Strange Baseball Sandwich
May 19, 2010
I got up at 7 a.m. last Sunday after spending all of Saturday night listening to Nashville icon Pat McLaughlin sing roadhouse soul at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, Ill.
My mission was to eat a Cudighi Yooper sandwich at Fifth Third Field, home of the Midwest League’s West Michigan Whitecaps just north of Grand Rapids.
The Yooper—not to be confused with major league hurler Brandon Looper—is a spicy coarsley ground sausage patty smothered in white cheddar cheese, roasted onions, Marinara sauce, green and red peppers and served on a sesame seed bun. ($5.75).
The Cudighi (pronounced could-a-key) Yooper was chosen by fans in a pre-season contest that drew more than 23,000 votes.
The Yooper edged out the Declaration of Indigestion. The Declaration is a half-pound footlong hot dog-Philly steak covered with green peppers, onions and Philly cheese sauce, served on a large sub roll ($9). Only 56 votes separated the two items so the Whitecaps added each item on the menu for this season.
The Yooper is popular in the Upper Penisula of Michigan. It was invented by an Italian immigrant who settled in Ispheming, Mi. He deployed mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce on his creation. I’ve been told you can find the Yooper at joints like Jasper Ridge Brewery and the Wayside Bar in Ispheming. The Yooper has also surfaced in Green Bay, Wis.
The Whitecaps Yooper is drenched with so much cheese and sauce that it is served with a fork and a stack of napkins. I settled in my seat with my Kane County Cougars stats briefcase, a bottle of water and Marinara sauce dripping down my stubbled chin.
Children moved closer to their parents.
But weight, there’s more.
Last year West Michigan garnished national attention with its Fifth Third Burger, a 4,889-calorie monster consisiting of five one-third pound burgers with cheese on each slice, crunched tortilla chips, lots of chili, a half cup of salsa, lettuce and tomato served on a custom made 8-inch bun ($20). Any fan who downs the burger in one sitting (during the course of a game) is given a free t-shirt. Their picture is installed on a nearby Wall of Fame sponsored by a local cardiologist (just kidding). The burger is still part of the ballpark menu this season.
Weird ideas that were rejected in this year’s fan voting included the Pink Panther, a hot dog bun covered in icing and filled with pink cotton candy, a Twinkie Cheese Dog, and the third place finisher, chocolate covered bacon that attracted an amazing 6,326 votes.
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