Erie Seawolves: Footlong Hot Dog

Shiver me timbers! Another day, another footlong. If I keep this up I will have eaten a mile of dogs in no time. Which had me wondering on my drive along the Lake Erie coast: what do they call footlongs in countries with the metric system?

Sidetracked by sirens singing the song of beer near the block party that happens every summer Thursday in Erie, I finally made it into Jerry Uht Park to watch the Seawolves for a few innings. Apparently, if in the Erie area, you are supposed to be enamored with Smith’s brand hot dogs. My lunch at a local hot dog shack served them and so does the Seawolves’ stadium. The locals rave about those dogs.

Choices included a few types of sausage, the regular hot dog and the footlong. The footlong is as wild as it gets in Erie, so I plunked down my doubloons and scurried off with my loot of links.

Appeal-when your specialty dog is just a footlong, no matter how good it tastes, it is hard to get excited. 2.5

Ingredients-the Smith’s frank is damn tasty, and the bun was fresh. A little sparse on available toppings. 3.5

Uniqueness-pretty much every MLB and MiLB park has a footlong. 2

Monstrosity Factor-long, but not that thick. I could have easily had two. 3

Value-slightly overpriced at $6.25. Score would have been better if one would suffice as a meal. 4

Overall Taste-like the locals foretold, it was a delight to eat. 5

APPEAL	2.5
INGREDIENTS	3.5
UNIQUENESS	2
MONSTROSITY FACTOR	3
VALUE	4
OVERALL TASTE	5
TOTAL	20

Without a specialty dog that grabs the attention of consumers, it is hard to crack the 20s on the dog-o-meter. And 20 is what the Seawolves clock in at. They did celebrate National Hot Dog Day (thank you Seawolves) by offering a pirate-inspired Scallywag Dog that was a half of a pound frank with bacon, peppers and onions as well as shredded cheddar cheese. THAT is the dog I want to eat when I hit the gates at Jerry Uht Park. I hope they consider bringing it back full time. A signature dog that embraces the team’s seafaring notoriety would boost its score, and have fans plundering the concession stand.