Delaney: Baseball with a California roll

Do you remember the commercial with the lyrics.....baseball, hot dog, apple pie and Chevrolet?

Chevrolet is not on smooth highways these days, and baseball's image has certainly taken a hit in the last 12-18 months. I'm not sure of the status of hot dogs and apple pie, but leave it to the American pastime, a product of good, old-fashioned American ingenuity, to abandon its past in favor of new baseball food.

The new food on the baseball scene, at least in New York, is sushi. Debuting at the New York Mets' new stadium this season will be various forms of the Japanese delicacy, often scorned by many Americans I know. They shouldn't turn up their noses. It's wonderful. Sushi is packed with protein, there are many appetizing and satisfying forms and it's not slimy or gross. Sushi is very filling, a necessary quality in food while pigging-out at a baseball game.

From what I've heard, sushi is available at PETCO Park in San Diego, Safeco Field in Seattle and probably in L.A. too. In New York, though, the sight of sushi and baseball is an interesting combination. Picture this: a couple of folks at a game on a nice spring or summer day. They have good seats, a beer or soda, and are ready to bite into.....a rice-wrapped CAlifornia roll packed with avacado.

We're talking baseball. Sashimi and seaweed.