"baseball" news and stories

Ballparks are always working on getting people in their seats. Lately they're reaching their fans through their stomachs with all-you-can-eat concessions -- a never-ending supply of nachos, hot dogs, popcorn and soda. These tickets cost around 50 percent more, usually ranging from around thirty to fifty bucks -- although they can run up to the two-hundred-dollar mark, according to USA Today -- and the trend has hit dozens of arenas, stadiums, and tracks.

At least one fan interviewed by Sports Illustrated is all for it. Matthew Cavalier recently took in an Orioles game at Baltimore's Camden Yards, sitting way out in left field (so to speak) in order to take advantage of the pumped-up food options. Cavalier thinks some teams need that extra calorie boost to get their fan base into the stadium. "The Phillies, Yankees and all them are always going to be fine. They don't need to do this. But for fans of, say, this team, it's a good plan."

With baseball in full swing, we couldn't help but salivate over Delish's round-up of Home Run Hot Dogs across the country. Between the Houston Astros "Most Wanted" Dog (hot dog with chopped beef brisket BBQ sauce, topped with chopped onions and salty kosher pickles) and the Milwaukee Brewers Bratwurst (pork and beef brats doused with a secret stadium sauce and topped with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard), Slashfood's ready to take a cross-country trip. Think we'll stop off at Nationals Park first for a Ben's Chili Half Smoke.

Does your favorite dog make the list? Check out the Top 24 over at Delish.

It's baseball season, and we're a little obsessed 'round these parts. The MLB kicked the season off on Sunday when the Braves beat the Phillies, but for us Slashfoodies baseball is as much about beers and brats as it is about worrying how our teams will fare.

With that in mind, this week's Slashfood Ate (8) is dedicated to recent brew-related stadium stories.

1. Philadelphia Daily News' Joe Sixpack hints at some of the new draft beers at the Phillies stadium.
   
2. D.C. Sports Bog brags about the beers at Nats Park this year. And rightfully so. Do any other ballparks offer up Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA?
   
3. Not too far up the road in Bal'more, Kasper on Tap reflects on what Camden Yards is serving.
4. CNBC breaks the story on which stadiums boast cheapest beer prices in the league (the Pirates) and which are the most pricey (thanks a lot, Red Sox Nation).
5. Raucous Yankees fans can once again purchase beer in the bleachers. ...
6. ... But in a sign that the new Yanks stadium is still out of touch with the times, 24-ounce cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon will retail for an absurd $9.
7. The New York Mets turn up their noses at such piracy, lowering beer prices at their new stadium, Citi Field.
8. Sports fans, keep your boozin' in line or all of the above will be a moot point: Alcohol sales were banned for game two of the Tigers-Blue Jays series after drunken revelers ruined a rowdy opener.
   

Seen any interesting new suds offerings as your local ballpark? Can you even afford MLB beer prices in this economy?

Earlier this week, Slashfood got a sneak peek at the new Mets fare at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. The Yankees rolled out their food offerings for Workout Day today and like everything the Bronx Bombers do, they did it big, expensive and fancy.

The new Yankee Stadium has steakhouse, a Hard Rock Cafe, the Legends Club, a Mohegan Sun Sports Bar and a slew of other high- and lowbrow dining experiences. There's even branded ketchup for the plebs who might revolt when they learn beer here is now $9 a bottle. (Let them drink $8-a-plastic-glass Yellowtail, Steinbrenner might say).

Slashfood literally bumped into Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon on the ascent to NYY Steak, the year-round steakhouse run by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (which explained the heavy presence of Seminole VIPs trying out the menu).

Find out about the food (and see pictures!) after the jump.

Iron Chef, Times-style: Food section writers Kim Severson and Julia Moskin each make dinner for six for $50, and restaurant critic Frank Bruni judges.

Severson's menu, with recipes: Chili-spiced peanuts, carnitas tacos with cabbage-radish slaw and fresh tomatillo salsa, and dark molasses gingerbread with whipped cream.

Moskin's menu, with recipes: Cold tomato-cilantro soup, cheddar puffs, pasta with chicken, currants and pine nuts, tangerine-vanilla floats.

Will they ever allow wine sales in New York grocery stores, like they do in 35 other states? Eric Asimov discusses the upcoming vote.

Homemade sausages, no grinder or casings required. With several recipes.

The Minimalist's take on Asian-flavored noodle soup.

What's on the menu at the new Yankee Stadium? Noodle bowls, Cuban sandwiches and sushi. Oh yeah, and hot dogs.

Not to be outdone, Mets fans will get pulled-pork sandwiches on brioche buns, shrimp rolls and frozen custard with fresh blueberries at the new Citi Field.

Source