It was a year ago, almost to the day, when we met a rising star in major league baseball. No, he wasn’t a 100-mph pitcher or a five-tool outfielder. He wasn’t even technically on the team. Who is this mystery man? The Chorizo, of course.
For those unfamiliar with his work, The Chorizo runs in the sausage races at the Milwaukee Brewer’s Miller Park during the seventh-inning stretch. He takes the field against The Bratwurst, The Polish Sausage, The Hot Dog and The Italian Sausage.
After his first race last year, The Chorizo was confident but was sent down to the Mexican League (according to the team’s website) “for further seasoning.” Real nice, Milwaukee.
The Chorizo was brought back up this season for a regular stint and we had a chance to ask him a couple of questions before Monday’s race (which the damn Bratwurst won). The Q and A after the jump.

MC: So of all the five sausages, you’re third this year with eleven wins. (As of press time, The Hot Dog has 16, followed by Polish with 15, Chorizo with 11, Italian has 9 and Bratwurst has 6). Do you feel a slight vindication after last year’s cup of coffee in the bigs?
TC: Yes, completely. Last year I was only brought up for a day, and I felt like I could’ve been an asset to the sausage team. But I guess they’re only now seeing what I can do.
MC: So you and your racing buddies seem to cover a lot of bases in terms of fan base. Have you ever thought about adding a Tofu dog for the vegetarians?
TC: You mean the seventeen vegetarians in Milwaukee? (laughs) Yeah, we had a veggie down in the minors, but he always got injured. He’s always getting bumps and bruises that it takes him forever to heal.
MC: According to Brewers.com, you “spent time training in the hills of central Mexico, hiking the mountains of the volcanic region of Guatemala, rock climbing in Puerto Rico, and have even been seen running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.” I have it on good authority that Prince Fielder prepared for the bigs by going through the Hometown Buffet line multiple times. Does that make you angry?
TC: Not really. His job is to hit home runs, and mine is to win a foot race. There are some things you can do better eating a bottomless amount of wings, and running isn’t one of them.
MC: Are there any other leagues you’d like to get you and your lamb intestine-encased friends to race around?
TC: Yeah, we were thinking about visiting the futbol leagues around the world, but two things stopped us. First, with their penchant for nationalism and violence, I don’t think anyone but Bratwurst would survive if we visit the Bundesliga, and similarly I’d be the one left after a La Liga match. Secondly, have you seen how long those fields are? I don’t think we’d make it halfway up. We’re a bit fatty, you know.
MC: Yes… fatty and delicious. Well, thank you for your time, The Chorizo. We look forward to seeing you on the field, and in our tapas.