Gateway Grizzlies, the Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down

The West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor-league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, will offer a 4,800-calorie burger at its stadium this season. (MSNBC)

The 4-pound, $20 burger features five beef patties, five slices of cheese, nearly a cup of chili and liberal doses of salsa and corn chips, all on an 8-inch sesame-seed bun.

The burger is clearly a shot across the bow of Sauget's Gateway Grizzlies, a team well known for its ridiculous -- and, occasionally, ridiculously delicious -- food offerings, like deep-fried White Castle Slyders and a bacon cheeseburger served between two halves of a Krispy Kreme doughnut (pictured above).

I sampled both Grizzlies offerings in June of 2007. What will the team do to counter the Whitecaps' bold burger? The Frontier League season starts in May. Stay tuned.