Busch League

My father is from Chicago so naturally I have been a Cubs fan since the day I was born. My pops and I would sit around on Saturdays, taking in the heat from the afternoon sun that peaked through the blinds and cast a glare on the TV, and yell at the screen together. Very bonding. I would listen to him intensely, emulating baseball banter whenever I could. Hey Pops, “The ducks are on the pond!” right?


Last Saturday I had the opportunity to take our son to his very first Cubs game. Not at Wrigley unfortunately, that will come soon, but at Busch Stadium. Oh yes, we were playing the Cardinals. I do not write those words out of trepidation of the match up mind you (did you watch the last game of the series?) but rather what my son would think of his first Cubbies experience. Yes, he has seen our local minor league team play a million and one times and we have taken him down to Dallas to see the Rangers but this was a whole new ballgame. For me, and for Mitch.

A gluten free gal such as myself doesn’t get to enjoy a cold brew during a baseball game much anymore unless at home. BUT, last Saturday I could! The marvelous miracle about Busch stadium is that they serve gluten free beer! RedBridge, my personal favorite domestic beer right now, is made by Anheuser-Busch. Ah gluten free beer that was free flowing and fresh from the brewery in town. I can’t think of a better way to beat the humidity! We guzzled our beers and stood proud in our Cubbie blue amongst the broken bits of peanut shells littering the ground.

Busch Stadium also has a variety of gluten free food options as well as vegetarian. My husband, the dear that he is, found a blogger that provided a list of where all the gluten free options were as well as vegetarian. Try the Veggie burger with a splash of the hot sauce they have in the condiment section. WOO!

Here is a list below on where to find everything:

• Beef Brisket (no sauce or bun): section 509
• Bratwurst (no bun)
• Grilled Chicken (no bun): sections 139, 161, 446, 264, 266
• Hamburger/Cheeseburger (no bun)
• Hot Dog, Jumbo Dog (no bun)
• Peanuts
• Polish Sausage (no bun): sections 162, 169, 270, 437
• Popcorn
• Pudding - 4 oz. Vanilla and Chocolate: section 136
• Red Bridge Beer: sections B150, B272.
• Turkey legs: sections 152, 432, 509
• Veggie Burger (No Bun): section 132
• Gluten-Free Ham & Swiss Sandwich: section 136
• Yogurt - 6 oz. Strawberry and Peach: section 136

Oh and in case you were wondering, Mitch LOVED his first Cubs game! I think we may have converted his best friend Ben to the Cubs as well. They jumped around aimlessly in their Cubs hats with not a clue what was going on, but a loyalty for the team. The game was clutched for me at the bottom of 8th when I took Mitch to get more snacks. As we walked back to our seats, the sound of cheering in the background, Mitch grabbed my hand, looked up at me, and said, “Mommy? Let’s sing the song!” We sang “Go, Cubs, Go” swinging along our hands back to our seats. Now that is baseball bonding.