Friday, January 12, 2007
Hope you like Dodger Dogs -- a lot of Dodger Dogs
The right-field bleachers at Dodger Stadium are going all-you-can-eat this season. So advance tickets there are $35, while the left-field bleachers are still $8 -- even with the concession stand prices, $27 worth is a lot of food, especially with the lack of menu options.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Seven Octobers
Seven Octobers now we've been hosting Baseball Open House at the Rocketship, and this year's has to rank as our most successful:
* We had good friends in attendance throughout, ranging from two or three people all the way to a high of eleven (plus me and Stacey) for Kenny Rogers's glorious (pine-tar-aided?) dismantling of the Yankees in the LDS.
* Half a dozen or so friends made their first Baseball Open House appearance.
* We hosted people for every night game in the entire playoffs except three, two of which were graciously hosted by TITANIA, and the other, the World Series opener, which we watched with the whole Stahl family at my brother's house in Indianapolis following my running of the Indy marathon.
* We cooked up a mess of food, relying more than in any previous October on the seasonal produce that we get each week from our membership in a local community-supported farm; in that way, we were closer to the autumn outdoors than ever before.
* Stacey's baseball jack-o-lanterns ran their World Series game-winning streak to 10. Damon went 4-0 in 2004, Ozzie Guillen went 4-0 in 2005, and the Yadi-o-lantern went 2-0 to close out the 2006 series.
* Despite the brevity of many of the series--the teams only played six games over the minimum this October--we saw some very exciting baseball. As my mom put it on the phone minutes after Adam Wainwright struck out Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded to put St. Louis in the World Series, "That one nearly killed me!" Even the fans without a rooting interest in the game knew what she meant.
* We had champagne in the fridge, and we got to use it. We drank some after the aforementioned strikeout of Beltran, and we put back more of it after Wainwright snapped off the same curveball against Brandon Inge . . . which leads to the final reason this Baseball Open House was such a success . . . .
* THE CARDINALS WON THE WORLD SERIES! FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD AND NOT YET REALLY A FAN!
Thanks, Cardinals. Thanks, everyone who came out. Thanks, Jim, for another season of BRPA. I'll try to be a more reliable poster in 2007, and maybe you can make it for Baseball Open House next October.
The only proper way to end this is to turn the mike over to the Rajah:
Pitchers and catchers report in about 100 days.
* We had good friends in attendance throughout, ranging from two or three people all the way to a high of eleven (plus me and Stacey) for Kenny Rogers's glorious (pine-tar-aided?) dismantling of the Yankees in the LDS.
* Half a dozen or so friends made their first Baseball Open House appearance.
* We hosted people for every night game in the entire playoffs except three, two of which were graciously hosted by TITANIA, and the other, the World Series opener, which we watched with the whole Stahl family at my brother's house in Indianapolis following my running of the Indy marathon.
* We cooked up a mess of food, relying more than in any previous October on the seasonal produce that we get each week from our membership in a local community-supported farm; in that way, we were closer to the autumn outdoors than ever before.
* Stacey's baseball jack-o-lanterns ran their World Series game-winning streak to 10. Damon went 4-0 in 2004, Ozzie Guillen went 4-0 in 2005, and the Yadi-o-lantern went 2-0 to close out the 2006 series.
* Despite the brevity of many of the series--the teams only played six games over the minimum this October--we saw some very exciting baseball. As my mom put it on the phone minutes after Adam Wainwright struck out Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded to put St. Louis in the World Series, "That one nearly killed me!" Even the fans without a rooting interest in the game knew what she meant.
* We had champagne in the fridge, and we got to use it. We drank some after the aforementioned strikeout of Beltran, and we put back more of it after Wainwright snapped off the same curveball against Brandon Inge . . . which leads to the final reason this Baseball Open House was such a success . . . .
* THE CARDINALS WON THE WORLD SERIES! FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD AND NOT YET REALLY A FAN!
Thanks, Cardinals. Thanks, everyone who came out. Thanks, Jim, for another season of BRPA. I'll try to be a more reliable poster in 2007, and maybe you can make it for Baseball Open House next October.
The only proper way to end this is to turn the mike over to the Rajah:
"People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."--Rogers Hornsby
Pitchers and catchers report in about 100 days.
Labels: adam wainwright, brandon inge, Cardinals, carlos beltran, food, tigers, world series
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Rain delay food and pumpkins
Levi's normally a vegetarian, except when the Cardinals are in the World Series, and that's because he has a superstition that involves eating Lit'l Smokies. And therefore...
Note that Levi is looking around furtively for any fellow vegetarians who might be ready to pounce upon him for this breach of vegetarianism.
Also note that this picture was taken Wednesday night, and Levi is in his kitchen instead of being in front of the TV. Suddenly introducing meat can cause problems for digestive systems that aren't used to it -- and something else that can cause problems for digestive systems is four episodes of "The War at Home" interspersed with Joe Buck telling America that it's still raining in St. Louis. So Levi is wisely attempting to minimize the amount of Kaopectate he'll need later.
On another note, after Johnny Damon in 2004 and Ozzie Guillen in 2005, this year's baseball-related jack-o'-lantern carved by Stacey is...
...Yadier Molina.
Also, in today's L.A. Times, Bill Plaschke writes a column that boils down to "the baseball season should start 10 days earlier so I'm not quite as cold while I'm being paid to attend the World Series." You know, it's warmer during the day, too.
Note that Levi is looking around furtively for any fellow vegetarians who might be ready to pounce upon him for this breach of vegetarianism.
Also note that this picture was taken Wednesday night, and Levi is in his kitchen instead of being in front of the TV. Suddenly introducing meat can cause problems for digestive systems that aren't used to it -- and something else that can cause problems for digestive systems is four episodes of "The War at Home" interspersed with Joe Buck telling America that it's still raining in St. Louis. So Levi is wisely attempting to minimize the amount of Kaopectate he'll need later.
On another note, after Johnny Damon in 2004 and Ozzie Guillen in 2005, this year's baseball-related jack-o'-lantern carved by Stacey is...
...Yadier Molina.
Also, in today's L.A. Times, Bill Plaschke writes a column that boils down to "the baseball season should start 10 days earlier so I'm not quite as cold while I'm being paid to attend the World Series." You know, it's warmer during the day, too.
Labels: Cardinals, food, jack o' lantern, tigers, world series, yadier molina
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Block that baseball metaphor!
From the June 5 Sports Illustrated: "Life these days for the Tigers is one big bowl of Frito pie: They've got a little bit of everything, and the end result is better than you think. They are stick-to-the-ribs good."
Labels: food, sports illustrated, tigers
Saturday, March 11, 2006
At last, a reason to go to Sauget, Illinois
This season, the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League will be featuring "Baseball's Best Burger" at their concession stands.
It's a bacon cheeseburger, served on a Krispy Kreme doughnut instead of a bun. Yes, I would eat one -- remember, I'm the one who had a Schmitter for dinner in Philadelphia, breakfast at Eat 'n' Park in Harrisburg, and then a Primanti Brothers sandwich for lunch in Pittsburgh.
It's a bacon cheeseburger, served on a Krispy Kreme doughnut instead of a bun. Yes, I would eat one -- remember, I'm the one who had a Schmitter for dinner in Philadelphia, breakfast at Eat 'n' Park in Harrisburg, and then a Primanti Brothers sandwich for lunch in Pittsburgh.
Labels: food, gateway grizzlies, krispy kreme
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Green M&M's in pie form
While I've been editing the old posts here to include the comments from the old system, I have of course been reading a lot about Hostess Baseballs. So when I took a break and went to Ralphs to do my weekly grocery shopping, I took a longing look at the section that includes Hostess, Little Debbie, and other snack pastries. As has been mentioned already here, 2005 is a year without Baseballs; however, I saw a product there that I had never seen before, and I just had to buy a couple...
That's Lemon Creme flavor on top and Vanilla Pudding flavor on the bottom. There were several other flavors available, including cherry, apple, and Chocolate Pudding. They're made by Horizon Snack Foods of Salt Lake City, so I'm sure they're just as sweet as Donny and Marie.
One problem: I don't think the caricature of Johnny Damon on the label quite does him justice. (Also, that doesn't quite look like a home run stroke, but maybe test marketing showed that a product called Bloop Single Pie didn't sell as well.)
That's Lemon Creme flavor on top and Vanilla Pudding flavor on the bottom. There were several other flavors available, including cherry, apple, and Chocolate Pudding. They're made by Horizon Snack Foods of Salt Lake City, so I'm sure they're just as sweet as Donny and Marie.
One problem: I don't think the caricature of Johnny Damon on the label quite does him justice. (Also, that doesn't quite look like a home run stroke, but maybe test marketing showed that a product called Bloop Single Pie didn't sell as well.)
Labels: food, home run pie, johnny damon
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Cabbages and kings
Monday, January 24, 2005
Cereal killer
I had a coupon for General Mills cereals, so...
What, do they think people wouldn't want to look at Johnny Damon while they're eating breakfast?
What, do they think people wouldn't want to look at Johnny Damon while they're eating breakfast?
Labels: david ortiz, food, red sox
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Related to the trip, but not baseball-related
I've managed to answer the question, "Can there possibly be anything at a restaurant more surprisingly highly priced than the $7.00 beers at the Red Star Tavern in Pittsburgh?" And that answer is yes.
I was with a group at a mid-priced Mexican restaurant last night, and during the cocktails-and-chips portion of the evening, someone made the executive decision to order guacamole as a supplement to the salsa. The guacamole order was a bowl of the usual size one gets at a Mexican restaurant; it was fresh and tasty, but since this is California, it's very easy to find fresh and tasty guacamole.
The cost of the bowl of guacamole turned out to be $8.25.
It turned out to be listed on the menu with a price of "as quoted," as if it's, you know, lobster fresh off a plane from Maine. They didn't quote the price to us when we ordered it, only when it showed up on the bill.
(I like the fact that the menu lists what year they started serving every dish, because it's fascinating to see when "new" Mexican foods were introduced -- quesadillas 1969, fajitas 1984, vegetarian enchiladas 1992. But especially when that information is on the web site version of the menu, too, it's not $8.25 worth of guacamole fascinating!)
Levi: The "as quoted" reminds me of the restaurant--was it one of the places where we looked at a menu in Pittsburgh, Jim?--in the midwest that boasted "The freshest fish in the nation!"
I suppose if it were some bottom-feeding river fish, then maybe.
thatbob: Perhaps they meant The Iroquois Nation. Are you certain you weren't on tribal land?
I was with a group at a mid-priced Mexican restaurant last night, and during the cocktails-and-chips portion of the evening, someone made the executive decision to order guacamole as a supplement to the salsa. The guacamole order was a bowl of the usual size one gets at a Mexican restaurant; it was fresh and tasty, but since this is California, it's very easy to find fresh and tasty guacamole.
The cost of the bowl of guacamole turned out to be $8.25.
It turned out to be listed on the menu with a price of "as quoted," as if it's, you know, lobster fresh off a plane from Maine. They didn't quote the price to us when we ordered it, only when it showed up on the bill.
(I like the fact that the menu lists what year they started serving every dish, because it's fascinating to see when "new" Mexican foods were introduced -- quesadillas 1969, fajitas 1984, vegetarian enchiladas 1992. But especially when that information is on the web site version of the menu, too, it's not $8.25 worth of guacamole fascinating!)
Original comments...
Levi: The "as quoted" reminds me of the restaurant--was it one of the places where we looked at a menu in Pittsburgh, Jim?--in the midwest that boasted "The freshest fish in the nation!"
I suppose if it were some bottom-feeding river fish, then maybe.
thatbob: Perhaps they meant The Iroquois Nation. Are you certain you weren't on tribal land?
Labels: food
Monday, May 17, 2004
A thought on ballpark food
On Tuesday at Tropicana Field, I had a grouper sandwich; on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, I had a Dodger Dog (included with the "family pack" ticket package); on Sunday at Petco Park, I had fish tacos. I think on the trip I'm going to try some local specialty at most of the ballparks, because even though my digestive system is used to me putting a lot of items consisting of meat and meat by-products down the hatch, I'm not sure it can handle a hot dog a day for 10 days. I'm also not sure what Levi's going to eat on the trip, other than Tim Horton's doughnuts while we're in Canada, if he's still practicing vegetarianism.
Levi: "Practicing"? I think I've got this vegetarian thing down by now.
And surely there will be enough to eat. Ballpark pizza is one of the worst foods in the world, but in St. Louis, for example, they've got a stand that sells veggie burgers and another that sells reasonably good burritos.
maura: i guess that seals the identity of the person who's going to try the schmitter at citizens bank park, then....
Jon Solomon: There are GREAT veggie dogs to be had in Toronto at SkyDome. They've got a whole vegetarian stand down on the first level, in fact.
Steve: My long list of reasons why baseball should be contracted just got longer. Veggie dogs? inside domes? in Canada?!? Great American pastime indeed. There's plenty of things vegetarians can eat at the ballpark--french fries, nachos, pretzels, peanuts, pizza, sunflower seeds, beer, big league chew, ice cream (if you aren't vegan) lemon freeze (if you are vegan) free diced onions at wrigley....
Jim: A cheese steak on a Kaiser roll with fried salami, fried onions, tomato, and secret sauce?! There is nothing about that I don't like, except that if it's $5.25 at the actual McNally's, I shudder to think how much they're charging at Citizens Bank Park.
Levi: Let's all give a moment of appreciation to Jim Bouton for inventing Big League Chew. That's almost as great an achievement as writing Ball Four.
thatbob: My only quibble: I wish it had been called Big League Chaw. (God, it sucks to be me. I really can't enjoy *anything*.)
thatbob: Re: veggie dogs inside domes in Canada. You know what Yogi Berra would say to that: "Only in America."
Jason: You could always eat before the game...if you're a COMMUNIST!
sarah: jon's post brought back some very scary and sad memories of the near-deserted vegetarian food stand at the expos game we went to in montreal. the echo of fans banging empty seats followed me into the dark back alleys of the food court. the whole adventure took me close to an hour, since i believe they had to actually form the tofu into veggie-dog shapes by hand. plus, a mishap involving a foul ball spilled our whole dinner onto my shirt anyway.
good times. good times.
Original comments...
Levi: "Practicing"? I think I've got this vegetarian thing down by now.
And surely there will be enough to eat. Ballpark pizza is one of the worst foods in the world, but in St. Louis, for example, they've got a stand that sells veggie burgers and another that sells reasonably good burritos.
maura: i guess that seals the identity of the person who's going to try the schmitter at citizens bank park, then....
Jon Solomon: There are GREAT veggie dogs to be had in Toronto at SkyDome. They've got a whole vegetarian stand down on the first level, in fact.
Steve: My long list of reasons why baseball should be contracted just got longer. Veggie dogs? inside domes? in Canada?!? Great American pastime indeed. There's plenty of things vegetarians can eat at the ballpark--french fries, nachos, pretzels, peanuts, pizza, sunflower seeds, beer, big league chew, ice cream (if you aren't vegan) lemon freeze (if you are vegan) free diced onions at wrigley....
Jim: A cheese steak on a Kaiser roll with fried salami, fried onions, tomato, and secret sauce?! There is nothing about that I don't like, except that if it's $5.25 at the actual McNally's, I shudder to think how much they're charging at Citizens Bank Park.
Levi: Let's all give a moment of appreciation to Jim Bouton for inventing Big League Chew. That's almost as great an achievement as writing Ball Four.
thatbob: My only quibble: I wish it had been called Big League Chaw. (God, it sucks to be me. I really can't enjoy *anything*.)
thatbob: Re: veggie dogs inside domes in Canada. You know what Yogi Berra would say to that: "Only in America."
Jason: You could always eat before the game...if you're a COMMUNIST!
sarah: jon's post brought back some very scary and sad memories of the near-deserted vegetarian food stand at the expos game we went to in montreal. the echo of fans banging empty seats followed me into the dark back alleys of the food court. the whole adventure took me close to an hour, since i believe they had to actually form the tofu into veggie-dog shapes by hand. plus, a mishap involving a foul ball spilled our whole dinner onto my shirt anyway.
good times. good times.
Labels: brpa, food, planning, road trip
