Diamond dogs: Dining

This double play consists of a hot dog in one hand, a cold drink (beer or soda, depending on how long you've been in the bigs) in the other. The Alaska Baseball League offers numerous opportunities for anyone hoping to turn this two-bagger.

Let the boys of summer have the glory; the dogs and draughts of summer belong in the bleachers, with the fans. Sure, some ballpark regulars play with pretzel pizzazz or swing for the fences with a Frito pie order when they slide in to the concession stand. But savvy veterans and rated rookies agree that a dog and a drink are the ticket to the show.

At Mulcahy Stadium, home of the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and the Anchorage Bucs, the concession stand has three dogs -- a standard, a Polish and a chili -- on its lineup card and five condiments -- ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, relish and chopped onions -- in its bullpen.

Mulcahy's dogs won't break the salary cap. The standard dog is a clutch performer at $3 -- it has snap and is comparable in size to the local legend served at Costco. The Polish dog ($4) also covers the bases but does so with a bit of spice. Need a power hitter? Go with the chili dog, which is loaded in a tray, drowned in chili and priced at a Hall of Fame bargain of $5.

This is a team game, and every good dog deserves a drink. At Mulcahy, Pepsi products are served and the fountain sodas run large at $2 and even larger at $2.50.

The home teams differ in their alcohol service: At Bucs games, three draught beers -- Widmer Hefeweizen, Widmer Broken Halo IPA and Redhook ESB -- are pitched at $4.50 a cup and six large bottled beverages spanning Budweiser, Corona (ask for a lime wedge) and Bacardi come in at $4.50. The Glacier Pilots roll out four draught beers -- the Pilots Home Brew Alley Amber, Blue Moon (ask for an orange wedge), Molson Canadian and Pyramid Curveball -- at $4.50 and eight canned and bottled items from Coors to Mike's Hard Lemonade at $4.50.

At Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer, Mat-Su Miners fans have traded big league beers for major league microbrews. Great Bear Brewing Co. stocks the taps with three flavors -- Valley Trash Blonde ($5), Settlers Bay Hefeweizen ($4) and Wheatwacker Spring Wheat ($4) -- and Moose's Tooth Brewing Co. offers Hard Apple Ale $4. Coke products are available for $1 per can.

The Miners' concessions stand offers two hot dogs -- a standard dog for $1.75 and the franchise star, a Miners Dog at $3.25. Casual fans, host families and even ballplayers and coaches all do the wave for this MVP.

Last Friday, with the Miners hosting the Glacier Pilots, Play's scouting staff jumped into the painfully long line at around the fourth inning. The masses moved at knuckleball speed. And then, just as we inched close enough to give the sign for our order, the crew working behind the plate threw us this curveball:

The Miner Dogs were sold out.

I guess there is crying in baseball after all.

• Got a restaurant tip, a new menu, a favorite dish or a chef change? Send an e-mail to play@adn.com.

Baseball bites this weekend

• 6 p.m. today when the Anchorage Bucs and Anchorage Glacier Pilots meet in a doubleheader at Mulcahy Stadium. Tickets are $5-$7; fireworks show follows around midnight.

• 7 p.m. Saturday when the Mat-Su Miners host a traveling team from Taiwan at Hermon Brothers Field (Palmer). $5-$7.

• 7 p.m. Saturday when the Anchorage Bucs host the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Mulcahy Stadium. $5-$7.

• 2 p.m. Sunday when the Mat-Su Miners host the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Hermon Brothers Field. $5-$7. Scout out the talent

Get Alaska Baseball League schedules and more information from:

Alaska Goldpanners (Fairbanks): www.goldpanners.com

Athletes in Action (Fairbanks): www.aiabaseball.org

Anchorage Bucs: www.anchoragebucs.com

Anchorage Glacier Pilots: www.glacierpilots.com

Mat-Su Miners: www.matsuminers.org

Peninsula Oilers (Kenai): www.oilersbaseball.com