Diamonds in the Rough

The history of baseball in Alaska is colorful & largely unknown. Few can name any of the some five hundred future major league players that have passed through Alaska in the past thirty summers--players like Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson & Mark McGwire. It has been said that the players are prepared for anything after a summer or two in Alaska--a state where the season is short, the sun seems to never set & a chapter on wildlife encounters had to be included in a book about baseball. Read about the team so eager to get in a game on a soggy day that it set the field on fire & a bullpen that sneaks off to a local tavern for a few beers--during the game! Meet a legendary radio announcer who exits midgame, inviting a bystander to continue the play-by-play. Image attending the Midnight Sun Game, an only-in-Alaska event, where the game starts without lights at 10:30 p.m. For a larger-than-life game, the spectacular nature of Alaska provides the perfect playing field & Diamonds In the Rough captures the spirit of baseball & the determination of those who love the sport with humor & insight.