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He's a top dog in hot dog eating contests

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Erik “The Red” Denmark works in aerospace procurement contracting by day, but he pursues a unique hobby when he’s not on the job.

Denmark is a competitive eater in Major League Eating, which hosts several contests – including the famous Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest that occurs every July 4 at Coney Island.

Denmark placed 10th in this year’s contest but has finished as high as fourth in previous eat-ins.

He also holds world records for eating 9 3/4 of Native American fry bread in eight minutes and over four pounds of spot shrimp in 12 minutes.

He began competing in 2005 but it was an event that happened four years prior that really inspired him.

“I was always fascinated by it but when (Takeru) Kobayashi doubled the world record with 50 hot dogs in 2001, that blew my mind,” Denmark said.

Denmark always considered himself to be a competitive eater even before he began competing.

“I had always thought I was a big eater. I ate really fast and I would never turn down a challenge,” Denmark said. “I would always do a lot of hot sauce chugging contests or eat the spiciest things.”

It was when he entered a chicken wing eating contest in San Francisco and finished in the top five that changed things for the man known in Major League Eating as “The Red.”

“That contest got me hooked and ever since then I’ve been trying to do the best that I can,” Denmark said.

He has competed in the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest since 2006; this year marked the first year he competed since 2018.

Denmark admits that this contest posed more challenges than any other.

“This contest gave me a shorter runway since the logistics of having the contest were in doubt until mid-May due to the restrictions in New York that were just lifted,” Denmark said.

Denmark would traditionally train for

Erik “The Red” Denmark relaxes after eating 32 hot dogs and placing sixth at the 2010 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. (Courtesy of Shea Communications.

seeHOT DOG page 20

Scottsdale man taking over Baseball Hall of Fame

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

Progress Staff Writer

osh Rawitch was in his last week as an executive with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the All-Star week and he was just leaving a meeting about the Suns Road Game Rally at Chase Field. Rawitch sounded confident but sentimental about the decade he has spent with the D-backs, most recently as senior vice president, content and communications.

On Sept. 9, the 44-year-old Scottsdale resident will begin his tenure as the eighth president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. He, his wife, Erin, and their children, Emily and Braden, will move east on Aug. 6.

His last day with the D-backs was July 16 – nearly 10 years to the day when he joined the team.

“It’s hard to put into words how cool of a position this is,” Rawitch said about the presidency. “We’ve gone through the process and were able to visit Cooperstown several more times. We’re really, really excited. We loved our decade here, though, and so did the family.”

Jane Forbes Clark, chair of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, is looking forward to working with Rawitch as well.

“On behalf of our board of directors, I

Scottsdale resident Josh Rawitch, his wife Erin and thier childrn, Emily and Braden, are packing up to move to Cooperstown, N.Y., where he'll head the National Baseball

about three to four months prior to the contest and would enter a qualifying contest to compete on the Coney Island stage.

He would train by cooking as many hot dogs that he thought he could eat and then time himself for 10 minutes.

If there were any hot dogs left over at the end of the 10-minutes, he would still try to eat as many as he could.

Denmark has described this hobby of his as taking as much dedication as being a powerlifter.

“This profession almost takes the same amount of discipline as weightlifting in my opinion,” Denmark said. “There’s a lot of guys that switch over from weightlifting or professional training careers because they’re used to a regimen training schedule where they build muscle, but in this case, they stretch muscles.”

He also explained that after a big calorie intake during a practice, he often must scale back in the days following the practice.

“After I’m done eating in a practice, I have

FAME ���� page 19

am delighted to welcome Josh as the Hall of Fame’s next president, and to welcome him and his family to Cooperstown,” Clark said in a statement.

“Josh brings to the Hall of Fame a wealth of expertise from his many years representing the game as a respected baseball executive. We are very much looking forward to his presidency at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.”

A graduate of Indiana University, Rawitch has spent 27 seasons working in baseball. In his most recent role with the D-backs, Rawitch helmed player and media relations, corporate communications, broadcasting, content production, social media, creative services, in-game entertainment, Spring Training business operations, team archives, alumni relations, publications and photography.

So few businesses, he explained, have an outcome almost daily that can impact an office — happy or sad — at the end of the day.

“Derrick (Hall, CEO) has created such a special place to come to work every day, to the extent is I’m going to share that with Cooperstown. “From the first day, Ken Kendrick has blown me away with the way he genuinely cares about the organization and this city and see what this franchise has become.” to eat really light with some salads and lots of liquids the following days so that I’m not constantly putting my body in distress,” Denmark said.

Denmark also said that he likes to stay active and spend as much time outside either hiking or playing volleyball, even during the heat of summer, to burn off excess calories.

“I think people imagine competitive eaters as being really big eaters or people that were out of shape but as you get more into it, you realize that it’s more beneficial to be in better shape,” Denmark said. Being in good shape is a benefit when it comes to being a competitive eater but having strong focus is another key to success in the sport.

“The biggest thing is to stay focused. You only have 10 minutes in this sport and have to be totally focused and cannot let any of the elements get to you,” Denmark said.

Denmark has a pre-contest ritual that helps him maintain his focus as he competes.

The D-backs’ managing general partner, Kendrick is on the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Board of Directors. Rawitch has been grateful for this time with Kendrick, Hall and Cullen Maxey, executive vice president, business operations and chief revenue officer.

He joined the Diamondbacks after 15 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office.

A native of Los Angeles, Rawitch joined the Dodgers’ staff in 1995 and spent parts of five seasons in the team’s marketing department before shifting to public relations. He left the organization to serve as a beat reporter for Major League Baseball Advanced Media from 2001-02, after which he returned to the Dodgers, eventually rising to the position of vice president of communications.

With decades in baseball, Rawitch is clearly passionate about the sport. It’s a longtime love, as he scored an internship with the Dodgers after his freshman year of college.

“The world was very different,” he said. “The field was not nearly as competitive. After my internship, I returned for three summers. I was hired full time the week after I graduated. I was there for 15 years.”

He left for two years, spending one year covering the Dodgers and another for the

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | JULY 18, 2021

“A couple of minutes before the contest, I try to get focused on the first few bites and really try to focus on chewing and swallowing and all the things that I’m there to do,” Denmark said.

Though he was focused throughout the contest, he also fed off of the crowds energy.

“It was a completely different energy than I’ve ever felt there before,” Denmark said. “A lot of the emotion in the crowd was relief,” “There were a lot of people there that wanted to celebrate restrictions being lifted and being able to get back to life.”

The energy was so high that it made him feel emotional.

“I got more emotional on stage than I ever have because I started thinking of the journey that we’ve been on as a country and the journey that New York went on,” Denmark said. “It was an honor to be on stage and to be a part of the rejuvenation of our country.”

When the competition began and the hot dogs began rushing into his mouth, the only thing rushing through his mind was to keep eating. “When I’m going for 10-minutes, I have to push through the discomfort and make sure I don’t take any breaks because that’s when I begin to feel it,” Denmark said. After the contest was over and Denmark had downed 28 hot dogs, that was where the real challenge began. “I try to slow my breathing down and relax for about 10 to 15 minutes after so that the food doesn’t come back up,” Denmark said. Contestants who regurgitate are immediately disqualified. He feels he could have eaten about six more hotdogs and plans to return next year to make a bigger push to the top. “It was motivating enough to know that I don’t need to retire, and I can go back and do better,” Denmark said. In the meantime, he plans to do something he has not done in the past months. “I would love to eat a hot dog and just enjoy it,” Denmark said. “I still like to enjoy a nice hot dog with some mustard and maybe a little relish and I certainly will enjoy a hot dog before the summer is over.”

San Francisco Giants for MLB.com.

“There’s just something about this sport,” Rawitch said. “It’s intoxicating. With the daily grind of it, you have to love the sport to work in the sport. I grew up loving it as a kid.”

He almost transferred to baseball operations with the Dodgers because he’s such a student of the game. Rawitch loves the atmosphere, the game and the business of it. He enjoys creating content, social media and sharing story ideas with editors.

“Everything about it is so much fun for me,” Rawitch said. “To get the chance to work in the mecca of the baseball world is so unreal.”

Rawitch heard about the open position from Hall of Fame Interim President Jeff Idelson. “He thought I’d be a really good fit for this,” he said. “It’s such an interesting position. It had to be someone within the baseball community, given the relationships you had to have. There was a list of people who might be a good fit. I’m very grateful that I came out on the top.”

That’s not to say he hasn’t had a series of highlights with the D-backs.

“The 2017 Wild Card and that entire season is unmatched,” Rawitch said. “It was so much fun. That’s at the top of the list.

“Several of the trips we took to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the Dominican Republic were highlights. For someone who loves to travel, it was a highlight to travel while doing my job and raising the international profile of the organization.”

His coworkers, players and executives made an impact on Rawitch — and will continue.

“My wife and kids feel the same way,” Rawitch said. “Arizona is a second home for us. Living life in Arizona was so fantastic for a decade. The people, the trips and the 2017 Wild Card were the highlights. I actually watched much of that game from the stands with my family. To experience the game like a fan, even though I was working, and to see so much joy in the city was great. We’re seeing it again with the Suns and this watch party.

“All the cool community programs we’ve done really stand out. Seeing my kids wear D-backs uniforms and feel the pride is amazing. I feel very, very lucky.”

Rawitch is also impressed with the strong and dedicated fans who have stuck with the D-backs during its rough 2021 season.

“That’s a true sports town,” he said. “I think it’s because this organization is so ingrained in the community. People do realize it’s more than just a baseball team on the field. It’s a civic entity trying to help fans.”