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FARGO Bill Heward was part of the Indianapolis Clowns in the 1970s as player and then player/coach.
He remembers playing in Fargo and surrounding communities in the Red River Valley with that version of the barnstorming baseball travel team.
Heward played against teams like Fargo Glass and Paint, Fargo Idso Sales, the Crookston (Minn.) Reds and the Jamestown (N.D.) Elks during the summer of 1973.
ADVERTISEMENT The baseball was fantastic," Heward said Saturday night at Newman Outdoor Field.
"Those guys could play.
More than 50 years later, Heward returned to Fargo with a reimagined version of the Clowns, which are in their first season of Banana Ball a modern-day, high-energy variation of barnstorming pro ball.
Its been more than Ive expected," said Heward, an honorary coach for the current Clowns.
I am the old man hanging on with them, its just a blast.
The Firefighters rallied past the Indianapolis Clowns for a 7-6 victory in two rounds of showdowns during the second night of Banana Ball at Nemwan, and the first Banana Ball series played in North Dakota.
North Dakota is the 39th state the six-team league has played in.
More than 4,400 fans braved intermittent rain showers to take in the show.
The two games at Newman combined drew more than 9,000 fans.
Prior to Friday's and Saturday's games in Fargo, Heward played historian, addressing the crowd at Newman Outdoor Field and sharing knowledge of his Indianapolis Clowns experience.
My connection to it is these first-hand stories, where some of my teammates played with Satchel Paige," Heward said.
Paige played with the Clowns as late as 1967, so Heward missed playing with the legendary pitcher with the Clowns by four years.
The Clowns were part of the Negro American League earlier in their existence.
Before the game, there was a video montage to honor the history of those trailblazing teams.
The Clowns were also one of the first pro baseball team to hire a female player.
ADVERTISEMENT During that 1973 swing through the Red River Valley, the Clowns played at Fargo's Jack Williams Stadium, in Enderlin, North Dakota, Crookston, Mayville, North Dakota, Jamestown and Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
People came out for the show and thats what brought them," said Heward, originally from Three Oaks, Michigan.
Heward said meal money was $4 per day his first season with the Clowns and that increased to $5 per day after that.
Even though he was with the Clowns from 1971-75, he never played in Indianapolis.
The game scheduled there was rained out.
Five years with the Clowns, I never played in Indianapolis," said Heward, who played college baseball at Western Michigan.
Heward wrote a book about his first-hand experiences with the Clowns.
Heward is now a Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University.
Heward enjoyed the small-park charm of Newman Outdoor Field.
I love the smaller park," Heward said.
"You are close to people.
You can feel the fans.
ADVERTISEMENT Karson Westphal, 11, and Chet Krump, 12, got a chance to get on the field at Newman Outdoor Filed before Saturday's game for "Banana Ball Backstage," and meet-and-greet sessions with the players from both the Indianapolis Clowns and The Firefighters.
"I think it's amazing," said Westphal, who is best friends with Krump.
I think it was very cool just to step on the RedHawks field.
Krump agreed.
Im loving this so much because in MLB games you dont get to go down on the field," Krump added.
Jenny and Justin Westphal, Karson's parents, added the Banana Ball experience was more than they expected.
Its been a great experience," Jenny said.
Its a big opportunity for these kids to be on the field and run around a little bit and see all the players," Justin added.
ADVERTISEMENT Karson and Chet got to cut a pregame video with the Banana Ball staff between getting autographs from the players with a few magic tricks for good measure.
The magic tricks were amazing," Karson said.
For a second consecutive night, a standing-room only crowd packed Newman.
The Clowns earned a 5-2 victory on Friday night.
Its a family setting," said Lamar Sparks, a former Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks star who now plays for The Firefighters.
"All the guys are really close, and the fans are awesome.