Sunday at the San Francisco Giants game, a fan threw a banana in the direction of Baltimore Orioles CF Adam Jones, who is black. Tossing bananas at black players is a well-known sign of racism at European soccer matches. Wayne Simmonds, a black hockey player for Philly had a banana thrown at him last year at a hockey game in his native Ontario.
The San Jose Mercury News identified the fan as Alexander Poulides…he says throwing the banana was not racially motivated. He told the paper he threw the banana out on the field in frustration with his team. Poulides said he grabbed a banana off a catering cart and hurled it toward the field near the end of the Giants 10-2 loss. The banana sailed toward Jones and Poulides stressed that the incident was not a racially motivated. He was upset at the Giants, not Jones.
Dave Tobener who covers the Giants tweeted the same questions I had? Where are their catering carts in centerfield with bananas and how far can you actually throw a banana? Is Poulides story even closely plausible?
I put the throwing banana theory to the test on this Missourinet Mornings video. Thanks to Kevin, my camera man and Randy, my banana catcher.