Author: Brayden Ezell
Dalton Scott Cornett is an Exhibition Baseball Player for the Savannah Bananas. He is from Pippa Passes, Kentucky. Dalton is known for being the "Best Smile in Baseball". I have a story for another time, pertaining to the first time I met Mr.Cornett.
Cornett was born on April 19,1998, he has been in love with and playing the game of baseball since he was a lad. His idols growing up were Babe Ruth and Jackie Robertson. Dalton is fluent in English and Spanish and now Lives in Downtown Savannah, Georgia.
Dalton has learned how to master his craft over the years. He has put in his 1000 hours in learning the skillset to be a phenomenal Catcher, Third Baseman, and Right-fielder. He is 6 foot, 180 pounds (183cm, 81kg).
Mr.Cornett started off his Professional Baseball Journey in Leslie County, than transferred to play for his Dad, Scott Cornett, at Knott County High School.
He was names All-American and signed with the University of Kentucky, but ultimately decided to stay home with his family. He played another season alongside his father at the Alice Lloyd College in his hometown.
After a notorious few years, he left home and set off on becoming a Professional Baseball Player. He resided in Lexington, Kentucky with the Legend, then was traded to play in Colorado.
After Colorado, he was drafted to play with the Savannah Bananas in 2022. He has played with the team for about a year now and from what I can tell, it has been a dream come true for my friend, Dalton. (John Stepp)
The Savannah Bananas is an exhibition team based out of Savannah, Georgia and they play out of Grayson Stadium.
The Grayson Stadium was "originally built in 1926 and named Municipal Stadium, it saw major renovations and reconstruction in 1941 following a hurricane that destroyed the stadium. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once spoke at Municipal Stadium in 1933. In 1959, the Yankees and Reds played an exhibition game at Grayson Stadium."
The Savannah Bananas have developed, not only, a brand for themselves, but also have changed the game of baseball in the matter of a year. They are known for developing "Banana Ball". For those of you that are ignorant to what the rules are I will outline it below for you guys.
"The Bananas have implemented a number of deviations from standard baseball rules, in use since June 2020 at home and most (if not all) touring exhibition games.[10] Branded as "Banana Ball," these include:
- The team that scores the most runs in an inning gets one point, except in the 9th inning when every run counts as one point. If an inning ends with one team at five points and a lead, that team wins.
- A two-hour time limit on games. If a team is leading on points at that time, that team wins.
- No bunting. A batter who attempts a bunt is ejected from the game.
- Batters are not allowed to step out of the batters box; a violation is an automatic strike.
- Batters are allowed to "steal" first base. Specifically, they can attempt to advance to first base in the case of a wild pitch or passed ball at any time during the at-bat.
- No mound visits are allowed.
- Walks are now called sprints. After the fourth ball, the batter is allowed to advance as far around the bases as he can. The ball must be sequentially thrown to all of the fielders apart from the pitcher, starting with the catcher; the ball remains dead, with the batter-runner not liable to be put out, until all fielders apart from the pitcher and catcher have touched the ball.
- Foul balls caught by fans are counted as outs.
- Ties are broken by what the Bananas call a "1 on 1 showdown" which can last at least three rounds Each team selects a pitcher and hitter to face off, with the pitching team having only the pitcher, catcher, and a single fielder during the first round of the showdown. In the second round, the fielder is eliminated. If a third round is needed, the fielder is back but the bases are loaded. In any showdown inning, the hitter has to score a run in order to earn a point for the tiebreaker. A batter who draws a walk advances to second base, with the hitting team allowed to send a new batter to the plate. A showdown inning can only end with an out or a run scored." (Wikipedia)
Back in 2016, "The Bananas recorded over 80,000 total fans at 25 home games. The team also ranked second in average attendance (3,659 fans per game) among 160 collegiate summer teams across the country." (Wikipedia)
But in the matter of seven years, the Savannah Bananas have gone viral and are selling out shows globally. The woman to watch out for is Savanah Alaniz, she was only an intern for the Savannah Bananas when she suggested marketing the boys on social media. Last month they hit 5 million followers on TikTok.
Dalton and I wrapped up a shoot and were in the studio editing the content, when he told me the big news. I was beyond ecstatic for him. That was two weeks ago and they now have grown another 400k. The outreach and growth they are seeing on just one account is insane. The Savannah Bananas are on track to be the most notorious baseball team in the world at the pace they're going.
Now back on to Dalton Scott Cornett. The guy is an absolute goat; Dalton's Stats since he has been with the Bananas have gone crazy. We'll have to wait til the end of the season to get the full scoop on how he's played this year, but I guess you'll have to either preorder a ticket to see the legend in person, watch it on your television, or wait til the end of the year. For now I'll give you a lil teaser...
"In the first Showdown Chase in West Palm Beach, "Banana Ball history ensued on Night Two! After Bananas pitcher Matt Malatesta threw ball four to Dalton Cornett, the Party Animals catcher was chased around the bases but won the Chase due to an errant throw from Malatesta" (Savannah Bananas).
Besides for being an amazing player on the field, he is a charming, charismatic individual. Cornett loves line dancing with his team mates, friends, and community. Since knowing Mr.Cornett he has always put the needs of others before his own.
He is a family man, could talk an ear off with how long he stays on the phone calling all his family back home. But, you got to love a classic southern gentleman.
I will say I don't what he is saying half the time due to his rich and thick Kentucky Southern Accent, but I still love the kid. I do have to ask him to repeat himself about twenty times almost every time we talk..
Dalton is obsessed with country music and quite frankly hates my music. Which granted everybody likes what they like right? Regardless, Dalton's favorite artist is Morgan Wallen... To be frank, I am from Nashville, Tennessee and have worked with Wallen. Let's just say he is a hoot and a half. Whenever we last hung out I had to wear AirPods as I edited, so I could listen to my "trash" music as he enjoyed the lovely new album Morgan Wallen just released.
To wrap this up, Dalton is by far one of the most humble individuals I have met in my whole life. He has a heart of gold, a mind of steel, and an amazing work ethic. I have only known him for about a month now, but I have nothing but praise to give to him. As his manager, I am proud to say that he is not only my business partner, but is becoming one of my best friends.
With that I concede. Thank you for choosing to be apart of our familia, DC3 loves and appreciates you for making Dalton's dreams come true.
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Peace and Love,
Brayden Ezell
Ezell Visualz - Media Production Agency
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Servicing Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina,
North Carolina, & Florida
(629)900-7646 ~ Brayden@ezellvisualz.com
References:
“Dalton Cornett Amateur & Independent Leagues Statistics.” Baseball, https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=cornet000dal.
MarketingBrew. “How an Intern Helped the Savannah Bananas Become Tiktok Famous.” Marketing Brew, Morning Brew, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2023/02/10/how-an-intern-helped-the-savannah-bananas-baseball-team-become-tiktok-famous.
“Savannah Bananas.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Mar. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_Bananas.
Writer, John SteppStaff. “For the Love of the Game.” Echo, 30 Apr. 2022, https://www.sentinel-echo.com/sports/for-the-love-of-the-game-when-not-suiting-up-for-the-savannah-bananas-dalton/article_eae3d502-c8a2-11ec-b219-a79a6466dcc0.html.