Vendors' work days begin
about four hours before a
game, when they get their
assignments, put on their
uniforms and pick up their
equipment. They begin sell-
ing as soon as the gates open,
two hours before game time.
After the game, they get
dressed, cash out and receive
a check, leaving the park
about an hour after the game
ends.
"I love it out here," says
Maloff. "You're out in the
open air. You meet an awful
lot of nice people from all over
the state, from other states."
Among his celebrity
customers at Tiger Stadium
were Joe Louis, Hubert Hum-
phrey, Milton Berle and Dick
Vitale. The former Universi-
ty of Detroit basketball coach
is a favorite of Maloff s
because he bought hot dogs
for his whole team and
because he recognized Maloff
at a restaurant, greeting
Maloff with the vendor's ver-
bal calling card, 'Hey, hot
dog!' in a voice which pro-
bably left the building with
serious structural damage.
Another celebrity acquain-
tance of Maloff's is Tiger
radio announcer Ernie
Harwell. Maloff once gave
Harwell an unusual souvenir.
When told about Maloff's im-
pending gall bladder opera-
tion, Harwell said he had
never seen a gall stone. So
when Maloff returned to work
after the surgery, "I gave Er-
nie Harwell two of my gall
stones. And he took them and
kept them. I don't know what
he did with them later."
Little has changed in 43
years of vending, says Maloff,
except for inflation. "Hot
dogs, when I started out here,

were about 30 cents, and they
kept going up every year, a
nickel and a dime a year. Now
your same 30-cent hot dog is
$1.65."
Maloff has also worked
hockey games at Olympia
Stadium then Joe Louis
Arena, but stopped because of
the steep stairways. He and
his family — his wife and sons
Larry and Howard — used to
operate a stand at University
of Michigan football games in
Ann Arbor until another
vending company won the U-
M contract.
Maloffs wife does not mind
his long hours. "She goes out
with her girl friends while
I'm working. She doesn't stay
home. She likes me working
here; it's good money."
Maloff's goal is to work
another two years after this
season. "I've been out here 43
years. I hope to work 45 and
call it a day for me. I've had
a lot of fun out here. I enjoyed
it very much. But when your
legs give out on you it's about
time that you should quit."
When he leaves vending
behind, Maloff will have "a
lot of good memories. There's
a lot of vendors that I've
worked with who passed away
. . . Now I see the times are
changing; it's about time for
me to get out. If my legs don't
hold up that's what I'm going
to do . . .
"I'd like to say that I work-
ed at Tiger Stadium for 45
years and not be ashamed to
say it. Because I think vend-
ing is a good job; it's fast
money. You could work three
or four hours out here and you
could make $50-60 a game.
And there's nothing wrong
with that. It's an honest liv-
ing." ❑

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this summer is more
hot air.

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central air conditioning and Kast's quality
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Remember that Kast means quality products,
quality installation, and quality service. That's
why we were named contractor of the year by
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ti-AN
AINIM ■

Extended regular service hours
8 a.m.-8 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat.

Birmingham

.1111191.0

Service Ammerica.

Heating • Cooling • Plumbing • Electrical

Grosse Pointe Woods
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Royal Oak
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642-7150
886-5060
338-9255
542-3850
254-1060

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Custom Wood Handrails

■

E X

L U

S I V ELY•

A T

Custom Wood Concepts, Inc.

Contemporary Wood Furniture

Robert Sternberg, Mort Plotnick and Irwin Cohen check out some of
the donations to the Israel Association of Baseball. A community-wide
drive for baseball equipment continues through Sunday. For
information, call Dave Dombey, 355-2266.

2266 Franklin Road
Bloomfield Hills, Ml

858-8051

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

51