Oakland native carrying on tradition of hot dog vending in hometown after A's depart
Born and raised in Oakland, Mike Davie is an avid sports fan who has painfully watched his hometown teams leave.
With the Oakland Athletics joining the list of departures, he's not letting them take away an A's tradition he's always loved: vendors selling hot dogs by carrying steamers through seating areas during baseball games.
Davie was the hot dog vendor for the Oakland Ballers during the team's inaugural season.
"I think the Ballers are very committed to Oakland. Not just as someone who works for the Ballers, but as someone who's a fan of them, and have gotten to know the ownership and team. I think that's something we should really support in the next year going forward," he said. "Felt like community, like DIY, a little bit of punk rock, a little bit of hip hop… I feel like we're creating something new with this community-based sports team."
Davie carries on an Oakland tradition left behind by Hal Gordon, also known as "Hal the Hot Dog Guy."
Gordon, a former hot dog vendor for the A's, became a Coliseum staple for his loud chants, ketchup pranks, and trading cards featuring himself.
"I discovered that if I made my own baseball cards and signed them for little kids, kids don't know who's famous. So, if you sign a baseball card with your face on it, they're like, 'Oh! This person must be famous!' So that was a great way to get kids to line up for hot dogs. It was those sort-of touches that were only possible at a place like the Coliseum, where there were smaller crowds, but really dedicated fans who were there game in and game out," Gordon, who moved to Washington D.C to raise his newborn-child closer to family, said.
Gordon carried on the mantle from James 'Jimmy' Graff, who started vending at Bay Area sporting events as a child with his father. Graff passed away in 2019.
Condolences to the family of Jimmy Graff, our beloved hot dog vendor. He was a friendly face for countless A’s fans and employees alike. 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/t4iFZpgkQ9
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) December 27, 2019
"(Jimmy) would sell one-third of the gross amount I would sell, but he would walk away with $300 - $400 in tips. It's just that he'd been selling hot dogs one way or the other in the Bay Area, and people knew him. People knew his dad," Gordon said. "He just always had a way with his customers and people. People really felt like they were getting to know a really important part of the Bay Area baseball scene. I took it a different way and turned myself into a weird mascot."
After Graff's passing, Gordon continued hot dog vending on his own. In October 2022, he announced he would have to leave his job at the Oakland Coliseum.
Disappointing news: with the stadium deal stuck and me graduating, the A's won't be able to keep me on next year. I really wanted to keep doing this forever, but it's not to be. I can't overstate how meaningful and fun its been. A's fans have been so great to me 1/2
— Hal the Hot Dog Guy (@AsHotDog) October 25, 2022
While many knew Gordon as "The Hot Dog Guy," much of his time outside the Coliseum was spent studying at UC Berkeley. He graduated with a PhD in Economics, then moved on from the A's. (He said he tried convincing them to hire him in a new role related to his degree, but was denied.)
"When the Ballers were starting up, I knew I wanted to help them out. At least a little bit," he said.
Following his move to the East Coast, it was impossible for Gordon to work an entire season for the Oakland Ballers. While he was working as a vendor for the Ballers during their opening week, he knew he had to find the right person to continue Oakland's hot dog tradition.
"There was no one else to keep this hot dog tradition going. So, I had spoken to a friend of mine, one of the many, many friends I made at Oakland A's games - Mike Davie. He just seemed like he also had this weird, mental illness that would make him a great hot dog vendor, and was dedicated to the city of Oakland and Oakland sports," Gordon said.
Gordon gifted Davie a hot dog steamer that previously belonged to Graff, spent some time training him, and is happy he's carrying on the Oakland sports tradition.
"Mike's been doing it differently than me, just like I was doing it differently than Jim was. But I think what makes me happy is not letting them take away what makes Oakland 'Oakland', which is these weird traditions. Mike is a longer Oakland resident than I ever was, so I'm sure he's doing it better in a lot of ways," Gordon said.
With the absence of a major, professional sports team, Davie has had to find other ways to carry on the tradition. He often hosts tailgates for Cal football games, including a recent seafood boil. He also grills and sells hot dogs at the Kingfish Pub in Oakland.
Another key difference: Davie enjoys eating the hot dogs he sells, while Gordon is a vegetarian.
"I think Mike's been doing a great job. I saw a picture of him at a B's (Ballers) game, where he was sitting down in a folding chair selling hot dogs out of a steamer. When you see Mike, you just let him know: if I see another picture of him sitting in a folding chair selling hot dogs, I'm going to have to go back to Oakland and take the steamer from him," Gordon said with a wide smile.
Upon hearing the message from Gordon, Davie called it "hazing."
"To Hal - I'm killing it, baby! No need for criticism. I can stand all day!," Davie chuckled.