USC legend Matt Leinart steals show with football pitch at Banana Ball game

The Savannah Bananas will play Banana Ball in the BBCL (Banana Ball Championship League) starting next year. Until then, they are entertaining sports fans all the same. Similar in a sense to the Globetrotters, the highly skilled participants provide crowds with an excellent show and demonstrate incredible feats throughout their games.

On Friday, the Savannah Bananas took on the Firefighters at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Making the opening pitch stole some of the headlines. Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart chucked away the baseball and instead opted for a more comforting and familiar placeholder in the pigskin.

Called a strike by the umpire, many watched the clip, noting how the once-Trojan still looked like he could make a deep completion on the football field if needed.

While the action itself involves less conventional play than the USC baseball team, including backflips and behind-the-back catches to produce outs, the pre-game ritual highlighting Leinart should demonstrate the power that comes with the strong Trojan history of the football program.

Leinart last played in 2005 and won two championships while at USC. Because of the notoriety of being the starting quarterback at the Coliseum, being on the Big Noon Kickoff coverage team, and being invited for this unique, special event are afforded to former Trojans such as Leinart.

Legacy of USC weighs more compared to anywhere else

The brand is the strongest in the country, and success breeds success. Oftentimes the wins then snowball further and allow for more doors to be opened. Case in point, 20 years later, and the California crowd erupted to the Heisman Trophy winner, showing off his left arm accuracy.

When coaches and USC personnel speak of opportunities being presented for student-athletes beyond the football field, this serves as an excellent illustration of that point. After two decades, Leinart remains a walking legend anywhere he goes. Imagine what will happen for the current players when coach Lincoln Riley starts making annual College Football Playoff appearances.