The (Hot) Dog Days of Baseball Season

Baseball is a beautiful sport but, as my colleagues point out, it has some shortcomings. One issue that a lot of casual fans have is that the season (and the game itself) can get kind of long. After all, the season is 162-games and there's no clock dictating how long the game takes. In a sport where the season can tend to grind, sometimes there's a need to take a look at some of the other entertaining elements of baseball away from the field.

That's right, I'm talking about baseball food. MLB stadiums across the country roll out new menus every year, to the point where even the League is getting on the action and asking fans to debate which stadium has the best food. The options are all well and good, but in this writer's opinion, the true best meal for any day at the ballpark is a hot dog. So, which ballpark has the best hot dog? Let's take a look!

Fenway Frank

Typically, I'm loathe to give credit to Boston and the Red Sox, but there's always room to praise a team for doing the basics correctly. A boiled hot dog in a traditional New England split top bun topped with relish, spicy brown mustard, and onions. There are other toppings available, but the baseline Fenway Frank is hard to top.

The Chicago Dog

Next, we feature the Chicago Dog. A grilled Vienna Beef hot dog topped with yellow mustard, neon green relish, onion, sports pickles, tomatoes, and pickle spear and served in a poppy seed bun. This dog is an icon of the City of Chicago itself and features prominently on both the North and South Side. It is a shame it wasn't featured on New Era's "Local Market" caps.

I'm putting the Chicago Dog 2nd on this list because it holds such high esteem in the City, and no baseball game is complete without one. However, while it is delicious, they go a little over the top with all the toppings. It can be hard to eat one in the Bleachers without wearing half your lunch.

Also...do not even think about asking for ketchup on your hot dog.

Seattle Dog

This is one of my personal favorites. The Seattle Dog my not technically be available in the ballpark, but can certainly be found at vendors around the stadium before and after games. The Seattle Dog features a grilled hot dog (or Polish sausage) split down the middle and topped with it's signature topping: cream cheese. The other toppings can vary, but for my money, the best combination is sliced jalapenos, siracha, and grilled onions.

I'm obviously leaving out a lot of locales and options, but there's only some much space. Let me know what your favorite ballpark hot dog is (or other food option) and let me have it if I forgot your favorite. All this talk about hot dogs has made me hungry.