Little League Baseball foods

There’s a tee shirt that says, “I have no life, my son plays baseball” and that pretty much sums up my past few summers. On the plus side (aside from actually enjoying the games), I’ve had fun sampling Little League and youth league snack bars.

Many are nothing more than teenagers selling sodas, power drinks, water, candy bars and, if you’re lucky, microwaved popcorn. Others actually have a cooked food thing happening.

On the fully-pro side, in late August, we went for a week to Dreams Park in Cooperstown, New York.  It’s impressive that each week they host 104 youth teams, playing on 22 fields and bring in thousands of guests who need to eat while watching daylong tournaments. They have their food service down, with snack bars throughout the park, all with the same menu, including a number of healthy choices. Not so healthy but the BLT wrap I had one day for lunch was pretty darn good.

More frequently, however, it’s as much a labor of love as a business. Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time at my local Little League complex in West Roxbury, Mass. There are three fields and at times the place is packed. This is a baseball neighborhood, which also includes Roslindale, where I live, just a few minutes away.

Vikki and Joe run the snack bar. They have the usual snack bar fare: chicken fingers, fried mozzarella sticks, hotdogs, slushies and occasionally I see a special such as a meatball or Italian sausage sub or egg sandwiches for 9 am games. But what I think are the best items are the fries and burgers.

The fries are just plain addictive. I’m not sure how they cook them or what type of frozen fry they use, but they are salty, slightly greasy, crinkle cut goodness. The burgers are not what you would expect – no pre-made frozen beef patty here – it’s a smallish, seasoned handmade flat patty cooked on a grill top and put on a hand size bun. If you order the cheeseburger, the cheese becomes one with the burger and bun when you pull it open to add your condiments. I always go with the yellow ball park mustard and relish. It’s nothing fancy at all, but it’s a real burger eaten outside, while watching a game. I’ve eaten a lot of these over the years and at $3 each, it can’t be beat with a side of fries.

My son has outgrown little league and is moving on to other baseball endeavors, so I will not be hanging around the little league complex much next summer. But I will occasionally stop in and see the coach – an excuse, really, to saying hello to Vikki and ordering up a burger and fries.

While I’m on baseball food, if you’re a fan I’m sure you’ve noticed menu additions at major and minor league parks across the country. These days you can get just about anything you want. A few years ago we were eating sushi, just because we could, while watching a Mariners game at Safeco Field in Seattle. They also had some amazing garlic fries, fires piled high fresh chopped garlic and of course some great local brews to wash it all down.

Even my home park Fenway has added new items. I hear the Cuban sandwich is pretty good. But for me, I’m happiest with a Fenway frank, with mustard and onions, a bag of roasted peanuts and a cup or two of draft beer. That’s what I call classic ballpark eats and it just doesn’t feel right to leave Fenway without a mustard stain somewhere on your clothing.