March 1956
…Because of Heath’s gregariousness, if not his well-fed look, hot dog manufacturer Bar-S Meats selected him to do the color on Rainiers telecasts on KTVW-TV (Channel 13) after KTVW out-bid KING-TV for the rights…
To Bar-S’s delight, Heath earned the sobriquet ”Mr. Seattle Hot Dog” from The Times…
To Bar-S’s chagrin, Heath occasionally made inappropriate remarks into the microphone, forcing him to apologize, and he took an intense dislike to the TV show’s producer, Bill Veneman. One night, Heath chased Veneman around the studio, threatening to throw him out the window. Veneman threatened to fire Heath, but couldn’t because Bar-S wouldn’t hear of it. Heath had become too popular.
Bar-S exploited that popularity in another way. Many newspaper advertisements touting its various products included a short column by Heath titled ”Hot From HEATH.” In it, Heath commented for two or three amusing paragraphs on the latest Rainiers doings, and he always ended his lively spiel with a postscript.
The one that ran March 26, 1956, in Seattle newspapers, nominally about Rainiers pitching prospects, ended with, ”P.S.: Ordered bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning. The eggs were okay, but the bacon was so shriveled it looked like it was trying to hide. Sure look forward to a man-sized serving of Bar-S thick-sliced bacon.” [SPORTSPRESSNW]
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