The "Big Unit" hotdog

[EZEtoGRU]

Ok I am in Phoenix right now. Aging rock legend Alice Cooper lives here and is kind of a local celebrity and he owns a restaurant here named Cooperstown. I went today and it is like a sportsbar that serves typical sportsbar fare. All the waitstaff have Cooper-style eye makeup on. Anyway, I ordered the house specialty which is the "Big Unit" hotdog......its 22 inches long! Many of Cooperstown dishes are named after Alice Cooper songs or other local celebs. The Big Unit hot dog is named after the former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson. Story has it that Randy's team-mates at the time had privately referred to Randy as "Big Unit" after seeing him showering and changing in the clubhouse before/after games. I guess that he is very very large in all the right places. Anyway, that private nickname got out into the public domain and everyone kept referring to him as "Big Unit". Well he now has a 22 inch hotdog named after him as well!! Doubtful that Randy had a 22 inches sausage. Maybe they took the actual size and multiplied x 2.

 

I was not able to finish the 22 incher today.....but I tried really hard.:o

[EZEtoGRU]

oops. Here's the restaurant link.

 

http://www.alicecooperstown.com/index.html

[+ azdr0710]

welcome to my hometown, EZE....weather pretty much sucks, eh?.....I hope Phx treats you well.....

[instudiocity]

Randy Johnson is 6'10". Standing on the mound pitching he was quite intimidating. But..

 

[edit][h=2]"Big Unit" nickname[/h]During batting practice in 1988, the 6'10" Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim, "You're a big unit!"^[32] The nickname stuck.

Throughout much of his career, Johnson held the title of tallest player in MLB history. Former pitcher Eric Hillman and current pitchersAndrew Sisco and Chris Young have also been measured at 6'10". The title of tallest player is now held by Johnson's former Diamondback teammate Jon Rauch, a relief pitcher who is 6'11".

[justaguy]

A 22 inch pitcher? Yeah, that's intimidating. :-) I'd love to see a shower shot of the guy though.

[EZEtoGRU]

welcome to my hometown, EZE....weather pretty much sucks, eh?.....I hope Phx treats you well.....

 

Thanks az! I am looking at properties in Phoenix now and will go to Tucson over the weekend. Weather seems fine to me even though I gather it is warmer than normal. I think it is supposed to rain on Sunday. Have you eaten the "big unit"?

[EZEtoGRU]

Randy Johnson is 6'10". Standing on the mound pitching he was quite intimidating. But..

You're probably right that his nickname came from something else, but it's more fun to consider the other possibility. I agree with justaguy. I want to see a shower shot.