Rising Stars? What's that?

You may have noticed that the scheduled game in the Arizona Fall League is called the Rising Stars Showcase. That is just a fancy way of saying AFL All-Star Game.

Here. I'll let the story explain:

The Arizona Fall League is generally considered the circuit in which baseball's elite prospects meet in October and November to hone their already considerable skills. The best prospects square off against one another in what can often resemble a daily All-Star game at any one of the parks in and around Phoenix.

That said, the Rising Stars Showcase takes that notion just a bit further. It features current AFL participants selected by scouting and Minor League directors from every organization, along with input from AFL Executive Director Steve Cobb. The 50 players chosen to represent the newly realigned and renamed National and American Divisions will come together on Friday night at Surprise Stadium.

Daren Brown, the Rattler manager in 2003, will head up the National Division squad. He has a couple of ex-Rattlers -- Carlos Triunfel ('07) and Greg Halman ('07) -- on his team.