Clinton Lumberkings: Pretzel Dog

It’s good to be the king. Even better to be the king of lumber. Although I have my doubts after the Lumberkings took a 17-7 shellacking. Perhaps it was balsa wood.

What they lack in power at the plate they make up for in taste for the palate. Most single A teams have a limited menu and many don’t offer anything more than a regular hot dog and a larger version of the same. Not so in Clinton. I had the good fortune of meeting the team’s queen of concessions and she offers fans a pretzel dog that actually outshines the Bratzel in St Louis.

The stadium is a gem as well. If you remove the roof over the grandstand it could be the twin of the San Jose Giants ballpark. Both were WPA projects and Ashford University Field in Clinton was built in 1937. It oozes baseball ambiance. And that pretzel dog?

Appeal-anything wrapped in a pretzel bun is appealing. That would even make a piece of petrified wood taste good. 5

Ingredients-it is simple a frank wrapped up in pretzel dough. The concessions manager did a good job of choosing a Klements brand frank. It is the same they use in Milwaukee and one of the better brands. 4

Uniqueness-several teams offer a pretzel dog these days. I bumped up the score slightly since few of those offerings are at the single A level. 3.5

Monstrosity Factor-it’s going to take two to fill the tank. 3

Value-at $4 it is a steal. That is the price of a regular hot dog in most ballparks. For a specialty dog it makes paying for that second one less painful. 5

Overall Taste-I dipped mine in mustard and let it do a dance on my taste buds. Very pleasing. 5

APPEAL	5
INGREDIENTS	4
UNIQUENESS	3.5
MONSTROSITY FACTOR	3
VALUE	5
OVERALL TASTE	5
TOTAL	25.5

Hobnobbing with royalty

This was my first Midwest League game. Last year I didn’t hit any, but Clinton is the first of three I plan to catch in the next few days. If Clinton is any example of things to come, I plan on enjoying some good ball with a decent dog. For a single A organization, the Lumberkings can be proud of their 25.5 rating. They are also staffed by one of the friendliest groups of folks in baseball. Everyone from the General Manager to the girl that cooked up my dog was pleasant and accommodating. With ticket at $7 you can catch the Lumberkings in action and have a dog for around 10 bucks. That my friends is a baseball bargain.