Trenton Thunder: from Clemens to Food

Clemens is set to make his second Minor League start tomorrow for the Trenton Thunder (double-A Yankees of course). Clemens will face the Portland Sea Dogs (double-A Red Sox) in an Eastern League contest beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET at Trenton's Waterfront Park. ESPN will offer multi-platform coverage of Roger Clemens' start in Trenton Wednesday. From 7 - 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 will feature each of Clemens’ half-innings on the mound. DQ Grill & Chill (yes, that's a fancy Dairy Queen) of Hamilton, NJ is sponsoring Freddy Sanchez Bobblehead night. I thought he was a Pirate. I wonder if they'll give one to Clemens. June 5 is Pettitte bobblehead night. Just saying. ----the following from a Susan Sprague Yeske story on NJ.com: The Yankees AA affiliate's combination of traditional foods, healthy choices and local favorites means a selection that is not typical ballpark food and is tops among minor league stadiums, says Thunder spokesman Dan Loney. Thunder concession stands sell fruit cups, Caesar and chef salads, hot dogs, fries, roast beef or chicken sandwiches and nachos. A "Kidcession" stand lets kids buy popcorn, a hot dog, juice, soda, milk or a soft pretzel for $1 per item. Sandwiches filled with Tren ton Pork Roll, made here in the city, have been sold at the park since it opened in 1994, Loney said. Familiar local eateries also have set up shop at the ballpark, giving the menu even more of a regional flavor. Those include crab fries from Chickie's & Pete's, a Philadelphia stadium tradition that has an outlet in Bordentown. Pricey at $5.50 a cup, the Old Bay-seasoned fries are "addic tive," reports one frequent consumer. Landolfi's Deli in Yardley, Pa., which joined the Waterfront team this season, has introduced hoa gies. Their selections, including the Italian hoagie-inspired "fluffy," are a cut above the run- of-the-mill sandwich. Rounding out the lineup in the hot sandwich category, Curt Baxter of Levittown, Pa., has brought his Lumpylicious award-winning barbecued pulled-pork to the ballpark for the past two years. When the decision was made to add healthy choices to the menu, Blue Cross/Blue Shield was recruited to help, Taylor said. That resulted in the use of leaner meats, 16-ounce fruit cups, Cae sar salads and chef salads made fresh each day by Food Service America, a Trenton Thunder company. For help in choosing new menu items, Taylor said the Thunder uses a focus group that is convened each fall. One of those groups led to the decision to add salads, but some additions have reflected favorites of Thunder personnel. Those include the crab fries and Baxter's Lumpyli cious sandwiches. Baxter was a Thunder fan when he was first approached about selling pulled pork with his special sauce at the ballpark, a job he added to his rounds of festivals and backyard catering jobs that take him as far as Key Largo, Fla., over the course of a year. "I have a steady crowd of ticketholders who come in," he said, adding that he's sold as many as 180 sandwiches during a single game. He currently shares space at the ballpark with Landolfi's, which he encouraged to sell sandwiches at the ballpark after stopping at the Yardley deli for a hoa gie. But the new list of offerings hasn't hurt the old standbys, including hot dogs. The Thunder Dog, which sells for $3.50, is an oversized dog made by Dietz & Watson, a regional favorite. While the price might seem a little high, it's very competitive with those at major league parks.