1960-2012: 53 Seasons of Championship Baseball
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks baseball club has entered its 53rd 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 field. 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.
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 Alaskan roots, 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 many professional teams.
The influence of the Goldpanners 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 200 Panners to have
ascended to the major leagues (and one
- Dan Pastorini - who joined the NFL as
Quarterback), a large number have risen
to the pinnacle of baseball in the coaching
or front office administrative fields.
During the last few years, legendary ballplayer Bill Lee (66-67-08) has taken it
upon himself to spread the word of the
world-class Fairbanks program, even declaring that the club was “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
GENERAL MANAGER: Todd Dennis
GAMING MEMBER IN CHARGE: Brian Rasley
ASSISTANTS TO THE GM: John Denning, B.J. Hall
PANNERVISION BROADCASTER: Smith Barber
STADIUM OPERATIONS: Shirley Stewart
TRAINING STAFF: Jim Kimbal
FIELD MANAGER: Jim Dietz
FIELD PREPARATIONS: Carroll Barber, Lynn Hines
MARKETING DIRECTOR: Mike Cloutier
VEHICLES: John Lohrke, Seekins Ford
VIP, Park Surveyor/Engineer: Jason Barnebey
INTERNS: Joshua Gilberts (Management)
Josh Collins (Broadcasting)
Tom Dennis (PannerVision)
www.goldpanners.com
P.O. Box 71154 Fairbanks
907-451-0095 / 907-456-6429
2011 - .771 Winning Percentage in Team’s 52nd Year
Talented Club Barnstormed Through Canada and Down Pacific Coast
The 2011 Goldpanners raced to a
27-8 record behind strong, sometimes outstanding, individual efforts
from both the pitching staff and the
offensive weapons. On top of all of
that the club was a very capable defensive unit.
The lone disappointment of the
season was losing the Kamloops
International Tournament to Seattle
when the Panners were the victims
of an unusual triple play.
The pitching staff is probably the
place to start in outlining the successes.
Most Valuable Pitcher
Blake Harrison of Concordia-Irvine
posted monster numbers as he
compiled a 0.58 earned run average. Harrison made seven starts
but oddly did not get enough support to post wins except in the three
route-going efforts he made. Harrison, a righty, allowed only three
earned runs and walked 13 while
fanning 31.
Closer Mike Rivera of Fresno Pacific was perfect on the season. He
appeared in 14 games, worked 14
innings, posted 4 saves and did not
allow a run, earned or unearned.
Rivera walked 6 and struck out 21
in establishing his perfect mark.
He became the third Goldpanners
pitcher to have a 0.00 ERA behind
Ryan Schroyer of Arizona State and
Kyle Brule, also of Arizona State
and then later Oklahoma Baptist.
The next three starters all had almost identical seasons. Matt Milke was 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA while
Grady Wood was 4-1 with a 1.82
ERA and Brent Clapper was also
4-1 while pitching at a 2.11 ERA.
Those three starters combined
walked 32 batters and struck out 115.
TEAM RECORDS:
Wins: 27 Losses: 8
Versatile Andy Peterson of Santa Ana
College, equally at home in center field,
A pair of Columbia Basic College hurl- at second base or shortstop, hit .317
ers divided the number 5 starting slot and was the leader in stolen bases with
and combined they were just as good 18. Kyle Geason of Minnesota turned in
as the four stoppers ahead of them.
sparkling third base play throughout the
season and hit .315. Geason was acLefty Mac Acker and righty Arturo claimed as the best fielding third baseReyes combined for a 5-1 record and man since Jason Giambi in 1990 and
2.48 ERA over 36.1 innings.
They ranking in the top 5 all-time with the likes
walked 10 and struck out 30, allowing of Gene Delyon and Doug Hunt, not to
just 6 earned runs between them
mention the great Bob Boone, who became a record setting catcher in the maThe pitching staff posted a 1.74 ERA jor leagues.
-- best in Goldpanners annals -- and
struck out 284 in 284 innings.
Alternate catcher Mike Vaughn of Fresno Pacific came on strong as the season
BATTING CORPS
progressed, ending the campaign with a
.309 average, and began producing the
On the offensive side the headlines long ball in the process.
were made by first baseman Robbie
Buller of Houston Baptist.
The big
first sacker rang up the second highest season batting mark in team history
en route to his Most Valuable Player
award.
Buller’s .429 ranks second all-time to
Adam Kennedy’s .432 in 1995. Buller
finished ahead of Steve Kemp’s .425
which he compiled in 1974. The only
other .400 hitters in team history were
Bob Boone at .405 in 1968 and Alvin
Davis (1980), and Bill Dunckel (1991)
at an even .400 each.
Buller also led the way in home runs
with 6, hits with 54 and runs batted in
with 46.
Other players made impressive contributions, as well. Leadoff hitter Chris
Pfau from little Lincoln University in
Missouri hit .346 and rugged second
baseman Trent Bridges of Lewis-Clark
State checked in at .318. Pfau led in
walks with 30 and Bridges topped the
club in doubles with 10.
Batting: .321
Pitching: 1.74
Speedy Matt Ivanoff of Concordia-Irvine
hit .308 and thrilled the crowd as he recorded 5 triples, showing unusual speed
after rounding first base.
The team’s .321 batting average was
very good and also of note was the fact
that the club drew 154 walks on top of
that while striking out just 151 times.
The combined hitting (.321) and pitching
(1.74) makes the 2011 aggregation one
of the top producing Goldpanners teams
of the first 52 years. The extremely entertaining team played 19 games over
.500, the second year in a row the Goldpanners accomplished that feat. The
combined 61-23 record of the last two
years is far and away the top mark posted in the amateur ranks.
The 53rd season of the Alaska Goldpanners program has shaped up to be quite a thriller. With
two teams in operation, and top-notch athletes
from around the world gathered in Fairbanks, the
quest for another state championship has begun
in earnest.
2012 - The 53rd Season of Goldpanners Baseball
Goldpanners Operating Two Teams Again This Summer
2012 Goldpanners led by formidable coaching staff. 2012 Midnight Sun Goldpanners
following up FAABL second place finish in first season of operation.
As in 2011, the organization will be fielding both
the Alaska Goldpanners in the Alaska Baseball
League, and the Fairbanks Goldpanners in the
Fairbanks Adult Amateur Baseball League.
The FAABL Goldpanners finished second last year
in its first year of operation. Former Fairbanksan
Randy Barber, out of a head coaching gig at Tempe High School in Arizona, will manage the team
while returning infielder Josh Gilberts - out of the
University of Wisconsin - will provide an assist by
both coaching and playing in the field.
The featured attraction, however, remains our entry in the Alaska Baseball League. Jim Dietz returns as Field Manager -- his 16th season in that
role. Dietz started with the club in 1970, and has
since compiled a stellar career, which was recognized by induction into the prestigious College
Baseball Hall of Fame.
Coach Dietz is joined on the field this season by a
full staff of experienced coaches.
#4
#50
#52
#30
Returning to Fairbanks as
Pitching Coach is former Panner Field Manager Tim Kelly.
In 1985, Kelly led the ABL
champion Goldpanners all the
way to the summer World Series in Wichita, Kansas. Prior
to that, he was a pitcher on the
1980 club, which dominated all
competition and ultimately ran
away with the National Baseball Congress championship.
Jamie Sluys (pronounced as
‘slice’) is a highly experienced
coach out of Everett, WA. Jamie was a successful athlete
in his playing days, winning
honors for his work in baseball, and had the opportunity
to play professional baseball.
Instead, he focused on his
education and now holds a degree and coaches at his Alma
mater in Washington. This
summer, he will be focusing
on infielders.
Rounding out the formidable
staff is Jon Tatum, an energetic and able young coach from
the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
17
22
27
13
26
8
20
24
11
7
33
19
15
6
3
18
32
14
5
21
29
12
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 53 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 Goldpanners teams.
YEAR
MANAGER
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
2011
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
W
L
%
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
Dietz
35
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
27
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
8
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%
77%
2,834 1,853 977
65%
1960 Championship: North of the Range League
1961 Championship: North of the Range League
1961 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1961 Second Place: Alaska State Championship
1962 Championship: North of the Range League
1962 Championship: Alaska State Tournament
1962 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Playoff
1962 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
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 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1963 Third Place: N.B.C. World Series
1964 Championship: Alaska State Tournament
1964 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1964 Second Place: N.B.C. World Series
1965 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1965 Fourth Place: N.B.C. World Series
1966 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1966 Championship: Hawaii International Baseball Tourn.
1966 Championship: World Baseball Tournament
1967 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1967 Fourth Place: N.B.C. World Series
1968 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1969 Second Place: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1969 Fourth Place: N.B.C. World Series
1970 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1970 Championship: N.B.C. Big West Conference Tourn.
1970 Fourth Place: N.B.C. World Series
1971 Second Place: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1971 Second Place: N.B.C. World Series
1972 Championship: 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: N.B.C. World Series
1973 Championship: Kamloops International Tournament*
1974 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1974 Championship: N.B.C. World Series
1974 Championship: Kamloops International Tournament*
1975 Championship: Alaska World Series
1975 Championship: Kamloops International Tournament*
1975 Championship: N.B.C. Far West Regional Tourn.
1975 Second Place: N.B.C. World Series
1976 Second Place: World Crown Tournament
1976 Championship: Pueblo Tournament of Champions
1976 Championship: N.B.C. World Series
1976 Championship: Kamloops International Tournament*
1977 Championship: Kamloops International Tournament*
1977 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1977 Championship: Alaska State Tournament
1977 Championship: N.B.C. Northwest Regional
1977 Second Place: National Baseball Congress World Series
1978 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1979 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1980 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1980 Championship: National Baseball Congress World Series
1981 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1982 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1983 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1983 Championship: Top of the World Series
1983 Championship: N.B.C. Alaska Regional Tournament
1983 Second Place: National Baseball Congress World Series
1984 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
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: Alaska Baseball League
1991 Championship: National Shootout Tourney - Amarillo
1991 Second Place: U.S. Open Tournament - Carson City
1993 Championship: Alaska Federation
1993 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1993 Second Place: Grand National Baseball Tournament
1994 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
1994 Championship: Alaska Invitational Tournament
1994 Second Place: Grand National Baseball Tournament
1995 Championship: Alaska Federation
1995 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
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
2002 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
2002 Championship: N.B.C. World Series
2003 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
2005 Championship: Alaska Baseball League
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’s ties to the Fairbanks community by organizing a volunteer director board in 1963. The duties of the Alaska Goldpanners’ Board of Directors are all geared
toward supporting the careers of Outside college athletes pursuing
pro ball, and Fairbanks athletes pursuing college scholarships.
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
John Denning
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
Kevin Ginley
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
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
05/08/01
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
03/18/05
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
05/25/06
03/22/67
05/28/63
04/17/01
03/22/67
03/29/03
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
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
2008
1984
1996
ACTIVE
1967
1980
1981
1995
2010
1977
2009
1970
2000
1976
1982
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
1998
ACTIVE
1969
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
1963
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
2001
1973
1969
1969
1967
ACTIVE
1972
1978
2010
1972
2010
1990
2010
1971
1965
1980
1982
ACTIVE
1977
1982
2003
1977
1979
2009
ACTIVE
2009
1981
1980
1976
1981
*Deceased
Norm Jenkins
Shirley Jenkins
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
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
02/28/86
02/28/86
07/01/95
07/12/89
04/07/65
03/24/76
03/25/70
05/13/09
02/23/72
05/01/92
03/09/67
01/31/86
11/02/77
03/10/71
05/27/06
11/11/81
02/28/73
01/30/80
05/26/10
05/11/84
02/05/69
03/26/69
07/22/83
03/20/74
04/14/04
05/26/10
05/26/10
04/28/65
04/28/65
04/18/79
05/12/06
03/22/67
04/06/77
03/22/67
05/08/92
05/13/09
03/19/68
04/05/65
01/24/68
05/20/87
07/01/81
07/15/87
01/24/68
03/24/76
05/06/83
06/07/63
01/30/80
05/07/08
05/04/77
05/09/86
03/07/01
05/01/92
03/18/81
03/26/75
05/07/03
05/20/81
05/07/03
04/05/65
03/16/77
06/15/84
12/07/77
05/08/65
03/28/79
06/24/87
05/14/82
03/10/71
05/28/63
03/27/68
03/24/80
05/07/08
03/14/73
05/28/63
05/25/84
05/13/81
03/10/71
05/28/63
07/12/78
05/09/86
11/04/81
03/17/76
05/08/07
03/29/67
03/16/01
03/06/68
01/24/68
04/05/65
04/12/67
04/18/79
03/12/75
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Charlie Cole - Chairman of the Board
2011 Interior Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Speech for Charlie Cole
Many people might know Charles E. Cole as a local lawyer, or as the former Attorney General of the State of Alaska (from 1991-1994) – a man who personally
negotiated with the president of Exxon in the wake of the 1989 spill. Or as the
Assistant Attorney General for the Territory of Alaska, or even as the Fairbanks
city magistrate (having beaten George Sullivan in 1955). But there is an entirely
different side of Charlie that is worthy of recognition.
The Fairbanks of the 1950s in which Charlie Cole arrived was still quite rugged.
Alaska was not yet one of the United States. The state of baseball in 1950s
Fairbanks was arguably the strongest in our history. The Midnight Sun League
was burgeoning, thanks to the number of military teams operating from various
bases around the Tanana Valley (Ladd Field, Fort Greeley, Eielson). But the real
color came from the local town teams -- staffed with scoundrels such as Steve
Agbaba, Mike Stepovich, Ed Merdes, and a shortstop named Jimmy Growden.
The town teams (living in that same ruggedness brought on by the unique hardships of living in America’s Northernmost city) played hard – both on the field and
off. On the field, our local men took great delight in defeating all comers.. And
they certainly took great delight in beating Anchorage, which was believed then
(as well as now) to have been raised out of much softer soil.
Charlie Cole had long been a baseball man before arriving in Fairbanks; in fact,
by the earliest part the decade he had played three years of varsity baseball at
Stanford University. But school at Palo Alto, CA was a different world from life
in Fairbanks, Alaska. Playing for the town team organized by the Central Labor
Council in 1955-56 (and Sportland thereafter), Charlie became known on the
diamond for his powerful stroke and consistent hitting, as well as his dominating
pitching. Regularly sitting above the .400 mark in batting as an outfielder, he also
regularly struck out 10 batters or more during his occasional pitching outings
(showing the value of left handed pitching). Charlie Cole, a doubles machine,
was picked up for the All-Star collection of local ballplayers in 1956, and while
facing Ft. Greeley, Charlie struck out 11 and lost a shutout in the 9th inning as
the locals beat the military men 10-1.
The 1956 Central Labor Council club had a number of epic duels, particularly with the Sportland Bees, Charlie often outshining that club’s resident major
leaguer, Clarence Beers (formerly having a stint with the St. Louis Cardinals). So
much so, that by 1957 Charlie became a player/manager for the Bees.
The level of baseball was so great, and was such a defining part of the town, that
game results were featured on the front page each day by the local paper. While
the push for Alaskan Statehood gained a head of steam with the promotion of local baseball man Mike Stepovich to the Territorial Governorship in 1957, Charlie
was dominating all competition on the diamond. In fact, the 1957 Sportland Bees
were one of the all-time greatest baseball forces in the world for a local town
team -- not to mention, one in Alaska! Sporting a roster that included two Coles
(Charlie and his brother Dick), Beers, and brilliant moundsman Brower, the 1957
Bees might just be the greatest town team in Fairbanks history... an absolute
juggernaut of rugged play and athletic domination.
But as fine as 1957 was for Charlie, 1958 was even greater... On the very day
the bill for Alaskan statehood was on the floor of the US Senate, Charlie started
and won the 53rd Midnight Sun Game (marking the exact half-way point in the
history of the solstice classic from 1906 until today.
In the 1958 Midnight Sun Game, Charlie struck out 15 batters from the Ladd
Field Special Units through eight innings, but almost saw disaster strike in the
9th. Picking up with the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner account:
“The excitement continued until the final pitch of the ballgame. In the last of the
ninth with a two-run cushion, Cole got the first two away easily on grounders to
short, but a missed fly ball and a single by Hammer put the tying runs on base
with the winning run at the plate. In sensational fashion, Clair picked a Cole delivery, sending the ball on its way over the low Centerfield barrier (at Griffin Park).
But Bee’s centerfielder Frank Price made a desperate racing catch of the ball
before it dropped over the wall, saving the day for the Sportland squad.”
In that game. Charlie went 1-for-1 with a run scored, four walks and an RBI -- in
addition to his 11 strikeout performance.
You could say that Charlie retired from organized baseball at the peak of his
game. But his commitment to Fairbanks baseball didn’t end there. His on field
determination was translated to off field management. He was the first Chairman of the Alaska Goldpanners’ Board of Directors -- a position he held until
the arrival of Bill Stroecker -- and is a position which he holds yet again with the
departure of our friend last year. But, despite all the years of off-field management, Charlie wasn’t finished playing the game.
In 2003, once again in Palo Alto, at Stanford University’s Old Timers’ Game,
Charlie distinguished himself on the field by clubbing a game-ending run scoring
double.
As an example of the living symbol of the ideals of Interior baseball, and the
determination, that Charlie brought to all fields of competition, sitting Alaska
Governor Wally Hickel stated: “On behalf of the State of Alaska, I want to commend.. Alaska Attorney General Charlie Cole for his aggressive yet patient commitment..”
So, in honor of the hardships endured by all Fairbanksans, and the personal
dedication it takes to rise above those hardships -- flourishing personally and
athletically.
1960: Goldpanners Adopted 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 ball club 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 enthusiastic 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
Ladd Field All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Military Stars
Ladd Field All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Ladd Field 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
Alaska Goldpanners
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Eagles Club
Eagles Club
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
F.E. Company Athletics
F.E. Company Athletics
Fairbanks
F.E. Company Athletics
Fairbanks All-Stars
Independents
No News Report
Fairbanks All-Stars
Area Miners
No News Report
Shields Softball
F.E. Company Athletics
Fairbanks Cubs
Ladd Field All-Stars
F.E. Miners
Ladd Field All-Stars
Ladd Field All-Stars
Ladd Field All-Stars
Fairbanks Allies
Fairbanks All-Stars
Midnight Sun All-Stars
Ladd Field All-Stars
Anchorage U.S. Army
Fairbanks All-Stars
Fairbanks All-Stars
Military Stars
Ladd Field All Stars
Eielson All Stars
Ladd Field All-Stars
Air Force All-Stars
Ladd Field 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
Oceanside, CA, Waves
California Running Birds
California Running Birds
Kenai Peninsula Oilers
Omaha Zone
Beatrice Bruins
Oceanside, CA, Waves
California Running Birds
Lake Erie, MI, Monarchs
Heroes of the Diamond
Oceanside, CA, Waves
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WINNING PITCHER
Ross/Stroecker
McLaughlin
Wakefield
Courtemanche
Jack Buckley
Eddie Stroecker
Jack Buckley
7
Eddie Stroecker
Howard Logan
Stanford
Beam
7
Charles Gies
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0
2
2
2
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5
0
Bortz
Shaw
Hinsey
Ralph Wien
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7
Herb Johnson
Abie Holt
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1
W. Locey
1
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
Mac Acker
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 competitive 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 second 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 the bigs, 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.
“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
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 northernmost “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 magnificent
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 playing for the Goldpanners. Frisella drove a
lumber truck.
“I was a grounds keeper,” 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 has 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 1,218 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 200 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
1966: Goldpanners Won World Championship
International Competition Presents Fairbanks to the World
The Goldpanners are the only independent team in sports
history to win a world championship title.
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks organization is pleased to be a high-profile not-for-profit civic organization in the city of Fairbanks.
Throughout the history of the program, it has also proudly served as a representative of the Golden Heart City to the rest of the world. At a time
when little at all was known of Fairbanks (apart from the aviation exploits of men such as Joe Crosson, Noel Wien and Howard Hughes), the
Goldpanners burst onto the national scene with a unlikely Cinderella showing at the 1962 NBC World Series in Wichita, Kansas. Immediately
thereafter, the appeal of the Midnight Sun Game began to spread world-wide, resulting in successes on and off the field which are unparalleled
by any other non-professional team.
In the mid 1960s, with the fame of the Midnight Sun
Game reaching newspapers across the country (including in Grand Junction, Colorado, where current General
Manager Don Dennis first heard of the Goldpanners
ballclub in late June of 1963), the emissarial role of the
team began to take on a new international dimension.
The Goldpanners first met a team from outside the 50
states in 1965 against Nassau, Bahamas, in the National Baseball Congress Tournament. The first meeting
with a professional team from outside the U.S. came in
1974 when the Panners knocked off the Cordoba Cafeteros of Mexico in Kamloops, British Columbia.
The Panners made a huge splash on the international
scene in 1966 when Red Boucher took the team to Honolulu to represent the United States in the World Tournament and shocked the reigning champion, Japan, in
two straight games to take the World Crown.
In 1968, an eight-city tour of Japan provided yet another opportunity for the Goldpanners to present Fairbanks
to the world. USA Baseball officials sought to make the
Panners the National Team, travelling to far-flung destinations as official ambassadors of the country.
In 1972, when anti-Communist tensions still ran at their
peak, the Goldpanners were called upon to represent
America by taking on the Cuban National Team. This
was during the Haarlem, Holland, Baseball Tournament
(Haarlemse Honkbalweek). The following story captures the action:
Dietz: ‘Cuba is the Best Team We Will Ever Play’
BY ALLAN SIMPSON, SPORTS WRITER
The national team of Cuba, world power in amateur baseball for the past half-dozen
years, has established itself as a solid favorite to win the Haarlem World Invitational
Tournament, and edged past the strong Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks 5-4 here
Sunday.
The Cubans, who have won the last two gatherings of the Pan American Games
and also picked off the championship of the World Amateur Tournament in 1970, had
to push across a run in the last of the eighth to topple the Alaska crew. The Goldpanners had opened tourney play by toppling Nicaragua 6-2 behind the seven-hit pitching of Walt Kaczmarek.
The Goldpanners return to action Tuesday night when they take on the Sullivans
in the first of two meetings between the clubs. Then, on Wednesday, the Panners will
get a second crack at Cuba. Kaczmarek has been tabbed to hurl the game against
Cuba while big Dave Winfield will go on the mound against Grand Rapids.
The Fairbanks-Cuba game was marked by the long ball despite the closeness and
relatively low score. Each team cracked three home runs and those accounted for
all four Goldpanners runs.
The Panners’ Manny Estrada got things rolling at the start of the first inning when
he lined a home run but the Cubans rallied in the second to tie the game at 1-all.
Goldpanner hurler Jay Smith, who had previously faced the Cubans in the Pan American Games, ran into a rocky road in the third and gave up three solo home runs as
the Cubans raced to 4-1 lead.
The Panners pulled within a run at 4-3 in the sixth inning when center fielder Kerry
Dineen blasted a two-run home run and then tied the game in the seventh when Winfield ripped his fourth home run of the season. The Cubans got the margin of victory
in the last of the eighth on a one-out sacrifice fly following a single and double to put
two runners in scoring position. Smith went all the way for the Panners, giving up 10
hits, while Fairbanks collected nine hits off Roberto Vargas, who went the distance
for Cuba.
The Cuba-Fairbanks contest was on national television in Holland and drew the
largest crowd ever for baseball in the nation as 8,000 people jammed the Haarlem
stadium.
Panners 100 002 001
Cuba
013 000 01x
Panners: Jay Smith (L) / Cuba: Vargas (W)
HRs: Estrada (1), Dineen (6), Winfield (6)
BAHAMAS
Nassau Islanders
1
0
CANADA
Binscarth, Manitoba, Orioles
Calgary, Alberta, Jimmies
Coquiltam, B.C., A’s
Edmonton, Alberta, Tigers
Kamloops, B.C.
Kelowna, B.C., Grizzles
Red Deer, Alberta
Regina, Sask., Red Sox
Unity, Sask., Cardinals
Vancouver, B.C., All-Stars
Vancouver, B.C., Auroras
Western Canadian Players
2
2
1
2
2
10
9
1
0
4
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
8
4
0
1
0
1
0
CUBA
Cuba National Team
0
2
CHINA
Chinese Culture University
Chinese-Taipei Olympic Team
Chinese-Taipei Univ.Games
Fubon Bulls
1
2
1
2
0
3
0
1
GUAM
Continental Jets
2
0
JAPAN
Aichi League All-Stars
Kawai Musical Instruments
Hemeji All-Stars
Hiroshima College Stars
Kansai Big 6
Keio University Unicorns
Kumagai-Gumi
Nagoya All Stars
Okayama All-Stars
Submitomo Metal Industries
Tokyo All-Stars
Tokyo Big Six All-Stars
3
0
1
1
1
1
9
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
2
0
1
1
1
1
KOREA
Korea National Team
Inha University
1
1
3, 1T
0
MEXICO
Baja Select Team
Cordoba Cafeteros
Mexico Olympic Team
1
1
1
0
0
0
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
Antilles A Select Team
1
0
NICARAGUA
Nicaragua National Team
1
1
UKRAINE
Ukraine National Team
1
0
2011 MVP ROBBIE BULLER
2011 MVP BLAKE HARRISON
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
Floyd Watson
Don Merchant
Bob Maxwell
Tom Sommers
Buddy Hollowell
Graig Nettles
Bob Boone
Bill Seinsoth
Bob Boone
Doug Hunt
Duane Larson
Bobby Jack
Dave Winfield
Gene Delyon
1974
1975
1976
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1980
1981
1982
1983
1983
1984
Steve Kemp
Steve Kemp
Mark Naehring
Chick Valley
Doug Stokke
Tim Wallach
Pat Dodson
Alvin Davis
Kevin McReynolds
Phil Stephenson
Oddibe McDowell
Shane Mack
Ray Roman
Luis Medina
1985
1986
1987
1988
1988
1989
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
Billy Bean
Tim Raley
Dan Raley
Miah Bradbury
John Alexander
Mike Kelly
Darrel Deak
Todd Pridy
Bill Dunckel
Steve Dietz
Travis Lee
A.J. Marquardt
Adam Kennedy
Michael Young
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Ryan Soules
Paul Lockhart
Erik Frei
Brooks Conrad
Todd Leathers
Scott Robinson
Jeff Culpepper
Cameron Blair
Justin Fuller
Mark Thompson
Chris Tremblay
Nick Ciolli
Evan Simonitsch
Simon Kudernatsch
Robbie Buller
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
Ray Wheeler
George Mies
Bob Jackson
Dave Dowling
John Herbst
Dan Frisella
Tom House
Wayne Vincent
Brent Strom
Brent Strom
Rich Troedson
Rusty Gerhardt
Dan Grimm
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
Gary Wheelock
Floyd Bannister
Pete Redfern
Greg Harris
Mike Boddicker
Tim Leary
Ken Jones
Ron Romanick
Don Heinkel
Kurt Walker
Joe Magrane
Dion Beck
Tony Farynairz
Mike Harkey
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Doug Linton
Darryl Scott
Erik Schullstrom
Dennis Gray
Gary Wilson
Brett Backlund
Toby Larson
Dan Boone
Darin Blood
Brian Scott
Brian Scott
Craig Jones
Aaron Heilman
David Bush
2000
2001
2002
2002
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
David Gassner
Andy Davidson
Zak Basch
Ryan Schroyer
Sean Timmons
Sean Timmons
Sean Timmons
Shannon Wirth
Sean Timmons
Brandon Harmon
Jonathan Harmston
Kyle Brule
Matt Vedo
Blake Harrison
1967: Mike Adamson Vaulted 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 numerous 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 roughly 1,300 players and coaches to have donned
a Goldpanners uniform through the 2011 season, hundreds have
continued their careers into professional baseball, with 200 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.
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
Club
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
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
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06/09/99
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08/29/00
09/04/00
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04/06/01
07/16/01
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05/10/02
09/03/02
06/26/03
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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
09/01/11
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
Brian Jeroloman
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
TOR
1971: Dave Winfield Became 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
Goldpanner 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 to 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 opportunity 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 Became Baseball’s First True Free Agent
Landmark Court Ruling Against MLB Reserve Clause Heralds New Era in Baseball
Though the Panner program 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 echelons 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 Ascended 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.
The largest single group of budding
major leaguers played together on
the 1983 team. An astounding 14
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.
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.
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:
Outfielders Oddibe McDowell, Shane
Mack and Mark Davis are all speedsters who help make the Fairbanks
Goldpanners’ offense potentially lethal. The players are sharing a room
in Wichita during the National Baseball
Congress tournament.
“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’).
Snow hasn’t posted armed guards at
the ‘Gold Room’ door to protect his
outfielders. But it might not be a bad
idea.
“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.”
San Diego native is batting .322 with
35 RBI and 47 runs scored and has
stolen 26 bases in 29 attempts.
Davis, who plays left field for Fairbanks, admits he needs to work on his
strength.
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.”
“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.”
The book on McDowell is that he
can do everything - run, hit, throw though he hasn’t gotten untracked in
the NBC.
Davis has had a pair of bunt singles
in the tournament and has stolen two
bases.
“I haven’t done a whole lot in this
tournament,” McDowell said. “Hopefully, things will start going right for
me sooner or later.”
“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
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
Mark Davis
Oddibe McDowell
Shane Mack
Jason Giambi
2002: Goldpanners Became First Sports Team to Broadcast an Entire Season on the Internet
PannerVision Kicked 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 team’s participation in the NBC World
Series in Wichita, Kansas, was broadcast in its entirety. by PannerVision.. 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 highlights 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 everyone’s 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 in 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 clips
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.
WWW.PANNERVISION.COM
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 team supporters.
Those given particular notice are Al Hines, Tim Timmons, Bobby Meath, Robert Kent, Fred
Iles, Barney Kopf, and Gary Dixon. All of them will be missed at the ballpark. The following are accounts from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Apologies if any were missed.
Albert Hines - “In 1956, while on a job in Camas, Wash., he met Anita Marilyn Hanning, whom he nicknamed “Lynn” and they were married four months
later. She was 15 and he was 20. They lived in several states, including 13
years in Wisconsin and 36 years in Alaska. “ (Panner Parent and member of board)
Irl “Tim” Timmons - “Tim served in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably
discharged in 1964. The family enjoyed the Alaska lifestyle. Tim especially
enjoyed taking his kids fishing and hunting. The whole family loved getting
together to cheer on son Sean, who pitched for the Alaska Goldpanners.”
Robert F. “Bob” Meath - “Bob was an old time Alaskan through and through.
He believed in a solid work ethic and his word was his bond. He will be
greatly missed by all those who knew him.”
Robert C. Kent - “His favorite pastime was attending baseball games with
many friends and family joining in the fun. He especially loved the Boston
Red Sox, Seattle Seahawks and the Alaska Goldpanners.”
Fredrick Lee Iles - “He was an avid Hawaiian shirt collector, a manifestation
of his love for the beaches of the world. He was also a military history buff
and a baseball enthusiast. He was a Goldpanner season ticket holder.”
1967: 45-Year 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 in 1963, so he could
take over management of the Goldpanners,
other opportunities 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 persuaded to come to Fairbanks
-- for a commitment 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 unparalleled heights -- 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
Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba
Put his guts in a box and put him in a drawer
Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba
I forgot all about it for a month and a half
Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba
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.