1.   But the warning signs are flashing before the league gets under way next week.

2.   And every year the league gets dozens of requests from veteran players to speak to the rookies.

3.   And owners, enamored by the Arizona market and leadership, seem to be fighting over which league will get the Diamondbacks.

4.   And this league is getting more talent and better talent each year.

5.   A lawyer involved in baseball said he thought the league got a very good deal.

6.   But ABL officials insist the league is getting stronger.

7.   But what the league got was a view of the best player in the draft.

8.   Competition was intense but, in the aftermath, the league got a month of ragged training camps and lethargic exhibition games because so many stars rested.

9.   Despite being filled with great players, the leagues got no respect and were void of the many privileges bestowed on players in the major leagues.