Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

 @JeffHouck
 The Stew
 Table Conversations
 StewVision
 Foodspotting
 Email Jeff Houck

Most Recent Entries

• USF Poly board member quits, saying USF is scuttling the “Poly model”
• Decision 2012: Florida’s Pizza Primary [Every Slice Of Newsroom Pie Tells A Story]
• USF gets big grant for veterans research
• Merlot Jelly, Korean Fried Chicken and Grand Marnier Souffle [This Week’s Weekend Eats]
• Researchers say cell phone waves can reverse Alzheimer’s
• Klasko and Obama grip and grin
• Genocide, memory and art the focus of USF conference
• Poly announces budget cuts; fires top administrators
• Debate turns into test of free speech. Some students failed.
• Homemade Potsticker, Pulled Pork With Fried Egg, And Unstuffed Pork Chops [This Week’s Weekend Eats]
• What’s up with the USF debate?
• Local power players work behind the scenes
• Board member wants to put pressure on USF Poly accreditors
• Left college? USF wants you back
• 13 Hilarious, Childish, Rude And Sometimes Irrational Reactions To Paula Deen’s Diabetes [Play Nice]

More

• The Stew
• The Dirt
• Hot Pursuits
• HOMEwork
• Inside USF
• L Archive
  • Green Lite
  • Bring It!

Monthly Archives

• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011

Of Donuts And Cycling And Baseball [The Very Small World We Live In]

Posted Jun 20, 2008 by Jeff Houck

Updated Jun 20, 2008 at 07:04 PM

Speaking of the Rays, today was another day when you could walk into any Dunkin’ Donuts in the Tampa Bay area and request a free donut. Every time the Rays win, Dunkin’ gives away a free donut the next day.

My buddy Alan Snel loves donuts. And baseball. And cycling.

How much?

Al eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. A wall in his house is covered in a mosaic of quirky baseball cards from years past. He loves nothing more than spending a summer night at a near-empby Florida State League stadium heckling a pitcher who spends more time grooming the mound than he does throwing the ball.

Al also eats, sleeps and breathes cycling. Last month, he pedaled from Vero Beach to Clearwater Beach to honor the memory of a friend. In one day.

He bikes about 40 miles a day from his Seminole Heights home. On the days that the Rays win, he stops in a Dunkin’ store and picks up a free treat.

As for the donut part, he’s willing to marry his three loves in one effort:

I promise you this: If the Rays clinch a playoff spot this year, I will personally lead a 100-mile Tour de Dunkin bike ride the next day on a route specifically designed to hit as many Dunkin Donuts shops as possible. I say America Bikes on Dunkin!

Al even came up with a list of donuts that he’d put in the field - if donuts could play baseball, of course.

Here’s my Starting 9 Dunkin’ Donuts:

Leadoff—Blueberry cake
Batting Second— Bavarian Creme
In The Third “Hole”— Double Chocolate
Cleanup—Chocolate Glazed
Batting Fifth—Peanut
Sixth Hole—Chocolate coconut
Seventh—Jelly filled
Eighth—black raspberry
And batting ninth— old fashion plain cake

I suggested to Al that if he had to pick a designated hitter (for National League dining, of course), he’d have to consider the pink iced donut with sprinkles. Like the designated hitter, a pinkie with sprinkles seems like an extravagant boutique item.

Late today, I traded e-mails with a contact at Dunkin’. Oddly enough, he said that he had seen Al’s Dunkin’ post.

It’s a small world, Jeff. I actually received that blog in a Google update this morning and was impressed with his baseball lineup…. And when I saw his pledge about the biking to Dunkin’ Donuts for 100 miles around if they make the playoffs, I reached out to our field marketing manager in Tampa to let her know we need to do something special for Mr. Snel.

In addition to a care package for him, we are definitely going to try and meet with Mr. Snel and see if there is something interesting we can do to tie in his love for the Rays, donuts and biking.  One thing I mentioned to her was to see if we can coordinate some type of on-field presence for Mr. Snel on his bike at a game.  We shall see.

But that baseball lineup of donuts was sheer genius – not in a million years would I have thought of something like that…loved his choices, too.

If the Dunkin’ Donuts store locator is accurate - and I have no reason to think it isn’t - Al will have some serious pedaling to do:

I’ll keep you posted when and if a cycling-donut-baseball cooperative-crossover agreement is reached.