2009 Recruiting - Breakdown by School State

One of the main questions that ABL fans have, which I attempt to answer, is: "who are these guys, and where do they come from?" To try and help answer that question, I've broken down the 2009 ABL class by the state in which the college they were recruit from is located. The results may surprise you:

 

Review: "Touching the Game: Alaska"

The Alaska Baseball League is a hidden treasure. Many locals don't really know what it is or what it's about, and most people outside of the state -- except those with a keen knowledge of the lower rungs of baseball player development -- don't even realize it exists. Now, thanks to the work of Jim Carroll and company, baseball fans around the world can get a taste of the Alaska League in the comfort of their own homes.

"Touching the Game: Alaska" comes on the heels of the much-acclaimed original "Touching the Game" documentary film, which details the famous Cape Cod League. Not content to merely showcase our more glamorous cousin back east, Carroll and crew spent the past few summers in Alaska creating the second film in the summer-ball documentary series. The result is a captivating picture sure to be pleasing to long-time ABL fans and intriguing for those who are new to the league.

Heroes of the Diamond: A Throwback to Alaska's Baseball Roots

In recent seasons, the ABL schedule has been augmented by exhibition games against independent and traveling collegiate teams such as the Yuba Gold Sox and the S.L.O. Blues. This season will bring something a little different, something reminiscent of the earliest days of Alaskan baseball, before the ABL as we know it today was even conceivable.

In 2010, ABL teams will square off against none other than the Heroes of the Diamond, formerly known as the US Military All-Stars. The Heroes of the Diamond, sporting their trademark camouflage uniforms, will make a whirlwind tour of games against ABL teams. The grand finale in the Alaska leg of the team's 100-game worldwide barnstorming tour (which includes several exhibitions against Major and Minor-league professional clubs) is a match-up against the Goldpanners in the annual Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks on June 21st.

But this isn't the first time teams made up of servicemen have taken the field in Alaska. The Military Stars' tour is a throwback of sorts to the early days of Alaskan baseball. During World War II and the Cold War, Alaska's strategic location resulted in a relatively enormous expansion of military forces in the state. Bases sprung up all over the last frontier, and with them came baseball.