FRONTIER LEAGUE HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT BASEBALL'S BEST BURGER

SAUGET, Ill. — Baseball's Best Burger, a GCS Credit Union Ballpark standard since 2006, will be inducted into the Frontier League Hall of Fame this year.

Baseball's Best Burger features a thick hamburger, sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon sandwiched in between a Krispy Kreme donut. Fittingly, the announcement comes on national donut day.

Tony Funderburg, the Grizzlies' general manager at the time, came up with the idea prior to the 2006 season.

"When I first started as GM, I was given a $0 budget for marketing ... if you can't buy news, you have to make it," Funderburg said. "We wanted to make ballpark food more exciting with the 'Baseball's Best' series... It was unveiled in December, but didn't get much attention right away. That spring, Sports Illustrated put a 20-word blurb in, Darren Rovell saw it and called me, and he took it to the next level."

The burger has appeared on Travel Channel's Man vs. Food and USA Today's Top Ballpark Food of 2013; it was also ranked as Sports Illustrated's No. 2 Ballpark Food of 2013. 

"If the Grizzlies and I are going to be remembered for something, I'd like it to be changing ballpark food," Funderburg said. "To me, the menus at ballparks have become more diverse and more exciting."

Fans can get their taste of Baseball's Best Burger at any Grizzlies home game at Baseball's Best Stand down the left-field concourse at GCS Credit Union Ballpark. The Grizzlies will celebrate Baseball's Best Burger and National Donut Day with Krispy Kreme donut-themed jerseys Friday night to be auctioned off following the game.

ABOUT THE GATEWAY GRIZZLIES: The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 100-yards from I-255 (10 minutes from downtown St. Louis). The Grizzlies offer baseball fans entertainment, the likes of which are difficult to find - affordable, family, fun in the comfortable GCS Credit Union Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. For tickets or general information please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call 618.337.3000. 

ABOUT THE FRONTIER LEAGUE: The Frontier League is a professional, independent baseball organization. Since its inception, the Frontier League has provided millions of fans to a fun and exciting baseball experience within the American Midwest. Consisting of 12 teams in two divisions and 96 game schedules, the league is recognized for the amount of talented athletes that are picked up by various MLB teams every year.