Spring Training........
I had the pleasure of joining my family and one our favorite nieces and her boyfriend, who were in town from Iowa last week, to attend a spring training game. After living here in Arizona since 1984 I'm sorry to say this was only my second or third spring training game to attend. Up until full retirement I was usually working during the week and the games are always sell outs on weekends so just didn't hassle with it. Anyway we went to a Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game at Cubs spring training park, Hohokam Park in Mesa. Now one thing to keep in mind is that being from the Midwest originally I had occasion and did attend many a Cubs game at Wrigley in Chicago, and ate some of the fare provided at and around the ballpark! Do you know that I don't care where your from or what Dog they sell it's extremely hard to beat a good old Chicago Dog, from the Field, outside vendor, or the corner bar in and around Wrigley Field. I've had a few of them let me tell you, Dodger Dogs, Diamond Dogs, Tomahawk chop Dogs, Padre Wieners, one or two Dogs from the Bay area and even those crappy ones from St. Louis. Yes I ate a few here and there but you'll be hard pressed to beat a good old Chicago Dog let me tell you. Now to get to the end of the story my nieces boy friend had offered to buy be a couple of dogs and a beer, so off he went to the Hohokam stadium concession stand, the home of the Chicago Cubs during spring training. My mouth was watering just thinking about those bad boys, couldn't wait to get my mouth around a good old Chicago Dog. Oh yes, and they even sold Old Style beer just like in Chi town, dude what the hell else could a guy ask for, I'm getting excited! Here comes Steve with a couple of trays full of grub.............holy cow as Harry would say he set those trays down and I was in shock! What the hell was this? All I see is two over sized and I mean over sized wieners with a splash of onion, relish and ketchup............I don't need a over sized wiener, give me a good old Vienna and make it right.
OK, Chicago Cubs, baseball and they don't even serve a Chicago Dog! I have a place right up the road from the house on Carefree hwy. called "Joey's" and I can get a Chicago Dog there, and I mean a REAL CHICAGO DOG............do you hear me Hohokam Park? If I ever attend another Chicago Cubs spring training game, I'll be smuggling in my own Dogs you can count on that.