good” too.
Voiceover (00:51):
For half a century, WJPZ Syracuse has been the greatest media classroom on the planet. We've trained students from the 1970s to the 2020s on how to run a professional radio station. But the lessons learned and relationships formed go far beyond studios and transmitters. Taking a look back through the eyes of those who experienced it, this is WJPZ at 50.
Jon Gay (01:16):
Welcome to WJPZ at 50. I am Jon Jag Gay. I'm very excited for today's guest. As you can see on the video, he is joining me live from the broadcast booth of The Bananas in Savannah, Georgia, from the class of 2021.
His LinkedIn profile lists him as a “video legend” at The Savannah Bananas. Please welcome Chris Sacchi. Welcome to the show, man.
Chris Sacchi (01:38):
Jag, thank you so much for having me. I've looked up to you since I was a freshman back in 2017. So, this is an honor to be here. I've followed along, and you've had some great people. So, to be included in this, involved right in the heels of Banquet is quite an honor. So, thank you.
Jon Gay (01:51):
And it was great to connect with you in Banquet. Full disclosure, since it's The Bananas, so this might follow in that type of humor. I think our first conversation was in a Newhouse men's room outside the Friday conferences when I was like, “Oh, Chris, I've been meaning to catch up with you.”
Chris Sacchi (02:04):
That's right. It was predestined to happen. It was meant to be.
Jon Gay (02:08):
I should specify, it was at the sink. It was at the sink.
Chris Sacchi (02:11):
Yeah. We were washing our hands like responsible adults. It was great.
Jon Gay (02:16):
(Laughs) I can tell we're going to have fun with this one. So, let me start with you where I start with everybody. So, you’re a Connecticut guy. Tell me how you found out about Syracuse, got there, and then got to the radio station.
Chris Sacchi (02:25):
A good friend of mine, Jake Goodwin, we used to play wiffleball together. Our parents were good friends. My twin sister and his older sister were good friends. So, we would just be playing ball together, basketball, any sport, and he was a huge Syracuse fan.
All of his family is up from Utica. His father grew up up there. So, I was introduced to Syracuse basketball kind of in the heyday of the late Big East days, early ACC days when guys like Rakeem Christmas, Bob Mello, Michael Carter-Williams, Johnny Flynn, he was our guy.
Johnny Flynn was our guy in a nutshell of that era of Syracuse basketball, dunking on guys and playing the point. We try to play like him. He had a bunch of Syracuse merch. So, that's how I heard about Syracuse. And then over time, it always was on my radar.
I was rooting for them. So, they were always my team, which is really nice when I think about my passion for sports and all that. I never had to go to Syracuse and then become a fan. I was always locked in what was going on, on the hill.
And then when I came to high school, I knew I love sports. It wasn't good enough to still be playing them. I wanted to get into broadcast school. And my dad … I want to give him a big shout-out too right off the top.
He knew what I wanted to do. He found a little tiny ad in The Richfield Connecticut sports … and not even a sports page, on the newspaper (like this small literally) that had an opening for a sportswriter internship. And he found that, cut it out, hung it on the fridge for me to see.
And then that kind of started my first little role in sports when I was a sophomore, junior high school. And then, I think that gave me a little bit of zhuzh to get into Syracuse because I had something on the resume.
The grades, the ACC, whatever, that was alright, but that gave me a little push. And I committed early and got into Syracuse. And then WJPZ was the first really place I got an opportunity. So, I'm extremely thankful that it all worked out that way. So, thanks to Jake.
Jon Gay (04:10):
So, what was your major, and then how did you find the station?
Chris Sacchi (04:12):
Yeah, I was a broadcast digital journalism major. So, I knew I wanted to do something with that. Again, when I was playing football with Jake, I would be commentating the games like I was Matt Vaspersion. Like I owned MLB, the show video game series and just listened to lots of baseball and watched with my dad.
So, I just thought it would make sense for someone to be broadcasting a two-man football game when you have Babe Ruth hitting, and then all of a sudden Willie Mays is hitting, and all of a sudden Beeter’s hitting. We made up road rules, we had like 30-man lineups.
And so, I really want to also thank a lot of my peers at WJPZ because I went into college knowing what I wanted to do, but I wasn't as necessarily tapped in like some of my peers. Like Max Chadwick, who was prominent at the station. I think he was a sports director at one point.
Brandon Ross, Cronberg, Specter — those guys helped me a lot. Full wide scene because they went to maybe broadcasting camps when they were kids and kind of knew that Syracuse was that. I kind of just knew I liked sports.
And then I just was hanging out with them playing Madden, and they said, “Hey, we're going to go to the WJPZ Freshman interest meeting. Do you want to come?” I said, “Yeah, I mean, I'll just hang out with you guys. This sounds cool, radio.” I listened to WFN growing up with my dad.
And so, that's kind of how I got latched on and got into the fold. I think I knew what I wanted to do, but having those good friends, that support system from the guys in my class, I think really helped me because I needed that direction to get steered to WJPZ.
Jon Gay (05:33):
That's interesting because it's opposite of some of the folks I've had on the podcast, where it's been, “I kind of walked into JPZ solo and found my tribe.” You kind of walked in with your (chuckles) own tribe.
Chris Sacchi (05:43):
Yeah, that's right. Which again, I think helped me a lot. I love sports. I've always been a sports nut. And then hearing that they had a radio station that has some sports, had some entertainment, some music, with all the history.
You walk in, and back then they had the gallery of “things going on” and the “hall of fame folks.” That made it very special. And then immediately I felt that aura, that presence of, “Oh, there's a lot of history in here.” The greatest media classroom is enshrined up there, and that really gave me the jump that I really needed.
Jon Gay (06:10):
Okay. So, you got there, and you walked in with some of your fellow freshmen. Who were some of the upperclassmen that you learned from when you walked in there?
Chris Sacchi (06:17):
That's a great question. I think Nate … Noah Eagle, by the way. I knew his dad. So, I knew that his dad was a big – him and Drew Carter, I feel like always were … even other guys I looked up to both by stature and by just prestige.
They were great AER guys too. They're always really welcoming. And so, when we were doing things like sports casts, they really brought me in right off the top. So, Nate White was his name. He was the one who did a sports show. He let me shadow like my first weekend.
I didn't really know what I was doing. I just got to sit on the little sofa at the edge of the station where right before all the hosts’ mics are, and just watch. I was like, “This is fun.” It’s a Friday morning. They're out here talking about sports, and that's the stuff that I listened to and grew up. So, I want to give him a special shout-out because he was great.
Hannah Butler, she was a blast to have. She was my first-ever Morning Zoo lead host when I was just an associate producer. Jordan Kaposi, he was hilarious. And we became very close when I was at WJPZ because he was two years ahead of me, not three.
So, my sophomore year, I also looked up to him, we did shows together. He housed me one time I had an internship for a week up in Syracuse after the semester was over. And so, I want to give him a special set of flowers too. He was really special.
So, there's just a welcoming environment. I think this is the common thread that you hear about at Banquet on these podcasts that people are so welcoming. You don't feel like you are coming into something so big even though it's huge, and the prestige, the honor is there.
You walk in, and you feel like you're part of it right away, which I have always felt like I wanted to pay forward, do something like Banquet, talk to some students because it's the least I can do. That opening, welcoming environment was not something you might see at something so high-class.
But it was there from the rip, from WJPZ. Which was very special.
Jon Gay (08:03):
Did you also do AER or Citrus, or mainly WJPZ?
Chris Sacchi (08:06):
I did all three. Like I said, my friends were always kind of putting a lot on their plates, and I figured out I would just do that. But WJPZ is where I found my first home. That's, like I said, my second semester.
First semester, like I said, I didn't really know what I was getting into. Still kind of getting comfortable with everything else and didn't have any opportunities on the air or producing, just kind of shadowing, doing those things, like I said with Nate.
And then I applied to be an assistant producer at WJPZ after just doing a DJ shift. And that's what gave me my confidence, is that, “Oh, I belong.” Because things were not clicking right away. And that just gave me my shot.
“Okay, I got something.” I got something that I can go to. Weekly meetings the day prior, and then 6 AM on Friday mornings each week. It made me really excited. I just felt like I was part of something. And so, I did all those other things. AER, I did a lot of things I was proud of, but Citrus as well.
And I also think what helped me on those other platforms, is that JPZ gives you the freedom to try and express yourself. And Cole Weinstein and I were doing radio spots about how, “Hot take: we don't like water, and here's why.”
[Laughter]
All these things that were really out of left field. But when you get that hour together as a DJ shift, you're kind of forced to be creative and try to get some listeners. And the DJ training we got was really exceptional. And I think that gave us the room to grow.
And then taking that experience I got — when I was at Citrus, I did a lot of entertainment stuff at first before doing sports. And so, doing all the WJPZ stuff, being in those Morning Zoo meetings and planning out segments, it actually got me way more connected to the entertainment.
Because I grew up as a sports guy, like I said, but all of a sudden, I'm on the Morning Zoo, and we're talking about what's hot. Bruno Mars did something, Taylor Swift did something. Okay, now I can bring that to my tryouts for Citrus.
So, Z was my first home. And whenever we did the Watson Cup, the kickball game, I always played for them because they — and we went 4-0, by the way. This is on the record. In my years, we never lost.
And always people are like, “Oh, are you going to play for Citruses?” No, never. Because Z89 was my first home. That's where the welcoming environment felt strongest off the start. And for someone who needed more support, maybe took a little bit of more time, a late bloomer, Z was the perfect home for me because I was able to learn and be given those chances at a time when I really needed it.
Jon Gay (10:18):
And Watson Cup, the kickball game between Citrus and Z, every year. I want to put a finer point on something you said a moment ago, Chris, because it struck me, is you felt like you had something to do. You had weekly meetings.
Throughout the 55-ish year history of the radio station now … we're jokingly calling this WJPZ at 50+ at this point. But from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and on, that's how people got recruited. That's why people felt like they belong because they had a responsibility.
And I've told the story 100 times in the podcast, I'll make it 101. But Harry Wearing from the Class of ‘99 was a senior when my class in ‘02 were freshmen. And we had a pretty small staff at that point. He found a role for each of us and gave us responsibility.
And immediately, we felt like we belonged. We felt like we were part of it. It sounds like the same thing happened to you.
Chris Sacchi (11:04):
Certainly, yeah. You mentioned Harry's name. To take it a few years after that, he gave me my first-ever internship shot. I kept in touch with him after my Banquet, my sophomore year. It was April, May.
Like I said, a lot of my buddies, they're all really high achievers. Guys like Cooper Borgman, who's currently doing stuff with The Red Sox, they were really high achievers, and I didn't really have an internship.
And Harry and I stayed connected, and he does Long Island radio broadcasting, which was close enough. It was close enough to my home. I had some family out there. I knew, “Okay, maybe I can work with Harry.” And then eventually got a baseball job out there.
And so, that one-on-one time, like I said, the family atmosphere, that wasn't just in the studio, but from the alums, from the jump, he was able to give me my first shot. And just like my first AP on the Morning Zoo, I felt like, “Okay, I can do something.”
This was not only on campus, but now in the professional world, I was able to help Harry. I mean, he's talking about finding roles for us. He had me driving the station vans all across the LIE delivering. We have a festival here, then we got something in Patchogue that I'm driving a couple hours all the way across Long Island.
And he still was able to trust me with that and get me ready because I had tents, I had sound equipment things that are rattling around as I'm driving this big truck on the LIE with crazy people who love to cut you off and drive fast, getting tuned from Long Island, New York City, whatever.
And so, yeah, that welcoming environment was really probably something I'm going to say over and over again because that's just the truth. And yeah, I'm happy you shouted out Harry, because he's someone who, for me, I think is one of my biggest mentors in life in general.
My parents joked, he was like a father figure the two months I lived on Long Island because they were back in Connecticut. I was on Long Island, living in this tiny little place. I had, like I said, a little bit of family out there, but they were kind of doing their own thing.
And so, he was like someone who I was able to see on most days working festivals. He'd get us food. He just made us feel welcome. He had us do some on-air spots from those festivals with all the crazy stuff going on.
It's 90 degrees, and me and my partner Jackson are doing little spots. And they weren't great, and he critiqued us very kindly. I don't think they ever made air, but the fact that he even gave us a microphone and just let us talk into it, I think is what we really appreciated.
So, yeah, I don't know if that answers your original question, but when you talked about Harry, it just got me going.
Jon Gay (13:21):
No, I love hearing that about Harry because Harry's one of my favorite people. And it sounds like he was the same boss to you 20 years after he was a boss to me at JPZ. Just one of the classiest guys in our organization. So, I'm so glad to hear that about Harry. Shout out Harry. I hope you're listening to this one.
So, you're a big sports guy, and I know most of your career has been in baseball. Are you a sports fan of all other sports, or is baseball really your far and away number one?
Chris Sacchi (13:45):
Yeah. Baseball, it's like WJPZ. It's my first love. But I always say, “Ask me what time of year it is, and I'll tell you what my favorite sport is.” Because MLB is here, but the NBA is like right here. Basketball, NBA, Syracuse basketball.
Sometimes it will creep up too in March, especially when I was a student and Syracuse was on those Sweet 16 runs with Boeheim and his last quality set of seasons. So, yeah, baseball … I've worked in baseball pretty much as long as I can remember, besides some jobs in high school.
Ever since I was kind of in college, I played my last season after my freshman year. Then I coached the following year that I worked with Harry and the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League with him my junior year.
So, always baseball and then worked for the MLB network, and now work for this crazy Bananas organization, who's been so good and who's really making baseball fun and changing baseball.
Jon Gay (14:38):
And I want to spend a lot of time talking to you about The Bananas because this fascinates me, and selfishly, I'm going to a game this weekend. But take me a little bit through your journey post-graduation.
So, you graduate in ‘21. Harry was a great mentor to you in terms of the internship. Walk me through the gigs that you had after graduating, Chris.
Chris Sacchi (14:56):
Yeah, that's a great question because I've taken a little bit of a different path than maybe I would have planned in college, but when speaking to students at Banquet a couple of weeks back, I reminded them that that's okay.
In fact, you should cast a wide net and keep the doors open. Because if I had stayed stubborn on, “I want to be on air, I want to do this, I want to do that,” I think it would have boxed me in and prevented me from getting some great things.
So, I graduated, like I said, I did a lot of the on-air stuff, AER. My last couple of months there, we did a lot of March Madness shows, I just mentioned, which was very special. The 2021 Sweet 16 run took all of us by surprise. So, we were just on that magic carpet ride for a couple of weeks there.
And so, I took a job — again, you might notice some things kind of happened because I wasn't maybe as prepared as I needed to be, but that's okay. Just like two years prior, when I got an internship right before the summer, this was late April, early May of my senior year.
Graduation was about three weeks later because of all the COVID-19 things that changed everything around. And so, it was that point in time (late April, early May), and I didn't have a job yet. And although it was COVID, and some jobs were coming along slower, some people I knew already had jobs. They were already-
Jon Gay (16:10):
Those are non-Newhouse people. Those are non-communications people that have jobs. COVID or no COVID, we're always the last ones to find a gig, Chris. Let's keep it real here.
Chris Sacchi (16:20):
That's right. And that's a great point. And, again, I was looking, and then MLB Network just sent emails to us: “Hey, we're doing recruiting calls if anyone's interested.” And as someone who grew up on MLB Network, loved it since its inception in 2009 and watched it with my dad. Prime 9, all those original shows, a lot of Bob Costas content, Sulo himself.
And so, I said, “Oh, this is interesting.” Not thinking that it was really a job thing. I just thought, “Okay, I'll talk to them, get to know them for a little bit. And then maybe my name is on their radar down the line.” And so, I get on this Zoom call with them.
It's COVID; a lot of stuff was Zoom back then. They used to actually go in person. But they did everything Zoom, and the person came on, they asked me one question, which lasted a couple of minutes.
They said, “Okay, that's all I got. What questions do you have?” And so, I was really a little bit floored, but like I said, because I watched so much MLB Network, I had some questions just in the back. Whether it was, “Hey, you guys have a new show from a new studio.”
So, it ended up turning into about an hour-long call. And towards the end of the call, he says, “Alright, thank you.” And I thought it was it. He goes, “We have job openings, and we'll reach out if we like you.”
And I'm trying to keep it cool. Just had this call with this guy, I'm in my little college dorm room and my last year on Euclid Avenue. But in my heart's beat, I said, “Oh, I don't have a job yet. This could be interesting.”
And the following Monday, they reached out, and he did make it clear it was an editing-heavy position. As someone who didn't edit much in college, I knew that I'd have to change the skillset I had a little bit, but I was ready for it.
Because like I said, I didn't have much. I was just going to coach baseball after college like I did the couple of years prior, apply for jobs, and see what happened. But I knew that this was an opportunity I loved because of how much I loved MLB Network.
So, I was there for a couple of years. And then Biko Skalla, who also did WJPZ with me and AER, he also worked at MLB Network. We just stayed in touch. And that's how I learned about The Bananas because I followed him on Twitter.
And he was doing all these crazy interviews where he was walking along the beach with Eric Burns, carrying him in his arms with the microphone. He did some interviews in his undies. And I think a lot of his — just as an aside and a shout-out to Biko, who's a mentor of mine who I still work with.
This is his domain, this broadcast booth is … he’s been in here since 2020. I think a lot of his crazy fun antics came from WJPZ, like I mentioned earlier. No fear of failure. Just having fun, being open, and letting the fans dictate if you change or if you do it more.
Jon Gay (18:56):
So, if I'm understanding you correctly, some of The Savannah Banana’s antics have roots at WJPZ?
Chris Sacchi (19:03):
That's right.
Jon Gay (19:03):
I want to underscore that, bold it, italicize. I want to make sure we didn't gloss over that.
Chris Sacchi (19:09):
That's right. Clip that because it's true. I see the freedom that he broadcasts with, and I saw the same stuff when we were working together in Syracuse. So, he reached out just via Twitter DM. Like I said, we kept in touch over Twitter.
And he said, “Hey, we have a job.” And this is early 2023. And I said, “Oh, that's interesting.” And we had some interviews, he passed me along to some other people. And I took another editing-heavy job with The Bananas, thus becoming the video legend about three years ago.
Jon Gay (19:37):
You mentioned this, and I'm going to repeat it for any younger alumni or students listening. What you said about wanting to be on air and wanting to do certain things, and having that hindsight now of being open to something that may not be on the air.
Being open to something in production or video or editing, being willing to adapt. I mean, when I started being a podcast producer (having a radio background), I only did audio. And it's like, “Well, shoot. If I don't do video, I'm going to get left behind.”
You had this job to be a video editing heavy job at MLB; you brushed up on your video skills and said, “Okay, if that's what you need, that's what I'll do.” That Chameleon Darwinism adaptation really will serve you well (anybody listening) in your career. That's fantastic advice, and I'm glad you said that.
Chris Sacchi (20:19):
Yeah, you touched on it really well. Having that adaptability, you don't want to box yourself in. And it's almost in a way a little bit selfish to think, “Hey, I can only do this.” Because, again, if I never took that MLB job, I wouldn't have moved down to Savannah.
And I never thought I'd move down South. I'm a New York guy through and through. Grew up right on the Connecticut-New York border. My dad's from the Bronx. I never thought this would come up. But I got to meet my girlfriend here. The weather down here is great. I met some of my best friends down here. I never thought I'd be traveling the world with some crazy baseball team that dances and is all over TikTok.
Maybe if I stayed bottled in, who knows what would have happened. So, like you said, Jag, great, great point to be open because it can open more doors than you ever would have thought.
Jon Gay (21:04):
“Video legend” is a great term, but what is your day-to-day role? What is a typical game day like for you? For The Bananas, Chris?
Chris Sacchi (21:13):
I think if I were to make a tally sheet, a scorecard of sorts, of what questions the students asked me at Banquet, I think that's number one: what is a video legend? Because it just incites a lot of questions. I think it's such a Banana Ball style thing that makes someone a title that opens itself up to a lot of that.
So, game day; we like to get there. Let's say if we're going to be in New Orleans, the Superdome this week, we'll probably get there around 9, 10 AM. Get there. The players will rehearse all the dances, the celebrations, the craziness that you see online, it starts.
They're even rehearsing as we speak right now on the field. So, that is very well-thought out. And by the time we get to that game day, it's the final rehearsals. “Alright, let's put the cherry on top of this. Let's add this little prop.”
The attention to detail, I think, is really inspiring. Something I've learned a lot from here. And so, we'll do some rehearsals, we'll settle in, maybe plug in some cameras, charge things. And then as the day goes on, I'll probably finish my YouTube posting, my YouTube shorts. Maybe working with other of our interns and what videos they're creating.
And then game day is where things really rev up even more. You'll see fans trickling in starting at 5.30, 7 o'clock. Start the clock, and we've got 100,000 people having a blast. And so, a lot of what I do on game day is clipping the best moments, trick plays, backflips, strikeout celebrations, you name it.
And then if something really big happens, like we have a special musical guest or something, a walk-up that a player does (so let's say a Kelly Clarkson song, whatever), I'll run down to the field in my polo, my name tag, my credential, get my peers' footage cards because my peers are extremely talented.
They're on the field filming these crazy things, they're running backwards with cameras and all these backflipping guys, and they are in lockstep with some of these world-class athletes. And then I get their little piece of footage, pop it into my computer, and while those 100,000 people are screaming, I'm hunkering down and editing that to make it look good, sound good, and look good to the fans.
I even say “smell good” as a joke sometimes to keep people on their toes. And “tastes good” too. So, that's what the game day looks like.
Once I get that piece of footage — and it's also a bit of a rush because I'm running down to the field, running back up, putting it in, I'm out of breath, and it's time to get that footage out to the fans as quickly as possible, and also as it looks good as possible.
We want to uphold the high standard, so it's that tightrope act of as a video editor of having it be good, doing it quickly, but also keeping that standard. You don't want to rush something out there. But you also don't want to take all day on this little detail that may actually just impede your progress.
Jon Gay (23:52):
No, I've had to learn that too. Sometimes if you get 95% of where you want the video, at that point, you can just get it out for the sake of speed. So, you're not doing any shooting, you're collecting and editing the footage.
Chris Sacchi (24:03):
Yes, for the most part. I always joke because I have a little bit of shooting experience at Newhouse, but nothing to the level of my peers who are there running with these players 100 yards across a football field that we're playing on, or from the fence to home plate 400 feet. I can't do that.
I tried one walk-up once when we were a little bit shorter on people, spread thin, and I fell over after it rained in California. So, that video is on The Bananas Instagram.
[Laughter]
If you really want to watch me fall, you'll notice a guy wearing glasses whose headset fell down and is dragging alongside me as I'm trying to film this walk up. And then because it had rained in California (which never even really happens), I tried to stop and fell over.
And so, that ended up being a content piece of itself was my fail. So, I'm happy I did that for the fans. But yeah, the shooting for me is pretty low. It's mostly the post-production part. Which is good. I don't want to fall again.
Jon Gay (24:59):
(Laughs) I've got to imagine it's hard to get a gig with The Bananas. Because in the last year or two, the team has really just blown up, and have got expansion teams and all that. I'd imagine you must have people lining up at the door that want to be involved with this organization in any way, shape, or form.
Chris Sacchi (25:16):
Yeah, that's right. When I first came on there, I think it helped. And I'll say this to any students listening; having a connection base. I was always taught, have your connections. And in my head at first, I thought have a lot. This person, this person.
But I think like you said with Harry, and what I've shared about with Harry, he was a close connection. And we just built that from there. It's like you’re friends. You don't want a million best friends.
You want a circle of people that love you and you love them back and you trust them, and they trust you. And so, Biko was a close connection. We worked at WJPZ alongside one another. So, he thought of me when an opening came up.
But now, I think, because almost three years have passed since that point, or more than three years, I think, like you said, it's become so competitive with all the TikToks you see in the grove. You have six teams now. When I first got here, there were two.
The Bananas were really the focus, and The Party Animals (which were the second team out of six) were kind of just the opponent. And now, The Party Animals have their own fans, and their TikTok has more followers than the Yankees and any other sports team.
So, it's really been amazing. So, yeah, I think the door is always being knocked down in terms of potential hires, but that shouldn't dissuade anyone from trying to join. Because with the rate that the company is growing, I see more and more people every day.
We'll go on trips, and I'll meet people, and then we'll go on the next weekend, I'll meet somebody else that's trying to help us out. So, yeah, it's really been amazing to see this company expand.
Jon Gay (26:44):
And I've seen a shout-out to my fellow Massachusetts native Jesse Cole, head guy at The Savannah Bananas. He's done interviews with everybody from 60 Minutes on down the line talking about this culture that he's built there. And you are epitomizing that (chuckles) culture in this interview, Chris. That's why I've been looking forward to this so much.
So, for anybody not familiar with The Savannah Bananas, if you've been living under a rock for the last couple of years or under a base, I guess you could say — I don't want to give the cliche and say you're the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, because that's been over and done with. But it's fun. It's exciting. The rules all change.
For our listeners who have not been to a game or been lucky enough to go to a game — and for me, selfishly, because we're recording this on Wednesday, March 11th, and I'm crossing my fingers going to see you guys in New Orleans this Saturday night — walk me through, from a fan's perspective, what to expect before and during and even after a game.
Chris Sacchi (27:33):
This might sound as a cliche answer, but it's good to expect the unexpected. If you look at Jesse's, a lot of interviews, he likes to say, “We'll do plenty of things every night that you've never seen on a baseball field.” And I think that's just a perfect encapsulation.
And I think what really is a beautiful kind of direction change from the Globetrotters is that none of the games are ever fixed. Some people look at the TikToks and say, “Oh, they plan to do that backflip catch or that trick play at that time.”
But I know these guys personally, and if you look at their faces on the sidelines, they want to win. We've had players break bats and throw helmets, which is not encouraged, but it does show how much they love — the same stuff you'll see in major league baseball.
And so, it shows that there's a competitive side. And I give them a lot of credit because they're world-class baseball players that have come to Banana Ball and amidst all the craziness, still want to win.
So, sometimes they don't work in tandem. A pitcher could run in and do a five-minute dance jig onto the mound. He might be out of breath, and you'll see him as he's trying to pitch way out of breath, and that's kind of the beautiful tightrope.
Is that a batter might do a walk-up from the crowd and interact with all these players and do tricks on the way to the plate, and then all of a sudden, that pitcher wants to face me. He's going to throw him a 95-mile-per-hour fastball to try to get him out.
So, it's almost more difficult than the major leagues in that way and that they have to be so attentive to all the other stuff. That's not just, “Okay, let me get a hit right now.” And then if I'm not hitting, I'm going to sit in the dugout and wait.
They're out there dancing on the top steps, the dugouts, talking to fans, hanging out with youngsters, and signing autographs before the games, after the games, even during the games, you'll see players.
Jag, if you keep your eyes out, you might see some players interacting with fans and shaking hands and having fun with the youngsters. So, I give the players a ton of credit. And to answer your question about the fans, just be open and get there early because you want to see the pre-stuff that's going on.
We have singers and songwriters as players. And a Broadway star, Derek Klena, is now on The Bananas. So, expect the unexpected, I think, is the long and short of it (chuckles).
Jon Gay (29:37):
And I think I want to emphasize, too, you've got a lot of celebrities, and you've got folks that can do all these cool tricks, but you've got to be a really damn good baseball player to play for The Bananas or one of the other teams in the league now.
This isn't just I'll show, to your point, about being competitive. Some of these folks are just incredible ball players.
Chris Sacchi (29:54):
Yeah. It's a great point. I'm happy you said that because it can get lost in the shuffle of the dances and everything else. But we have someone like Jake Skole, he won the triple crown last year. He led all of Banana Ball and batting average home runs, and runs batted in.
He was a first-round draft pick back in 2011 and had a really storied career and did not make the major leagues, but then has found his flourishing point here. And I think also, to your point, the players have a lot of fun.
And sometimes that allows them to play better. They just play more loose. They know that if they go 0 for 20, in some other leagues, you could get cut. And you and your family have to move or find a new team, your agent will work very hard.
Here, if you're on a team for a season, unless there's any disciplinary wrongdoing, you're going to be with that team. We've had two players unfortunately, are out for the season this year, but they're still going to be around hanging out with fans up in the stands, making fans-first moments, as we like to call them.
And so, I think that security blanket and that support from The Banana Ball organization allows them to play free, and a lot of the time, it helps them play better too.
Jon Gay (31:00):
I like that a lot. So, you're playing mostly end of the week, weekends. What's the week look like? You're in Savannah for the beginning part of the week, and then you're wherever you are in the country in the latter part of the week?
Chris Sacchi (31:09):
That's right, yeah. Well, Savannah is almost like a little platoon area. We’re here for a couple days, and then we'll end up flying back out. This week, for example, flying to New Orleans tomorrow.
Rehearsing a bunch of things Friday, getting the stadium ready. Getting acquainted with all the little nooks and crannies of the Superdome. And then Saturday is when we get it all going, and Sunday too with the two games.
So, sometimes, it feels a little fast when you're flying back on a Monday, you're in the office on a Tuesday, and then on Wednesday and Thursday, you're back out again. So, you got to be on your Ps and Qs with your laundry and your room and everything else.
[Laughter]
Keep things dry and got to make sure you have time to call mom and dad and whoever else, and keep the family tied and whatever else. Savannah is like our home base. It sometimes feels like camp because you're normally on the road. And sometimes, we'll be on the road for a week at a time.
The week after New Orleans, later this month in March, we’ll be in San Diego, then right to Anaheim. So, no coming back to Savannah. So, you get the little extra baggies, a little extra underwear, socks, all that you might need, and then just some stuff to keep you ready.
But it's a blessing because I never thought I'd visit California in my life. I’ve been able to go out there now a couple times with The Bananas. New Orleans, Jag, you sent me a great guide to New Orleans, which is wonderful. We'll have a night to explore the city.
Jon Gay (32:26):
It's going to sound funny, but don't sleep on the char-grilled oysters. Trust me, the char-grilled oysters and make sure you get yourself a po' boy with whatever you want on it.
Chris Sacchi (32:35):
That sounds great. As a lover of seafood and food itself, I can't wait for that weekend. So, thank you for sending that because it is an illustration of how lucky we are to go to these new cities try out things we might never try. Whether it's food or sites or anything else, we're extremely lucky.
Jon Gay (32:50):
Well, and you said you were a Syracuse fan for a very long time. You are going to be in the building this weekend where Syracuse won their national championship, the Superdome.
Chris Sacchi (33:00):
Yeah, that's right. That's right, I did not think about that.
Jon Gay (33:03):
And I’d be remiss if I didn't say the Patriots won their Super Bowl as well. I know you're a New York guy, but yeah.
[Laughter]
This interview has been really on brand for The Bananas, because it's been really fast-paced and we've covered a lot of ground in roughly 30 minutes. I'm trying to think if there's anything else I want to ask you. Anything you want to cover that I have not talked to you about?
Chris Sacchi (33:25):
Yeah, that's the A1 interview question. Brent Axe, who did some WJPZ activities back in the day, he said whenever you're interviewing someone, that should be, “Hey, what didn't I ask?” Which is always key.
I'll say this, I think I wanted to do this quickly on the heels of Banquet because it had been a couple years since I'd gone to Banquet, and then I was able to come here in 2026. And that's the most energized I've felt in a long time, even with all the travel Bananas’ activities that I do, just how special it was. Seeing people I looked up to when I was in school. Seeing people, I still look up to like Scott McFarland, breaking these massive stories that are changing the country.
We have Howard Deniroff, who’s produced what, 34, 35 straight Super Bowls until he took another job in Las Vegas. That's a record that may never be broken.
But with all that being said, these are people who will look you face-to-face and have a conversation with you. Whether you're an alum or a student at the time. I saw Howard, Scott — they're always working and talking with students, which is amazing and kind of speaks to something, just to tie back to what we talked about earlier. The family atmosphere, the kindness, the openness that everybody has. I think everyone remembers what they felt like that first day walking into the station.
And it's not forgotten no matter how far these people might go in their careers, it's amazing. And the energy that I felt from that has given me a kind of renewed confidence. I was back in WJPZ remembering what it felt like to chase your dreams and maybe not have everything figured out.
But you have that support system around you to guide you along the way. So, I'm so happy for that weekend, again, especially after a couple years away. I think I really drank it in, and I was very thankful.
So, the amazing job that the Banquet board provides, it’s just off the charts. And any students who are hesitant or recent alums, “I don't know anyone back there anymore, I haven't been in a while,’ whatever. You just got to go. You just got to go, because it's already opened doors for me. And again, hanging out with you, hanging out with Harry again, it's like, “Oh, these people are people who I love.”
Peterman, talking to him again and all his energy, and he's got Bananas’ ideas and he's doing similar stuff with the Marble Ponies in Binghamton. So, we were able to connect and relate, and amazing stuff.
I couldn't say more about this, and I love that it has an enduring podcast because it gets some of these feelings on the record. We could talk about it all we want, but to get this out to a larger audience, it's great. And very thankful it snowed when I was up in Syracuse, apropos, and just being part of that again was incredibly special stuff.
Jon Gay (36:05):
So, worth it for a weekend to trade bananas for oranges?
Chris Sacchi (36:09):
Yes, absolutely (chuckles). Absolutely. I would make the trade-off. I eat a lot of yellow around from here until October. From March to October, I’ll be with The Bananas a lot to be able to take off, and you're almost like you're back in time.
Jon Gay (36:22):
Yeah, it is that weird time warp, and you're kind of with your old — I mean, I got an Airbnb with four of my classmates this year. So, we were back to 2002, it was great. So, I hear you.
Chris Sacchi (36:32):
Yeah, it was just amazing.
Jon Gay (36:34):
Chris, I want to thank you so much for your time today. I know you're a busy guy. I know things move very quickly down there with The Bananas, and I really just appreciate you spending some time with us.
Chris Sacchi (36:42):
Oh, thank you, Jag. This was a blast. And I know I was excited off the jump. I was talking a lot, everybody. So, I think you can listen to that on what, 0.8 speed from level land rolling downhill.
[Laughter]
But yeah, this was a blast, Jon. It was so nice getting to see you again on campus, and just sharing things. And I'll see you again in just a couple of days’ time in New Orleans. I'll come down say hi.
Do you want a little look at how the sausage is made up in the press box? I can have you see what's going on up there and show you all the crazy stuff we do, and I can't wait to see you and your wife, and it's going to be a blast of a time. And just thank you for your support. And this was amazing that you thought of me for the podcast.
Jon Gay (37:19):
Much appreciated. Thank you, Chris.
Okay, now that I've been to The Bananas game in The Superdome, I wanted to jump on and add a quick postscript to my interview with Chris.
If you have not been to a Banana Ball game, it is something to behold. The amount of production, coordination, precision, it is incredible. If you've ever produced a live event of any kind, you'll be impressed. There's music playing the whole time, though no song plays for more than 30 or 45 seconds (my wife called it the TikTok of baseball).
There's always multiple things happening between endings, during the game. There was the Dunkin' Donut batter of the game, there was a marriage proposal. There was a gender reveal where the couple and the mascot split bananas (chuckles), and the reveal wasn't pink or blue — it was yellow. And the husband chased split off the stage, the field, whatever you want to call it.
In New Orleans, there was a halftime show where the Saints quarterback came out and threw the ball around, the football, I could go on and on. Bottom line, it was like nothing I had ever seen. I know it's tough to get tickets with the lottery, but if you have a chance to check out one of these games, it is absolutely worth checking out.
That'll do it for this episode of WJPZ at 50, thanks again to Chris. In upcoming episodes, you'll hear from Bella Galan, the current GM of Z89, as well as the men behind throwback Z89 Hall of Famers Matt Delsignore and Stephen ‘Tex’ Curts. Until next time, later.
[Music playing]
Voiceover (38:50):
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is created entirely by the staff and alumni of the world's greatest media classroom. It's hosted by Jon Jag Gay, Class of 2002. Imaging by Maureen Cooper, Class of 1999, and Ed Lacombe, Class of 1985. Podcast artwork by Marty Dunducks, Class of 2001. Follow WJPZ at 50 on Apple podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you're listening right now.