Visalia Rawhide: JJ Putz Dog

It was a cozy night to build a fire. By cozy I mean catching a game in the ballpark that seats the fewest fans in any MLB affiliated baseball stadium. With 1,888 seats Recreation Park is the smallest with each seat offering a close encounter with the Visalia Rawhide. By fire I mean the fire in my mouth. I chose the JJ Putz Dog (named after a former player). Other entries of size were variations of the sausage dog named The Big Unit and Luis’ Linginusia. I chose the JJ Putz because it was the spiciest choice. I like spicy.

The result was a large and zesty sausage on a toasted bun generously drizzled with deli mustard and a pickle. It was a good sized dog for the price and after the first bite I was asking the usher where the water fountain was. That puppy was warm.

Appeal-the names affiliated with former players is a cool idea and had me asking about each. 4

Ingredients-a quality sausage, and a nice toasty bun. It could use a few more toppings. Grilled onions perhaps. 3.5

Uniqueness-a few other teams use the player moniker on dogs, and the sausage on a bun is done in nearly every ballpark. 3.5

Monstrosity Factor-it is a large dog, but I had no trouble downing it. 3.5

Value-seven smackers is a fair deal for the size and quality of the entry. 4

Overall Taste-while it could have used a few more toppings, my taste buds that were not burnt off enjoyed it. 4.5

APPEAL	4
INGREDIENTS	3.5
UNIQUENESS	3.5
MONSTROSITY FACTOR	3.5
VALUE	4
OVERALL TASTE	4.5
TOTAL	23

For the size of the ballpark Visalia does a pretty good job of offering up some variety in the dogs. While it will not be a top contender if I ranked the minor leagues, it is all about doing the best considering the resources available. And with 1,888 seats the Rawhide are never going to sell a ton of hot dogs. Kudos for being as good as they are.