• "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," the song that helped popularize Cracker Jack by tying it to baseball, was written in 1908 by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, neither of whom had ever actually attended a baseball game, according to CJ legend. Each reportedly did so many years later.

• It's always "Cracker Jack," never "Cracker Jacks," even in the plural, say CJ purists. Proper form: "Please give me a handful of Cracker Jack." Improper: "Please give me a handful of Cracker Jacks."

• Cracker Jack sold for a nickel a box in its early days, about a century ago. Today's supermarket price: about $1.50 for a three-box pack, or 50 cents each, though you'll pay more at a ballgame.

• If you're convinced there are fewer peanuts in a Cracker Jack box than there used to be, you're far from the first to think so. Even before 1920, CJ's then-manufacturer got complaints about too few peanuts, according to Alex Jaramillo Jr., author of a history of Cracker Jack prizes.

• A complete set of 1915 baseball cards, offered individually as prizes that year in Cracker Jack boxes, has sold for $800,000 for all 176 cards.

• Offering prizes in series was a key to Cracker Jack's sales success almost from the beginning, says Jaramillo. Series encouraged people to buy more boxes to collect a complete set of prizes. Some competitors offered prizes, but not in series.

• You can buy old Cracker Jack prizes on eBay.

• Despite the marriage of Cracker Jack and baseball in the minds of millions, it's hot dogs that top unit sales charts at Safeco Field, officials say. Hot dogs sold per game, on average: 7,500. Cracker Jack's average tally: 352 bags or boxes per game, or 28,500 per season.

• Cracker Jack gets its slight flavor of molasses from, yes, molasses. One of its sweetened-popcorn rivals, Crunch 'n Munch, has a slight buttery flavor and does contain butter.

• What's in Cracker Jack: sugar, corn syrup, popcorn, peanuts, molasses, salt, corn and/or soybean oil and soy lecithin.