M’S Cook Up A Real Winner

Here’s something you’ll never read in those microscopic box scores on the sports page about the Seattle Mariners: Edgar Martinez hates peas. John Olerud’s favorite food is steak. Jay Buhner likes to eat at Cafe Juanita when he’s not on the road. Kazuhiro Sasaki’s favorite food is cake, but don’t try to slip him a slippery oyster.

Those juicy tidbits, along with all sorts of mouthwatering family recipes, are what make “Home Plates” one of the hottest page-turners of the summer.

The 110-page spiral-bound cookbook is a fund-raising effort spearheaded by the Mariners Wives. Proceeds from the sales benefit the Pediatric Oncology Department at Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center.

“It was a huge project,” said Karen Moyer, pitching ace Jamie Moyer’s wife and the woman responsible for soliciting recipes and testing them. “It consumed my life for two months.”

Moyer would try the recipes, to “make sure they made sense,” she said. Her friends and family benefited from this cooking marathon.

“I would call my neighbors and tell them I was making dinner for them,” she said.

So, what was her favorite dish?

Was it Paul Abbott’s Polynesian meatballs? David Bell’s Dutch Babies? Carlos Guillen’s Mississippi Mud Bars? Or Dan Wilson’s Chocolate Refrigerator Roll?

“Oh, no. Don’t make me name a favorite,” said Moyer in a recent phone interview. “Every day I made something different and I loved them all.”

Of course, her hubby’s favorite is “Nana’s Meatballs.”

“These are the best meatballs I’ve ever had,” Jamie Moyer writes in “Home Plates.” “My mother-in-law always makes them for me when I’m home or when she visits.”

Each player, and many staff members (including the Mariner Moose), submitted a couple of recipes and an eating dossier that includes answers to some burning questions: What’s your favorite food? Your favorite dish to eat on holidays? What’s your specialty when you cook?

For Jamie Moyer, he’s happy frying up an egg sandwich. Alex Rodriguez makes a mean turkey sandwich. Relief pitcher Arthur Rhodes grills ribs. Broadcaster Dave Niehaus cooks chili.

Since “Home Plates” debuted in July, it’s sold more than 15,000 copies at $10 apiece. During a few home games, some Mariners Wives have signed copies of the book in the main gift shop at Safeco Field.

“It’s incredible how people have responded,” Karen Moyer said. “The fans just love learning more about the players.”

“Home Plates - Favorite Recipes of Mariners players and staff” is available at the gift shops in Safeco Field in Seattle, or by calling 800-MYMARINERS. It can also be purchased through the M’s Web site, www.mariners.org. (Click on the Videos and Publications category.)

Nana’s Meatballs

1/2 pound ground Italian sausage (mild)

1/4 pound ground veal

1/4 pound ground pork

1 pound lean ground beef

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Garlic salt and oregano, to taste

2 jars (15-1/2 ounce) prepared spaghetti sauce

1 pound pasta, cooked and drained

Mix the first six ingredients together (using your hands). Shape into baseball-size balls. Put in a large pot and cover with two jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 4 hours. Check to make sure meatballs aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Cook your favorite pasta. Drain and put on a dish. Arrange meatballs around the pasta and pour the sauce on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 879 calories, 39 grams fat (40 percent fat calories), 44 grams protein, 91 grams carbohydrate, 117 milligrams cholesterol, 14 grams dietary fiber, 1693 milligrams sodium.