Florida Marlins Summer Salad by H. Wayne Huizenga - from "Munchin' With the Marlins Cookbook" (1995)

RECIPE

1 lb. torn spinach, freshly washed and drained

1 can drained mandarin oranges

1 cup alfalfa sprouts

generous sprinkle of sunflower seeds

Dressing

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

3 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp. salt

1 small onion, chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup oil

Arrange salad ingredients in a large salad bowl for tossing or make individual salads.  Keep salad refrigerated until served.  Blend all ingredients in blender for 30 seconds.  Serves 6.

Born in 1993, the Florida Marlins' early days were all about optimism and teal.  Teal hats, teal pinstripes, teal on all their merchandise.

The Marlins joined the team cookbook club in 1995 with Munchin' With the Marlins, a nice collection of recipes from players and personnel.  Then-owner Wayne Huizenga offered up this recipe for a summer salad.  Huizenga came from a family of businessmen and was best known as the man behind Blockbuster Video and AutoNation.  He had a hand in three sports franchises in the Sunshine State, owning the Miami Dolphins and bringing both the Florida Panthers and Florida Marlins into existence as their first owner.

As owner of the Marlins, Huizenga assembled the club that won the 1997 World Series.  Then, like so many baseball owners, he cried poor and dismantled the championship team in a "fire sale".  The 1998 Marlins went 54-108 and were the first club to lose 100 games a year after winning a World Series.  Not long after, Huizenga sold the club.

The ingredients for this salad are easy to throw together and you won't cry poor after assembling them.  The mandarins add a burst of Florida sunshine.  Can't go wrong with this one.

Taco Salad - Tom Paciorek (Infielder/Outfielder)

RECIPE

1 ripe avocado
1 onion
1 head lettuce
1-2 tomatoes
8 oz. or more cheddar cheese
1 can Mexican beans
1 small bag corn chips

Mix and top with zesty Italian dressing (small bottle) just before serving.

And here he is, the Wimperoo! 

Tom Paciorek spent only four of his 18 major league seasons as a member of the Chicago White Sox.  However his stint as a colour commentator for Sox broadcasts from 1988 to 1999 cemented his lasting popularity with fans everywhere.  That includes such far-flung places as Hamilton, Ontario.  There, as a youngster, I'd tune in to scrambled WGN broadcasts and listen to "Hawk and Wimpy" as they called Sox games in the early 90s.  In the era bridging newspapers and the internet, it was a thrill to watch games live, or at least listen to them.

Paciorek was already a seasoned veteran by the time he joined the White Sox in 1982.  His career began with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970, and he also played in Atlanta and Seattle before being traded to Chicago for three players.

The highlight of his time on the southside was being part of the 1983 AL West Division champs and playing in the ALCS. 

And of course, he is remembered as the chipper, giggling sidekick to Hawk Harrelson on TV.  Once in a while, Paciorek returns to the broadcast booth and it's great to hear his voice again - only this time without the scrambled picture.

As for this recipe, it's so easy a monkey could do it.  Throw everything into a bowl, hit it with the dressing and enjoy.  I like it so much it was the first recipe from the 1983 White Sox cookbook that I made twice, and it's open to whatever additions you want to make.  The second time around, I included lime juice and cilantro to jazz it up even more.  Next time, I'll try some more exotic corn chips, like the blue or red ones.  Oh yeahhhh!

FINAL SCORE - It's Wimpy.  It's a salad.  It's delish.

Garden Pasta Salad - Greg Luzinski (DH)

RECIPE

4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, diced (1/2 cup)
1 small green pepper (1/2 cup)
1 small onion
1/2 cup snipped parsley
1 recipe fresh herb dressing (below)
8 oz. cooked spaghetti or fettucini
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz.)

In food processor or by hand, dice tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and onion.  Turn into a bowl along with parsley.  Pour herb dressing over vegetables.  Toss.  Cover and chill.  Cook spaghetti until tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water several times until chilled.  Put into bowl.  Top with vegetables and feta cheese; toss.

Fresh Herb Dressing
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tbls. sugar
3 tbls. dry white wine
2 tbls. lemon juice
1 tbls. snipped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
several dashes hot bottled pepper sauce

Greg Luzinski was one of the first big name acquisitions made by new White Sox owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn in early 1981.  He was purchased from the Phillies, with whom he had played for 11 seasons, culminating in a World Series title in 1980.

A Chicago native, "The Bull" became the Sox' full time designated hitter and made an instant impact.  His soaring home runs hit the roof of old Comiskey Park three times.  In 1983, his 32 home runs set a record for DH's, and was second on the team to rookie sensation Ron Kittle.

Luzinski was a popular member of the 1983 AL West Division champs, remembered for his booming bat, burly build, big beard, and aviator glasses.

As we finally get into warmer weather this year, it's time to start thinking about dishes that would go well outdoors and this salad is perfect picnics, BBQs and the like.

Normally, pasta salad involves something like rotini or bowtie pasta, but the spaghetti in this recipe goes just as well.  I haven't often seen spaghetti used for a garden salad but it's good to mix things up and it gives a different look to the dish.

The homemade dressing was good too.  I was generous with the lashings of hot sauce, but you can skip it altogether if you don't want a spicy salad.

FINAL SCORE - It may not be Bull's Barbecue, but this is just as good for a side dish.

Caesar Salad - Tony Bernazard (Infielder)

RECIPE

1 clove garlic, halved

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

ground pepper

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 heads romaine, washed and chilled

coddled egg (see below)

1 lemon

garlic croutons

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 can (2 oz.) anchovy fillets, drained and rolled or cut up

Just before serving, rub large salad bowl with cut clove of garlic.  Add oil, salt, mustard, pepper and Worcestershire sauce; mix thoroughly.  Into bowl, tear romaine into bite-size pieces (about 12 cups); toss until leaves glisten.

Break egg onto romaine.  Squeeze on juice from lemon; toss until leaves are well coated.  Sprinkle croutons, cheese and anchovies over salad and toss.  8 servings.

Coddled egg: place cold egg in warm water.  Heat to boiling enough water to completely cover egg.  With a spoon, immerse egg in boiling water.  Remove pan from heat.  Cover and let stand 30 seconds.  Immediately immerse egg in cold water.

You've got to feel bad for Tony Bernazard. 

Acquired from the Montreal Expos after the 1980 season, Bernazard missed out on being part of the only Expos team to make the postseason (1981). 

He was the regular starter at 2B for the White Sox for two-and-a-half years.  Then, on June 15, 1983, Bernazard was traded to the cellar-dwelling, 102-game losing Seattle Mariners for Julio Cruz, in a straight-up trade of second basemen.  Cruz was considered a speedier upgrade (ouch).  Bernazard literally went from first to worst, while Cruz became a southside hero as part of the AL West Division winners.

(Cruz's mid-season acquisition is why he isn't included in this cookbook, despite being a famous member of the 1983 White Sox.)

According to his Wikipedia entry, Bernazard was famous for his habit of eating nothing but chicken during hitting streaks.  However, he offered up this recipe for a very rich Caesar Salad here.

Did I say rich?  Holy richness.  The recipe calls for pretty much every ingredient you could have in a Caesar Salad.  The spices, the sauces, the cheese, the anchovies, not to mention the egg that you crack on top.  Throw it all together and you end up with a crazy rich salad.

I'm not used to this kind of thing.  There was so much going on here that my mouth was burning from it all.  Sorry to say it, but this Caesar was too much. 

FINAL SCORE - This is the first recipe to which I have to give a thumbs down.  Sorry Tony, bad luck again.