The Lucky Indianapolis Hot Dogs
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Steve Delabar is one of the few Triple-A ballplayers to have experienced the “lucky” hot dogs.[/caption]
Steve Delabar is an accomplished major league pitcher, with 190 appearances in six seasons of MLB experience under his belt. He was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays, and struck out MVP Buster Posey in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game. But even an esteemed pitcher like Delabar could use some luck in the sometimes overwhelming world of minor league baseball.
The Kentucky native started 2016 with the Louisville Bats after the Cincinnati Reds signed him to a minor league contract on April 2. He was in Indianapolis for a three-game series against the Indians when a Crock-Pot changed the course of his season.
“I was actually in the clubhouse in Indy, talking to one of the clubhouse guys,” says Delabar. “He makes these ‘Crock-dogs’, like Crock-Pot hot dogs and just cooks them. I don’t know if they’re streamed or what he does.”
Delabar was referring to the Indianapolis Indians’ visiting clubhouse manager, Jeremy Martin.
“I walked in [to the clubhouse] and guys were talking about [the hot dogs] the day before saying ‘hey they’re good luck’ and all this stuff,” says Delabar. “So I went in on the second day, and I’m like ‘Hey, I heard that these Crock-dogs will get you to the show.’”
Jeremy Martin told Delabar that the Crock-dogs were popular among several visiting players, and that the ones who ate them usually ran into some good luck.
“The Crock-dog thing started with the year Mike Hessman was with Louisville,” says Martin, referring to the 2013 season. “Got him a couple Crock-dogs — and he went out and hit a couple homers.”
On the day Delabar was in the clubhouse, he and Martin talked about how current Cincinnati Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart had a couple big hits and was called up to the Majors within a week after eating a few of the lucky Indianapolis Crock-dogs.
“I’ve got to have them. Maybe they’ll turn something around. So I eat two of them,” says Delabar. “And after I finished them up, I went over to [trainer] Steve Gober’s office and I was just sitting in there, then Delino [DeShields] walked in.”
“I’m not even kidding, this was not even ten minutes after, the hot dogs are like mid-chest at this point and Delino goes ‘Hey, you’re going up’,” says Delabar.
He couldn’t believe it. ‘No way!’ ‘No way the Crock-dogs works like that’ thought Delabar. “I couldn’t believe it. As I was packing my stuff up, the other guys were just coming in. I’m like ‘Guys, you better get on those hot dogs right now!’ ‘Y’all better go tear them up!’”
Delabar says he got into Cincinnati that night and that he still can’t believe what the Crock-dogs did for him.
The legend behind the Indianapolis Crock-dogs continues to grow. Martin says Hessman, who effectively started the Crock-dog superstitions, told Toledo’s Casey McGehee to eat a couple before his game at Indianapolis. He listened, and according to Martin, McGehee had a two-hit performance afterward.
Martin says he usually makes one Crock-Pot full of hot dogs for most visiting teams, but when the Louisville Bats come to town, he’s making two or three. When asked if he does anything special in preparing the Crock-dogs, Martin says all he does is throw the hot dogs in the Crock-Pot.
“Baseball players are like that,” says Martin. “It’s all about believing in [the Crock-dogs]. If the players believe they bring luck, then they’ll bring luck.”
Photo: Bill Streicher — USA TODAY Sports
