Charity work with relish
Rarely does the hot dog take center stage.
But on Sunday, members of the Massachusetts National Guard are prepared to cook and serve more than 135,000 assorted frankfurters, wieners, tube steaks, foot-longs, sausages, red-hots, and plain old hot dogs at Suffolk Downs.
What sounds like a local attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records is Eddie Andelman's 16th Hot Dog Safari. Of course, if someone wants to volunteer to do the paperwork, there could be a Guinness record attempt in a coming year.
Last year, 40,000 people attended the event and helped raise $300,000 for The Joey Fund to further cystic fibrosis research. WWZN (1510 AM) will broadcast live from Suffolk from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (grounds are open from 9-4).
''People keep saying we have to raise the price to make money, but it's equally important to me to keep this as an affordable day," said Andelman. ''Kids under 12 get in free and parking is free." For the rest of us, tickets are $15 at the door but $10 in advance at Eastern Bank, Store 24, Li'l Peach, Tedeschi, The Kowloon in Saugus, and Fuddruckers in Saugus and North Andover.
Channel 56, which has covered the event live in the past, is doing a pre-event special this year. ''Joey's Friends: The Fight Against Cystic Fibrosis" will air Saturday from 8-9 p.m. and focus on the fund, which was established by Boston businessman Joe O'Donnell in memory of his son Joey, a victim of the disease. Guests include O'Donnell, former Bruin Gerry Cheevers, whose granddaughter has cystic fibrosis, and Andelman. There also will be a taped segment with Frank Deford, who lost his daughter Alex and memorialized her in a book, ''Alex: The Life of a Child."
''We're pleased to help build awareness and support for the Joey Fund and its mission to end cystic fibrosis," said Channel 56 general manager Vincent Manzi. ''Hopefully, people will be inspired to head over to Suffolk Downs for the Hot Dog Safari the next day to have some fun and help raise money for a cure."
Andelman didn't have to give a hard sell to grand marshals Cheevers, Doug Flutie, and Sean McDonough. All have been touched by knowing ill children, and McDonough and Flutie have their own foundations.
Of the lowly hot dog, Andelman said, ''It's the basic food group of the sports fan."
No laughing matter
Channel 4's Bob Lobel, not at all pleased at being the subject of last Friday's nationally syndicated ''Get Fuzzy" comic strip about an allegedly inebriated sportscaster, isn't inclined to let the shot pass. Lobel's name was edited out of the version that ran in the Globe but it appeared in other publications. Asked yesterday if it might be better to ignore the reference, Lobel said, ''No. I'm not going to let it go. Enough's enough. At some point you have to draw a line in the sand. This is it." Lobel's attorney, Ken Fishkin, had a similar response. ''We consider this very serious," he said. ''No, we're not going to let it go." . . . That local ruckus may have more sting than Felix Trinidad had in Saturday night's HBO pay-per-view fight against Winky Wright. HBO will replay Wright's dominating performance Saturday as part of a 9:45 p.m. show that includes the live Lamon Brewster-Andrew Golota heavyweight fight . . . ESPN's Peter Gammons issued an on-air apology to the Herald's Michael Felger on WEEI's Sunday morning baseball show. Gammons said he gave Felger ''The Baseball Guy treatment" in an argument about the top righthanded hitter in the game on last Thursday's ''The Big Show." The Boston guys were talking Manny Ramirez and Gammons retorted, ''Did you ever hear of Albert Pujols?" . . . Do you think Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck regrets his wisecrack in reference to his team's immediate-past radio outlet, WWZN? Grousbeck was on with WEEI midday guys Dale Arnold and Michael Holley when Holley said, ''We're just three guys talking," in probing for information about the team's personnel plans. Grousbeck's reply: ''This isn't like that other station up the dial."
Late shows
With the Sox playing a matinee in Oakland tomorrow (NESN, 3:30 p.m.), the Globe's ''Sports Plus" airs at 9:30 and 10:30 p.m., with ''SportsDesk" in between. Dave Wallace details his duties as pitching coach in a one-on-one with the Globe's Gordon Edes. In addition, Globe staffers Jackie MacMullan and Kevin Paul Dupont are in studio to talk Sox and the Celtics' coming code of conduct . . . Chic Sports Radio, an hourlong show devoted to women's sports, is airing on Sirius radio (Channel 122) on Fridays at 9 p.m. The show is the brainchild of cohost Catherine Masters and is also available on the Internet at www.Chicsportsradio.com . . . Sports Business Journal went to the
Bill Griffith's e-mail address is griffith@globe.com.
