A designated eater pigs out at The Wolff

Plus, is this the best turkey leg in the Minors? [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( November 23, 2022 Thanksgiving-time expressions of gratitude have always felt a little corny to me, but why? Innate recalcitrance to heartfelt expression is self-defeating, and I don’t want to lose to myself. Therefore, I would like to say that establishing this, the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter, has been my most fulfilling professional development of 2022. Thank you for reading, and for getting in touch. I love writing for, and hearing from, you.  [The Designated Eater in San Antonio]( 2022 BALLPARK FOOD ROUNDUP: TURNING UP THE HEAT IN SAN ANTONIO Welcome to the second installment in a recurring offseason series detailing the concession highlights at each Minor League ballpark that I visited during the 2022 season. At every stop along the way I was joined in culinary solidarity by my [Designated Eater]( a local fan who consumes the ballpark cuisine that my gluten-free diet prohibits.  The second ballpark I visited in 2022 was "[The Wolff]( home of the San Antonio Missions (Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres). Prior to my arrival, I found myself wondering if the food selection had changed since the last time I was there, [in 2014](. [I wanna be a Nacho Dog!]( The food selection had indeed changed, and for the better. I discovered this over the course of several innings spent with Designated Eater Armando Legaspe, a southern California native who has served in the Army for nearly 20 years (not that he’s counting). He is currently stationed at Fort Sam Houston, one of three locations that make up Joint Base San Antonio. Armando is a lifelong baseball fan who has passed on his love of the sport to his four boys. He attends 30-35 Missions game a year, and his goal, once he retires, is to visit every Major League stadium. On this evening, our travels were confined to San Antonio’s ballpark. The destination was Missions Dog House, a stand located on the concourse behind home plate. There, we procured a Cheetos Dog and a Taco Dog. [San Antonio's Cheetso Dog]( We began with the former item, intimidating in its incandescence. [The Cheetos Dog]( served with a side of house-made chips, is topped with a layer of nacho cheese which serves as an adhesive for the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos sprinkled liberally on top.  Armando, who had fond memories of eating bacon-wrapped hot dogs sold by vendors in Tijuana, said that “This is something we could have made back in the day, but didn’t even think about it.  “The beef helps take the spiciness of the Hot Cheetos away,” he added. “Wow, it’s pretty good.” [San Antonio's Taco Dog] Next up was the Taco Dog, which also brings the heat. It is served in a flour tortilla and topped with Pico de Gallo, jalapeños and sour cream. The Pico de Gallo, and the tortilla chips served on the side, are made in-house.  “The sour cream chills the jalapeño, helps cool it off,” said Armando. “I’ve never had that mix, would never have thought of it.” [Funnel Cake Fries in San Antonio] Dessert brought some heat as well, but only as regards external temperature: Funnel Cake Fries, topped with strawberries, whipped cream and powdered sugar. Armando gave these high marks as well, but also admitted to some textural confusion.  “I was thinking chewy,” he said, “but these are crunchy all the way through.”  Armando found his stint as a Designated Eater to be an educational experience. Although he has been to several hundred Missions games in his life, he rarely ventured beyond the bratwurst when it came to choosing a ballpark meal.  “You’re gonna make me spend more money next time,” he said. “I learned new things!”  And should the Missions want to try a new thing, he had a suggestion: “Now make a [Takis]( hot dog. Make that a thing!”  Thank you, Armando, for being a Designated Eater.   SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS SOLD TO LOCAL OWNERSHIP GROUP Speaking of the Missions, the team made a big announcement this past week that had nothing to do with Cheeto Dogs:  Designated Bidders LLC, a group formed by local San Antonio business executives, has agreed to acquire the Texas League’s San Antonio Missions from long-time franchise owner Dave Elmore and the Elmore Group. For the first time since the 1980s, the Missions will be under local ownership. [Meet the new ownership in San Antonio]( Three of the Designated Bidders’ founding members are associated with Weston Urban, a San Antonio real estate developer with a history of “new and exciting downtown projects.” One of these projects, going forward, will be to work toward making a new downtown San Antonio ballpark a reality.  The ownership group also includes an array of San Antonio luminaries, including Spurs legends David Robinson and Manu Ginobili. Ryan Sanders Baseball, founders and operators of the Corpus Christi Hooks and Round Rock Express, “will join Designated Bidders as owners and operators of the Missions.”  [READ ABOUT SAN ANTONIO’S NEW OWNERSHIP GROUP HERE](   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TRIVIA QUESTION A turkey-based (baste?) team identity? It could have happened:  What current Minor League club included “Gobblers” among its eight “Name the Team” finalists?   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts] This is Josh Jackson, disrupting Ben’s rhythm to thrash around with all of you out there in newsletter land. I host The Show Before the Show podcast’s Ghosts of the Minors segment, in which I challenge you to identify the actual Minor League club hiding among two fakes.  In the last episode, we did a deep dive with the Dallas Submarines. This week, I ask you which of these teams tooled around in the Minors of yesteryear: - The Flint Arrows - The Oildale Drills - The Hickory Hammers For the answer, [tune in next time]( won’t you?     MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK GUIDE OF THE WEEK: WICHITA'S RIVERFRONT STADIUM [Going to Wichita's ballpark]( The [Minor League Ballpark Guide project]( proceeds apace, with the latest installment being my dispatch from the home of the Wichita Wind Surge. Learn about plentiful public art, cattle trail history, infamous troll statues, quadruple-stacked burgers, airplane-shaped scoreboards, on-site museums, fast food firsts and much, much more.  [READ THE LATEST MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK GUIDE: WICHITA’S RIVERFRONT STADIUM](   QUESTIONS OF MINOR CONCERN Last week’s question: If you could choose one Minor League concession item to include as part of your Thanksgiving meal, what would it be? Imagine, if you will, a Thanksgiving meal comprised of your responses: Rocket Dog (Erie SeaWolves); Cotton Candy Dog (Erie SeaWolves); Cuban Sandwich (Biloxi Shuckers); BBQ Nachos (Biloxi Shuckers); grilled sausage (just about anywhere) and Butter Roasted Corn (Kane County Cougars). The above items would make for an eclectic array. But on behalf of the traditionalists out there, I now cede the floor to Gordon Roberts. He suggested Turkey Legs, available at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ home of Coca-Cola Park, because “nothing else is fitting.” This week’s question: What are you thankful for, baseball-related or otherwise?  Email your answer to [benjamin.hill@mlb.com.](mailto:Benjamin.hill@mlb.com)   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA ANSWER! The Lehigh Valley IronPigs, perhaps the only Minor League team to sell turkey at the ballpark, came close to basing their identity around them. After relocating from Ottawa, Ontario, following the 2007 season, Lehigh Valley had a “Name the Team” contest. Gobblers, one of eight finalists, placed second.  In 2011, the IronPigs staged a “What Could Have Been Night” promotion where they suited up as the Gobblers. Highlights included a Frozen Turkey Bowling between-inning contest and the introduction of the Turkey Dance Cam.   [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE](   Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2022 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. You ({EMAIL}) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from [MiLB.com](. Please add info@mail.milblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from [MiLB.com]( please [unsubscribe]( or log in and [manage your email subscriptions](. 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