Talk radio has its place in the world, I suppose, although there are some bad shows. The subjects are so trivial at times but then I guess that makes the world go ’round.
This week, on WCCO Radio, the favorite station for all of my adult life, there were two hosts who were espousing the idea that hot dogs should not have ketchup on them.The previous week there was another host doing the same thing.
It’s National Hot Dog Month so I suppose I should give them some leeway for bringing up what I considered to be such a silly thing to argue about.
One host, with a metro background who was joined by another who lives in the metro, admitted that he had used ketchup on his hot dogs as a kid but that, at age 14, he came to his senses and began using only mustard. I thought that was a bit of metro elitism.
C’mon, I’ve been using ketchup on my hot dogs for more than 70 years, as well as adding mustard. And EVERY person I’ve talked to in an unscientific survey the past few days said they used ketchup, many of them doing as I do and combining ketchup and mustard.
I don’t know when it started for me but when our northern family went on camping trips to the wilds of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the Black Hills, I used ketchup, just like I did when we grilled with charcoal (no fancy grills in those days) in the back yard. And when the family went on a summer trip and I stayed home to work for a local farmer, I even boiled some hot dogs (another no-no for the metro electists, I suppose) because my preparation skills were limited in those teen days in the ’50s. Those dogs still tasted good and I thought ketchup was appropriate.
As I listened to those two on WCCO I wondered what was wrong with using ketchup and why they felt mustard was the ONLY appropriate condiment. Just because they were from the metro area, did they think using ketchup was a rural thing?
Listeners began texting their views to the show on “CCO and there was one person who suggested using mayo on hot dogs. That was a stretch for me, although adding a good relish and/or chopped onions are both appropriate as far as I’m concerned.
I found a site on a computer (no small feat for me) that listed some of the top hot dog joints in the US (their words, not mine) that offer a hot dog for $7 or less (exceptions made) and there was no Mention of “mustard only” – well, maybe one – for hot dogs.
Nathan’s Famous in New York, the Coney Island chain famous for sponsoring the hot dog eating contest that a guy named Joey Chestunut wins every year by consuming as many as 70-plus dogs in 10 minutes, charges $4.59 for one of its hot dogs but doesn’t ‘t require that only mustard is used. There is a place called Arbetter’s in Miami that has its popular chili dog with the menu starting at $2.79 and running all the way up to $4.99.
Back in the early ’60s I first ran into chili dogs in Manhattan, Kansas, while serving in the US Army and this week at home I made some chili dogs to celebrate Hot Dog Month. Boy, were they good, and I didn’t have to worry about choosing between ketchup and mustard.
At Biker Jim’s in Denver where their dogs start at $10 you can splurge and try wild boar, elk, jalapeño cheddar, ostrich. southwest buffalo or a rattlesnake and rabbit combo. At the Steamie Weenie in Las Vegas the prices start at $5.35 and you can have the dogs topped with macaroni and cheese, watermelon barbecue sauce, grilled pineapple relish or wasabi mayo. At the Evil Wiener in Austin.Texas, you can get one that is bacon-wrapped, or a Colonel Klink topped with sauerkraut and spicy mustard. There is the Happy Dog in Detroit, more like a dive bar, where there are 50 toppings to chose from, including oddities such as fried eggs and cereal.
Dirty Frank’s in Columbus Ohio, is down to earth with a basic dog costing $3.25 but you can get a jumbo, brat or polish for $1.25. Also on the down-to-earth side is Gene and Jude’s in River Grove, Ill., where a dog with fries costs $3.86. BUT, they don’t offer ketchup, adhering to a Chicago tradition.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue using ketchup on hot dogs, although I don’t think ketchup should be used on brats, and that sauerkraut should be a must with brats.
I think I will have a hot dog at Solheim Veterans Field in Princeton today at the ballgame and I’m going to use both ketchup and mustard. The heck with those guys in the Cities!
It was a disastrous week for the Twins as they dropped three of four to the White Sox, once on a one-hitter and the other two in games where they only scored two runs.Their lead is down to two games over Cleveland and three over the Sox as the All-Star break came.
Byron Buxton, hitting only .216 with 91 strikeouts, hit a homer that drove in the winning run for the American League in the All-Star game and Luis Arraez also had a hit as both guys went 1-for-2.
Star Tribune columnist Pat Reusse notes that the team is 23-28 dating back to May 25 and that the lack of good pitching is the problem. I agree, although they have managed to stay in first place mainly because of a 23-8 run early in the season.
It will likely take another run like that to stay in first place. I’m not optimism with about 70 games remaining.
July 19, 1962 – In the American League of the Rum River Golf Club the team of Arnold Dahle and Jim Duffy was holding a slim lead, with Al Bornholdt and Doug Fraser breathing down their necks. In theNational League the team of Warren Lindell and Clarence Paulson was leading by one point over Jack White and Howard Gruhlke.
July 20, 1967 – Mike Arnoldlater a Princeton player, pitched a no-hitter as Clear Lake beat Princeton 5-1 in town ball but Mike Rajala and Tom Enger of Princeton, in an unusual occurrence during a no-hitter, each stole four bases. Santiago was in first place with one week of Independent Central League play to go.
July 21, 1972 – Pete Steinhagen pitched a one-hitter in losing 1-0 to a strong Hibbing team in the Marble tournament. Princeton beat Wayzata and lost to Duluth Lakeview. Dan Kne pitched a shutout in the win over Wayzata, his fourth shutout in five games. He struck out 17 in an earlier 4-2 win over Milaca . . . Don Whitcomb and son Joel won the father-son tournament at Rum River Golf Club.
July 21, 1977 – Kevin VanHooser upped his record to 4-0, beating St. Francis 9-2 in town team ball. Dave Mingo relieved for the last 2 1/3 innings and had gone 13 innings without giving up a hit and 25 innings without giving up a run. He had 116 strikeouts in 62 innings . . . After being second in the league with two games to go Princeton won the North End title by beating Cambridge twice. With coach Howard Solheim absent to attend a funeral, players Mike Solheim and Keith Julson were the coaches. The wins were by Curt Johnson and Fred Jenson.
July 22, 1982 – The Legion team won the North End title without losing a league game for the second straight year as Tom Trunk beat Chisago Lakes and Brian Dorr beat Mora. Princeton had won 18 straightleague games at that point . . . Manpower shortages forced manager Doug Patnode to pitch both ends of a town team doubleheader with Forest Lake and had a 1-5 week just before playoffs.
July 22, 1987 – Edina won the Legion baseball tournament as Princeton lost to Jamestown, ND, beat St. Paul Jacobsen and then lost to St Louis Park in the fifth-place game. . . Don Nelson of Princeton won the Super Stock feature race at Princeton Speedway.
July 23, 1992 – Paul Anderson and Alison Ringaman won the local junior golf titles . . . Jamie Cox struck out 12 in a 1-0 win over the Cambridge Legion team. John Faulhaber drove in the run . . . Apple Valleywon the local Legion baseball tournament as Princeton lost to Waite Park and Monticello.
July 18, 1997 – The Legion team lost 5-4 to Cold Spring, beat Woodbury 16-10 and lost 11-9 to Perham in the local tournament. Jesse Zimmer had four homers in the three games and Kirk Henchen homered and was 7-for-13 in the tournament. Mark Beattie drove in seven runs in the Woodbury game. No. 1ranked Tri-City Red won the tournament for the third time in five years . . .The Princeton Panthers (14-2 inleague play) beat Forest Lake. Chisago Lakes and Quamba to clinch the division title, Mickey Branchaud and Jason Miller pitching shutouts in the first two games. Troy Scheffel had four hits in the Quamba game and homered twice.
July 25, 2002 – The Legion team finished 9-4 in the North End League and in fourth place, beating Hinckley 8-7 as Tyler Roehl drove in three runs . . . Brandon Knoll pitched a 3-2 win for the Panthers (19-3) over Chisago Lakes as Tony Stay drove in two runs and had four hits..
July 26, 2007 – The Panthers (18-6, 15-4 in the league) won a third straight division title . . . The Legion team won one of three in its tournament, beating Maple Grpve 5-3 behind Luke Bakken with Karl Larsen driving in two runs.
July 27, 2012 –The Legion baseball team lost 5-1 to Spring Lake Park and just missed a trip to the state tournament. The team finished 10-15 . . . The Princeton Panthers beat Rum River 7-5 and earnedthe No. 1seed for the playoffs. Josh Vickers hit a three-run homer and pitched the win.
July 26, 2017 – The Legion baseball team took first place in the Sub State tournament and qualified for the state Legion tournament, beating North Branch 5-4 for the title, Dan Munch getting the win and Josh Ludwig getting three hits. Ludwig beat St. Francis 14-7 in the previous game and Brennan Godeen drove in three runs . . . The Princeton Panthers rode a five-game winning streak to the division title in the Eastern Minny at 14-4. They beat Hinckley 4-3 behind Josh Ludwig and Quamba 6-2 behind Joe Swanson.
(Dorr is the former editor of the Princeton Eagle (2 years) and Princeton Union-Eagle (31 years), and has written about sports in the area for the past 54 years.)
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