Diamonds in the Rough: Baseball Stories from Alaska - Paperback

by Lew Freedman (Author)

After winning Statehood in 1959, Alaska attracted thousands of collegiate stars who played for colorful teams such as the Fairbanks Goldpanners, Alaska Glacier Pilots, Peninsula Oilers, North Pole Nicks, and Anchorage Bucs. Hundreds went on to major leagues, including Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, home-run king Mark McGwire, and fireball pitcher Randy Johnson. And nowhere else is there an event like the annual Midnight Sun Game. Played in Fairbanks on June 21, the longest day of the year, it starts at 10:30 p.m. and continues until the next day, with no stadium lights.

Back Jacket

Freedman shares his best baseball stories from a state whose season is short but there's no shortage of future major leaguers passing through-some 300 in the past thirty summers. Read about: The annual Midnight Sun Game that starts without lights at 10:30pm. An Alaska League team so eager to get in a game on a soggy day that is sets the playing field on fire. The legendary radio announcer who exits mid-game, inviting a bystander to continue the play by play. The bullpen that sneaks off to a local tavern for a few beers - during the game! But, hey! This is no joke. Mark McGwire, Dave Kingman, and Dave Winfield (all pitching then) donned uniforms of teams such as the Fairbanks Goldpanners, Alaska Glacier Pilots, Peninsula Oilers, Valley Green Giants, Mat-Su Miners, North Pole Nicks, and Anchorage Bucs. Other Alaska League alumni: Hall-of-Fame pitcher Tom Seaver and fireball hurler Randy Johnson. And don't overlook H.A. "Red" Boucher, "the George Washington of Alaska baseball," and others who shaped baseball history in the north.