Randy Smith: A $26 Hot Dog?

You always hear a lot about the high concession prices at various entertainment venues. Six dollars for a regular hot dog, or eight dollars for a cold beer, which is actually a warm beer by the time you get to your seat. Five dollar boxes of popcorn are also the norm around Major League Baseball parks, but on Monday night while watching the Texas Rangers home game with the New York Yankees I saw the ultimate concession treat. The Rangers feature a two-foot long, one full pound hot dog covered with chili, cheese and onions. It's called the "Boomstick" and the cost? Twenty-six dollars. Your reaction is probably like mine was; amazement that anyone would pay twenty-six bucks for a hot dog. But this isn't just any hot dog. If you paid six bucks for a single hot dog, with no cheese or chili, buying the "Boomstick" appears to be a bargain. You could easily split a "Boomstick" with one or two other people and everyone would be filled to the brim.

The Rangers are not alone in providing fans with special and sometimes weird ball park treats. The Arizona Diamondbacks feature an eighteen inch corn dog called the "D-Bat Dog" You can buy one, covered with french fries, for twenty-five dollars. The Chicago White Sox have a three pound banana split with all the usual trimmings that you can purchase for seventeen dollars. The Rangers also feature the "Beltre Buster Burger" It's a full pound of ground beef covered by another half-pound  of onions, bacon and cheese, served on a huge pretzel bun. The cost is also twenty-six bucks.

If the "Beltre Buster Burger" is not enough for you, the Tampa Bay Rays have a four pound burger surrounded by a pound of fries. It costs thirty dollars, plus you get a shirt. If you can eat all of the "Fan versus Food" burger, you and a buddy get two free tickets to a future Rays game. The Washington Nationals have perhaps the ultimate hamburger treat. For fifty-nine dollars you can purchase  the "Strasburger". It's an eight pound burger with at least another pound of lettuce, onions, cheese and peppers. 

There is also a waffle that is filled with pulled pork and cheese curds with a generous portion of deep fried ham If that's not enough to completely clog your arteries, try the Tuna Poke Bowl or the loaded tater tots from Dodgers Stadium. If you haven't scheduled your open heart surgery yet, it could come right after you eat a Spam grilled cheese sandwich at Minute Maid Park. You might go for a sixteen inch long brisket, mac and cheese grilled cheese at Guaranteed Rate Field or for dessert try the Apple Pie nachos from Coors Field.

Being a heart patient now who can longer eat these types of food makes it very hard to even think about going to the ball park but even I have to cheat every now and then. So let's go to the ball game and be sure and bring plenty of Tums and Alka-Selzer.