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(the brat pack, cont.) While the history and appeal of the sausages explains the racing phenomenon in Wisconsin, the national fame of the in-game promotion involved a publicized accident at Miller Park. During the2003 season, Randall Simon of the Pittsburgh Pirates slugged the Italian Sausage with his bat during the sixth inning race. The Italian fell to the dirt, taking down the Hot Dog in the process. Both sausages sustained scraped knees, and Simon was fined $432 and suspended for three games. Images of the doubled-over sausage surfaced on news broadcasts and sports programs and in newspapers around the country. Thus, the racing sausages became a nationwide sensation. “In Milwaukee the sausages have always been big, but [the incident] definitely brought out a lot of national attention,” says Mandy Block, also known as the assaulted Italian sausage. Block, who is currently a junior at the University of Wisconsin, describes the hoopla after the Simon incident as “really strange.” “I got a lot of interesting mail, some marriage proposals via email and phone calls from radio stations across the country at 7 a.m.,” Block says. “I think the funniest reaction was by an old neighbor lady that lives across the street and had the pleasure of dealing with all the press trucks parked in front of her house. She actually took pictures of me on her television... It was sorta weird.” While Block, the Brewers and Simon agree the incident was a fairly harmless joke gone awry, the incident skyrocketed the sausage race’s popularity nationwide. Since the 2003 season, the sausages have received invitations from Minneapolis to Arkansas, to the All-Star Game in Houston and even Hollywood. In September 2004, the four encased meats debuted on the big screen in Bernie Mac’s baseball comedy, Mr. 3000. Obviously the racing sausages have made a name for themselves. But the idea that racing in a costume that Block describes as “really top heavy, hot, tipsy when its windy and sorta smells like B.O.,” still sounds unappealing. Then a fan spun the idea that the sausage race is...well...more than a sausage race. “The reason you go to a brew game is not to see the Brewers win,” says Matt Dolbey, a self-described lifetime Brewers fan. “It’s kind of the long-term theme of being a Milwaukee fan. You go there because of the brats and the cheap beer. And it’s a great stadium. All of the things going on at Miller Park put together make it a great experience.” Taking in a game at Miller Park is apparently more than cheering on the Brewers. It’s about the game, the food, the beer, the stadium, the fans and, yes, the sausages. “The Racing Sausages and Bob Uecker and Bernie the Brewer and Miller Park are synonymous with the Milwaukee Brewers,” Dolbey says. So by putting on the foam Polish costume and racing the Italian, the Hot Dog and the Brat is like transforming into an extension of the team. It’s way to be a literal part of the tradition of major league baseball – even if you can’t demand the $3 million contract as a utility player. The Hot Dog, Polish, Italian and Brat inspired other sports organizations to create events that will excite fans and make games more enjoyable. However, Dolbey doesn’t think the fish, the perogies or any other gimmick promotions people will come up will ever compare with the unique contribution the sausages make in Milwaukee. “A sausage with a mustache and lederhosen?” Dolbey ponders. “You can’t find that anywhere else in the world besides Miller Park. People talk about them as a part of the team. When a Brewers game comes back from a commercial break, the Fox Sports guys talk about the sausages and who won the race. I can’t imagine anyone else talking about a race of other any other food.”
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