Rich Schapiro has alerted me (and now you) to Jessica Liebman's Foul Ballpark story. Actually, a Scoreboard Gourmet reader sent the DN story to me, and now I'm sharing it with you.
Here's Rich's story: Don't be afraid to eat the hot dogs and pretzels at Yankee and Shea stadiums.
They're among the cleanest ballparks in the nation, according to an analysis by Portfolio magazine.
As New York fans watch their beloved teams from near-gleaming stadiums, several teams in the south and west play in ballparks mired in filth.
California-based stadiums have the worst health records, according to an analysis of violations in 2007.
The Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland A's "had far more food fouls than any other team," the magazine says in its June issue. "While most were minor, some were, well, disgusting."
Angels Stadium racked up a whopping 732 violations last year, including a cockroach infestation in the Stadium Club kitchen last August.
There was also a major vermin violation in April that forced the shutdown of a food stand.
The A's McAfee Coliseum reported 493 violations, several of which came from food being exposed to "overhead leakage, dirt, insects, rodents and chemical contamination."
Shea Stadium, on the other hand, had only 58 violations in 2007 – though there was evidence of mice, rats and flying insects found in food areas during a June inspection.
Yankee Stadium had an even cleaner record last year. It was cited for a mere 45 violations.
The cleanest of the 11 stadiums analyzed was Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies.
It was hit with only 16 violations.
Here's a link to Jessica's story. She says, "in some stadiums, the rats and flies have pretty good seats."
Guess those rat traps (pictured) at Yankee Stadium really work. Enjoy your lunch.
I LO+VE this team's name for numerous obvious reasons. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are Angels Single-A. Here are their weekly home game food/drink promos:
