Gates Brown Mustard

There’s an ongoing debate in America about whether or not ketchup should be put on a hot dog. Obama has come out publicly against it. (I know, I should cite the quote here, but I don’t have it. It’s really not that important.) A Detroit Tiger stadium vendor was fired for harassing fans who put ketchup on their hot dog.  (He was known as “opera man” and he sang very loudly in the stands while selling hot dogs, so he may have had other issues.) So yeah, which is right? Well, I’ve got the answer. About 60 years ago, the Tigers had a famous pinch hitter named Gates Brown.  One day, very late in a game, Tiger Manager Mayo Smith, as he was prone to do, summoned Mr. Brown to pinch hit. Gates, thinking he wasn’t going to get into the game that day, had sneaked off to the clubhouse where he was enjoying a hot dog. In his rush to find a bat, a helmet, and get to the on deck circle, he shoved the hog dog in the pocket of his uniform pants. Sure enough, Gates hit a gapper to right center, and had to slide into second base. When he stood up after the slide, mustard was all over his uniform. But he was safe. There’s never been any mention of ketchup in any renditions of this story.

So there you have it. Obama, Gates, and the singing vendor. Three for three is a pretty good day at "the plate". Mustard-only wins!