Open your eyes, Big Blue!
Eli Manning made a surprise appearance at a Savannah Bananas game on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, disguised as a trouble-starting umpire.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, a routine ground ball to third turned upside down when the first base umpire botched the call.
The manager of the Firefighters came out to challenge the ruling, prompting the umpire to cause a scene at home plate.
But the drama quickly shifted to comedy when it was revealed that this was no ordinary ump — it was the legendary Giants quarterback.
“Please welcome two-time Super Bowl champion for your New York Giants, Eli Manning,” announced Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole as the crowd erupted in applause.
Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP during his 16-year tenure with the Giants, removed his umpire uniform to reveal his signature royal blue jersey with his since-retired No. 10 on it.
He launched a few footballs into the sea of fans, then took off his jersey to unveil his third article of clothing — a yellow Bananas T-shirt — and tossed his Giants jersey into the crowd, too.
With the next edition of “ManningCast” not slated until next week, Manning enjoyed some family time at one of the most family-friendly sporting events around.
On Monday morning, he posted some photos of himself and three of his children taking in the festivities on Instagram.
“I’ve got this undercover thing down,” he captioned the post. “Thanks @TheSavBananas for having me!”
Manning was not the only famous face to make an appearance in The Bronx for the Bananas’ first games at the famed stadium.
Nearly 50,000 fans watched iconic Yankees manager Joe Torre coach first base on Saturday night.
On Sunday, another sold-out crowd lost their minds when Yankees legend Nick Swisher marched up to the plate.
But Manning stole the show with his act.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
