Not many entrepreneurs sit down to redesign a sport from the early 1800s. Even less do so intending to add an edgy dose of entertainment, unorthodox antics, and even…dance scenes.
But Jesse Cole, owner and visionary genius behind the independent baseball league and team, The Savannah Bananas, not only envisioned all of the above, but did it with the intention of morphing a beloved pastime into a sport that brings in a new audience and a renewed love of baseball.
Cole had a vision back in 2015 to re-imagine what the best possible fan experience could be, then do it. He didn't want to settle for how things had been done before. And re-imagine he did.
Six teams now sit within this independent baseball league: Bananas, Party Animals, Texas Tailgaters, Loco Beach Coconuts, Indianapolis Clowns, and, to our pleasure, the Firefighters.
If you were wondering what Banana Ball has to do with firefighters, then sit back and prepare not to be surprised to learn that there are firefighters who do more than just firefighting. In fact, we would be disappointed if you didn’t consider that the head coach for the Firefighters came to the job with a decade of firefighting experience.
Enter Valerie (Val) Perez – #27 for the Firefighters, head coach and former Corpus Christi, Texas, firefighter. Before leaving her department after a decade of service, Perez spent time transporting back and forth to Georgia to manage her career with the Banana League and her role as a firefighter and wife/parent back home in Texas. However, on National Firefighter Day, May 4, 2025, Perez signed off for the last time as a firefighter and moved to Savannah, Ga, to head-first slide full-time into a role of head coach for the Firefighters, the third team to be made in the Banana Ball Organization.
“The move to Georgia has been in two parts due to my kids finishing the school year in Texas. Once they arrive, it will be complete and we all will finally be home,” says Perez. “I am overwhelmed with excitement as my family and I begin this incredible adventure together!”
"Couldn't be more excited to have Val back as the head coach of the Firefighters,” says Cole. “She is a tremendous leader and has gained so much respect from the players. She truly understands what it means to be a firefighter. We couldn't ask for a better leader to represent and honor firefighters all over the country."
The Banana League discovered her via social media. After some trips down to Georgia, some conversations (and an admission about her lack of dancing talent), she gave the tryouts a chance. She ended up meeting some cool people when she did the tryout, one being Berry Aldridge, a recruiter for the league. They all jived, a game was played, and the rest is history. Home run complete with touchdown dance around the basepath indeed.
“Naturally, I spoke to my wife, and we talked about the job. It's a lot having three active kids in their own sports and school stuff. A lot of that responsibility fell onto my wife's shoulders. But luckily, she was like, 'let’s figure it out and see how it goes,'" Perez says.
After agreeing to not only be part of the Banana League but also the head coach of the brand-new team at the time, the Firefighters, Perez began the journey of managing two busy lifestyles and careers, and her role as a wife and mom to three kids.
But life-work balance isn’t easy. Nor is it easy for a team of both professional players and firefighters to represent such a vast body of first responders in sport.
Head coach Perez hit the nail on the head when she made her first speech to her team.
“Right off the bat, when I met the whole team, after the welcome speech and what it means to don whatever uniform you are in that day (be it bunker gear or not), I correlated the importance of that image and set the tone. I said this means something to a lot of people and not to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s not a joke.
“It’s real life, and when you're playing on a team that represents them, remember that. We talked about 9/11, our LODD every year, and we made sure to talk about that history right out of the gate. All of the team members who were not firefighters were super dialed in and very respectful from day one about the fire side of things. And not only the players, but the staff as well.”
She continues, “When I went to Bananaland and met Jesse and his wife, they were both incredible; everybody from top to bottom was very family-oriented.
It was like a dreamland where you wonder where you are going to see true colors, and then something happens that reveals those true colors — and they’re still great! The culture they've been able to capture and keep is amazing. It’s very special, and my wife was able to experience it as well. It’s something worth potentially uprooting your life for.”
Advice for other firefighters who are trying to balance life with interests, and maybe even transition from one career to another?
“When my wife and I were trying to figure out our dynamics, such as when I’m gone, we still needed to coordinate 100% of the time. The year before Bananaball was my first year on the national team, so I played a couple of different tournaments a year where I needed to travel, along with camps and different things within baseball, so we got a little taste of how to figure it all out when I’m gone.
“Ever since we met, I have been a firefighter with a 24 on and 48 off schedule. We've learned as a couple and from our kids’ relationships with us how to balance life. It’s ever-evolving.”
What do her kids have to say?
“When my daughter saw me on my TikTok for the first time, she was like, ‘Oh my god!’ But I’m just mom to them. The one who says to go clean your room, let’s go do this and that. But then they see me with other people, recognize those other people, connect the dots, and think it’s cool. But truly, at the end of the day, I’m just mom. But also, they think my teammates hung the moon.”
She explains that playing as a mother is so different than before. Everything she does now keeps her kids in consideration. She wants her kids to see all of her commitments as hard work and dedication to what’s essential to Perez, starting with her family, and ending with Bananaland.
“The nights we have at home together are so much sweeter these days. Although they don't happen as often as we'd like, it gives us a chance to take a breath and relish in the moments where life slows down.
These nights, I am reminded just how lucky I am. Regardless of what I'm doing, whether it's playing for Team USA or coaching the Firefighters, I know that it all could come crashing down and I'd still be the luckiest gal in the world because of my wife and kids. And there is so much peace in that."
