Lake Elsinore Storm

This was my second trip to the Lake Elsinore Diamond to watch the Storm play. I attended a game last year after the end of my Route 66 tour. The memory doesn’t function quite as well as we get older, but I vaguely remembered the hot dog I ate there being pretty awful. Turns out, my memory is still pretty sharp.

I was anxious to see what the night would bring in the world of hot dogs. It was “Wine Down Wednesday” at the ballpark. Free wine samples from local vineyards and FREE AND UNLIMITED HOT DOGS. I was certain it would be a sight to behold, something akin to a feeding frenzy right out of the annual “Shark Week” on television. If you have never been to one of the cheap hot dog nights at a major league ballpark you owe it to yourself to see this spectacle. It is my hypothesis that all of those missing children that you see on milk cartons and posters are not really missing, they were mistakenly eaten during the glutenous chow down at the “dollar dog night” at some ballpark. It truly is shocking. Put “sit in the cheap seats on dollar dog night” on your bucket list and sit back and be amazed.

The Concession People Were Pleasant

But, that didn’t happen at Lake Elsinore. First, the concessions people were wise in letting fans only have two dogs at a time. They could come back for as many as they wanted, but only two at a time. This kept waste down. Second, the dogs were really subpar, no one would probably want more than one or two. Third, despite the free wine and food it was a small crowd. Here is how it went down in Lake Elsinore:

Dog:

Bun-almost fresh.

Taste-not good. Not sure who makes the frank but they need to switch vendors.

The Hapless Storm Dog

Toppings-sparse. Only mustard and relish, and the relish was in those troublesome packets.

Price-$4 would normally be ok, but for this dog it would be overpriced. Even at free I was not happy.

Portability-the only high score this dog gets. Nice foil wrapper.

It factor-NO ONE is coming to the ballpark for this dog. Even free dogs couldn’t lure the fans in.

Ballpark:

Location-on the edge of town in large area by itself.

Access-driving seems to be the only option. Parking is $5.

Cleanliness-not bad, but not completely spotless.

Ambiance-decent score as it is a typical minor league park with its own version of the “Green Monster” in right field.

GA Ticket Price-$7 for a grass berm seat is not spectacular, but I did get a VERY nice seat for the same price due to their military discount. Thanks Lake Elsinore.

Fans-free wine and hot dogs and a smallish crowd. This should tell you something.

The game itself was very good. Close most of the game, then the Storm charged out to a 3 run lead, then blew it and ended up winning it 4-3 in 10 innings on a walk-off double. Nice. AND...I caught a foul ball, my first of the road trip. I gave it to a really cute little girl seated in front of me.

I have other California League games to attend soon. It will be interesting to see how they stack up against Lake Elsinore. One thing is for certain. It will not be hard to beat their hot dog/ballpark overall score.

Dog		Ballpark		Total Dog/Game
Bun	4	Location	3
Taste	2	Access	2
Toppings	2	Cleanliness	4
Price	3	Ambiance	4
Portability	5	GA Ticket Price	4
It Factor	1	Fans	3
	17		20	37