Laughs and line drives: Clydesdales' unique baseball experience heads to Cape Girardeau

St. Louis Clydesdales co-founder and St. Peter’s Police Department patrolman John Aebischer goes to slap hands with a bat boy after dousing himself with water during the team’s “Hootenanny” exhibition at CarShield Field in O’Fallon.

Courtesy Brendan Trogdon of Royal Photos

The St. Louis Clydesdales First Responder baseball team will be bringing its brand of “backyard baseball” to Cape Girardeau’s Capaha Field at the end of this month.

An homage to teams such as the Harlem Globetrotters and Savannah Bananas, the Clydesdales bring a different kind of energy to the diamond.

“Be ready to laugh,” said John Aebischer, the Clydesdales co-founder and a patrolman with the St. Peter’s Police Department. “You’re going to see a lot of guys that are going to be out there having a lot of fun. A lot of comedy, that’s going to be the big thing. You’re going to see a lot of guys just acting like children.”

St. Louis Clydesdales pitcher and Pevely Police Department patrolman Brandon Bumbales throws a pitch during the team’s “Hootenanny” exhibition at CarShield Field in O’Fallon.

Courtesy Brendan Trogdon of Royal Photos

The Clydesdales — a not-for-profit charitable organization — formed after a 2022 charity game between police and firefighters at CarShield Field in O’Fallon. Aebischer said he was contacted by teams from the National Police and Fire Baseball Congress that suggested the group form a team and play in the league. After the charity game, the Clydesdales played their first game in the league in June 2023.

Aebischer, who is president of the Clydesdales not-for-profit board, formed a partnership with the general manager of the O’Fallon Hoots, a Prospect League team, and the idea to play an exhibition under “banana ball” rules was floated.

“It stuck, and I said, ‘Hey, this is a great idea. Let’s go with it and see what happens,’” Aebischer said. “At that time, that’s when teams are really starting to bite into the ‘banana ball’ concept and doing these exhibition games with the quote, unquote, ‘goofy rules’ where they’re playing with different concepts.”

The Clydesdales played their exhibition against the Hoots, calling it “Hootenanny”, and sold out CarShield Field with approximately 3,000 fans. But before the exhibition with the Hoots, the team received an offer to play an exhibition with another Prospect League team, the Quincy Gems, where roughly 3,400 fans attended.

“For some of our guys, they were in shock and awe to have that transition to go and be able to step out there and see that environment,” Aebischer said. “We’re used to playing in per se the St. Louis men’s leagues where they’re lucky to get 25 people to show up and usually it’s just wives, girlfriends and buddies that are sitting there with a cooler of beer who make fun of them and yell out obscenities.

“To show up there and there’s 3,400 people or 3,000 people that are there paying to see you play and perform, it’s definitely an eye-opening experience.”

The rules are different in “backyard baseball”, and can change from game to game. Some of the rules include no foul balls — unless it goes out of play — and anytime a ball is caught by anyone, including fans, it’s called an out. The players dance and participate in silly antics from a player dressed as a cowboy roping players on the opposing team to an “escaped” inmate fleeing from Clydesdales players.

While the players try to keep up the entertainment value for the fans, the game isn’t scripted. The team doesn’t necessarily worry about wins and losses, just as long as the fans are enjoying themselves.

“We look at it as it’s about the fans and not us,” said Cody Kopplin, a Perry County sheriff’s deputy and Clydesdales board member. “If we win, great. If we lose, as long as the fans have fun and they enjoy it, that’s what matters.”

Aebischer asked Kopplin to “spearhead a project” in southern Missouri. Kopplin set up the game at Capaha Field with proceeds going to the Cape Girardeau Public Safety Foundation, which benefits local police and first responders.

“Backstoppers is the usual go-to (charity). But with me being the southeast coordinator and being able to do my own event, I figured I would get away from Backstoppers and pick my own. … I would rather do something that’s going to benefit them directly than just our typical one.”

The Clydesdales’ game against the Rubber Chickens will begin at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at Capaha Field. Admission costs $10 and gates open at 5 p.m.