Hot Dogs Red Hot in Ballparks

WASHINGTONAmerica's love affair with hot dogs is red hot, especially in the nation's ballparks, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council's annual survey. The NHDSC predicts that ballparks around the country will serve 21,378,064 hot dogs this season, enough to round the bases 29,691 times. The NHDSC predicts ballparks will sell 4,933,853 sausages this year.

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, tops the survey again this year and will serve up more than 1.67 million hot dogs during the 2010 season, according to projections. Moving into second place this year are the Chicago Cubs of Wrigley Field, where fans are expected to consume 1.54 million hot dogs this season. Rounding out the top three is last year's second-place finisher, the Philadelphia Phillies. Fans are expected to consume 1.45 million hot dogs at Citizens Bank Park this season.

"There's no question that hot dogs and sausages hit home runs year after year," said Tom Super, spokesman for the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. "Even with vast additions to stadiums' menus, fans still relish the hot dog as their No. 1 food choice at the ballpark."

When it comes to sausage, the Milwaukee Brewers reign supreme. More than 910,000 sausages are projected to be serviced at Miller Park, which is the only stadium in Major League Baseball where sausages outsell hot dogs. The New York Mets finished a distant runner-up to the Brewers, with approximately 376,650 sausages expected to be sold at Citi Field this year. Finishing third in the NHDSC's second-annual sausage consumption survey is U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, with 325,000 projected in sausage sales.