Due to the flurry of activity surrounding the first few days around opening day and the start of the season, we weren’t able to do much at the Rome Braves game tonight in terms of fundraising for the Jimmy Fund. HOWEVER, we were asked to participate in a race wearing ridiculous costumes—a hot dog, a ketchup bottle, and a mustard bottle. Chris (ketchup) and I (hot dog) were pitted against one another and one other competitor—a high-school freshman named Huston Pope. You would think someone a decade older would be no match for a 15 year old kid. But you haven’t met Huston Pope—who claims he runs the 40 yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He talked a big game, which only got me more pumped to win. The only problem I faced was the fact that I am completely out of shape and haven’t sprinted more than 40 yards in a long, long time.

From left to right: Chris, Tim, and Huston The race consisted of the following: We dressed up in these ridiculous costumes and were led to the other side of the left field fence. After the top half of the first inning completed, Ginger (the Braves MC), announced that we would be racing against one another. The left field gate would open and then we had to race down the side of the field to home plate and run through a big white banner.So when it came time, we got our signal to start the race and I took off. I was running pretty fast, enough to realize that I might not make it all the way. Coming down the home stretch, I was in the lead but I could feel Houston aka the Mustard right behind me. The crowd is getting louder and louder because they know it’s going to be a photo finish and at the last second I stumble/dive across the finish line approximately 0.5 seconds before Houston! I fall to the ground, Huston trips after me, and laying on my back I see Chris the Ketchup laughing in his costume. (Chris, like always, had his camera in hand to capture the footage.) It was so close the Braves staff couldn’t tell who won—so they asked the audience. And being that a comeback story is always better than the guy who was in the lead but then blew it only to barely win, the crowd voted that Huston was the real winner. Outrageous! What does it take for you to vote for me, the real winner? Were you not entertained by my ridiculous costume and finish line antics? It was appalling, but I was too out of breath to care. As I walked through the crowd, still wearing my hot dog outfit, I was consoled by a few fans who told me that I indeed was robbed of a victory.If you want further proof, here is a shaky video shot by Chris as he ran behind us during the race. It might give you a headache, as his camera violently shakes to capture the race in its entirety. Unfortunately, the video does not do justice to the actual event. It was comical beyond all realm of comprehension. Click below to see the video:

“The Hot Dog versus the Ketchup versus the Mustard” Race on Vimeo