A JOCKpost Tribute: Harry M. Stevens, The Man Who Brought Hot Dogs To Baseball

Every year America’s birthday, and its ever-present pig-out, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, reminds me of a former resident of my hometown.

The chances are that you have never heard of this man, but he has undoubtedly touched your lives. And probably in a more meaningful way than your girlfriend.

We owe a lot to Mr. Harry M. Stevens. And I don’t just mean for the park in his honor back home where all the stoners go to get their blaze on. Every time you step into the ballpark, there’s the ghost of Harry, improving your game experience.

To me, nothing says a day at the ball field like a delicious Sugardale hot dog smothered in ketchup and Cleveland’s famous “Ball Park Mustard.”

For this delicious, fat-filled treat, we have none other than Mr. Stevens to thank. He is the man responsible for bringing this mystery meat tube wrapped in a bun to the ball park.

He is also credited with switching the standard stadium fare from ice cream and lemonade to the cuisine we are accustomed to today: hot dogs, peanuts, and sodas. Public drunkenness was apparently not cool in 1887, so no beers.

But wait! The “King of Concessions” had another idea up his sleeve. In his day, the scorecards had no place for players’ names, meaning fans had no way of knowing who was who on the field. Cue our boy.

Ever the entrepreneur, Harry designed his own scorecards and started selling them at whatever stadiums he had signed to concessions contracts.

The scorecard he invented is the same scorecard that is still in use to this day at every baseball game around the world. How Harry Stevens isn’t in the Baseball Hall of Fame defies logic.

He made the fan experience what it is today. Coming from a town that produced a President of the United States (William McKinley) and the inventor of the Heaton blast furnace, Harry stands head and shoulders above the rest in regards to contributions to society.