New releases available on-demand from your couch rather than on the big screen. Takeout-only dining. No-contact deliveries. Curbside pickup for wine.
They’re all signs of the times — a way for businesses pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic to keep open their doors and continue paying employees.
Count sports among the industries brought to a grinding halt. But some minor league baseball teams — including a Pirates affiliate — are pushing back.
On April 20, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, a Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, offered “marinara sauce specials from our curbside pick-up,” including meatball subs, spaghetti and meatballs and marinara polenta with meatballs.
“We might not be playing baseball tonight,” the team tweeted, “but you can still enjoy the chef’s special sauce.”
Other teams have gotten in on the action, including the Altoona Curve, the Pirates Double-A affiliate.
There are still Curve Burgers available for curbside pick-up on Friday (5/22) at PNG Field! Kick off Memorial Day Weekend by letting us provide dinner!
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) May 21, 2020
Pre-order your ? before they're gone: https://t.co/Etb5tBM8KK pic.twitter.com/gZD0OV4FHg
“The Altoona Curve’s signature concession item isn’t a hyper-specific regional delicacy, nor is it an over-the-top gut buster,” writes Benjamin Hill of milb.com in a tour through various teams’ offerings. “It’s the Curve Burger, simple yet satisfying, a juicy cheeseburger served fresh off the grill and accompanied by a bag of Martin’s potato chips.”
#DesignatedEater checks in @AltoonaCurve pic.twitter.com/oVx3X8pJuk
— Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) August 4, 2017
“In Altoona, to miss the Curve Burger is to miss baseball itself,” Hill writes. “On Tuesday (May 5), the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate briefly alleviated those feelings of longing by offering Curve Burgers for curbside pickup. The burgers had been placed on sale four days prior, via an online preorder, and sold out in less than four hours.”
The offerings of several other teams are featured, including the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs of the New York Yankees organization, which has offered “a wide variety of unorthodox items,” including its “brisket ramen bowl” and a “Mystery Six Pack” for $12.99.
You asked. We deliver(ed).
— Charleston RiverDogs (@ChasRiverDogs) May 5, 2020
Back by popular demand... Chef Shea's Brisket Ramen Bowl!
? To-Go: https://t.co/tSz9NgKe4M
? Delivered: https://t.co/qXrWJM5fm4 pic.twitter.com/dejfd54SY5
Hill details more teams’ offerings here.
As for the Curve, if you’re in the Altoona area and want a Curve Burger to kick off Memorial Day Weekend on Friday, you can place a preorder here, “before they’re gone.”
