OK, it's January 1st. To me, it is unofficially the baseball preseason. That might sound a little ridiculous, like a kid who starts counting down the days until Christmas in September. But that's about how I feel when the season starts...like a little kid on Christmas. So, in honor of the arrival of jjack's unofficial preseason, I thought I'd make a list. Ten reasons to take in an Alaska League game in 2010. Here we go:
The Lack of Better Options: OK, this might not be a very flattering reason, but seriously: what else are you going to do? When hockey season is over, the ABL is really the only game in town. It just makes sense.
The Price: ABL games are incredibly affordable. It's not unreasonable at all to be able to go to the park and have a dog and a beer for around $12. That's about half the price of going to the movies. And compared to an Aces game? Sorry, I can't divide huge numbers like that without a calculator.
The Players: These guys came thousands of miles to put on a ball game for you. Why not show your support by turning out for a game?
The Talent: The Alaska League features some of the top collegiate talent in the world. Many of these players will be drafted into the professional ranks. In fact, many of them have been drafted already. The ABL game is on par with the lower minor leagues, which draw thousands of fans to games all around the country every day. We're lucky to have baseball of this caliber in AK!
The Kids: It's summer. Your kids need to get out of the house. Unplug the XBox. Alaska League games are family friendly and fun for the whole crew.
The Adults: It's summer. You need to get out of the house. Unplug the XBox. There's beer there.
The Ballparks: An ABL game is an intimate affair. There's not a bad seat in the house! Anywhere you sit, you're within spitting distance of the players (please don't actually spit on the players, though). And, of course, few parks in America can offer the stunning backdrops that set the stage for our Alaskan stadiums.
The Past: Is there a league out there without a more colorful and interesting past? I don't think that's possible. There's been so many great -- and quirky -- players to have taken on an ABL club's uniform. Some of them have gone on to be baseball legends, and some of them have gone on to be our neighbors and friends. But the history of the league is definitely a rich one.
The Future: The league has turned out numerous record-breakers and hall-of-famers, and it's sure to continue to develop players of that potential. When you take in an ABL game, you're undoubtedly witnessing at least a few Major Leaguers in the making. Maybe a couple decades down the road, one of them will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and you can say "Hey, I saw that guy play for the Oilers way back when."
The Game: The Alaska summers are short but they're perfect for a ball game. And we all know that you can't have summer without baseball. A summer without baseball is like a birthday party without pointy hats. So come on, get out of the house, blow off work, whatever you've gotta do to get out to the park. You'll thank yourself for it later.
Well? Have you bought your season tickets yet?
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