2011 - Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks

Transcription

1960-2011: 52 Seasons of Championship Baseball
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks baseball club has entered its 52nd season. The Goldpanners operate in a similar manner as a minor league team: playing nightly in stadiums before fans,
using wood bats and minor league specification equipment, and also enduring epic road trips by
bus. Looking back, it is clear that the program has made a stunning impact on the baseball world.
The Goldpanners were pioneers in the promotion of collegiate sports, and rode the strength of
the amateur athlete to many victories on and off the fied. The Fairbanks club remains dedicated
to providing minor league level competition in order to assist in the continuation of the athletes’
careers into the ranks of professional ball.
Pic by Tom Dennis
2011 SEASON DEDICATED TO
BILL STROECKER (1920-2010)
William George (Bill) Stroecker, Fairbanks’ best known civic leader since the
days before Statehood, passed away November 8, 2010, at Fairbanks Memorial
Hospital.
Born in Fairbanks on July 31, 1920, Stroecker had the rare distinction of never
calling anywhere else home, leaving Fairbanks only in 1938 to attend New Mexico
Military Institute and then again near the
end of World War II when stationed at
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada as part
of the Lend-Lease Program.
Following the war Bill, the son and grandson of pioneer Alaskan families, returned
to Fairbanks and took the post of bookkeeper at First National Bank. He succeeded his brother, Ed, as bank president
in 1967, remaining in that position until
the bank was sold in 1978.
Charming to the core, the rugged Stroecker enjoyed a wide-range of activities. His
musical talents are legend as he played
his trumpet at many localfunctions. He
played regularly with a jazz band known
as the Frigid-Aires. His interest in music,
particularly jazz, ran deep and he spent
many relaxing hours listening to the great
artists from the first half of the last century.
Bill had served with the Goldpanners in
some capacity for roughly fifty years.
Though started as a humble town team in the
“North of the Range League”, the Alaska Goldpanners gained wide fame almost immediately
after finishing second overall in the nation at
the National Baseball Congress World Series in
Wichita, Kansas.
The curiosity of the Goldpanners being from the
Last Frontier, mixed with the entertaining play
of a ball team composed entirely of college athletes, endeared many fans in the Lower 48. The
continued successes of the club led to an almost
cult-like following during the 60s and 70s. The
team’s allure has only continued to grow with
each passing season -- and each surpassed record and milestone.
Over the years, the club has achieved numerous
national and international distinctions, leading to
world-wide fame rivalling that of professional
teams. The influence of the club in the baseball world is still on the ascent even now. Besides the growing popularity of the Midnight Sun
Game, the team’s alumni often continue with the
game after their playing careers are over, and
are now positioned administratively throughout
all levels of play.
In addition to the nearly 200 players to have
ascended to the major leagues (and one - Dan
Pastorini - who joined the NFL as Quarterback),
an increasing number have risen to the pinnacle
of baseball in the coaching or front office administrative fields.
William G. Stroecker
Son of the Midnight Sun
In 2008, three-year Goldpanner Bill “Spaceman”
Lee returned to Fairbanks and declared to the
local press that the Goldpanners were “the number one amateur baseball organization in history.”
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Charlie Cole
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Don Dennis
PRESIDENT: E. Chilton Hines
VICE PRESIDENTS: Phil Prax, Brian Rasley
ASSOCIATE GENERAL MANAGER: Todd Dennis
ASSISTANT TO THE GM: John Denning, B.J. Hall
SPECIAL ASSISTANT: Smith Barber
STADIUM OPERATIONS: Shirley Stewart
HOUSING OPERATIONS: Rhonda Lohrke
TRAINING STAFF: Jim Kimbal
FIELD MANAGER: Jim Dietz
FIELD PREPARATIONS: Carroll Barber
VEHICLES: John Lohrke, Seekins Ford
VIP, Park Surveyor/Engineer: Jason Barnebey
INTERNS: Joshua Gilberts (Management)
Josh Collins (Broadcasting)
Tom Dennis (PannerVision Production)
www.goldpanners.com
P.O. Box 71154 Fairbanks
907-451-0095 / 907-456-6429
Yearbook/Card Design: Todd Dennis
2010 - Our 50th Anniversary Season
Talented Club Wins Every Season Series ; 2nd Place By .5
Key pitching lapses keep the Alaska Baseball League crown
out of Fairbanks. 105th Midnight Sun Game a 15-inning
thriller. Club sweeps to record of 23-4 at Growden Park.
The 51st season (50th Anniversary) of the Alaska Goldpanners
came down to as close a finish as
is possible in the Alaska League,
but unfortunately the Panners
wound up on the short side.
The Mat-Su Miners claimed
the title when the Goldpanners
dropped five of their last seven
games. The unfortunate streak
came as the team was just one
win away -- at the Anchorage Glacier Pilots -- from salting away the
title. But, when that game was
lost on a dramatic walk-off home
run the door was cracked just a bit
for the Miners. They responded
by taking 3 of 4 -- one game of
which had been rained out in Fairbanks earlier. The Miners needed
two wins on the final day but wisely had their two top pitchers awaiting the depleted Panners.
By the end of the Alaska season
Fairbanks was without a single
starting outfielder and had a
banged shortstop/second baseman in Derrick Chung, a two-year
mainstay with the club. Without
an outfield a trip to the national
tournament was aborted after
reaching Denver en route.
The Panners set an Alaska
League record of sorts when they
captured the season series from
each of the five other teams but
still managed to lose the title by
one-half game.
The club had some outstanding
pitching, primarily from starter
Ryan Cabral of Southern Cal and
reliever Kyle Brule of Oklahoma Baptist.
Brule, who started his career at Arizona
State, had three outstanding summers
as a closer for the Goldpanners and
etched his name into the team record
book. Cabral was a first-year guy who
went 5-0 with a 2.47 earned run average. He started eight games and his
54.1 innings topped the club.
Pic by Duane Nelson
Freshman hurler Chase McDowell of
Rice made a late surge on the mound
and finished 3-2 with a 2.30 ERA. He
worked 47 innings and struck out 41 to
lead the club in that category.
A couple of Yuba College hurlers contributed mightily before leaving the club.
Matt Vedo went 4-0 with a team leading
2.20 ERA while Zach Vawter-Scoggins
chipped in at 2-0 with a save and a 2.52
ERA.
Top row, from left: J.T. Chargois, Jarod Berggren, Jesse Sikorski, Kyle Richter, Derek Grieve,
Jake Stewart, Kyle Brule, Evan Simonitch. Middle row, from left: Jim Dietz, Jerrod Riggan, Matt Mardesich, Jake Dziubczynski, Colton Plaia, Chase McDowell, Ryan Cabral, Mike
Tauchman, Liam Baron, Simon Kudernatsch, Trainer Mark Wellhousen, Austin Wooldridge,
Dan Cassidy. Bottom row, from left: Zach Arneson, Elliot Van Gaver, Derrick Chung, Derek
Simon Kudernatsch of Hartford U., a Wilson, Martin Medina, Kevin Roundtree, DJ Crumlich.
Czech native, came to Fairbanks for a
tryout and wound up the club’s lead2010 ALL-ABL TEAM: 1st Team - 2B: Derrick Chung,; 3B: Martin Medina; Relief: Liam
ing hitter at .319. Second year thirdBaron ; Closer: Kyle Brule; Starting Pitching: Ryan Cabral // 2nd Team - 1B: Mike Tauchman
baseman Martin Medina of Bakersfied
slugged six home runs and his 28 runs ; SS: DJ Crumlich,; C: Kevin Roundtree; OF: Jake Stewart; Utility: Simon Kudernatsch; DH:
batted in tied Jesse Sikorski of Johns Jesse Sikorski; Gold Glove: DJ Crumlich
Hopkins for tops in that department.
Manager Jim Dietz went into the season needing just three victories to post
his 500th win with the club. He got that
milestone early on and moved all the
way to 531 by season’s end. Those victories coupled with all his victories leading the Cascade Royals and Springfield
Mitchford Mack Bulldogs of Oregon, two
seasons at the Anchorage Glacier Pilots,
and a really big 1980 season with the
Boulder Collegians places Dietz at the
top of the heap among summer baseball
managers.
BASEBALL AMERICA TOP 10 PRO PROSPECTS
KYLE RICHTER, JAKE STEWART & D.J. CRUMLICH
The 52nd season of the Alaska Goldpanners
takes on a look of something old and something
borrowed from the past along with something
new.
For the first time in decades the Goldpanners
will be participating in the North of the Range
League, now known as the Fairbanks Adult Amateur Baseball League. The new wrinkle allows
a training ground and perpetual tryout situation
for Fairbanks and Alaska players aspiring to raise
their level of baseball competence.
The team, known as the Midnight Sun Goldpanners, has a season stretching from June 6
through July 18 and will play most every game
at Growden Stadium. Former Fairbanksan Randy Barber, presently head coach at Tempe High
School in Arizona, will manage the team while
the pitching coach is local baseball legend Sean
Timmons. Player/Coach and assistant general
manager with the team is Joshua Gilberts out of
the University of Wisconsin, who himself lived in
Fairbanks for a short time in his youth.
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks team will
again be headed by Jim Dietz. It will be Dietz’
15th season with the organization
Pitching
coach is Mike Hogan out of Orange Coast College. Hogan was a leading pitcher on the Goldpanners’ 1981 Alaska State Champion team.
Catcher Colton Plaia of Loyola Marymount is the
only returning player from the Panners’ strong
34-15 team of a year ago, Plaia will also spend
some time this summer learning to work from the
mound.
Plaia is just one of several 2011 team members to
hold credentials at more than one position. Versatility will be a strong suit of the team. Several
of the team’s 11-man pitching staff are two-way
players at their respective colleges.
Leading the way in that category would be Chris
Pfau of Lincoln University in St. Louis; Mac Acker
out of Columbia Basin College in Washington
and Mike Rivera of Fresno Pacific College.
The infield appears solid with another group of
‘shortstop qualified’ players who will share the
various positions around the horn. Robbie Buller
2011 - The 52nd Season of Goldpanners Baseball
Goldpanners to Operate Two Separate Clubs During Summer
New entry into the Fairbanks Adult Amateur Baseball League provides Goldpanners
with more roster spots for local ballplayers.
of Houston Baptist leads the way at first while Kyle Gleason of the
University of Minnesota has a line on third. the middle infield will be
rotated among Cody Slader of San Diego State, and Mike Vaughn
II of Fresno Pacific. The outfield will be patroled by Andy Peterson
of Santa Ana College; Zac Fujimoto of Loyola Marymount, and Chris
Doyle of Grossmoont College in La Mesa, Ca. Doyle is the son of
Jeff G. Doyle of the Fairbanks 1976 national championship team.
1960-2011: 52 Seasons of Championship Baseball
Holder of Manifold State, National, and International Titles; Record 6 NBC & Kamloops
In 1959, shortly after the passage of the
Alaska Statehood Bill, University of Alaska
Fairbanks basketball coach Ray Wheeler
determined to field a baseball club.
Ray sought to generate support from a
number of local baseball enthusiasts. In the
process of preparing for the season, he ordered a set of uniforms to be manufactured
by a local sporting goods store: Pan-Alaska
Sports, which was operated by WWII veteran H.A. “Red” Boucher.
Despite Wheeler’s best efforts that spring,
he was unable to get the team onto the
field. Boucher, then stuck with a set of uniforms for a team that didn’t exist, organized
his own push to see the project through.
This he did, and 52 years later the Alaska
Goldpanners is recognized as the all-time
greatest amateur baseball club in history.
The successes of the club during this period are numerous. Listed on this page are
year-by-year results for all 51 Goldpanners
teams.
YEAR
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
MANAGER
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Boucher
Olsen
Dietz
Dietz
Dietz
Dietz
Dietz
Dietz
Dietz
Hines
Hines
Hines
Hines
Hines
Snow
Snow
Kelly
Weathers
Weathers
Weathers
Harrison
Dietz
Dietz
Dietz
Dietz
Baumann
Parker
Parker
Leppert
Cowgill
Cowgill
Cowgill
Jones
Cheff
Cheff
Cheff
Cheff
Cheff
Gloyd
Gloyd
TOTALS
G
18
16
31
57
54
57
63
55
48
59
57
68
60
66
80
68
82
78
69
66
52
44
57
61
65
66
62
59
67
52
57
61
47
59
55
51
54
56
56
45
48
53
57
55
45
51
43
43
38
Gloyd/Dietz 73
Dietz
49
W
11
12
24
45
35
38
50
45
37
41
38
46
40
49
60
51
56
48
41
45
43
26
40
42
42
41
39
40
46
30
37
47
22
36
36
33
24
38
31
24
28
26
38
38
29
39
21
23
18
34
34
L
7
4
7
12
19
19
13
10
11
18
19
22
20
17
20
17
26
30
28
21
9
18
17
19
23
25
23
19
21
22
20
14
25
23
19
18
30
18
25
21
20
27
19
17
16
12
22
20
20
39
15
2,834 1,853 977
%
61%
75%
77%
79%
65%
67%
79%
82%
77%
69%
67%
68%
67%
74%
75%
75%
68%
62%
59%
68%
83%
59%
70%
69%
65%
62%
63%
68%
69%
58%
65%
77%
47%
61%
65%
65%
44%
68%
55%
53%
58%
49%
67%
69%
64%
76%
49%
53%
47%
46%
69%
65%
1960 Championship: North of the Range League
1961 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1961 Second Place: Alaska State Championship
1962 Championship: Alaska State Tournament
1962 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Playoff
1962 Second Place: N.B.C. World Series
1962 Award: National Non-Pro Team of the Year
1962 Award: Most Popular National Non-Pro Team
1963 Award: Most Popular National Non-Pro Team
1963 Third Place: N.B.C. World Series
1965 Fourth Place: N.B.C. World Series
1966 Championship: Hawaii International Baseball Tourn.
1966 Championship: World Baseball Tournament
1969 Second Place: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1970 Championship: N.B.C. Big West Conference Tourn.
1971 Second Place: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1972 Championship: N.B.C. World Series
1972 Fifth Place: Honkbal Baseball Week in Holland
1973 Championship: Alaska World Series
1973 Championship: Kamloops International Tournament*
1974 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1975 Championship: Alaska World Series
1975 Championship: N.B.C. Far West Regional Tourn.
1976 Second Place: World Crown Tournament
1976 Championship: Pueblo Tournament of Champions
1977 Championship: N.B.C. Northwest Regional
1977 Second Place: National Baseball Congress World Series
1980 Championship: National Baseball Congress World Series
1983 Championship: Top of the World Series
1983 Second Place: National Baseball Congress World Series
1984 Third Place: National Baseball Congress World Series
1985 Championship: Alaska Regional NBC State Tournament
1986 Championship: Alaska Baseball League Pacific Division
1986 Fourth Place: National Baseball Congress World Series
1987 Second Place: U.S. Open Tournament - Hawaii
1988 Championship: U.S. Open Tournament - Tahoe
1989 Championship: Midnight Sun Invitational
1990 Championship: U.S. Open Tournament - Ontario
1991 Championship: National Shootout Tourney - Amarillo
1991 Second Place: U.S. Open Tournament - Carson City
1993 Championship: Alaska Federation
1993 Second Place: Grand National Baseball Tournament
1994 Championship: Alaska Invitational Tournament
1994 Second Place: Grand National Baseball Tournament
1995 Championship: Alaska Federation
1996 Championship: Hawaii International Tournament
1996 Second Place: Kelowna International Tournament
1997 Second Place: Alaska Invitational Tournament
1997 Second Place: Kelowna International Tournament
1998 Second Place: Kelowna International Tourn.
2000 Seventh Place: National Baseball Congress World Series
2001 Championship: Wood Bat Invitational Tournament
2005 Winners: Midnight Sun Game Centennial
2009 Championship: Kamloops International Tournament
Team founder H.A. “Red” Boucher enlisted in the
Navy at age 17, served in the Pacific theatre during
World War II as an expert signalman and meteorologist, and achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
At Midway, Boucher served aboard the famous Big
E -- the USS Enterprise. After the war, one of his
tours of duty took him to the Panama Canal Zone
where he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Ribbon - the only Navy man so honored for athletic endeavor - for his service in the baseball program at Albrook Field in the Canal Zone. Albrook
was one of a number of Air Force and Navy teams
that Boucher led to championships.
Red and his family came to Alaska, settling in Fairbanks in 1958 after John F. Kennedy told him there
was great potential in the far north territory. Fielding the Goldpanners in 1960 was only one of his
local projects. He also served on the Fairbanks
City Council, and became mayor in 1966. Boucher
was elected Lieutenant Governor of Alaska under
Governor William Egan, serving from 1970 to 1974.
Afterwards, he served in the Alaska House of Representatives and later served on the Anchorage Assembly. He was also a telecommunications leader
in Alaska, boosting Internet access in remote villages. Boucher passed away at age 88 during the
summer solstice of 2009.
Red won many accolades
with the Goldpanners,
none greater than being
named the “Manager of the
Decade” by the National
Baseball Congress,
operators of the
World Series of
summer ball
in Wichita,
Kansas.
Raymond “Hap” Dumont
Boucher strengthened the organization’ ties to the Fairbanks community by organizing a volunteer director board in 1963. The duties
of the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks Board of Directors are all
geared toward supporting the careers of Outside college athletes pursuing pro ball, and Fairbanks athletes pursuing college scholarships.
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Name
Joined Departed
Bill Ackiss
Cynthia Adams
John Luther Adams
Steve Agbaba
Terry Aldridge
Russ Amerson
Brad Amundson
Roger Anderson
Lenny Arsenault
Carroll Barber
Jason Barnebey
Dan Barrett
Cliff Batye
Dr. James Beckley
Ben Bennett
Bob Bloom
Bill Boggess
H.A. (Red) Boucher
H.A. (Red) Boucher
Heide Boucher
Mark Boyer
Tom Brice
Lee Bridgeman
Mark Browning
Andy Bruce
Don Bruce
Lloyd Burgess
Fred R. Burnett
Wally Burnett
John Butrovich
Harold Byrd
Phil Carboy
Ernie Carter
Ed Carroway
Wally Cathcart III
Jerry Cleworth
Jack Clowers
Dean Clowers
Charles Cole
Al Collins
George Craft
Bill Creighton
Chuck Culver
Sheena Cummings
Hap Currington
Chris Custer
Frank Danner
Bob Davis
Ron Davis
Frank DeLong
Don Dennis
Steve Dennis
Todd Dennis
Jim Desmond
Jim Dieringer
Jim Dixon
Robert Dixon
Larry Dotson
Bob Douglass
Bob Downes
Joe Eisenmenger
Gerald Evans
Judge Vern Forbes
Gerald Finley
Kevin Fitzgerald
Al Fleetwood
Joe Franich
Robert Francis
Paul Gavora
John Glidden
Conrad Gonzalez
Les Gray
Dale Green
Les Gunderson
B.J. Hall
B.J. Hall
Bob Hardin
Col. Ken Haycraft
Jim Hayes
Ken Henry
Hank Heuvel
Al Hines
E. Chilton Hines
Lynn Hines
Bud Hollowell
Don Hoover
Bill Hutchinson
Jim Jasperson
Norm Jenkins
Shirley Jenkins
03/14/73
05/12/02
05/12/02
04/12/67
05/01/92
10/12/77
05/01/92
05/20/81
03/05/80
03/17/86
05/13/09
03/05/80
05/08/07
09/20/66
04/22/81
03/10/71
04/17/68
05/28/63
11/29/89
06/21/69
06/17/87
06/17/97
03/07/01
07/22/83
12/01/71
05/06/65
05/28/63
05/28/63
05/31/66
02/15/67
06/03/70
05/28/63
05/21/65
03/12/75
05/26/82
05/01/92
05/28/63
04/12/67
03/10/71
03/20/74
03/30/83
05/07/08
05/04/77
05/08/07
04/05/66
03/10/71
03/29/67
04/06/77
01/31/68
05/12/92
04/07/01
07/31/66
06/09/82
05/13/09
05/28/63
05/13/09
05/01/92
03/05/80
03/12/69
04/05/65
03/22/67
04/05/65
03/22/67
05/28/63
03/22/67
05/09/86
06/09/09
05/27/70
04/07/65
01/19/72
03/06/81
02/28/86
03/13/74
05/21/65
06/07/91
04/17/74
04/14/76
04/26/89
02/17/95
02/17/95
03/18/81
04/07/77
03/12/75
04/18/79
02/28/86
02/28/86
1974
2008
2008
1970
ACTIVE
2008
1995
1982
1991
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
1980
2008
1980
1981
1973
1968
1972
2009
ACTIVE
1995
2006
2004
ACTIVE
1987
1992
1969
1963
ACTIVE
1978
1995
1980
1968
1967
1975
1984
1996
ACTIVE
1967
1980
1981
1995
2010
1977
2009
1970
2000
1976
1982
ACTIVE
1998
ACTIVE
1969
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
1963
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
2001
1973
1969
1969
1967
ACTIVE
1972
1978
2010
1972
1990
ACTIVE
1971
1965
1980
1982
ACTIVE
1977
1982
2003
1977
1979
2009
ACTIVE
2009
1981
1980
1976
1981
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
Charlie Cole - Chairman of the Board
*Deceased
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Carl Johnson
Martha Johnson
Steve Karakash
Jim Kelly
Ed Kennedy
Jim Kimbal
Mark Klaich
Jane Knox
Barney Kopf
Barney Kopf
Julius Kornfeind
Walt Kozie
Eric Kuntz
Lee Lambert
Marc Langland
Marc Langland
Mike Lawless
Ed Lawrence
Ray Leach
Ted Lehne
Tony Licalsi
Dick Lobdell
John Lohrke
A.J. Maestas
Rob’t Marcinkowski
Jack Markstrom
Harvey Marlin
Harvey Marlin III
Jon McCoy
Jim McNamee
Bob Meath
Ed Merdes
Ward Merdes
Ward Merdes
Tony Messina
Tom Miklautsch
Gene Miller
Mike Minsky
Harold Moles
Tom Moyer
Jack Murphy
Steve Nerland
Carl Noble
Ed Orbeck
Bill Pair
Steve Peek
Ed Perkowski
Mark Poole
Phil Prax
Lowell Purcell
Phil Ramos
Dale Rankin
Brian Rasley
Dave Rasley
Luella Rasley
Gretchen Ray
Dr. Joseph Ribar
Les Rogers
Doyle Ruff
Mort Schierhorn
Leo Schlotfeldt
Ralph Seekins
Mike Sfraga
Harris Shelton
Jack Shuttleworth
C.W. Snedden
Duane Snedden
Dr. Bryce Stallard
Rod Stephens
Steve Stephens
Mike Stepovich
Mike Stepovich III
John Stein
Dave Stewart
Bill Stroecker
Jay Sullivan
Tim Sullivan
Dave Swanson
Danny Thomas
Sean Timmons
L.K. Virgin
Nate Voegeli
Bob Vogt
Dick Ward
Bill Waugaman
Emmitt Wilson
Sam Woodke
Dale Woody
Dale Yoder
07/01/95
2004
07/12/89
1995
04/07/65
1967
03/24/76
1980
03/25/70
1972
05/13/09 ACTIVE
02/23/72
1976
05/01/92
2007
03/09/67
1980
01/31/86
1987
11/02/77
1995
03/10/71
1982
ACTIVE
11/11/81
1988
02/28/73
1977
01/30/80
1982
05/26/10
2010
05/11/84
1988
02/05/69
1975
03/26/69
1974
07/22/83
1995
03/20/74
1975
04/14/04 ACTIVE
05/26/10 ACTIVE
05/26/10 ACTIVE
04/28/65
1966
04/28/65
1968
04/18/79
1983
ACTIVE
03/22/67
1969
04/06/77
1987
03/22/67
1991
05/08/92
1995
05/13/09 ACTIVE
03/19/68
1978
04/05/65
1995
01/24/68
1976
05/20/87
2003
07/01/81
1991
07/15/87
2008
01/24/68
1987
03/24/76
1980
05/06/83
1995
06/07/63
1969
01/30/80
1981
05/07/08 ACTIVE
05/04/77
1978
05/09/86
1991
03/07/01 ACTIVE
05/01/92
2000
03/18/81
1981
03/26/75
1995
05/07/03 ACTIVE
05/20/81
2009
05/13/09 HON.
05/07/03 ACTIVE
04/05/65
1966
03/16/77
1995
06/15/84
1987
12/07/77
1980
05/08/65
1971
03/28/79
1991
06/24/87
1990
05/14/82
1992
03/10/71
1987
05/28/63
1967
03/27/68
1990
03/24/80
1980
05/07/08 ACTIVE
03/14/73 ACTIVE
05/28/63
1967
05/25/84
1987
05/13/81
1987
03/10/71
1973
05/28/63
2010
07/12/78
1981
05/09/86
1988
11/04/81
2010
03/17/76
1981
05/08/07 ACTIVE
03/29/67
1969
03/16/01
2004
03/06/68
1970
01/24/68
1969
04/05/65
1969
04/12/67
1972
04/18/79
2010
03/12/75
1978
03/12/75
1980
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks have named their first new Chairman of the Board since Bill Stroecker became President in 1965.
Charles E. Cole, a local attorney and former Alaska Attorney General,
is actually returning to a post he occupied in the early 1960s. As the
board was formed following the 1962 season, it was Cole who led the
organizational efforts and served as chair until Stroecker’s election in
the spring of1965. Thus, Cole and Stroecker are the only two presiding
officers in the 52-year history of the team and its directors.
Following a successful career at Stanford he moved into professional
ball for three years and then wound up in Fairbanks where he was a
fixture on the local diamonds throughout the 1950s. Charlie topped off
his Fairbanks baseball career with a pitching win in the 1958 Midnight
Sun Game. On the very day the bill for Alaskan statehood was on the
floor of the US Senate, Charlie started and beat the Ladd Field All-Stars
in the 53rd playing of the Midnight Sun Game -- which marks the exact
half-way point to this year’s 106th playing of the game..
Charlie’s post-baseball career included many distinctions. He was
the former Attorney General of the State of Alaska (from 1991-1994)
– personally negotiating with the president of Exxon in the wake of the
1989 spill. He was the Assistant Attorney General for the Territory of
Alaska, and Fairbanks city magistrate. For that first race for magistrate
-- in 1955, mere weeks after having arrived in town -- Charlie beat out
George Sullivan, who then moved to Anchorage.
Assistant AG for AK Territory Charlie Cole
Alaska Territorial Governor Mike Stepovic
1960: Goldpanners Adopts Midnight Sun Game Tradition
World Famous Event Enriched by the Player and Opponent Recruiting of the Goldpanners
The Midnight Sun Game tradition dates back to the earliest days of Fairbanks, Alaska. During the
winter of 1905/06, two local pubs bet bragging rights for the entire winter (plus a few incidentals)
on the outcome of the game. From there, the novelty of the event led to outsiders being imported to
take on the Fairbanks team. In the first year of operation for the Goldpanners ballclub, Red Boucher
recognized the novelty of the promotion, and the opportunity the game offered to represent Fairbanks
to the outside world.
BASEBALL’S MOST NATURAL PROMOTION
Each June 21, on the longest day of the year (with a full 24 hours of light in the
vast Tanana Valley), Fairbanksans celebrate the coming of the summer solstice
in a variety of ways, including baseball at midnight. Never once has artificial
lighting been used for this unique event, and never has the game been delayed
due to darkness.
Since the Goldpanners are the farthest North ballclub on Earth, where in summer
the sun rarely stops shining, the team annually takes advantage of its unique
geographic location by staging a baseball game during the midnight hour.
With Fairbanks a mere 160 miles South of the Arctic Circle, the sun is just beginning to set in the North as the game gets under way and, at its conclusion
some three hours later, the sun begins to rise again - also in the North. It is a
phenomenon ever so rare.
There is no other team tradition in baseball history to match that of Fairbanks and
its annual midnight baseball game. Certainly there is no other team tradition as
old as the Midnight Sun Game. The World Series of Major League Baseball which is the promotion of no single team (not even the Yankees) - is a mere three
years older than the annual solstice classic in Fairbanks.
The “high noon at midnight” classic originated in Fairbanks in 1906 at the direction
of local ballplayer and bartender Eddie Stroecker. Every year since it was a ritual
to play the game on the solstice. The Goldpanners, led by H.A. “Red” Boucher,
adopted the concept in 1960 -- the club’s very first year of competition.
Though each game is unique in its own way, that first solstice game was truly a
classic, as the enthusiasttic Boucher led the Goldpanners to a 11-0 victory over
the Fairbanks Pioneers. One of the finest moments in the history of the event
came in 1967, when Kumagai-Gumi Japan was the visiting team. With the Panners fresh off of a World Championship against Japan, the game took on great
international significance The Goldpanners’ starting pitcher for that game was
Bill (later “Spaceman”) Lee.
Over the years, the Midnight Sun Game has enjoyed wide popularity. GQ
Magazine dubbed the game one of the “86 Reasons to be proud to be an
American.” Baseball America called the game one of the “12 Must See Events for
the Baseball Fan.” For Fairbanksans, the game is a way to reflect on the passing
of a year, and to celebrate surviving another long winter.
Midnight Sun Series vs. Kumagai Gumi Japan. Red Boucher, Bill Lee, Yasuo Fujitsu, and Manager Masayuki Furuta
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California Bar
Tanana Company
Arctic Brotherhood
California Bar
California Bar
California Bar
Van Dycks
Van Dycks
Van Dycks
Van Dycks
Van Dycks
Van Dycks
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks Men
Van Dycks
Impromptu Only
Yannigans
Fairbanks All-Stars
Anchorage AK RR
Radio Station
Anchorage
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Standard Oil
Fairbanks All-Stars
Independents
Fairbanks All-Stars
Impromptu Only
Area Miners
Fairbanks All-Stars
Impromptu Only
Shields Baseball
Cushman Merchants
Ester Miners
Cushman Merchants
Fairbanks All-Stars
Quartermasters
Edmonton Yanks
Team Attu
Ladd Field All-Stars
Ladd Field Eagles
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Military Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Eielson Air Force
Sportland Bees
Sportland Bees
Anchorage All-Stars
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
Alaska Goldpanners
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Eagles Club
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Northern Commercial
N.M.’s
Athletics
Arctic Senators
Eagles Club
Marquettes
Marquettes
Eagles Club
Marquettes
Fairbanks Clothing
Nenana
Professionals
Fairbanks Clothing
No News Report
Revelers
Nenana
Fairbanks Giants
Sawmill
Fairbanks
F.E. Company Athletics
Fairbanks
Fairbanks All-Stars
Independents
No News Report
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Area Miners
No News Report
Shields Softball
Fairbanks Cubs
F.E. Miners
Fairbanks Allies
Fairbanks All-Stars
Midnight Sun All-Stars
Anchorage U.S. Army
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Military Stars
Ladd Field All Stars
Eielson All Stars
Air Force All-Stars
Fairbanks Sales & Service
Fairbanks Pioneers
North of the Range Stars
Military Stars
Wichita Dreamliners
Grand Junction Eagles
USC Trojans
OSU Beavers
Kumagai-Gumi
Santa Clara Broncos
Boulder Collegians
Arizona Wildcats
Stanford Indians
Ponchatoula, LA
Brigham Young
WSU Cougars
Vanderbuilt Commodores
Westwood Bruins
Alberta Generals
Wichita Coors
UNC Tar Heels
Wisconsin Badgers
Intermountain Badgers
San Francisco Senators
Anchorage Bucs
Taiwan Olympic - Forfeit
Moraga, CA, Marauders
San Francisco Senators
Mat-Su Miners
Hawaii Island Movers
San Diego Sea World
San Bernadino Tribe
Lake Tahoe Stars
Victor Valley, CA, Mets
Lake Tahoe Stars
San Diego Stars
San Francisco Seals
Anchorage Bucs
Kelowna Grizzlies
Kelowna Grizzlies
Oceanside, CA, Waves
Santa Barbara Foresters
California Running Birds
Kenai Peninsula Oilers
Omaha Zone
Beatrice Bruins
Lake Erie, MI, Monarchs
Heroes of the Diamond
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WINNING PITCHER
Ross/Stroecker
McLaughlin
Wakefield
Courtemanche
Jack Buckley
Eddie Stroecker
Jack Buckley
7
Eddie Stroecker
Howard Logan
Stanford
Beam
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Charles Gies
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Bortz
Shaw
Hinsey
Ralph Wien
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Herb Johnson
Abie Holt
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W. Locey
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Selwyn Young
2
Vern Reake
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L. Albin
Treskovich
Johnson
Allen
B. Brown
Joe Lagosky
Valentine
Newman
Klesitz
Brow
B. Roberts
L. Wineburn
B. Edwards
Floyd Brower
Charlie Cole
Frank Keenan
Ray Wheeler
Paul Long
George Mies
Dave Newkirk
Barry Lersch*
George Mies
Don Rose*
Yasuo Fujitsu; Lee*
Brent Strom*
Burt Hooten*
Leon Hooten*
Rich Troedson*
Kenny Alfred
Lynn Allan
Wayne Steele
Thad Troedson
Greg Harris*
Mike Boddicker*
Ray Fontenot*
Alan Wiggins
Ron Romanick*
Dan Plesac*
Eddie Delzer
Todd Simmons
Dion Beck (forfeit)
Blas Minor*
John Sipple
Kris Kramer
Jim Richardson
Dennis Gray
Jerry Stafford
Benji Grigsby*
Gabe Herrera
Robert Donnely
Darin Blood
Chris Bloomer
Adam Pettyjohn*
Craig Jones
Pete Fredericks
Jason Berni
Adam Heaps
Andy Davidson
Sean Timmons
Drew Jenson
Sean Timmons
Sean Timmons
Chris Kissock
Tim Stromble
Bill “Spaceman” Lee*
Darrah ; Timmons, sv
Simon Kudernatsch
BASEBALL USED TO REBUILD FAIRBANKS SPIRIT FOLLOWING FIRE OF 1906
The history of baseball in Fairbanks
is an integral part of the overall story
of the town as a whole. For over 100
years, Fairbanks’ love of baseball has
helped built community spirit. No event
demonstrates the importance of baseball
in Fairbanks’ early days than the very
first Midnight Sun Game in 1906.
Though established as a base of
commercial operation in 1901 -- by
an act of sheer chance or Providence
-- the Fairbanks population didn’t begin
arriving until gold was discovered
the following year. As one might
expect, the culture that arrived was
mix of gold rushers and adventurers,
introducing many scoundrels and
outlaws into the Fairbanks area.
For about four years, Fairbanks was a
booming town thanks to the gold found
in the surrounding valleys. Between
1903 and 1905, the gold take coming
from Fairbanks grew from $40K to $6
million dollars. The freewheeling spirit
that typified the entirety of the gold rush
era embedded itself completely in the
town of Fairbanks -- the final destination
in that illustrious and infamous period in
the history of the American West.
Baseball emerged as a highly popular
form of recreation and entertainment,
and was played vigorously. Large sums
of money were routinely wagered on
single plays. With only so many ways
for a newly rich man to throw around
his money in those days, and with the
recklessness of the age, it is easy to
imagine how wild those early games
really were.
As Fairbanks slowly transformed itself
from a temporary commercial base to
an incorporated town, baseball took on
a new civic dimension, with full leagues
created and maintained by local leaders
and hooligans alike.
In the spring of 1906, the sawdustinsulated buildings along the Chena
River broke into flames. Without
enough fuel to heat up the stillfrozen water pipes to put the fire out,
the Northern Commercial Company
thought to burn 2,000 pounds of bacon
in its boilers -- thereby raising the water
pressure for the fire fighting effort.
Instead of allowing this dreadful blow
to cripple the town’s morale, immediate
plans were made to rebuild. In the most
critical moment of the life of Fairbanks,
the community determined to live. It
was at this time that the gold rush camp
became a true frontier town.
Within a month, the entire population
had worked together to build a new
life on top of the ashes of the old.
This quick success made the summer
solstice a time of immense celebration
for Fairbanksans. Local hero Eddie
Stroecker organized a special midnight
ballgame to commemorate the longest
day of the year. That evening, it was
as if the entire town exhaled for the
first time in a month, and the resultant
spectacle electrified Fairbanks with
immense optimism and hope for the
future.
“Fully 1,500 people were present and
there has never been such hooting at
a local game.”
The continued enthusiasm of the town
and the relentless competative fire of
the athletes made the midnight game
a standard of Fairbanks summer life
from then on. Even the arctic winters
became more bearable, knowing that
June 21st approached.
For the first decade or so, the contests
were held between town teams. Local
teams, such as those from the initial
participant California Bar and Eagles’
Club, battled for supremacy during
the solstice, scoring runs on the field,
Eddie Stroecker, driving force behind the first Midnight Sun Game.
and bragging rights for the long winter
offseason.
Both the town and the contest took on a
new shape in the late 1910s and early
1920s, when the town of Anchorage
was established and maintained as
a work camp by the Alaska Railroad.
Fairbanks civic pride led the drive for
letting baseball decide which town was
tougher, and the Midnight Sun Game
became a battleground for statewide
bragging rights.
The 1930s saw the emergence of
teams of industrial workers, playing
for such corporations as the F.E.
Company and Standard Oil. The
winning pitcher of the 1930 game
was Standard Oil’s Ralph Wien,
pioneering bush pilot and brother of
Alaska Airlines Patriarch Noel Wien.
Tragically, Ralph was killed later that
same year when a startled missionary
grabbed Noel’s secondary yoke stick,
causing his plane to stall and crash.
Declaration of war in Europe and the
threat of Japanese invasion made
Alaska a center of military activity.
Baseball was one major form of
entertainment for the troops, and
elaborate leagues were created during
the height of World War II. Quite
often, bases around the Tanana Valley
would each hold their own versions
of the solstice classic. There were
two midnight games in 1940, three
in 1948, three in 1953, two in 1954
four in 1955, two in 1956, and three
in 1960.
The Alaska Goldpanners baseball
club, founded by World War II veteran
H.A. “Red” Boucher, adopted the
Midnight Sun Game in their first year
of competition. The year was 1960,
and Boucher led the Goldpanners
to a 11-0 victory over the Fairbanks
Pioneers. The Panners have hosted
the game every year since then.
1964: Tom Seaver Auditioned in Fairbanks for Southern Cal. Scholarship
Boucher and Dedeaux Establish the Fabled Fairbanks “Pipeline to the Major Leagues”
The Goldpanners were a hit everywhere after finishing sencond in the nation in 1962. In a short
period of time, Red formed relationships with several West Coast colleges as he promoted summer
baseball in Alaska. But it was Boucher’s bond with U.S.C. coach Rod Dedeaux that put the Goldpanners on the map. Dedeaux had one of the top college programs in the country. And Boucher, in
Alaska, could help build these young boys into men. Dedeaux sent a young pitcher with hopes of
transferring into U.S.C. up to Fairbanks to be sized up by Red.
Tom Seaver set the standard for a generation of big
league pitchers. In his twenty-year career in the
Major Leagues, the righthanded fireballer won 311
games and notched 3,640 strikeouts, while posting
a 2.86 career ERA, and picking up three Cy Young
awards. Seaver was elected overwhelmingly to the
Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 -- the
first year he was eligible for the ballot -- by the highest percentage in history.
But before Seaver became the National League’s
1967 Rookie of the Year, and a world-famous New
York Mets champion in 1969, “Tom Terrific” was an
Alaska Goldpanner. He played in Fairbanks for two
seasons with the Panners (1964-65), after his first
year of college ball, at Fresno City College, and second after his transfer to the University of Southern
California.
The transfer to USC came as a direct result of Tom’s
progress during his summer with the Fairbanks club.
In those days, Panner manager Red Boucher had
struck a highly successful relationship with legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux, who in this case
wanted to make sure Tom was good enough to deserve a college scholarship.
Red Boucher: “Tom was of the caliber I would call,
‘the typical Goldpanner’. I didn’t have to teach him
much as far as baseball was concerned.”
Tom Seaver: “For me, it was just going to be an
adventure going to Alaska. I mean, for a kid from
Fresno? No way. I very gladly got on the plane, and
went on to Fairbanks.”
Upon his arrival in Alaska, he was greeted by Goldpanners manager Red Boucher. Mr. Boucher gave
Seaver a uniform and then drove directly to the park,
where the Goldpanners were playing the Bells from
Washington State. The score was tied at 2-2. Tom
was asked to get in uniform and go to the bullpen.
Tom Seaver: “They picked me up at the airport. I got
in the car, and my uniform was in the car! They said,
‘get dressed’, because they were playing. I didn’t
know where we were going. I didn’t know anybody
on the team.
So we drive to the stadium, and I got out and went
to the bullpen... which is where pitchers - young and
old - go and spend their time. All of a sudden, they
called down there and said ‘get loose, you are going
to be in the game next inning.’ And I pitched in the
game.”
By the sixth inning, Tom was brought into the game,
having just got off the plane. He struck out the first
batter he faced, got the next one to pop up, and went
on to win the game.
Tom Seaver: “If there is one thread that runs through
Red Boucher and Rod Dedeaux, it is their enthusiasm for what they are doing. And especially talking
about baseball.“
Even after establishing himself in Major League
Baseball, Tom would keep in touch with Red. One
of the last times they were together was at the 80th
birthday party for Rod Dedeaux at USC.
Throughout the decades since 1964, the “Boucher/
Dedeaux Pipeline” to Fairbanks has resulted in many
other similar situations, including the Fairbanks careers of other USC baseball luminaries, such as Dave
Kingman, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, and Bret Boone..
USC Head Coach Rod Dedeaux
“Your program, Red, was a vital step in my progress toward reaching a world
championship and specifically the Cy Young award of 1969. I send my heartfelt
thanks to you and the members of the Goldpanners organization -- May it never
cease to exist.” - Tom Seaver, 1969
Tom Seaver’s 1965 Pitching Motion
The Sporting News, August 26, 1967
From the top of the world to the bottom of the National League
in two fast years is the saga that has unfolded for Tom Seaver
and Danny Frisella.
In 1965, the two hard-throwing California collegians were teammates on the Goldpanners in Fairbanks, Alaska, the northermost
“big” city in the United States— not far removed from the Arctic Circle. Today Seaver and Frisella are teammates and starting pitchers for the Mets in New York, the country’s largest city.
Other than the differences they have encountered between life in Fairbanks and on the Great White Way, the two rookies have had to adjust
to the winning and losing ways of the Goldpanners and the Mets. Seaver
was with the Goldpanners in 1964 and ‘65 and both times the team, managed by Red Boucher, won the state semi-pro championship. Frisella
helped in winning the ‘65 title. With the Mets, they’re doing their best to
keep the team from dropping out of the bottom of the National League.
Seaver is well on his way to establishing himself — in his rookie year,
no less — as the best pitcher the Mets have ever owned. He has already tied the record for most victories by a Met righthander (11)
and is a virtual cinch to better Al Jackson’s 1933 record of 13 wins.
Frisella, who joined the Mets right out of the Army on July 25 after an earlier fling this year with Durham in the Carolina League,
compiled a one-win, one-loss record.
Frisella got his first victory over the Pirates, August 11, He was not around to enjoy the win,
Don Shaw relieved him and Frisella was in a cab en route to Kennedy Airport for a weekend of Army training when he heard the news.
Seaver and Frisella recall happily their days in Alaska with the Goldpanners. “Alaska is something else,” said Seaver. “You can’t realize what a
magnificient place it is unless you have been there. And it’s a lot different
than most people picture it. “I can remember my first trip there. I expected
it to be so cold I wore a sweater and a topcoat as I got off the plane. But
the fellow who met me at the airport was wearing a short-sleeved sports
shirt. “The weather in July and August is ideal, it’s in the high 60s and
70s every day and no humidity, it’s the’ time of the year when they have
24 hours of sunlight and it’s pretty weird.” Seaver said getting used to 24
hours of daylight is a little difficult at first. “I can remember waking up one
night at 3 o’clock. I saw the sun coming through the windows - my first
thought was that I’d overslept and blown my job.”
Frisella said Alaskans kept the light from coming in the windows
by covering them from the inside with tinfoil. “It’s playing night
games without lights that’s really strange,” Frisella said. “We would
start a game at 8 o’clock in July and we wouldn’t need the lights!’
The big game of the year is the “Midnight Sun” game, according to the
two rookies. “That’s the longest day of the year,” Seaver related, “and they
celebrate it by starting the game at 11 o’clock at night.” Both boys earned
their keep while play ing for the Goldpanners. Frisella drove a lumber
truck.
“I was a groundskeeper,” said Seaver. “I’d cut the grass and water the infield.” Manicuring the Fairbanks diamond proved of some value to Seaver. As far as fielding pitchers go, no Met covers more ground than their
No. 1 rookie.
Signature From Player Contract
1965: Rick Monday First Player Ever Drafted
The Goldpanners are the Yankees of the MLB Draft
No other baseball organization in the world have had more players drafted and signed to play in the professional ranks.
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks
own the Major League Baseball draft
like no other team in baseball history.
There have been a record 1,200 player
selections devoted to Goldpanner ballplayers, dating back to 1965 and Rick
Monday -- the very first player ever
drafted by a major league franchise.
Of those picks, there have been 125
first round selections, and 19 were
either the very first or second pick
of the entire draft! In addition, there
have been 199 players to reach Major
League Baseball. This, too, is a record
among all non-professional teams,
and the 16% average of drafted Goldpanners to reach MLB is well ahead of
the average ratio of 1 draftee in every
33 (3%) to reach baseball’s pinnacle .
Dodgers broadcaster Rick Monday, who played 19 years in the major leagues from 1966-84, was the
No. 1 selection overall by the Kansas City Athletics in baseball’s first
amateur draft in 1965.
The 1964
Goldpanners infielder/outfielder recalls that historic draft 46 years ago:
“Nobody really knew how the process
was going to work. I had talked to
quite a few ballclubs, but Kansas City
was going to have the first pick. Their
scout, Art Lilly, had talked with me
very briefly when I was with Arizona
State. He said there was a real good
chance that the Athletics would select
me as the number one pick. But on
the periphery of all of this, nobody
knew exactly what was going to happen. No one knew the effect it was
going to have on both baseball overall
and the people who were going to be
signed out of high school or college.
Actually, I had attorneys coming to
me saying, “Look, let’s take this to
Rick Monday
court because if you’re selected
number one, why should you negotiate with only one ballclub?” And
my first question was “How long will
this process take?” They said, “Oh,
about three to five years.” I said, “Forget that, I’m going to play baseball.”
So we were in Omaha, Nebraska on
the day of the draft. Arizona State
was ready to play the opening game
of the College World Series. We
were in uniforms, sitting in the stands
and waiting for the preceding game to
be over. Someone comes up and says
“It’s just come out that you were Kansas
City’s first pick in the draft.” I went out
that night and struck out three times.
Then (Kansas City Owner) Charlie Finley flew into Omaha and Sal
Bando and I were drafted off the
same team. It was an opportunity
for me to reach out and try to grab
the brass ring, something I dreamed
about as a kid wearing a Little League
uniform and watching the Dodgers
play in the Coliseum.
.
What’s nice about having been the
first selection in the very first draft
is that I get to relive the dream and
the opportunity when that door was
opened. Every year in June, it takes
me back to that very first year.”
.
Four days after he was drafted, with
A’s owner Charles O. Finley in the
stands, Monday homered in a 2-1 win
over Ohio State to lead the Sun Devils to their first College World Series
championship. Monday would sign
the largest bonus in the 1965 draft,
$100,000, and went on to enjoy a productive 19-year big league career. He
remains in the game as a broadcaster
for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Graig Nettles
Fairbanksan Sean Timmons has had a career that stands out so prominently, he deserves a category of his very own. To date, Timmons has
appeared in a Panners uniform for a record 14 seasons. Highlights of
Sean’s career include his becoming the very first Alaskan to be named
the ABL Player of the Year in 2003. Sean is the only Panner to win
four team MVP awards. He is also the only pitcher to ever cross the
300-inning mark for the club. Among many records, Sean is the alltime games, innings, strikeouts and wins leader.
Emmitt Wilson is considered by some to be the greatest allaround baseball man in Alaskan history.
He has served the
Goldpanners as a player, a coach, an interim head coach, and
as a member of the Board of Directors. Emmitt and Sean Timmons are the only two active Goldpanners to sit as board members. Also, he was the first official commissioner of the Alaska League, a position he held for almost two decades. Emmitt
was a fan favorite on six of the earliest Goldpanners clubs, and
was one of the main reasons for the team’s initial successes.
1967: Mike Adamson Vaults to MLB from College
Twenty players have skipped the minor leagues; six are Goldpanners
Nine players made the majors from the 1966
Goldpanners Of these, two - Bob Boone and
Bill Lee - forged nearly Hall of Fame worthy
careers. However, it is little known pitcher
Mike Adamson who made the most immediate
impact upon the game of baseball.
Adamson’s stuff was so good for the Goldpanners in 1966 (9-0-0 record, 1.43 ERA), and
U.S.C. in the spring of 1967, that he bypassed
the minor leagues entirely, making his professional debut in the American League pitching
for the Baltimore Orioles..
On June 6, 1967 Mike Adamson was drafted
by the Orioles in the 1st round (1st pick) of
the 1967 amateur draft (Secondary Phase). He
signed on June 27. At that time he was the first
player in draft history to go straight to the major
leagues.
Though seemingly taken from the realm of
fantasy, similar mythical advancements have
been enjoyed by numerous Goldpanners.
In fact, out of twenty modern players like Mike to have made their professional debut in MLB, six are Goldpanners!
And there could have been more. David Clyde
was set to pitch in Growden Park for the Goldpanners in June of 1973. Instead, he found
himself pitching in Arlington Stadium for the
Texas Rangers Major League Baseball club.
Clyde, who was a batboy for the Goldpanners
in the 1967 NBC World Series, had long desired to play for Fairbanks. However, the opportunity to vault directly to the top was too incredible to ignore. That, and the contract terms
that were being offered.
As it turned out, David received a $125,000
($617,769 in current dollar terms) signing bonus, which was the highest bonus ever given to
a draft pick at the time.
Mike Adamson
Nevertheless, David was apparently greatly
disappointed by this denial of his boyhood
dream, and he took the time to write Goldpanners management expressing his sorrow.
The leap straight to the major leagues is not
easy on anyone.. and Mike Adamson was no
exception.
The 19-year-old’s first appearance came on
July 1, against the Cleveland Indians. Adamson appeared in 3 games for the 1967 Orioles
posting a 0-1 record in 3 appearances, before
being sent to the International League Rochester Red Wings for the remainder of the season. While there he won 3 games while losing
4, pitching 60 innings and turning in a good
1.95 ERA.
Mike started 1968 with the Red Wings, winning 8 games and losing 4 in 60 innings and
posted a 3.07 ERA. He was called up to the
Orioles for the remainder of the season, going
0-2 in 7.7 innings and posted a 9.39 ERA.
In 1969 Mike was with both the Orioles and
Red Wings clubs, building a 11-8 record in
149 innings with a 4.17 ERA with the Red
Wings and going 0-1 in 6 games with the Orioles. This year was his last appearance in the
majors.
Mike appeared in 27 games with the Rochester club in 1970, winning 4 and losing 5 in
95 innings with a 4.36 ERA. The young man
spent 1971 with three different minor league
teams, with an overall record of 1-3 in 74 innings and a combined 8.06 ERA.
At age 23 the righthander had spent 5 seasons
in professional baseball and decided to look
elsewhere for a career.
Dave Roberts
Steve Dunning
Eddie Bane
Debut
H.A. “Red” Boucher was a pioneer in tnumerous fields. In summer baseball. Boucher recognized the quality of the amateur athlete, noting in 1960 that “collegiate baseball is becoming a viable
source for major league talent.” By utilizing no professional or
semi-pros, as was the custom of the day, Red paved the way for
collegiate baseball to become the direct route to the major league
as it is today.
Among the 1,250 players and coaches to have donned a Goldpanners uniform through the 2009 season, hundreds have continued
their careers into professional baseball, with 199 having made it all
the way to the pinnacle of professional baseball in Major League
Baseball.
There is perhaps no better way to measure the success that the
Alaska Goldpanners program has attained over the years than by
the number of players they have sent to the professional ranks
and the major leagues. The Goldpanners have so many players
in the bigs this season in fact, that they could conceivably field a
competitive club on the major league level of ex-players alone.
The Fairbanks club’s national second place finish in 1962 helped
the club create many contacts throughout the baseball world, increasing the quality of athlete playing for the Goldpanners. Key
contacts include collegians such as Rod Dedeaux (USC) and
Bobby Winkles (ASU), as well as pros such as Jim Campanis
and Tommy Lasorda (Dodgers), both of whom visited Fairbanks
in 1966-67.
Other reasons for the immense success of the Goldpanners alumni can be offered, but perhaps the easiest explanation is the intense conditioning only baseball in Alaska can provide. Raising
the overall demands - physical as well as mental - upon a person
teaches them how to deal with adversity and raise the intensity of
their approach. All Sourdoughs are familiar with this phenomenon.
Panner athletes are taken far from home, and are expected to perform every day of the week against top-notch competition (unlike
the collegiate season, which plays only on weekends). Mix in the
ruggedness of the Alaskan experience, and the athlete is forced
to find a previously unapproached level of mental and physical
discipline in order to succeed.
A number of Goldpanners are also ascending to the top of the
game in MLB front offices. Louie Medina (83), for instance, has
worked in the Kansas City Royals’ front office for over a decade.
The advancement seen by Goldpanner alums in the ranks of
MLB personnel is an exciting recent development. Securing such
high-ranking, off-field MLB personnel positions is at least as much
an accomplishment as achieving an on-field roster spot. For
Dan Pastorini (68), the top of the game was as starting QB for
the Houston Oilers NFL franchise.
Listed on this page are the 200 Goldpanners
players to ascend to the major leagues, listed
by their debut date and major league club.
* Coach at MLB level or Goldpanners coach following MLB
career
# Chinese Professional Baseball League; other national major leagues not listed.
Don Sutton & Tommy Lasorda (1967)
06/18/61
10/03/64
09/02/65
09/11/65
04/26/66
09/03/66
04/13/67
07/01/67
07/05/67
07/27/67
09/06/67
09/07/67
05/27/68
07/04/68
09/09/68
06/25/69
04/09/70
04/24/70
06/14/70
09/09/70
06/20/71
06/23/71
07/30/71
07/31/71
09/15/71
09/19/71
05/17/72
06/07/72
07/31/72
09/10/72
04/08/73
04/09/73
06/18/73
07/04/73
07/19/73
04/04/74
04/07/74
06/14/74
07/27/74
04/08/75
06/14/75
05/15/76
09/17/76
04/07/77
04/19/77
05/05/77
04/07/78
04/07/78
06/29/78
07/09/78
08/06/78
08/19/78
04/11/79
06/08/79
09/07/79
09/17/79
04/11/80
06/01/80
06/12/80
06/28/80
09/01/80
09/04/80
09/06/80
09/08/80
09/20/80
04/11/81
04/12/81
04/26/81
05/20/81
08/19/81
09/02/81
09/09/81
09/15/81
04/07/82
04/09/82
07/06/82
09/11/82
09/12/82
04/05/83
06/02/83
09/02/83
09/02/83
09/13/83
09/20/83
04/03/84
04/03/84
04/05/84
04/11/84
06/02/84
07/28/84
05/19/85
06/26/85
09/05/85
04/11/86
05/30/86
07/19/86
09/02/86
09/05/86
09/06/86
04/25/87
Name
Don Leppert*
Dave Dowling
Dick Selma*
Charlie Hartenstein
Jimy Williams
Rick Monday
Tom Seaver
Mike Adamson
Curt Motton
Dan Frisella
Graig Nettles
Al Schmelz
Mike Paul
Andy Messersmith
Eddie Leon
Bill Lee
Rich Hand
Greg Garrett
Steve Dunning
Jim Nettles
Pete Broberg
Tom House
Dave Kingman
Jim Barr
Don Rose
Dan Pastorini (NFL)
Bob Gallagher
Dave Roberts
Brent Strom
Bob Boone
John Andrews
Rich Troedson
Dave Winfield
Eddie Bane*
Craig Caskey
Jim Sundberg
Mike Reinbach
Steve Swisher
Rusty Gerhardt
Jim Umbarger
Kerry Dineen
Pete Redfern
Gary Wheelock
Steve Kemp
Floyd Bannister
Jackson Todd
Chuck Baker
Don Reynolds
Dwight Bernard*
Dennis Littlejohn
Scott Sanderson
Bruce Robinson
Eric Wilkins
Dan Graham
Sandy Whitol
Dave Schuler
Dave Smith
Vance Law
Mike Kinnunen
Tim Lollar
Bobby Mitchell
Dave Edler
Tim Wallach
John Butcher
Ken Phelps
Dan Boone
Tim Leary
Danny Garcia
Greg Harris
Terry Francona
Ron Roenicke
Tim Tolman
Dave Hostetler
Ed Vande Berg
Gary Rajsich
Don Slaught
Chris Codiroli
Dave Baker
Mike Couchee
Kevin McReynolds
Mike Fuentes
Harold Reynolds
Jeff Doyle
Marty Decker
Ben Hines*
Dave Meier
Ron Romanick
Alvin Davis
Jeff Cornell
Ed Amelung
Oddibe McDowell
Bob Sebra
Kevin Romine
Dan Plesac
Barry Bonds
Billy Moore
Dave Cochrane
Pat Dodson
Brad Arnsberg
Billy Bean
Club
PIT
STL
NYM
CHC
STL
KCA
NYM
BAL
BAL
NYM
MIN
NYM
CLE
CAL
CLE
BOS
CLE
CAL
CLE
MIN
WAS
ATL
SFG
SFG
NYM
HOU
BOS
SDP
NYM
PHI
STL
SDP
SDP
MIN
MON
TEX
BAL
CHC
SDP
TEX
NYY
MIN
CAL
DET
HOU
NYM
SDP
SDP
NYM
SFG
MON
OAK
CLE
MIN
CLE
CAL
HOU
PIT
MIN
NYY
LAD
SEA
MON
TEX
KCR
SDP
NYM
KCR
NYM
MON
LAD
HOU
MON
SEA
NYM
KCR
OAK
TOR
SDP
SDP
MON
SEA
STL
SDP
LAD
MIN
CAL
SEA
SFG
LAD
TEX
TEX
BOS
MIL
PIT
MON
CWS
BOS
NYY
DET
04/25/87
05/25/87
07/04/87
07/02/87
09/14/87
04/07/88
04/26/88
06/02/88
07/14/88
07/20/88
09/02/88
09/05/88
09/12/88
09/14/88
09/16/88
04/05/89
06/07/89
07/07/89
07/15/89
08/19/89
04/09/90
09/06/90
09/18/90
09/02/90
05/07/91
05/22/91
05/25/91
06/16/91
07/02/91
09/01/91
09/02/91
05/17/92
05/17/92
08/03/92
08/06/92
08/19/92
05/05/93
05/29/93
05/29/93
05/31/93
07/28/93
08/13/93
09/01/93
09/04/93
09/12/93
09/21/93
04/05/94
04/05/94
04/19/94
07/18/94
04/28/95
04/28/95
04/30/95
05/08/95
08/02/95
09/10/95
04/02/96
05/18/96
09/06/96
05/31/97
09/03/97
03/31/98
04/02/98
06/09/99
08/21/99
08/27/99
09/03/99
09/07/99
08/29/00
09/04/00
09/07/00
04/06/01
07/16/01
09/19/01
05/10/02
09/03/02
06/26/03
09/02/03
07/02/04
09/08/04
04/16/05
09/18/05
04/01/06
07/02/07
03/21/08
07/11/08
07/21/08
05/21/09
05/23/09
Joe Magrane
Shane Mack
Mike Campbell
Alex Madrid
Dave Stapleton
Don Heinkel
Craig Worthington
Don August
John Fishel
Roger Samuels
Luis Medina
Mike Harkey
Dennis Cook
Chad Kreuter
Steve Wilson
Phil Stephenson
Jeff Wetherby
Mike Benjamin
Kevin Ritz
Rob Richie
Tim Layana
Paul Faries
Brent Mayne
Al Osuna
Chris Donnels
Don Wakamatsu
Jose Mota
Bret Barberie
Mark Davis
Tom Goodwin
Ed Zosky
Brad Brink
Benji Figueroa
Doug Linton
Shawn Barton
Bret Boone
Pat Meares
Greg Brummett
Kevin Higgins
Daryl Scott
Ty VanBurkleo
Brian Turang
Roger Smithberg
Eric Helfand
Bob Hamelin
Marc Ronan
Mike Kelly
Keith Lockhart
Jeff Tabaka
Eric Schullstrom
Todd Steverson
Gary Wilson
Steve Rodriguez
Jason Giambi
F.P. Santangelo
Darrell May
Dan Naulty
Shad Williams
Mike Robertson
Jose Cruz Jr.
Dan Rohrmeier
Travis Lee
Bobby Hughes
Jacque Jones
Adam Kennedy
Robert Ramsay
Cole Liniak
Jeff DaVanon
Jerrod Riggan
Todd Belitz
Michael Young
Christian Parker
Adam Pettyjohn
Jason Phillips
Jason Lane
Jim Rushford
Aaron Heilman
Bobby Crosby
David Bush
Greg Dobbs
Dave Gassner
Ryan Garko
Steve Hecht*
Brendan Ryan
Sheng-Wei Wang#
Mike Cervenak
Brooks Conrad
Kris Medlen
Carlos Fisher
STL
SDP
SEA
MIL
MIL
STL
BAL
MIL
HOU
SFG
CLE
CHC
SFG
TEX
TEX
CHC
ATL
SFG
DET
DET
CIN
SDP
KCR
HOU
NYM
CWS
SDP
MON
CAL
LAD
TOR
PHI
STL
TOR
SEA
SEA
MIN
SFG
SDP
CAL
CAL
SEA
OAK
OAK
KCR
STL
ATL
SDP
PIT
MIN
DET
PIT
BOS
OAK
MON
ATL
MIN
CAL
SFG
SEA
SEA
ARI
MIL
MIN
STL
SEA
CHC
ANA
NYM
OAK
TEX
NYY
DET
NYM
HOU
MIL
NYM
OAK
TOR
SEA
MIN
CLE
TEX
STL
BRO
PHI
OAK
ATL
CIN
1971: Dave Winfield Becomes An Every Day Outfielder
Minnesota used Dave sparingly as a pitcher; the Panners let him play.
Dave Winfield used his prowess in the outfield, and his ferocity at the plate,
to drive his career straight into the MLB Hall of Fame. Dave is the second
Goldpanners to be inducted into that illustrious fraternity.
Allan Simpson, Sports Writer
June 28, 1972
The story of how Dave Kingman gave up pitching to become one of baseball's top
hitters has now been chronicled. It was the year 1969, as the story goes, that Kingman, then a sophomore pitcher out of the University of Southern California, was
recruited by the Alaska Goldpanners lo play ball for the summer in Fairbanks. His
reputation as a pitcher at the time was such that he was considered one of the top
collegiate throwers in the country.
However, that summer the Goldpanners, though still respecting his ability as a pitcher, also recognized his unlimited potential as a hitter like no one else had before,
and in a bold move they converted the six foot six inch slugger from a pitcher to an
outfielder. And since that switch, Kingman has quickly risen to prominence, gaining
nationwide acclaim for his slugging exploits with the San Francisco Giants. All this
because the Goldpanners took it upon themselves to convert the multi-talented slugger from a pitcher to an everyday ball player.
And now that they've seen what's happened to Kingman, could history repeat itself?
Could the Goldpanners have another Kingman in their midst? The name this time is
Dave Winfield, and the similarities between his career to date and that of Kingman's
at a comparable stage are actually quite amazing.
Winfield, like Kingman, was originally recruited by the Panners as a pitcher, but his
recent batting exploits have been so awesome of late, that the natural question to
ask is: could he switch positions and become another Kingman?
Tuesday night at Growden Park, Winfield, who like Kingman also towers to a height
of 6-6, put on another hitting exhibition which even Kingman would have been proud
of, as he cracked a grand slam home run and a run-scoring single to power the Goldpanners to a 5-2 victory over the Grand Junction, Colo., Eagles. Winfield's bases
loaded blast, which came with the Panners trailing 2-1 in the fifth, not only personally
won the game for the Goldpanners, but it also helped them halt Grand Junction's win
streak at 14 games, after the Eagles had taken the opener 7-5 in extra innings. The
offensive display by Winfield follows one he put on Saturday when he slammed a
double and two home runs—a performance which wasn't even good enough to win
his own game.
So in only 12 official at-bats this season, Winfield is hitting .500 and has
slugged three home runs. That’s ahead of the pace Kingman established
in ‘69 when he clubbed seven home runs in a total of 64 times at bat. “We’ve
known all along what Winfield’s capable of doing with the bat,” said manager Jim Dietz “and that’s why we’ve tried to work him into the lineup occasionally.” “He’ll play more and more in the outfield as the season progresses, but
whether he’ll ever become a full-time outfielder, it’s hard to say at this time.”
“Fairbanks, Alaska Goldpanners. Yeah, I played in Alaska for two summers, which
many of these guys up here did. It was the best baseball in the country, prettiest, most
majestic state in the union. And to get a chance to win and climb mountains, go dog
sledding in the winter - all that. It was a wonderful experience.” - Dave’s 2001 Hall
of Fame Induction Speech
“I have probably never adequately thanked you and the entire Goldpanner family for
giving me the oppportunity to live and play in Fairbanks. Even had I not achieved the
level of success I now enjoy in professional baseball, I would still appreciate the opportunity as much.” - Dave in a Letter to Don Dennis
Dave Kingman
1976: Andy Messersmith Becomes Baseball’s First True Free Agent
Landmark Court Ruling Against MLB Reserve Clause Heralds New Era in Baseball
Though the Panner progream has graduated a large number of important ballplayers to the big
leagues, what is truly amazing is the broad impact that the cream of that crop has had in shaping the
state of the game itself. By personally taking on the highest eschelons of power in baseball and then
defeating them, Andy Messersmith became the most important player since Babe Ruth.
Right-hander made history by challenging reserve clause
By Gary Caruso / ChopTalk Magazine
The Braves don’t open the regular season until the end of
March, but college baseball is in full swing. Among a few
former Braves coaching in college is Andy Messersmith,
the pitcher who in 1976 changed the course of baseball
history -- with the assistance of Ted Turner.
Messersmith, 62, is the head baseball coach at Cabrillo
College, a community college in Aptos, Calif., located on
the Pacific coast, south of San Francisco, between San
Jose and Monterey. He just started the third season of his
second stint at the school, where he also coached from
1986-91. Last year, the Seahawks were 18-22 overall, 1015 (fourth place) in the Coast Conference.
Veteran Braves fans are sure to remember Turner signing Messersmith in 1976 -- to baseball’s first free agent
contract -- and promptly issuing him uniform No. 17 with
the “nickname” Channel on the back to promote his TV
station.
Messersmith was one of the game’s best pitchers from
1969-75, twice winning 20 games. He started Game 1 of
the World Series for the Dodgers in 1974, when he tied
Phil Niekro for the league lead in victories.
In 1975, Messersmith played without a contract and
claimed he thus became a free agent who no longer was
subject to the infamous “reserve clause” that basically
bound players to their teams for life at that point. Major
League Baseball refused to recognize his claim, and the
matter went before an arbitration panel set up to handle
disputes between players and management.
The panel ruled that the reserve clause was no more than
a one-year option, thus making Messersmith and Expos
pitcher Dave McNally the first free agents. McNally was
injured and retired. Messersmith likely would have found
himself without a job
if not for Turner, the maverick owner looking to make a
splash with his new team and trying to create viewership
interest for a major block of programming on his TV station. Turner signed Messersmith for what he called a “lifetime contract” of $1 million. Actually, it was a three-year
deal that would be laughed at on today’s market. In 1976,
however, it was major news.
Messersmith, a product of the University of California at
Berkeley, didn’t like how the media portrayed him and his
quest to break down the reserve clause. He had little to
say to the press then, and little has been heard from him
since then.
In fact, more than three decades later, he’s still not interested in talking publicly. ChopTalk made three attempts to
interview him, including one through the Cabrillo journalism department and one through a sports writer in his area,
and he declined all of them. He does talk to the press in his
area, but only about his players and team, possibly making
him the most-reticent college coach in the country.
Messersmith won 39 games in 1974-75, led the NL in
winning percentage in ‘74 (.769) and in starts, complete
games and shutouts in ‘75 (40/19/7). He won Gold Gloves
both seasons and made the All-Star team both years, giving him three career selections. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, however, few player acquisitions worked well for the Braves,
and this signing fit that description.
Messersmith, only 30 when Turner signed him, never really was the same pitcher again, though that was due to
injuries, not a lack of talent.
The right-hander started slowly in ‘76. He missed Spring
Training due to contract negotiations and didn’t win a game
until his seventh start on May 17. In June, he appeared to
be the pitcher the Braves thought they were getting -- going 5-1 and earning his fourth All-Star selection. He injured
a hamstring right before the All-Star break, though, and
that -- combined with a sore shoulder -- hampered him during the second half and he finished 11-11 with a 3.04 ERA
in 29 games (28 starts).
Messersmith won just five games in 1977, shutting down
after a July 3 elbow injury that required surgery. The Braves
sold him to the Yankees, and he pitched briefly and ineffectively for them in ‘78 and for the Dodgers in ‘79 before
retiring. His career record is 130-99 in 12 seasons, and
his 2.86 lifetime ERA and .212 opponents’ batting average
are strong evidence of the quality of pitcher he was when
healthy.
“Curt Flood stood up for us; Jim Hunter showed us what was out there; Andy Messersmith
showed us the way. Andy made it happen for us all. It’s what showed a new life.”
Ted Simmons, MLB catcher at time of Messersmith case
“I did it for the guys sitting on the bench, the utility men who couldn’t crack the lineup
with (the Dodgers) but who could make it elsewhere. These guys should have an opportunity to make a move and go to another club. I didn’t do it necessarily for myself
because I’m making a lot of money. I don’t want everyone to think, ‘Well, here’s a guy
in involuntary servitude at $115,000 a year. That’s a lot of bull and I know it.”- Andy
Messersmith, after the Seitz ruling, as cited by Helyar.
“We should make it. We’re the ones doing the entertaining.” - Barry Bonds
“For a hundred years the owners screwed the players. For 25 years the players have
screwed the owners - they’ve got 75 years to go.” - Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton
“Gentlemen, we have the only legal monopoly in the country, and we’ve f------ it up.” Braves owner Ted Turner
“I wasn’t prepared for the pressure that came down [after the Seitz
ruling and his Braves deal]. I didn’t know anything about it. I came out as the
dirty dog. That was a real hard thing for me. I just wasn’t ready for it.” - Andy to the NY
Times, following career
Andy Messesmith - 1974 National League Wins Champion
2.86 Career ERA (Seaver won in 1975 and had an identical 2.86 career ERA!)
1983: Fourteen Ascend to MLB from 1983 Goldpanners
Huge 1980s Team Representation in MLB by Former Fairbanks Ballplayers
The 1983 season saw what was possibly the most talented Goldpanners squad of
them all, as attested by the record 14 players that later went on to MLB. One of
them is a future Hall of Famer.
The Goldpanners’ “Pipeline to the
Big Time” was strong throughout
the late 1960s. But by the time the
decade of the 1970s was over, the
Goldpanners’ output had blanketed
the professional game.
There were at least ten future major
leagues on six of the 1970s club
rosters. In the mid 1980s, however,
the floodgates opened, resulting
in a strong Goldpanners influence
throughout all levels of play.
Outfielders Oddibe McDowell, Shane
Mack and Mark Davis are all speedsters
who help make the Fairbanks Goldpanners’ offense potentioally lethal. The
players are sharing a room in Wichita
during the National Baseball Congress
tournament.
The largest single group of budding
major leaguers played together on
the 1983 team. An astounding 13
total players from the club eventually
made Major League Baseball! No
other amateur team in history has
come close to either this single season total, or the overall aggregate.
“We just call it the ‘Gold Room”, said
Goldpanners Manager Dave Snow.
(Barry Bonds later commented to Don
Dennis, “‘The Gold Room? Have you
been in there? It’s more like the ‘Mold
Room’)
Among all the recognizable names
on the list, of major leaguers from
the 1983 club, the one that stands
out the most is that of Barry Bonds.
Barry set the all-time season and
career home run records, among
many other achievements.
Snow hasn’t posted armed guards at
the ‘Gold Room’ door to protect his outfielders. But it might not be a bad idea.
What is amazing about Barry’s time
with the Goldpanners is that, being
unable to crack the superbly talented
outfield, he was forced to handle
fielding duties at FIRST BASE.
That season, the Goldpanners
were sporting what NCAA Hall of
Fame coach Dave Snow called
“the most talented outfield I have
ever coached”. The trio of fielders
-- all future major leaguers -- were
dubbed the “Million Dollar Outfield”.
They were Mark Davis in left, Oddibe McDowell in center, and Shane
Mack in right. The combination was
lethal to opponents, helping lead the
Panners to the title game in the 1983
NBC World Series.
Following is an article on the 1983
Goldpanners outfield, written by Bob
Lutz for the Wichita Eagle:
“All three of these kids are outstanding
prospects,” Snow said. “It’s the best
collection of outfield talent I’ve ever
coached.”
McDowell, Mack and Davis all come
from the baseball-rich Pacific 10 Conference. McDowell patrols center field
for Arizona State. Mack is the right
fielder for UCLA and Davis plays center
for Stanford.
McDowell and Mack were two-thirds of
the All-Pac 10 outfield and both were
All-Americans. Davis was an honorable mention All-Pac 10 choice.
Stanford co-sports information director
Bob Vazquez is astounded that all three
are together with Fairbanks, which has a
4-1 tourney record. Hutchinson defeated the Goldpanners, 5-4, Friday night.
‘Ten years down the road,” Vazquez
said, “that’s an all-star outfield.”
Davis, who plays left field for Fairbanks, admits he needs to work on his
strength.
“My arm is not really strong yet,” Davis
said. “I’ve learned a lot this summer,
though. My biggest goal was to learn
how to bunt. With my speed that has to
become a part of my game.”
Davis has had a pair of bunt singles
in the tournament and has stolen two
bases.
“I’m not your typical leadoff hitter,” Davis said. “I don’t like to take strikes and
I don’t like to look for walks.”
But Davis has drawn 29 walks to lead
the Goldpanners - even if he doesn’t
like it.
Says Snow: “Mark’s a guy who continually works to improve his skills and to
become a complete players. He’s got a
lot of confidence in his game and I think
he can be a prospect as a center fielder
after he improves his throwing.
McDowell hit .352 and stole 36 bases
for Arizona State this season, then was
the top pick in the secondary phase of
the draft - for players who previously
have been chosen.
But he remains unsigned because
the Twins aren’t offering enough
money, he says. “I’m not looking for
six figures,” McDowell said. “They
just haven’t come up with the five figures I want.”
The book on McDowell is that he
can do everything - run, hit, throw though he hasn’t gotten untracked in
the NBC.
“I haven’t done a whole lot in this
tournament,” McDowell said. “Hopefully, things will start going right for
me sooner or later.”
The Hollywood, Fla., native has
been a valuable commodity to major
league scouts since his high school
days - McDowell has been drafted
five times.
Hutchinson manager Dan Radison
was coaching at Fort Lauderdale, Fla
Junior College when McDowell was
still in high school.
“I knew he was going to be a great
one all along,” Radison said. “He
hasn’t shown what kind of hitter he
really is in this tournament. He really doesn’t even belong in this tournament. If he’d sign he probably be
playing Double A ball.”
As Fairbanks General Manager Don
Dennis says, however, it’s difficult to
tell how far a player can go at such a
young age.
Davis is only 18 while Mack and McDowell are 20. “There are just too many
variables,” Dennis said. “But I’d have to
say that these three are ticketed for getting a shot to play in the big leagues.”
Barry Bonds
So far in the NBC tournament, Mack
has be the best long-term prospect.
Davis’ stats with the Goldpanners are
better than McDowell’s or Mack’s. The
San Diego native is batting .322 with 35
RBI and 47 runs scored and has stole
26 bases in 29 attempts.
Mark Davis
Oddibe McDowell
Shane Mack
Jason Giambi
2002: Goldpanners Become First Sports Team to Broadcast an Entire Season on the Internet
PannerVision Kicks Open the Door to the Digital Frontier in Sports Programming
The Goldpanners’ organization leads the baseball
world in a number of categories on the field, but
their successes off the field are just as impressive.
Broadcasting is no exception, with many victories
in the field of promotion.
In 2000, the club began audio broadcasting games
on the Internet, allowing fans around the world to
participate in the excitement. The next year, video
was added to the broadcast. Though this was a major milestone for sports, the programming was limited to home games only. Gero von Dehn joined
the production crew and as a result, “PannerVision
“ was born and began to develop an attitude -- a
rebellious “leader of the pack” type of assurance
that nobody else in the world was even trying what
was already being successfully delivered from Fairbanks,
In 2002, the Goldpanners became the all-time first
baseball team to stream an entire season over the
Internet. Programming included all away games,
in addition to broadcasting from home. And to top
it all off, the 2002 Goldpanners’ participation in the
NBC World Series in Wichita, Kansas, was broadcast in its entirety... a tournament that included the
Goldpanners winning their record sixth NBC championship -- and against arch-rival, the Anchorage
Glacier Pilots!
In 2002, no other sports team had broadcast even a
majority of their season online, not to mention its
entirety. ESPN started streaming in early 2003, and
Major League Baseball followed suit a few months
later., but only by offering out of market games using streams of TV broadcasts. College baseball
only began joining the online fun in the late 2000s.
Over the years, there have been many brilliant moments for PannerVision. The many game highlites
include the Panners’ defeat of the eventual national
champion Chinese-Taipei Olympic team in 2003,
and also what has been dubbed “The Game” -played on July 23rd in Fairbanks -- a game against
the Kenai Oilers in which Derek Bruce went 6-for-7
at the plate, and Jeff Culpepper went an astounding
7-for-7!
In addition to the game activity, there have been
many other key moments, such as when MLB Hall
of Famers Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins, and
Bobby Doerr tossed ceremonial pitches during Midnight Sun Game broadcasts.
Every once in a while -- and far more often than
you might expect -- something completely out of
the ordinary happens which just defies belief and
stimulates wonder. Though it would be obvious to
suggest that the various on-field streakers deserve
consideration here, there is one broadcast in particular which cemented the “anything goes” attitude of
the Goldpanners stream : “The Plane Crash Game”
of July 31, 2003.
During the third inning of the last game of the Alaskan portion of the 2003 season, the Goldpanners’
Culpepper was at bat against the Anchorage Bucs
in Mulcahy Stadium. As Jeff was stepping to the
plate, the umpire frantically called time and waved
toward right field -- where to everyones’ horror, a
plane was rapidly descending in an apparent attempt to land in left field! The plane, a Cessna 207
Skywagon, had stalled and was coming down. As
the Bucs’ left-fielder scrambled for cover, the pilot
made a last-second wave of the left wing to avoid
the Mulcahy light pole, and plowed into the fences
just past left field. The plane flipped over and a
ball of flames erupted out of one side, after which
it came to rest on its belly with the engine sheared
off by the fence.
“It was incredibly violent,” said passenger Marc
Fisher. “My ankle snapped the second we hit. My
seat may have been busted. I had seat belts on, but
I ended up in the luggage.”
Describing the desperate minutes leading up to the
crash, Fisher said “There were people everywhere.
Every road was busy. It just looked like there’s no
way to go, nowhere to land. It was scarey, buddy.
Ten seconds from landing, my brother and I both
looked at each other and said, ‘We’re f-----.” Fortunately, the pilot and three passengers all escaped
more serious injuries, and no one on the group was
injured.
Thanks to the archival work at www.goldpanners.
com, the actual clip of this event is available for
viewing on the Internet. There have been millions
of views of all of the PannerVision games and clip
available online.
Be sure to tune in to PannerVision in 2011,, as all
games in Alaska will be broadcast live.
Join our community on Facebook or on YouTube to
see the bulk of the Goldpanners’ digital output -- a
committment to the online world that no other team
can approach.
Brian Wahlbrink commented: “This is ME!! 96 mph: 5 stitches
and a concussion. The helmet broke and sliced my head open.
I was trying to charge the mound when my legs gave out. I
talked to this pitcher a few weeks later. He apologized, said he
had trouble with his control and bought me a beer. The batter
after me is Paul Janish who now is the shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. “
This past year the Goldpanners family
lost a number of dear friends and longtime team supporters. President of the
Board Bill Stroecker passed away in November, ending a 45-year run in the office. Sam Woodke, many years the club
treasurer, died on March 30th. Dave
Swanson, owner of Professional Pharmacy, who had been a Nugget Club sponsor for decades, passed on January 25th.
Help us remember these others as well:
Mike Lawless - Board Member, Bat Maker
Wally Droz - Fairbanks City Manager
Kathy Rose - Supporter/Cheerleader
Ben West - Long Time Box Seat Holder
Karl Swenor - Greeter at Alaskaland
Sybil (Haly) Ramsey - Wien Publicist
1967: General Manager Don Dennis Moved to Fairbanks
1965, when he left for Pueblo to finish his education at Southern Colorado State College.
While in Grand Junction though, Dennis instigated the Eagles now valued relationship with
the Goldpanners, when he scheduled the then
young Alaska team for a series in the Colorado
city on their way to Wichita for the national
tournament in 1963.
GOLDPANNERS BUSINESS AFFAIRS
HANDLED BY DENNIS
In 1967, the Alaska Goldpanners suffered perhaps
their greatest financial setback in history, when floods
ravaged the city of Fairbanks, and caused much
damage to Growden Memorial Park. Thousands of
dollars in debt as a result of the tragedy, the Goldpanners, always under local management, were forced
to go outside the state to obtain the right man to set
their troubled financial picture back in stride. They
found their man in Don Dennis.
General manager of the Pueblo Diablos at the time,
Dennis left his duties with that club and came to
Fairbanks to take over the business aspects of the
Goldpanners, which were in such a sad state of affairs as a result of the disastrous flood.
In his first eight seasons in Fairbanks, Dennis not
only worked the Panners into the black again, but
his adept recruiting and organizing also resulted in
the club’s winning of back-to-back-to-back national
championships. It is a tribute to his able leadership,
that the Goldpanners have come to be regarded as
the nation’s foremost semi-pro organization under
his direction.
Dennis originally became acquainted with semi-pro
baseball in the summer in 1961, when he was sports
editor of the newspaper in Grand Junction, and his
primary assignment was covering the Grand Junction
Eagles ball team.
The star of the club, and also the manager, was Sam
Suplizio, with whom Dennis worked, and developed a
long and lasting friendship. Through his association
with Suplizio, Dennis eventually stepped into the role
of Eagles business manager, a position he held until
With his move to Pueblo, Dennis organized the
Pueblo Diablos in 1967, footing many of the
expenses out of his own pocket. Slightly more
than a month after they came into being, the
Diablos opened their maiden season against the
national champion Boulder Collegians.
It was following that season, at the prodding of
Goldpanners manager Red Boucher, that Dennis left Colorado, to take over the reins of the
Goldpanners. They couldn’t have been placed
in more capable hands.
- Allan Simpson
COMING TO FAIRBANKS
Though Red Boucher began lobbying Don
Dennis to come up to Fairbanks om 1963, so
he could take over management of the Goldpanners, other opportunties were knocking for
Don in the publishing world. It wasn’t until 1967
that they had a dramatic shift in their negotiations -- and the breakthrough came in the form
of a flood.
It was in the aftermath of the 1967 flood that
Don was finally pursuaded to come to Fairbanks
-- for a committment of two years. He has been
here ever since then, operating as the heart
and soul for both local and state baseball.
Years later, Boucher would describe these successful negotiations in 1967 as “the best thing I
ever did for the Goldpanners.” Certainly, subsequent events have vindicated the decisions of all
three men. Don has built a program that is second
to none in the non-professional baseball world.
Through his generation of leadership, Don
Dennis has led the Goldpanners organization
to unparalled hights -- steering the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks into its now recognized
status as the most successful amateur club in
the history of baseball.
Sports Illustrated: “On the summer solstice the natural light
never dies out in Fairbanks, 160 miles south of the Arctic
Circle, and on this night Camacho, a California-raised righty,
would never leave the confines of Growden Memorial Park,
where the centerfield backdrop is the eight-starred Alaskan
flag and Take Me Out to the Ballgame is forsaken during the
seventh-inning stretch in favor of the Beat Farmers’ 1985
country-punk song Happy Boy. Out with the peanuts and
Cracker Jack, in with lyrics about a dead dog in a drawer, as
well as the most guttural refrain ever to blare from a stadium
speaker: “Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba!”
“Happy Boy”
By the Beat Farmers
I was walkin' down the street on a sunny day
Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba
A feeling in my bones that I'll have my way
Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba!
Well I'm a happy boy (happy boy)
Well I'm a happy boy (happy boy)
Oh ain't it good when things are going your way, Hey Hey?!
My little dog spot got hit by a car
Put his guts in a box and put him in a drawer
I forgot all about it for a month and a half
I looked in the drawer and started to laugh
Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba!
Well I’m a happy boy (happy boy) 2x
Oh ain’t it good when things are going your way?
Alaska Flag Song
Written by Marie Drake;
Composed by Elinor Dusenbury
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
Over land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.

2011 - Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks

Transcription

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