Alaska Baseball League film to air tonight on PBS

PALMER — “Touching the Game, Alaska,” a documentary about the Alaska Baseball League, will air tonight at 7 p.m. on KAKM, the Anchorage PBS affiliate.

Filmmaker Jim Carroll, a Boston, Mass., native who also has the film “Touching the Game, Cape Cod,” to his credit, came to Alaska during the summers of 2006 and 2007 to gather footage for the 100-minute film. Carroll visited each of the six ABL teams, including the Mat-Su Miners.

The film covers the history of the 50-year-old amateur baseball league extensively, and includes interviews with a number of Major League Baseball players who spent time in the ABL.

Longtime local fans and supporters Chuck Griffin and Mike Combs, former Mat-Su general manager Rich Mastriano; and current general manager Pete Christopher and wife, Denise, also appear in the film.

According to Carroll’s website,www.touchingthegame.com/alaska, portions of the film will be aired as part of KAKM’s March pledge drive. Representatives of the ABL will also be interviewed, and the DVD of the film will be available for those who pledge donations during the drive.

The film is also available for purchase on Carroll’s website.