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Had I a chicken wing for everytime I’m asked about how cool it is to cover the lacrosse world for a living, I’d be a fat, fat man. OK … so maybe I can’t use chicken wings for the current state of my fitness, but when it does come right down to it: it does not suck to have this job, but it all balances out.

Sure, I may not have to buy tickets to games and I get parking passes, but when the games are finished and you’re out downing pints at the watering hole, I’m still in a locker room that reeks of sweat or up in a press box trying to write a story as the arena lights are being turned off. That’s the part you don’t see. But like I said, it all balances out. So when I got a call from the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse to be a judge in a chicken wing contest here in Rochester, I answered the call of duty for my profession and prepared to devour some of those greasy thangs.

I arrived at Nathaniel’s Pub in Rochester around 7:30 on July 9, ready to eat. I brought my better half, Amy, to help evaluate wings and keep an eye on my wing count. We were greeted at the pub by Craig Rybczynski and Warren Kosel of the Rattlers staff, along with Rattlers fans Blummer, and Jason and Melanie Childers. Rattlers midfielder Pat Dutton also was there, along with equipment manager Ryan Gage.

The company was fantastic. We traded funny stories and opinions of the protected lists released earlier in the day by National Lacrosse League teams. Libations were refreshing on this July 9 evening as we sat and patiently awaited the arrival of the wings. Our server brought the first batch of wings, mild. I’m partial to hot wings, but I figured the mild wings were a necessary part of the progression and for being mild wings, these weren’t bad. They were tasty, along with the medium wings that followed.

But then … then the highly anticipated hot wings made their way out. I was amped. I listened to our server describe the creation process for these wings and quite literally, my mouth was watering. I could see chopped up jalapenos and the seeds covering the wings but my first clue was the smell. Something was missing, but that didn’t keep me from sinking my teeth with great anticipation and two weeks later, I’m still waiting for the heat to kick in. We all kinda looked around at each other, watching and waiting. Where’s the heat? It never arrived.

They were tasty, no doubt. But the spice was absent, much to our disappointment. The BBQ wings that followed had more kick to them, but the garlic-parmesan wings had to be the best. They had a robust and full flavor and complemented my Bass ale quite to perfection.

When chicken wings are free, there’s no such thing as bad chicken wings. Besides, I was only too happy to help with this process. It’s part of a summer-long event hosted by the Rattlers as they move from establishment to establishment around Rochester to judge wings.

There are still a couple of tastings left this summer as the Rattlers do their community service in search of the top chicken wing. And the next time I’m complaining about the stink of a locker room, or trying to beat the rush to file a story before I’m locked into an arena after a game, I’ll just remember the perks of my job, not the least of which can be free chicken wings.

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