Powell bringing iconic Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota

For years, I've spent the offseason staring at the canopy that houses Boog's BBQ at Camden Yards during the regular season and wondered how good it would be to chow down on a pit beef sandwich (medium well, with barbecue sauce and horseradish, of course) to ward off the winter chill.

But the emptiness beneath the canopy on Eutaw Street usually tells me that there will be no wintertime feast (though I've often though about the gold mine that would be created by opening Boog's BBQ one day a week, say Fridays - think about the line down the ballpark corridor, hungry devotees of pit goodness shivering in anticipation of chomping down on a stacked-high sandwich).

No, Boog's is a treat reserved for the summertime, when the aroma of smoking meats wafts through warehouse windows and across the outfield seats at Camden Yards.

Until now.

Carnivores, rejoice! After 26 years of shaking hands, signing autographs and making hungry customers happy at Camden Yards, Orioles Hall of Famer Boog Powell will bring his famed Boog's BBQ stand to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. The stand will be located in the left field pavilion and will open for business on Feb. 23, the day the O's host the Twins in their Grapefruit League opener.

"Over many years, we've mastered our unique, award-winning barbecue menu," Powell said. "I can't wait to share it with baseball fans at spring training in Sarasota."

Powell will greet O's fans at the spring opener and at selected games throughout the rest of the home exhibition slate. Powell's son, J.W. Powell, will operate the stand at Ed Smith Stadium.

A two-time World Series champion (1966 and 1970) and four-time All-Star, Boog Powell played 14 seasons with the Orioles. He won the 1970 American League MVP and ranks third in Orioles history in home runs (303), fourth in RBIs (1,063) and fifth in games played (1,763) and total bases (2,748).

Powell was born in Lakeland, Fla., and operated a marina in Key West before opening Boog's BBQ at Camden Yards in 1993.