Mother of All Rosters

"Once a Panner, ALWAYS a Panner"

Have you ever worked or played for the Panners?  Give me your name, years, and what you are doing now.

Send info to Todd:
todd @ goldpanners.com

Touching The Game
Click for New Trailer!
 (pictured: Beau Mills)

 William G. Strocker - Named Distinguished UAF Almunus
 

Barry Bonds (83)

Home Run chase turns eyes to Fairbanks “Nobody in our organization had a harsh word to say about Barry Bonds,” Dennis said. “He was exemplary and he was just an average college kid. He had a tremendous sense of humor, too.”

Tom Seaver (64-65)
 

TEAM STORE   2006 TEAM CARD SET 2006 Team + Brendan Ryan and Michael Young $10.00 per (.79 Shipping) Pay By Check, Money Order, or Email Using

Service honors military historian, photographer Stu Rothman

Don A. Dennis NBC Hall of Fame

 

So Many Reasons to Love Baseball in Fairbanks  "At Growden, where the box shakes and trembles in even a slight breeze, you take your chances every time you go up there. Covering a game during which your life is in danger surely changes your perspective."

Goldpanners Scrapbook

Chuck E. Cheese
Concessions

Tim Gloyd (78-07) Gloyd Named 2007 Skipper
 

2007 TEAM SET With Bill "Spaceman" Lee

2008 Midnight Sun Game Early Commemorative Pass

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Bill "Spaceman" Lee wins 2008 Midnight Sun Game

 

12/19/8: Gary Henderson (89) Henderson ready to lead Kentucky

Dave Smith (75 • 76)

d. 12/17/8

12/18/8: Dave Smith (75-76) Dave Smith remembered for his generosity | Baseball loses one of its true good guys Former Astros reliever Dave Smith was a giving person, and he made sure his younger teammates learned to value others as they adjusted to life in the majors.    Smith’s name is atop or near the top of several of the Astros’ relief categories. But as his former teammates coped with his death Wednesday, they didn’t talk about his 199 saves for the Astros or his team records for appearances (562), relief wins (53), relief innings (760) or most games finished (400).   Instead, Smith’s friends and former teammate remembered the former San Diego State pitcher’s generous nature and cool California demeanor after he died of a heart attack Wednesday at age 53.

YEAR	ERA	G	GS	CG	W	L	Sv	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	WP	HB
1975	3.43	20	1	0	7	0	4	63	59	29	24	28	37	3	2
1976	2.45	3	2	0	2	0	0	11.1	10	3	3	5	6	2	1
Totals	3.27	23	3	0	9	0	4	74.1	69	32	27	33	43	5	3

“I remember the first thing he told me,” Kerfeld said. “He said, ‘Charlie, always treat everybody right because the same people you see on the way up are going to be the same people that you’ll see on the way down.’ He was correct with that advice he gave me

12/17/8: Ed Cheff (02-03-04-05-06) 2009 Lefty Gomez Award Recipient "The Lefty Gomez Award is one of the most prestigious awards in all of amateur baseball. Named after the great Lefty Gomez, this award is presented by the American Baseball Coaches Association each year to an individual who has distinguished himself amongst his peers and has contributed significantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally, and internationally. The Lefty Gomez Award is presented each year at the ABCA Hall of Fame/Coach of the Year Banquet at the ABCA Convention. "

• 2009 - Ed Cheff (02-03-04-05-06) Lewis Clark State

• 1994 - Sam Suplizio (63-64) Colorado

• 1983 - Chuck Brayton (78) Washington State

Goldpanners Put Fairbanks on International Stage

12/8/8: Elliott Strankman (03-04-05-06) Strankman hired as Twins’ scout for northern California

11/30/8: Nick Ciolli (07-08 MVP) ISUs Ciolli Honored by Alaska Baseball League (with video)

1920 Midnight Sun Game Picture
Poems of Klondyke's Early Days and Alaska's Long White Trail
By Fred Crewe - 1921

11/21/8: PannerVision: Midnight Baseball- Only in Alaska "The game starts at 10:30 pm - and is played without the aid of artificial lights." Red Boucher former lieutenant governor tells the story of the birth of the Alaska league." (Footage of Nancy DeLeon and 2000 Goldpanners)

11/20/8: Don Wakamatsu (83) Ex-Goldpanner Wakamatsu to lead Seattle Mariners

Wakamatsu was the catcher for the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks during the summer of 1983 when the Panners posted a record of 42-19 under Dave Snow.

Wakamatsu had a .318 batting average that summer and caught pitchers such as Joe Magrane, Alex Madrid and Brad Arnsberg. Some of the other players on that team included Shane Mack and Oddibe McDowell.

11/20/8: Aaron Heilman (98) Heilman to seek trade if not made starter

11/19/8: Don Wakamatsu (83) Named Seattle Mariners manager

11/18/8: USKH Ball Field Master Plan Offers Little About Growden Park

11/9/8: The Price of Life?  For (Bucs GM) Dennis Mattingly: $127,000K

A spaghetti feed to benefit Anchorage Bucs general manager Dennis Mattingly is planned for Saturday, Nov. 22, at Lake Otis Elementary School. A bowling benefit is the next day at Center Bowl. For more details, call the Bucs office at 561-2827.

Donations can be made at Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, account number 1425535 (MA).

11/9/8: Bill Lee (66-67-08) Spaceman lands in Red Sox Hall of Fame

11/6/8: Scott Robinson (01-02 MVP) Robinson joins Rascals The River City Rascals are pleased to announce the signing of Scott Robinson who will be joining the team beginning in the 2009 season. Scott was the 2007 MVP of the South Coast League where he led the Macon Music batting .338 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI's.

10/31/8: Beau Mills (06) Playing in dad's shadow isn't a problem for Mills

10/23/8: Mike Dunlap (76) Lute Olsen out; Dunlap now running the 'cats - A native of Fairbanks, Alaska, Dunlap was a third baseman for the 1976 Goldpanners
 

YEAR	AVG	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO
1976	.333	6	9	2	3	3	0	0	0	2	2	2

Ed Olsen, Paul W. Deese, Ben Hines

10/10/8: 1975 NBC World Series The Boulder, Colo., Collegians snapped Fairbanks, Alaska's string of three straight NBC tournament championships with a 6-4 victory over Fairbanks in the title game. 

Bill Stroecker, Tom Seaver, Steve Agbaba

Dennis Littlejohn (75) - Newest Scrapbook!

Floyd Bannister - 1975 NBC All-American Award

10/9/8: Michael Young (96) Michael Young's Webchat Transcript - Chuck: I'm familiar with the Foresters because my son played the Foresters for a little bit and got to play in the Midnight Sun Game up in Alaska. Talk a little bit about the Santa Barbara Foresters.  Michael: Yeah, I played in Santa Barbara Foresters, it's a summer league they have up there. I ended up playing in Alaska during my summers when I was at Santa Barbara.
10/9/8: Greg Dobbs (00) Dobbs loves (to knock off) L.A.

10/7/8: Steve Swisher (72) Newest Scrapbook!

10/3/8: Dave Bush (99 MVP) Interview with Dave Bush, Brewers starter in ALDS

9/30/8: Touching the Game: Alaska - New Trailer!

9/29/8: Clay Van Hook (05) New Assistant Coach at McNeese State University

9/28/8: Beau Mills (06) 2008 Carolina League MVP Indian’s first baseman Beau Mills is the 2008 Carolina League MVP.  Mills leads the Carolina League with 21 homeruns and 90 RBI.  Cleveland’s first round draft pick in 2007, Mills is eighth in the Carolina League with a .293 batting average. 

9/18/8: Bill Stroecker Local musicians gather for historic photo "At the top of the steps stood Bill Stroecker, who is a pioneer in the Fairbanks music scene.  “Standing on these steps reminds me of the first years I picked up a trumpet for the school band,” he said. Stroecker was in sixth grade when he learned to play.  “There’s always a song running through my head, and it’s always been a big part of my life,” he said. “It all started right here on these steps.”

9/16/8: Los Angeles Times Blog: Andrew Malcom - Sarah (Palin) and Donny (Baarns) chat at a baseball game BF (Before Fame) - "in between pitches and a sharp line drive to left center, a very professional Donny and a very casual sports enthusiast named Sarah have a five-minute conversation about Alaska and political ethics and being governor and sports. One thing the former high school runner and basketball star reveals, well, actually, two: She likes sports a lot (the governor even asks if she can hang around the radio booth a while longer) and also she doesn't go for all that "gender stuff."

• Andrew Malcom: A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.

9/11/8: Dave Kingman (68-69) Where are they now?  Former Met star Dave Kingman

9/10/8: For the Love of Sports: Bill "Spaceman" Lee

9/8/8: Brendan Ryan (02) Outfield could be in Ryan's future "The future course of Brendan Ryan's career remains somewhat undetermined. He may yet establish himself as an everyday big league shortstop or second baseman, but it's also distinctly possible that his career path will be as a utility man."

8/23/8: Beau Mills (06) Kinston hands out end of year awards "Kinston first baseman Beau Mills is the recipient of the Kinston Indians Pat Crawford MVP award. This may be the first of many awards this season for Mills who currently leads the Carolina League with 21 home runs and 89 RBI.   Mills is also 2^nd in the CL in extra base hits (58), 3^rd in hits (139) and in the top five in doubles (34), slugging (.507), and runs scored (78). 

8/19/8: Jason Lane (96-97) Lane signed by Boston to MiLB deal
8/19/8: Emerson Frostad (03) Frostad 2-for-4 in Olympic win vs. Dutch
8/19/8: Allan Dykstra (05) Dykstra leaves home for home runs | First round draft pick going to Elsinore

8/16/8: Allan Dykstra (05) Dykstra and Padres agree to deal with an hour to spare "The reworked deal, reached about an hour before Friday night's deadline for all unsigned draftees, saved the Padres about $250,000. But the medical detour raised skepticism about Dykstra's hip, which was repaired before he began his varsity baseball career at Rancho Bernardo."

8/14/8: Allan Dykstra (05) Dykstra unsigned as deadline looms "We think Dykstra will probably come down to the last day," San Diego general manager Kevin Towers said. "This one had a couple of hurdles ... some curveballs that we weren't expecting. So that's why it's taken a little more time."

8/12/8: How to make the 75th NBC tournament special - "Alaska Night. Maybe you pay off one of the local weathermen to create a really cool day at the ballpark. Dave Freeman has that kind of power, right? If not, you at least set aside a night to honor the Alaska tradition that has been so important to the World Series.

From 1969 through 2002, Alaska teams accounted for 15 of 34 championships. The Fairbanks Goldpanners, Anchorage Glacier Pilots, Kenai Peninsula Oilers, Mat-Su Miners and Anchorage Bucs have been great for the tournament and provided some of the best players in its history, such as Tom Seaver (Panners), Dave Winfield (Panners), Rick Monday (Panners), Chris Chambliss (Pilots), Graig Nettles (Panners), Mark McGwire (Pilots), Barry Bonds (Panners) and many others."

• Cats' shortstop Cameron Blair (04 MVP), who was hit by a pitch last Friday in St. Paul, was diagnosed with a broken wrist on Monday and is out for the season.

NBC World Series in Wichita, Kansas // ABL Out: Oilers eliminated by Maxim (CA) Yankees 4-3 / Pilots eliminated by Liberal (KS) Bee Jays 10-2

ABL Teams Down To Elimination Games At NBC After Back-to-Back Losses
7:30 PM	63	Kenai (AK) Peninsula Oilers (3) vs. Beatrice (NE) Bruins (6)
12:30 AM	62	Anchorage (AK) Glacier Pilots (3) vs. Ozark (MO) Generals (9)

8/9/8: Mike Cervenak (98) Cervenak relieved to collect first MLB hit "I think I kind of pictured it not being a high chopper through the infield," Cervenak said with a smile. "When it happened, it was a big relief -- something I'm always going to remember."

8/8/8: Lowell Purcell "rounding third and heading for home" When the family moved north in 1960, it wasn’t long before Lowell made his voice heard. He was a senior at Lathrop, working weekends at KFRB, when he met up with the likes of Steve Agbaba.  The 17-year-old read the ads during the broadcasts of Goldpanner baseball games as Agbaba’s assistant. The 1961 season was young when Agbaba threw him a curve ball.

“In the bottom of the fifth, in about the fourth or the fifth game, Agbaba says, ‘Here, you do the play-by-play.’”  “I did probably the worst play-by-play ever,” Lowell said in a 1987 interview. “It was bad, really horrible. Some people say I still broadcast like that.”

Lowell figured that he did as many as 2,500 sports broadcasts across the years. His real love was baseball and so it was fitting that he chose to get married to his wife Leah in 1993 as part of the pre-game activities at the Midnight Sun Game. The groom went on the air to do the play-by-play that night."

8/8/8: Tom Goodwin (87) A 1988 gold medalist, Goodwin now coaching in minor leagues - "It was awesome," Goodwin said about his Olympic experience. "It was one of those experiences that if it were to happen to me now or even five years after it did, I probably would've taken it in more. I was only 20-years old when I was on the team so I didn't know nearly as much as I know now. It was also my first time being away from home. I learned so much how other countries viewed us and how they played the game of baseball. It's just one of those things where experience is hard to beat. I could've never have imagined what it was like unless I went through it. I was one of the rare athletes to have a chance and compete for my country."

8/4/8: Nick Ciolli (07-08) Oilers drill Bombers in NBC opener Nick Ciolli, who joined the Oilers from the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks, was 3-for-5 with two RBIs in his first game with the club. Ciolli was voted the top outfield prospect in the Alaska Baseball League this season.

8/2/8: Longtime Fairbanks broadcaster Lowell Purcell dies "Longtime Fairbanks radio broadcaster Lowell Purcell was inducted into the Alaska Broadcasters Hall of Fame on Tuesday, two days before he died. The award ceremony was originally slated to take place at a Goldpanners game at Growden Memorial Park, but the game was washed out by rain and by then Purcell had already been admitted to Providence Hospital in Anchorage."

BROADCASTING THE 2000 MIDNIGHT SUN GAME:

8/1/8: PannerVision: Beanball Leaves Ballplayer Bloody "This disturbing video of a baseball player being hit in the head by a pitched ball is now being released after having been held under wraps for over six years. It is obviously dangerous anytime a batter gets hit by a pitched ball ; however, in this case, the beaning was especially brutal due to the screaming velocity of the pitch.  The shattering impact of a nearly 100 mile per hour fastball could be heard from a great distance, and presented a potentially career and life threatening situation for the batter."

• Picked up at MLB.FANHOUSE Seriously, Kyle Farnsworth should watch his back, because as this video and the History Channel tell us: things are tougher in Alaska.  Oh, and if you're wondering where you heard the name Alaska GoldPanners before, this wasn't the craziest thing that's ever happened at one of their games.
   

A SPECIAL THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SUPPORT IN 2008
Another Free PannerVision Broadcast!

"PANNERVISION TOP 10" BALLGAME

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Letter from 2008 Cape Cod Baseball League employee: "I notice that the teams on the Cape don't care nearly as much about wins and losses as the teams in AK. The Cape teams are much more worried about exposing their stars to the scouts."

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Letter to the Daily News-Miner Editor:
To the Panners Community

To the editor:

As a parent of a 2008 Panner, I want to take a moment to thank the city of Fairbanks, the Panner organization and most importantly the people of Fairbanks for again being the place to be and play ball in the summer.

Winning in baseball is important, and this year’s record may be disappointing, but winning in life is what counts. Fairbanks, you have won again, your residents, baseball fans, Panners organization, coaching staff and most importantly your host families have again done an amazing job.

There are thousands of players, families, that are grateful forever for what you have shown our sons.

I can tell you that the players feel blessed to have spent the summer of 2008 in your great city. Thank you to all and Fairbanks will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Warren Brule, Chandler, Ariz.
Published Monday, July 28, 2008

From Gail Conrad, Mother of Brooks (99-00)

"Brooksie was so ready for this moment and had waited so very long...it was truly a dream come true. It is wonderful to share the moment with all of his supporters! Thanks for all the years of you and the Goldpanners family rooting for him!

Those Alaska summers are still some of the very best baseball memories that Brooks has thanks to all of you!  (And especially to) Brooks' host family there; the Wentz's"

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NICK CIOLLI NAMED 2008 ABL TOP PROSPECT

All-ABL Team Members: Nick Ciolli, OF ; Raoul Torrez, 3B ; Matt Newman, UTIL // 2nd Team: Thomas Myers, OF ; Matt Newman, SP ; Kyle Brule, RP

7/29/8: 2008 Yearbook and Statistical Record (42 Mb PDF) - Smaller, better version of the 2008 Yearbook.

Emerson Frostad (03)

7/28/8: Emerson Frostad (03) Rangers' Frostad ready for Olympics  "This has been a two-year process that I've been a part of," said Frostad, a native of Calgary, Alberta. "It's real competitive. It's a different kind of baseball. Everybody comes together real quick and you're playing for your country, so there's a lot of pride involved. And it's all about winning, so everybody's pulling for each other and trying to win at all costs."
7/28/8: Newman's blast rocks Glacier Pilots

Jesse Owens (standing) and Don Dennis (on right)

7/26/8: Goldpanners break skid against Peninsula As Alaska Goldpanners closer Kyle Brule put it, this was “how baseball should end up.”

• Brooks Conrad (99-00) Conrad makes first home start for A's - Went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI Friday night against Texas

PICS BY WILL CINELLI

 

• Kinston’s 1B BEAU MILLS has hit safely in his last 15-games batting .367 (22-60) with 11RS, 4-2B, 3HR and 14RBI… In 96 games for Kinston he is batting .283 (105-371)…. Mills is T-3rd in the Carolina League with 27 doubles

KID'S DAY WINNERS

Zane Nesloney   7 years old

Tristan Franklin, 11, oldest of 7 kids

Garett Allen

OAKLAND INFIELD'S LEFT SIDE IS ALL PANNER!
Brooks Conrad (99-00), 3B ; Bobby Crosby (99), SS

Brooksies' All-Time First Card / MLB News

7/22/8: 2008 Yearbook and Statistical Record (51 Mb PDF)
7/22/8: Brooks Conrad (99-00) Conrad Makes MLB Debut - Panner # 190 to MLB // But as excited as Conrad was to share the news, he couldn't resist having a little fun with his father first.  "He always wants to talk about [that night's] game, so we were doing that for a while," Conrad, 28, said before the opener of a three-game series against the host Rays at Tropicana Field. "Then I said, 'Oh yeah, they made a move. ... I'm going up to the big leagues.' He said, 'Wait. What?? You knew that the whole time?'  (Youtube: Conrad hits 3-run HR)

• Jason Phillips (96) Phillips signed by Braves to MiLB contract

• New Britain's Ben Julianel (00), whose 20 saves are fourth in the Eastern League, got the save in the AAA All-Star Game.

7/21/8: Panners outplay the Pilots "The suddenly stumbling Anchorage Glacier Pilots suffered their third loss in four games on Sunday, dropping a 6-3 decision to the Fairbanks Goldpanners at Mulcahy Stadium."
7/21/8: MLB Network to pursue broadcasting the Midnight Sun Game - "Much like NFL Films supplies content to NFL Network, MLB Network will rely on MLB Productions and its extensive library. The network also plans to pursue rights to non-MLB live programming such as the World Baseball Classic, Arizona Fall League, Caribbean World Series and the Cape Cod League. “There’s also midnight games in Alaska,” said (CEO Tony) Petitti, referring to the Alaska Baseball League. “All that stuff is going to be talked about. We’ll take pieces of all that hopefully and sprinkle it throughout the schedule.”

7/20/8: PannerVision: Brendan Ryan - 2002 Goldpanners (From July 12th Brendan Ryan Interview by the G-Man: "I went to Lewis-Clark St. (Lewiston, ID) and I won an NAIA National Championship there and that was great and I’m not taking anything away from that, but it just seemed like with the level of competition up there that summer, it was pretty special. It’s probably up there at the top. I’d sure like to win a World Series up here (MLB) but that was definitely one of my best memories."

7/19/8: PannerVision: WebGem: Clauson to Torrez to Heroy - Stanford's Andrew Clauson makes the pitch ; Arizona State University's Raoul Torrez makes the grab ; Pepperdine's Ryan Heroy makes the stretch.

• Brooks Conrad did what he has done many times this season. He hit his team-leading 20th home run to tie Salt Lake's Matthew Brown for fifth in the PCL

7/18/8: Fast start lifts Goldpanners over Pilots

"The Anchorage Glacier Pilots lead the ABL. The Kenai Peninsula Oilers are in a race for second. Both teams want to play in the NBC. The Glacier Pilots are already making preliminary travel plans. “It would take a miracle to keep us out of there,” GM Jon Dyson said."

The Glacier Pilots still rest atop the ABL standings with a 16-8 record. The Peninsula Oilers (12-10) are the only other team in the league with a better than .500 record. The Mat-Su Miners (11-11) are in the third spot, followed by the Panners (11-12), Anchorage Bucs (12-14) and Athletes in Action Fire (8-14).

All six teams will be in Anchorage this weekend for the ABL Showcase at Mulcahy Stadium.

7/17/8: PannerVision: 2008 Goldpanners : Youth Baseball Clinics - Every summer, the Alaska Goldpanners provide clinics for all levels of youth baseball in the Interior. Products of this program include Sean Timmons, who is the Goldpanners' winningest pitcher.
7/17/8: Brooks Conrad (99-00) Little Big Man “Size doesn’t matter,” River Cats manager Todd Steverson (89) will tell you and that “power hitting is all about weight shift, torque and wrists.” Conrad has a short compact swing that generates plenty of power. However, Steverson says Conrad’s ability to launch balls gets him into trouble.
7/17/8: Panners split doubleheader with Mat-Su

• former Lewis-Clark State College player Emerson Frostad has been named to the Canadian baseball team

• On the longest All-Star Game in history: "I may have been the only one disappointed to see them suspend play. We should have at least played until sunrise. - Jim Umbarger (73)

7/16 - Game One	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Alaska Goldpanners	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	3	7	0
Mat-Su Miners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	2

 

WP: Matt Newman - Complete Game

• C Emerson Frostad belted a two-run shot and drew a walk in his Triple-A debut.

New Roster Addition: Bryan Beres, Catcher, Bethany College

Trent Deidrich (08)

7/13/8: Trent Deidrich (08) Lost for season with knee injury.
7/13/8: AIA pulls out extra inning win

7/12/8: Patterson too much for Goldpanners to handle "Patterson’s only trouble came in the ninth. He began the inning with his first walk of the game, and Raoul Torrez followed that with a two-run homer over the left field fence."

MLB Debut July 11, 2008  |  Goldpanner #189 to MLB
MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUTS

7/11/8: Mike Cervanek (98) Finally receives his call to the major leagues - "Columnist Nick Fierro chronicles Cervenak's story, from the independent Frontier League to a spot in the Citizens Bank Park home dugout for Thursday's matinee meeting with the St. Louis Cardinals. Cervenak told Fierro his head was spinning so much after IronPigs manager Dave Huppert gave him the good news, the rest of his manager's words were a blur:  "Everything that he said about the trip to Philly was just kind of like the teacher from Charlie Brown," he said. "It was just like, 'wah, wah, wah.' You know what I mean?"
7/11/8: Alaska Goldpanners overturn Bucs' big lead "Adam Gaylord went from a struggling No. 9 batter to a game-changer for the Alaska Goldpanners in a 6-4 victory over the Anchorage Bucs in Thursday night’s Alaska Baseball League game at Growden Memorial Park"

• Redbird pitchers going with the flow "Pitchers have been hearing instructions like these for years from their pitching coaches. And to that, Brent Strom says, ''Hogwash.'' There's a lot of conventional wisdom out there that quite frankly is wrong, and it just keeps getting perpetuated," Strom said."

• Greg Dobbs' single in the seventh was his 18th pinch hit of the year, the most by a Phillie since Dave Philley had 18 in 1958.

7/10/8: Mike Cervanek (98) Promoted to Philadelphia! MLB Debut looms
7/10/8: Alaska Goldpanners bounced on Bank Night “I started to sit back on the offspeed, since that’s all he was throwing to us,” Hamel, who struck out in the third and grounded out to short in the eighth, said. “None of us were really seeing the ball that well. “He was just throwing to the outer half (of the plate), and we were looking to drive the ball to the right side of the field.’’

7/7/8: Panners fall back to fourth after road loss to Peninsula "The win enabled Kenai to claim two wins in the three-game series and move ahead of the Panners in the ABL standings, where only 1 1/2 games separate the top four teams."
7/7/8: Giambi one of AL Final Vote contenders "If Jason Giambi is to be named to the American League All-Star team, he'll need a little help -- even more than his iconic mustache can provide.   The slugger has been named as one of the candidates in the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote, in the midst of a big-swinging season that has seen him return to prominence as a powerful force in the heart of the Yankees' lineup."

7/6/8: Goldpanners' bats go silent in loss to Peninsula
7/6/8: Pitching pushes Peninsula Past Panners

 

Brooklyn Eagle - "Last week, in another slap at the overprotective pitch counters now populating dugouts across all of Major League Baseball, 62-year-old Bill “Spaceman” Lee threw six innings while getting the win in a Midnight Sun League game in Alaska. Taking the mound in an Alaska Goldpanners’ uniform for the first time since 1967, Lee was the winning pitcher in a 10-6 victory over the Southern California Running Birds. “He had great tempo,” said Panners’ manager, Tim Gloyd. “He’s a real major league-type player.”

Lee, who once infamously proclaimed his preference for grass over Astroturf by pointing out, “I never smoked Astroturf,” wore number 337 (“Lee” upside down) and registered three strikeouts while allowing four earned runs. Oh, yeah. He threw 83 pitches. I wonder if Tony LaRussa would have pulled him after 50."

7/5/8: Big inning lifts Alaska Goldpanners over Oilers

7/4/8: Goldpanners stand alone atop ABL after win against Bucs

• Baseball takes ISU students north to Alaska

7/2/8: Rick VanderHook Named Assistant Coach by UCLA

• Canadians' pitcher Matt Fitts picked up his first win of the season, dealing Eugene's Matt Means his third loss of the '08 campaign.

7/1/8: Alaska Goldpanners put it all together in 7-0 victory over Miners

6/30/8: Miners bounce back to thump Goldpanners

6/29/8: Panners' big inning leads to victory
6/29/8: Peninsula: 2008: A Spaceman's Odyssey

6/28/8: Spaceman's Midnight Sun Game one for the ages  “I went to places through adrenaline and the crowd and everything,” he said. “Somehow my body was 38 years old again. “It was an emotional game. I took my shoulder places it hasn’t been in a long time.”  And he was still hurling through the sixth, which was long enough for the Panners’ offense to give him a 5-4 lead and the chance for a win. At this point, Lee could not lose the game if he stayed off the field. So it was surprising to see him put on his glove and begin the seventh."

“I’d finally redeemed myself since ’67,” he said. “Sometimes you gotta wait a long time for it to come back, you know?”

6/27/8: Strong pitching enables Fire to end losing streak - "Duran, a former Santa Clara University (Calif.) pitcher who spent this past season at San Jose City College, was making his first appearance for Alaska. He allowed all of the AIA runs and hits, while striking out two, hitting two batters and walking one in 5 1/3 innings. He was supported, though, by two double plays.  “He had pretty good stuff. He was just a little ... I think he’s going to be pretty good,’’ Gloyd said.

6/26/8: PannerVision: June 21, 2008 : 103rd Midnight Sun Game, Part One Watch the "Spaceman" in action at the 103rd Midnight Sun Game.

6/25/8: Goldpanners pull out unlikely extra-inning win against Fire - The best hitting performance for the Panners came from a player who was questionable to even start the game. After blocking a pitch with his right hand Tuesday, catcher Trent Diedrich showed he was playing at full strength by belting a three-run homer in the bottom of the second.  The other Alaska catcher to get hurt Tuesday, Jeremy Gillan, had a home run of his own, a solo shot in the seventh.

6/24/8: Panners, Fire all tied up when rains came to Growden
6/24/8: Bobby Crosby (99) Crosby A's strong man
6/24/8: Brendan Ryan (08) We enjoyed Fenway Park almost as much as Brendan Ryan - Deadspin.com

6/23/8: Panner face fire in ABL action tonight

6/23/8: Flickr pics: The Spaceman Deals

• Photo Journal: Midnight Sun Game "The stadium was adorably cute and small-town. No big bleachers, no bag checks or metal detectors to walk through. Heck, I saw people pulling in wagons and mixing up margaritas during the game."

• Ira and Mary Watts: Summer solstice - "Summer Solstice in Alaska is a big deal as the day is almost 22 hours long and during the other two hours it is still daylight. It never really gets dark. After the downtown festival Mary & I went to see the 103rd annual Midnight Sun Baseball game played entirely without artificial lighting. The game was a lot of fun and we enjoyed every minute of it.

• Fenway West: The Spaceman can still get it done

• Legend revived in the Midnight Sun

6/22/8:Bill Lee (66-67-08) Lee true to form as Panners shine in midnight sun "Bill “Spaceman” Lee walked off the field with a cigar in his mouth, a grin on his face and another win on his record after the Midnight Sun Game this morning."
6/22/8: Mike Cervenak (98) Hot Hitting Cervanek leads Pigs win "The red-hot Cervenak has now hit safely in 30 of his last 34 games (.348 with 17 RBI)."

Bill Lee (66-67-08)

6/21/8: Bill Lee (66-67-08) Wins Midnight Sun Game (all time msg record 1-1)
6/21/8: One small slip leads to one big win for the Goldpanners

• Alaska Goldpanners hope for some fun under the midnight sun

• Bill "Spaceman" Lee returns for Midnight Sun Game

6/20/8: Alaska Goldpanners bring Birds to a standstill

• Erik Nyquist - Incoming Closer from New Mexico State - 1st Team Relief Pitcher, SCC

• Edmonton Cracker Cats at Peccole Park, they also lost starting pitcher and Reno resident Marc Kaiser for the year to an elbow injury.

Panners GM Don Dennis and Birds GM Don Sneddon

Panners Asst. GM Todd Dennis and Al Coutts (63)

6/19/8: PannerVision: June 18th - First Home Game
6/19/8: ADN: Alaska League Roundup
6/19/8: Al Coutts (63) "Dad" rounding third in 1963 Midnight Sun Game "Headed to the "Land of the Midnight Sun" tomorrow morning. I will take lots of photos and hopefully will have lots of stories."

 

Matt Newman, ASU

6/18/8: June 18, 2008: Vs. Fairbanks Men's League GameTracker - Sean Timmons returns for 12th season with the Goldpanners!

Sean's New ERA

6/17/8: PannerVision: June 16th - Arriving in Fairbanks

6/17/8: UAFAdmissions: The Midnight Sun Game "it's hard to describe. The event is simply surreal. I know that I'll be there, and if you have a chance, I highly recommend you check it out."

6/16/8: Anchorage Glacier Pilots Take Out Goldpanners

INCOMING GOLDPANNERS:
TONIGHT: REID SUITOR AND RYAN SCOMA OF IRVINE
WEDNESDAY, BRUHLE, NEWMAN & TORREZ OF ASU
ALSO ON WED: NEW CLOSER BEN JONES

Ben Jones, Asuza Pacific 2008 Statistics

ERA   W-L   APP SV    IP    H    R  ER  BB  SO  2B  3B  HR
3.86   4-1       24     6  32.2  32  19  14     9    29    3    0    3 

6/15/8: ADN: Bucs 12, Panners 8 In a back-and-forth game that saw four lead changes, catcher Ryan Jenkins served as the Anchorage Bucs' hero.

 

Dan Boone (93-94-95-96)

Steven Davis - Latest Panner Page

Home Run and Four RBI for Myers

2008 Goldpanners: Tim Gloyd - Shawn Epidendio • Nate Anderson • Nick Ciolli • Steven Davis • Jake Dunning • Trent Diedrich • Jeremy Gillan • Jason Hamel • Jonathan Harmston • Ryan Heroy • Cameron Litzenberger • Matt Maggiolo • Nigel Morton • Thomas Myers • Jon Pokorny • Ryan Robowski • Bryan Tapley

Discuss The June 14th Game Here

6/14/8: Goldpanners vs. Bucs - June 14, 2008 - Replay Entire Game Using GameTracker!

Goldpanners Broadcaster - Will Cinelli, Northwestern

SEEKING 3 HOST FAMILIES

PDF Brochure - contact todd @ goldpanners.com


Thank You, Karl Carlson (far left)
(d. 6/7/2008)

ACTIVE, PRINTABLE ROSTER - Season Opening Roster

6/14/8: Fairbanks' Goldpanners Open Season Tonight

• 1967 Panners Pre-Season - Added Annotations to Help Identification

• The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms with first-round pick Allan Dykstra (05) for about $1.4 million.

• The A’s have now signed 16 of the 50 players that they drafted last week, including Matt Fitts (05), details to come

• Blogger Jake Rehm is moving to Fairbanks from Okanogan, Washington, where he just earned a Master's in Sports Administration, with an emphasis on Christianity and its sociological implications to sport.  Planning to attend MSG.  I'll try to get him on our broadcast

6/13/8: PannerVision: June 13th in Anchorage

June 13th - 2008 Pictures Main Page

Democrats Hear Haycraft (June 14,1966) "Col. Haycraft said there were three ways Fairbanksans could help the Goldpanner program. "You can buy season tickets which are $25 for 46 games (Only $35 now.. Just $10 increase in 42 years!); you can help provide housing for the players and you can help in finding jobs for the players while they are here."

June 12th - 2008 Pictures Main Page

6/12/8: PannerVision: WebGem: Mike Lissman Perfectly Executed Sacrifice Fly

Brent Wyatt's large extended family has been the greatest influence on his play throughout his life. His family is (left to right) Tyler, Grandma Helen Hernandez, Kristen, mother Tally, Brent, father Kevin, girlfriend Mikaela Lamb, Laurel, Kylie, Michael and (not pictured) Heidi Brower. Ian Abbott/Daily Record

6/12/8: Brent Wyatt (07) Former Bulldog gets shot at big leagues “Until I see myself on ESPN, it’s still going to be a dream,” Brent said. “I’m just inching a little closer to that dream. With this happening, it’s becoming a little more of a reality for me.”
6/12/8: It's official.. North Pole's Aure is a Pirate
6/12/8: Notes on Giambi's homer "It gave Giambi 15 homers this season and 192 as a Yankee -- tying Tino Martinez for 14th place in franchise history. With 379 career homers overall, Giambi tied Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez for 56th all-time."

Wheeler, Watson and Mies

6/12/8: More Complete 1961 Season Game Results - George Mies, NBC Tournament: 2 Wins and 2 Game Winning Homers in NBC Tournament championship run:

ALASKA STATE NBC TOURNAMENT
					W-Pitcher	L-Pitcher	Notes
7|29|61	Matanuska Valley Bank	W	8	7	George Mies	Baysinger	George Mies GW-HR
7|30|61	Matanuska Valley Bank	W	6	5	George Mies	Stein	George Mies GW-HR, Win NBC Tourney

 

6/12/8: Media helps sell the Humboldt "Crabbies" "In the mid-1960s, I saw the Crabs play the Alaska semi-pro teams that are featured in a "Sports Illustrated" story this week. The Goldpanners and Glacier Pilots would visit Humboldt County. The Crabs would spend time playing up in Alaska. If you read the "SI" story, you'll find it interesting that the Crabs were a featured opponent in the famous "Midnight Sun" game that the Goldpanners play to celebrate the Summer Solstice."

6/11/8: PannerVision: You Make the Call: When Did Lightning Knock out Power?
6/11/8: Bobby Crosby (99) Crosby won't let setback sidetrack him "During his daily pregame session with the media, manager Bob Geren did note he was going to be keeping a "very close" eye on his shortstop. Crosby, though, felt confident in his ability to perform as well as he has all year.  "I wouldn't play if I knew I couldn't contribute," he said, "so I'm going to play the way I normally do."
6/11/8: Florida designated outfielder Jacque Jones for assignment.

6/10/8: Three local ballplayers made team from tryouts on Sunday!

• Nigel Morton - College of Eastern Utah - Fairbanks
• Zak Scott - Green River Community - Fairbanks

6/10/8: ADN: Players adapt to Alaska wood "Our outfielders play extremely shallow," Garcia said. "Eight out of 10 balls are hit in front of them, not over their head. We need all eight balls that are hit in front of them in the air to be caught. The two over their head we don't care about.
6/10/8: Stanford (Gaylord, Clauson) Advances to CWS

• Jarred Holloway signed a contract with the Houston Astros Saturday night at his Russellville home. Holloway, a 6-3, 230-pound left-hander from St. Petersburg (Fla.) College, was selected by the Astros as the 10th pick of the 10th round, the 302nd pick overall, of the Major League Baseball Draft on Friday.

6/8/8: Well-worn path to the majors starts in Alaska League
6/8/8: High Gas Prices Concerns Bucs' General Manager (pic of Dempsey)

Google Books: Game of My Life By Lew Freedman "One summer while playing for the Cougars, (Vance) Law played in the Alaska Baseball League with the Fairbanks Goldpanners. The team hosts the wackiest baseball game in the world - The Midnight Sun game - contested on June 21 each year, starts at 10:30 pm, but the team never turns on the lights.

"That's a fond memory," Law said. "I couldn't believe it. We were playing the Midnight Sun game with no lights on at midnight. It was dusk. It was kind of cloudy. It wasn't real clear. I've got a Sports Illustrated, and there's a picture in the centerfold with a silhouette against the background. It shows me there against that midnight sun." (Game of My Life, p. 206)

MLB Draft Day Two:
10th Rd. - Jarred Holloway (07) - 302 HOU
11th Rd. - Justin Fitzergald (08R) - 327 SF
16th Rd. - Matt Fitts (05) - 484 OAK
22nd Rd. - Chris Schwinden (06) - 674 NYM
26th Rd. - Brent Wyatt (07) - 793 DET
50 - Dylan Lightell - 1493 AT

Gary Henderson, Marshall Sele, Bill Mosiello 6/6/8: Gary Henderson (89) Promoted to U. Kentucky head coach "I am very excited to be named the Kentucky baseball coach," Henderson said. I look forward to getting back to work at cementing UK's position among the elite programs in the nation."

6/5/8: Dave Winfield (71-72) Talks about the MLB Draft
6/5/8: Harold Reynolds (80) Harold Reynolds interviews Negro Leaguers | Harold Reynolds Interviewed about the MLB Draft
6/5/8: Allan Dykstra (05) Selig Announces Padres/Winfield's Pick of Dykstra
6/5/8: PannerVision: MLB Media  | Tom Seaver: From Baseball to Wine

 

All-Time First Card - 2005 Team Set

6/5/8: Allan Dykstra (05) First Round Draft Pick (23rd Overall - SDP)
6/5/8: Jason Giambi (90 Two-out, Two-run HR in b-9th wins it for Yankees
6/5/8: Ryan Garko (00) Career best 6 RBI as Tribe Route Rangers

Ed Olsen (74-75-76-77) Inducted into CCCAA Hall of Fame

6/4/8: THE BEST SPORTS ILLUSTRATED COVERAGE SINCE 1979:

• Luke Winn: The Alaska Pipeline "A rugged, no-frills league in the Last Frontier State has funneled almost 400 college players to the majors and kept fans in Fairbanks up late each June with its quirky Midnight Sun Game "

• The Ultimate Summer Road Trip (Begins in Fairbanks!) "But the price of gas (very high) will be offset by the price of food and tickets (cheap to all-you-can-eat/free, respectively). Most importantly, it will all be worth it when you can say you ventured from Alaska on June 21 -- site of the Alaska League's legendary Midnight Sun Game -- and then crisscrossed the country, making it to New Orleans in time for Labor Day."

• Photo Gallery

6/4/8: New Videos Posted to YouTube!

• 1966 Goldpanners Winter Banquet - Al Campanis, Rod Dedeaux, Red Boucher, Jim Lefebvre

• 1967 Goldpanners Pre-Season

• 1967 Goldpanners Season #1

• 1967 Goldpanners Season #2

• 1967 Goldpanners Season #3

• 1964 Goldpanners

• Bill Lee on Baseball

6/3/8: Dustin Garneau (07) Leads Fullerton Past UCLA - Garneau broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning, then walked with the bases loaded in the fifth to force Wilson home and give the Titans a 5-3 advantage.
6/3/8: New Videos Posted to YouTube!

• 1965 Midnight Sun Game With Tom Seaver! (Story)

• 1968 Japan Goodwill Trip #1 - Arrival

• 1968 Japan Goodwill Trip #2 - Baseball

• 1968 Japan Goodwill Trip #3 - Final Games

6/2/8: Marlins director of scouting Stan Meek (73) received a contract extension through 2011. Meek joined the Marlins in 2002 and is in his 18th season of professional scouting.
6/2/8: Jake Dunning (08R) Indiana Infielder Added to Roster

.341BA (58-for-170)  3 HR  37 RBI  .482 SLG%  17-20 SB

6/1/8: UC-Irvine wins Lincoln Regional - Stephenson 3 hits

LC WINS NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

5/29/8: Matt Fitts (08) Pitches LC into the NAIA championship game with complete game - His 10 strikeouts gives him 109 on the season

•  Collecting his 11th RBI in the past five games, Jason Lane sent the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees home winners Friday night, crushing a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 5-4 win at PNC Field. It was his second homer in as many days, and his third since Sunday.

5/27/8: Fairbanks man is Division III baseball's biggest fan
5/27/8: Allan Dysktra (05) Named to ACC All-Tournament Team Dykstra, who was selected at the Utility position on the team, hit .333 (4-for-12) with two home runs and five RBIs in the Tournament. He also had a pair of doubles and slugged 1.000 over three games.
5/27/8: Joey Dunn (06) Stanford Crushes Washington "Senior Joey Dunn, seen here in the game against Washington State, finished his college career in the game against Standford with a home run and two RBIs Sunday.

5/24/8: Jeremy Gillan (08) Second Team All-A Sun Conference Catcher - Added to Roster
5/24/8: Matt Fitts (05) Host Warriors Roll Big in World Series Opener With 19-0 Triumph "Matt Fitts, who returned to LCSC for his junior season despite being drafted in the 15th round by the Houston Astros, checked Embry-Riddle on one hit through four innings. With the game in hand, LCSC coach Ed Cheff pulled Fitts to save him for later in the tournament.

• Taiwan's 60-Man Preliminary Olympic Roster - Sung-Wei Tseng ; Sheng-Wei Wang

5/23/8: Marc Kaiser (02) Making his way back with Silver Sox "Leonard said if Kaiser gets his mental game squared away he expects the scouts to come calling, but the 26-year-old pitcher said he tries to keep those thoughts off his mind. "That's out of my control," Kaiser said. "That type of thinking and worrying got me to where I am now. I just need to let the game take care of itself. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. That's the biggest lesson I've learned over the last four years is just be yourself and let people judge you the way they want to judge you."
5/23/8: Alan Regier (88) New duties for Alan Regier "Regier, the former director of player development, will shift to scouting at all levels.  Those tasks once were filled by Wilder, who was fired along with two scouts in an ongoing federal investigation to determine whether they skimmed money from signing bonuses to Latin American players, according to a Major League Baseball investigator."

• Brandon Harmon: Harmon finishes his career as a four-year letter winner and the GU all-time appearance record holder. The native of Spokane is a two-time Alll-WCC honorable mention honoree, after earning the accolade during the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. Harmon recently set a Bulldog record for career appearances as he has seen time on the mound in 83 games to-date. He also ranks in the innings pitched top-ten, where he currently stands in ninth place with 268.2 IP. The right hander is also tied for fifth in the single season saves list with five during the 2005 season.

5/22/8: Ryan Heroy (08) Named to All-WCC Team Heroy was second on the team in batting average (.371) during conference play, with two home runs and 22 RBI"

• Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jonathan Kountis (07) headlined the All- AMC South Division Second Team after finishing the season with a 6-2 mark.

• A's shortstop Bobby Crosby (99) notched his sixth three-hit game of the season in Wednesday's 9-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, and it seems he's likely to stay in the No. 2 spot in the batting order for the time being.  

Fairbanks Reference on 1972 Topps Tom Seaver

5/20/8: Terry Francona (78) Emotions run deep for Francona, Lester "Through everything I've been through, he's been like a second dad to me," Lester said. "Just being able to talk to him not as a manager but as a friend, he cares a lot about his players. It's not just about what you can do on the field, it's what type of person you are and he cares a lot about that."  When informed by the media that Lester referred to him as a second dad, Francona's eyes looked like they could have gotten moist again without much prodding. "I take that as a huge compliment," Francona said."

5/19/8: Dodge Magazine - 2007 Midnight Sun Game

5/18/8: New Yorker critic places Adams at forefront of American experimental music - "It was surprising to find a story in The New Yorker magazine in which a prominent music critic manages to mention John Luther Adams, the Alaska Goldpanners, Fred Meyer, Gordon Wright, John Haines, the Fairbanks Symphony and the University of Alaska Museum of the North within the same tale. Adams and his wife, Cindy, who runs the Internet business GrantStation, are both members of the community board of directors of the Alaska Goldpanners. “When they go shopping at Fred Meyer, the all-purpose store in town, they are peppered with questions about the state of the team,” Ross writes."

5/16/8: 1967 Midnight Sun Game - Bill Lee vs. Kumagai-Gumi Japan

New Color 1985 Team Pic!

5/15/8: Inside Alaska - 103rd Midnight Sun Game

1967 Midnight Sun Game - Bill Lee vs. Kumagai-Gumi Japan

• Dustin Garneau (07) was 3-for-3 with three RBI as No. 12 Cal State Fullerton defeated visiting Cal Poly 12-9 in the final game of the three-game set Sunday

5/11/8: Ed Cheff Named Region Coach of the Year ; Panner Honors "One of the strengths of this season's Warrior team is their impressive pitching staff.  Warrior pitchers claimed four of the five spots on the All-Region team reserved for men on the mound.  Junior right-hander Matt Fitts is 10-0 on the season and led the region in strikeouts. Michael Guerrero, a junior left-hander, led the region with 1.93 ERA thanks in large part to a personal shutout streak of 31 innings that he enjoyed during the season."
5/11/8: Ryan Scoma (08) "Ryan Scoma had two hits and drove in three runs for UC Davis, but UC Riverside scored five runs over the seventh and eighth innings, and held on for a 7-6 victory over the Aggies in the opening game of a Big West Conference baseball series at the Sports Complex Friday night. "

5/11/8: Matt Newman (08) Newman pitches #3 ASU past #10 Wichita State "Newman allowed only one run on five hits during his 6.2 innings of work, picking up his first collegiate victory in the process. Mike Leake pitched the final 2.1 innings, coming on to pitch after playing stellar defense at short and picked up his first save of the season and second of his career."

5/11/8: Matt Newman (08) Outfielder - ASU
5/11/8: Nate Anderson (08) Player/Coach -  Rockies Organization

• "Allan Dykstra, 1B, Wake Forest: Hitting .329/.532/.665 with 14 homers, 56 walks, 34 strikeouts in 155 at-bats, OPS about +38 compared to context. Not much protection in the lineup for him, no one else on his team has slugged higher than .447, but he's still managed to produce."

5/8/8: Donny Baarns (07 Broadcaster) Picked up by the Visalia Oaks to join broadcasting team for the 2008 season!  2007 Goldpanners broadcast partner Jimmy still slated to return to Fairbanks at this point.

Dietz: "Cuba is the Best Team We Will Ever Play"

First Game Ever Played in Alaska Under Artificial Lights

Adam Kennedy (95)

New 1963 Goldpanners Pics

New Al Coutts (63) Pics!

New 1977 Goldpanners Pics

1976 National Championship Game

1962 Alaska State Champions

7/30/62: Pan Alaska Wins Series, Retains NBC State Championship

1976 National Champions

1963 @ Wichita - Boucher and "Midnight"

4/28/8: Paul Banales (61) New Goldpanner Discovered!  1961 first baseman from Ponce, Puerto Rico! (now makes 1,166 all-time players and coaches)

1961 Goldpanners - Banales at 1B

• 1961 Roster - Players from Rio de Janeiro ; Ponce, PR ; Rome, Italy ; Manila, Philippines ; Athens, Greece ; Goetburg, Sweden ; San Juan, PR

• Allan Dykstra (05) hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and drove in three runs to help Wake Forest down Georgia Tech 7-5 on Sunday

4/27/8: Added 1964 Official Statistics

4/26/8: Added 1960 Final, Official Statistics | 1961 Statistics | 1962 Statistics | 1963 Statistics | 1989 Statistics | 1991 Statistics

4/24/8: Raoul Torrez (08) Picks up game-winning RBI as ASU avenges loss to Fullerton

4/24/8: Harold Reynolds (80) Harold Reynolds to join SNY Radio "Harold Reynolds, formerly of the Alaska Goldpanners, Seattle Mariners and ESPN, and currently of MLB.com, has joined SNY as a part-time studio analyst, the network will announce this morning. "

• "Bizarre to think of Astros’ farmhand Jason Lane (96-97) in Yankee pinstripes, but he is certainly making a play to GM Brian Cashman. With 6 homers and 10 RBI in his first 67 at bats in triple A, all signs point to an early call to the ‘Bigs for Jason Lane.  Positionally blocked by a hundred high priced offensive foot-soldiers, Lane will have to prove he is more than a stopgap outfielder or platoon consideration to pierce New York’s veteran, all-star laden lineup of regulars."

• The St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday activated infielder Brendan Ryan (02) from the 15-day disabled list and recalled him from a rehab assignment at Class AA Springfield of the Texas League.

• Augie Acuna - I posted Father's Obit on Augie's Page, who is doing just fine in Alabama (sorry!)

• Quinn Stewart (05) went 3-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Both of his home runs were three-run shots. The 5-6-7 hitters for Vero Beach were a combined 10-for-19, with Stewart doing the majority of the RBI damage.

4/21/8: Lewis-Clark Sets NAIA Record with 51 inning scoreless pitching streak "In the second game, which saw LCSC earn its 40th win of the season for the 31st time in coach Ed Cheff's 32 seasons at helm, the Warriors used a six-run second inning to take an 7-0 lead.  The impressive streak was continued by LCSC pitchers Michael Guerrero (07) and Blaine Hardy in the opener."

4/19/8: Ryan Garko (00) Garko exceeding expectations With a .314 batting average, 9 RBI's, .435 OBP, and 1 home run, it's hard to argue that Garko has been a reason why the team is struggling.

Attending the 2008 Midnight Sun Game: Nick from "More Indie Than Your Cat," Covering the game for print and radio  - "I want the ideas for stories to be good enough to put on the air. But one thing they all lack is a reflection. Why would I be telling the story of the Midnight Sun Game? Yes it is an interesting event, and maybe there are some unique players, but how does this game connect to the human experience. Is it Fairbanks’ attempt at recapturing something long lost since the good ole days? Is the game one of pure sport that doesn’t have the pressure professional athletes have? If someone figures this one out, please give me a heads up so I can send an email and try to cover it while I’m up there."  (Are you planning on attending?  Let us know!  Is it for media?  Let us help!)

Partial List of Attendees (under construction):

• Bill Lee (66-67-08) Starting Pitcher for Goldpanners

• Don Sneddon (80) Head Coach of the Running Birds

• Tim Gloyd (78-07-08) Goldpanners Field Manager

• Al Coutts (63) Ceremonial Pitch at Midnight

• Zak Basch (01-02 MVP) AKGPA Pre-game

4/16/8: 2008 Roster: Added Ryan Scoma (UC-Davis) and Justin Fitzgerald (UC-Davis)
4/16/8: Ryan Scoma (08) Scoma named Big East Player of the Week
4/16/8: Ryan Scoma (08) Scoma lifts Aggies over Saint Mary's with 10-inning RBI Scoma finished the day 3-for-5 from the plate with a run scored, a double, a home run and a game-best four RBIs. The transfer was only a triple shy of the cycle. Justin Fitzgerald shutout the Gaels through the final 1.2 innings and allowed only two hits while striking out two batters to earn his second victory of the season."
 

4/15/8: Ty Van Burkleo (84) Van Burkleo hitting stride with A's ""He's probably my favorite hitting coach I've ever had," said Bobby Crosby (99), who went 9-for-29 (.310) with a home run and six RBIs in the first seven games of the trip. "He's just got a lot of energy, he's always really positive. ... He's great to work with." Van Burkleo, who played professionally for 14 years -- including five in Japan, where he was named the league's player of the year in 1988 -- but logged only 38 at-bats in the Majors, joined the A's after serving as the Angels' roving hitting instructor for the previous six years. Before that, he spent four years in the Diamondbacks organization."

4/13/8: Tim Gloyd - 49rs Double Their Fun  "Zack Vawter-Scroggins has made the Yuba College baseball team all but unbeatable when he is on the mound. The freshman allowed one earned run in 8 2/3 innings to lead the 49ers (13-20, 8-11) to a 9-2 Bay Valley Conference victory at Solano on Saturday. Adrian Perez got the final out. It was their fourth win in five games. "He was outstanding," Yuba coach Tim Gloyd said of his young starter, who enduced five ground ball double plays."

4/13/8: Bobby Crosby (99) Crosby powers A's over Indians Bobby Crosby snapped Oakland's five-game homerless streak with a three-run blast in the seventh inning, just the second ball the A's have hit out in nine games.

• Dustin Garneau (07) led all Titans with three RBI on the night, with a third-inning bases-loaded clearing double down the left field line

• Louisville starter Justin Lehr had a perfect game with one out in the eighth inning when Jason Lane (96-97) Lehr’s teammate at the University of Southern California ruined the milestone by crushing a solo home run just under the scoreboard in left field.

4/10/8:  Jonathan Kountis (07) AMC Pitcher of the Week - Kountis, a 6-3 sophomore right-hander from Akron , Ohio , is the AMC Pitcher of the Week. He hurled a complete game to knock off Walsh, 4-1.  In seven innings pitched, Kountis allowed an unearned run on four hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks. ODU improved to 17-7 overall and 6-0 AMC"

4/8/8: New Hampshire Fisher Cats - Aaron Mathews (03), playing center field, served as leadoff hitter and promptly singled to start the game. Mathews got off to a great start last season and made the Eastern League All-Star Game. // Newcomer Brian Jeroloman (04), a catching prospect, batted second to give NH a lefty stick atop the lineup. He warmed up his bat with a kerosene heater before the game, then knocked in the Fishers' first run with an infield single in the fifth.

4/7/8: Jason Aspito (99) Not quite on Revolution's level - "The chances of a guy making the club out of a tryout are not great, but there are always guys who go to open tryouts and show they do deserve a chance." One of those guys this time year ago was Aspito. Out of pro ball at the start of 2007, by midseason Aspito was an integral part of the Revs' lineup, before getting hurt toward the end of the year. And it all started at a tryout camp.  "I was a six-year free agent, and nobody picked me up," Aspito said, "and I didn't know if anyone knew I was available, (so) my dad said 'why don't you go to the Northern League tryouts.' So I fly down to Tampa.

"I packed one bag with all my baseball gear. It gets sent to New York. I'm in Tampa. I'm wearing almost the same thing (blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt), only I have flip-flops on, so I missed the first tryout. (The bag) arrived the next day. "But it wasn't a bad thing, because I got to talk to scouts and some other baseball people. Got a call a week later, they said 'we'd like to sign you.'"

Aspito flipped his Northern League opportunity into a gig later in the season with York and batted .312 in 54 games with the Revs, smacking 11 home runs and driving in 32. "The guys who love playing are going to go to these things," Aspito said. "I think they come out of it respecting what we do a little more than when they came in."

4/6/8: New York Times: Introduction to Fairbanks "Fairbanks is Alaska's second-largest city now, with a population of about 30,000 in the city limits and 82,000 in the greater metropolitan area, but it has never learned to put on airs. It sprawls, broad and flat, along big highways and the Chena. It's a friendly, easygoing town, but one where people still take gold and their independence seriously. "

4/5/8: David Gassner (00) ; Jason Phillips (96) Riverhawks sign ex-major leaguers "The Camden Riversharks completed three deals this week that bring eight seasons of combined Major League experience to the club. First baseman-catcher Jason Phillips, lefthanded starter Dave Gassner and outfielder Chris Walker agreed to terms and will join the Riversharks in 2008."

• Adam Kennedy's (95) spectacular defensive play helped the St. Louis Cardinals' injury-depleted rotation complete a dominating opening week.

• Mike Cervenak (98), designated hitter Chris Snelling and catcher Jason Jaramillo, who each hit home runs to lead the IronPigs to a 6-2 triumph.  Cervenak's came first when the tracer he lined over the fence in left-center field with nobody on in the second inning took no longer than 3 seconds to leave the park.

• Royce Ring (00) earns the "perfect award" for having appeared in three games to face one batter in each game and having struck out all three batters

4/4/8: Brad Davis (03) Mudcats open 2008 campaign - "We're all here because we love this game," Mudcats catcher Brad Davis said. "We had five months off of not being able to play it. It's back. It's the season again. We're ready to have some real competition, have fans in the stands and ready to compete again."

• Tseng Sung-Wei (05) Promoted to Akron

• Quinn Stewart (05) Promoted to Vero Beach

• Mike Lissman (04-05-06) Promoted to Kane County

Lissman Page (Notice the Ad)

4/4/8: Steve Mrowka (86) Baseball Head Coach Steve Mrowka Earns 100th Win at GW  "Earlier this season, on Mar. 1, Mrowka also tallied his 500th career victory, with a 9-8 win against Yale. The North Carolina ('87) graduate is now 507-324-3 in his career, this being his 15th year overall."

• ASU: 29 Raoul Torrez : .370BA, 26G 73AB 20R 27H 52B 14RBI

• ASU: 58 Kyle Brule: 2.89ERA 0-0W/L 9.1IP 12K 2BB

• PEPP: 39 Ryan Heroy: .310BA, 24G, 77AB, 24H, 17RBI

• PEPP: 18 Trent Diedrich: .310BA, 20G, 71AB, 22H, 18RBI

• PEPP: 23 Jonathan Harmston: 1.35ERA, 0-0W/L, 6.2IP, 11K, 7BB

• LCSC: Paul Martin: .389BA, 26G, 90AB, 35H, 29RBI, 10BB, 14HBP

• LCSC: Cameron Litzenberg: 0.00ERA, 1IP

• KENT: 2 Chris Tremblay: .286BA, 21G, 84AB, 7RBI

• KENT: 27 Jon Porkony: 4.50ERA, 0-2W/L, 14IP, 9K, 20BB

• WIN: 17 John Murrian: .266BA, 23G, 79AB, 9RBI

• ISTATE: Nick Ciolli: .307BA, 49G, 179AB, 55H, 7HR, 35RBI, 17BB

4/3/8: Defensive moves don't help Braves - Resop moved to left field while left-hander Royce Ring (00) struck out Adam LaRoche, but Resop returned to the mound to give up Nady's go-ahead single.
4/4/8: Mid-Season Statistics
4/3/8: Jason Giambi (90) Giambi wants to prove defensive might "I love to be on the field," Giambi said on Wednesday. "That's why I've never been a fan of the DH. You're a part of the game and a part of the team."  The 37-year-old Giambi, playing the final year of his contract, has convinced manager Joe Girardi that he will hold up to the rigors of everyday duty in the field. "

• Mike Cervenak (98) feasted on one of Carrasco’s lone mistakes of the evening in the second inning, drilling a fastball that got up in the zone over the wall to give the IronPigs a 1-0 lead.

3/31/8: Michael Young (96) HR in opener

Pictures added to Tom Seaver (64-65)
Thanks to Ed Kopec, Seaver & Goldpanners Superfan

• "Sequoyah Stonecipher (07) followed with a gargantuan home run, making it a one-run ball game.  "That was the longest home run I’ve seen at this level,” Abshier said. “It hit the side of an apartment building about 40 feet beyond the left field fence.”

Pitchers Push off the Rubber, Right? 
Wrong! Says Mechanics Guru Lyle Olsen
By Bob Cluck

To the naked eye, it seems that pitchers push off the rubber with their back foot. This apparent observation formed the basis for pitching instruction for decades. But mechanics guru Lyle Olsen, effectively disproved this long-held theory with the aid of high speed film in 1971.  A pitcher's rear leg bends at an angle that remains constant until the ball is released. If there were a push, the leg would straighten or extend. The truth is that the violent rotation of the hips and trunk "pulls" the back foot off the rubber. When you try to push off the rubber, it simply causes you to rush the delivery and throw uphill.

Lyle Olsen - 1966-67-68-69-70

Daily News-Miner, Thursday, May 18, 1967

"Pro BASEBALL's Draft Threatening Goldpanner Roster // North of the Range BASEBALL Finished The North of the Range BASEBALL league is dead and the Fairbanks 49ers, winners of last year's range tournament, are now playing softfaall. Word of the "death" of the North of the Range league, formerly including the 49ers, the Ft. Wainwright Rangers and Brigadiers, the Eielson Outlaws and the Ft. Greely Bisons, was reported Wednesday by 49er manager Craig Resser."

Warming up in the Vinyard, Tom Terrific

• The Yankees reassigned catcher Jason Brown and outfielder Jason Lane and Greg Porter to minor-league camp.

• As his teammates fly north for the summer, Cardinals infielder Brendan Ryan will remain in Florida to test his sore rib cage in games this weekend.

MOTHER OF ALL ROSTERS ADDITIONS

• Pro: Tom Goodwin (87) Assistant Coach with Lowell Spinners

• College: Jim Dietz (1970-71-72-73-74-75-76-77-90-91-92-93) Commissioner, West Coast Collegiate Baseball League

• College: Barry Matthews (00) Pitching Coach with Spokane CC

• College: Mike Taylor (87) Assistant Coach with Rice Owls

• College: Bill Mosiello (89) Assistant Coach with Auburn

• College: Ryan Strain (01) Assistant Coach with UNC

• College: Phil Stephenson (80-81) Head Coach with Dodge City CC and Dodge City A's Summer Club //  Advanced to MLB with Chicago (NL) and San Diego.  Elected to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.  Named top thee best College players ever by Collegiate Baseball and top ten ever by Baseball America.  Member of Guthrie HS Hall of Fame, Wichita Sports Hall of Fame, WSU Hall of Fame, and Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. Currently Head Coach at Dodge City CC.

3/23/8: Jose Cruz Jr. (93) At last, Junior to hear "Cruuuuz" "The Cruz household was abuzz with excitement when "Cheito" signed a minor league deal with the Astros last Nov. 28, and the family likely will get another dose of good news within a week if Cruz Jr. makes the opening-day roster as expected."
3/23/8: Bret Boone (88) Accepts demotion to minor leagues

• Brian Jeroloman (04) had a big day against the Twins on Sunday with a double, two singles, a walk and two RBIs. At long last, Toronto is developing several homegrown catching prospects, with Jeroloman already regarded as the top defensive catcher in the system. Over two pro seasons, he has hit .253, but scouts expect his bat to improve. Baseball America says he has the “best strike-zone discipline” of any player in the Jays’ organization.

• Jeff DaVanon (92-94) Released by San Diego

• Mike Cervenak (98) Brought in by the Phillies to bolster the middle of the lineup for their new Triple-A team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

• Brendan Ryan (02) injured his side diving into third base earlier this week. Ryan will have a bone scan taken Saturday to see if any of his ribs are fractured. He said he feels pain when he coughs or shifts his torso. Manager Tony La Russa said Saturday "there is doubt about" Ryan's readiness for Opening Day, as injuries like this can take "five days, 15 days, longer" to heal. Ryan seems to backup every position on the infield for the Cardinals. This injury might open a roster spot for D'Angelo Jimenez.

3/22/8: Crosby uses blast to beat Japanese Goldpanners 1968 trip to Japan available on DVD.  Write to your webmaster for details.

• Dave Gassner (00 MVP) has signed with Cincinnati and is likely to pitch for the Louisville Bats

3/20/8: Players strike over Japan trip averted at last minute "Hutson Street said that striking was a "serious option" at one point, and there is no doubt that once aware of the issue, the A's players were firmly behind the cause. "I think it's weak," shortstop Bobby Crosby (99) said before the team vote. "I didn't know they weren't getting paid. That's incredible. It's not the right thing."

3/19/8: MOTHER: Steve Wilson (84) - Found!  Advanced to the major leagues with Texas,  Chicago (NL) and Los Angeles (NL).  Played for Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala in the Taiwanese Baseball Association in 1997-98.   He currently runs a restaurant in Tainan, Taiwan, and is a professional scout for Chicago and Philadelphia.

• Bret Boone (88), who had been in retirement the last two years, is a long shot to make the team, but he is still determined to show he can be a starter. He is trying to get used to hitting breaking balls. Starting Wednesday, Boone will get at-bats in Minor League games. "

• St. Louis optioning Joe Mather on Monday appears to clear the way for Brendan Ryan (02), whose only remaining competition appears to be non-roster infielder. Ryan remains frustrating to a manager who admires his talent but questions his judgment. Tuesday's game against the Braves offered an illuminating example.  Ryan made a sprawling stop behind second base, scrambled to his feet to trap Martin Prado off third, then threw wildly before Prado made a move either way.  However, Ryan has taken twice as many at-bats (36) as Jimenez and as many as projected starting shortstop Cesar Izturis.

3/18/8: Brooks Conrad (99-00 MVP) Brooksie love fest  Video shows Brooks' second at bat where he hit a three run homer off the Pads.

From Gail Conrad:

"The A's told him yesterday that he will be
traveling with the team to Japan. Not sure yet if that
means he'll make the club, but it definitely means
that they like him and the way he's played this
spring! The team leaves on Wednesday night.
Take care and thanks again for your continued
support of Brooks. He still says his Goldpanner days
were some of the very best of his baseball memories!"

Gail, Brooks and Jerry Conrad

3/17/8: Geoff Byrns (06) Pictures from 3/9/8 game vs. UCLA
3/17/8: Ryan Garko (00) Garko isn't take spot on Tribe roster for granted “Just because we were there last year doesn’t count for anything this year,” Garko said. “You might never get back. We need to remember that.”

• Brooks Conrad (99-00) hit a three-run home run and drove in five runs as the Oakland Athletics pounded the San Diego Padres, 9-3

• Beau Mills (06), selected by the Indians with the 13th overall pick in last year's June Draft, was reassigned to the minor league camp.  He went 4-for-20 (.200), with two home runs, four RBIs, four walks and four strikeouts.   "He made a strong impression. At this time last year, he was halfway through his college season. He was impressive with the bat and came in here and handled himself like a total pro. Now he needs to go out and play."  Wedge said Mills will play first and third in the minors. He's still recovering from an injury to his right shoulder suffered playing third base in college. The injury didn't require surgery, but still needs to be rehabilitated.   When the Indians feel Mills' throwing shoulder is at full strength, they'll make a decision to play him at third or first."

• Allan Dykstra (05) scored on a mishandled ground ball in the bottom of the ninth to give Wake Forest a 4-3 victory over Maryland on Sunday

• Royce Ring (00) "Reasons I'm rooting for Royce Ring to make it into the Braves bullpen: 1. We need a designated LOOGY (Lefty One Out Guy).  2. Will Ohman scares me. 3. He's really cute! Looks a little like Scott Caan, no?"

"really cute" Royce Ring

3/15/8: Ed Cheff (02-03-04-05-06) When you play for Ed Cheff, 'winning is like breathing' "It's a completely different atmosphere,'' Woods said of playing for Cheff. Adam acknowledged that the mental part of the game is heavily stressed "because if you're mentally weak, the skills don't matter." "You've got to be thick-skinned," he added. " You can't be soft and play for him.'' Cheff believes it's the mentally tough team that prevails in the end."
3/15/8: Brendan Ryan (02) Ryan bids farewell to Dodgertown with flourish  "The Cardinals’ hyper-kinetic infielder was at second base when pitcher Greg Jones uncorkeed a pitch that ricocheted off his catcher and up the first baseline. (Right toward the Cardinals uncovered, no-roof dugout — a signature feature here at Dodgertown beloved by the ballplayers for the baking sun and the fact fans can reach out and tap them on the back for an autograph.) Ryan didn’t hesitate, wheeling around third and beating a throw home. “That’s one of the nice things Brendan brings to the club,” manager Tony La Russa said. “Brings good legs and he’s aggressive when he runs.”

• Junior Allan Dykstra leads the ACC in four offensive categories: runs (23), home runs (five), walks (20) and on-base percentage (.577).

• Royce Ring (00) took the hill for the Braves today after a rain-threatened game caused Bobby Cox to pull Tim Hudson from the starting role.  He allowed one run and three hits in two innings of work to earn the win.

• Mike Cervenak (98) Sent to Phillies minor league camp. ... "Mike Cervenak told us this winter how much he had gotten out of his baseball career, which includes starring at the University of Michigan and playing in Holland, Alaska, Korea and Venezuela in addition to nine minor league seasons.  I can only imagine how the 31-year-old infielder, who started as a pro in 1999 and part of 2000 at Chillicothe, OH in the Frontier League, must be struggling to keep that positive outlook today after he was sent to Philadelphia's minor league camp, especially with three weeks remaining in spring training. The Phillies aggressively pursued Cervenak when he was a free agent this winter, but from watching the box scores he got only limited at-bats this spring before getting the minor league assignment. Cervenak had lifted his career average to .295 with a solid '07 season at Triple-A Norfolk, VA when he led the International League with hits (157), games (140) and at-bats (554). Even his 15 home runs--138 for his career--and 78 runs batted in did not seem to carry much weight. So Cervenak continues looking for his first regular season major league game, as does southpaw Brian Mazone, who was in the same round of cuts made by Philadelphia. Righthander Brad Ziegler was an early cut from Oakland. Mazone is a graduate of Joliet, IL (Northern League) and Zion, UT (Western League) while Ziegler played Indy baseball for Schaumburg, IL (Northern).

Billy Crystal (right) hangs out with Jason Lane and A-Rod in the Yankees' dugout Thursday. (Billy struck out in his only AB)

3/13/8: Greg Dobbs (00) Dobbs finds a niche with versatility, bat "Dobbs made a name for himself with the Phillies last season, taking a prominent role off the bench and in the clubhouse. The 29-year-old hit .272 with 55 RBIs and 10 home runs. His sixth-inning grand slam at Shea Stadium on Sept. 16 off Jorge Sosa put a stamp on a sweep of the New York Mets."

3/12/8: Tim Gloyd (78-07-08) Gloyd fires off full staff assault "When a baseball team resorts to throwing nine pitchers in a game, it usually means they're on the losing end of a blowout. The move paid off as the nine Yuba hurlers combined to allow one earned run and didn't walk a single batter in a 7-3 victory."
3/12/8: Allan Dykstra (05) Wake Forest Comes Back to Beat Charlotte, 15-12 "Wake trailed 10-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Allan Dykstra stroked a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, as part of a three-run outburst."
3/12/8: Michael Guerrero (07) Guerrero threw the first complete-game shutout on the road since 2000 for Lewis-Clark State College and three pitchers combined on an eight-hitter in the second game to help the Warriors sweep a doubleheader against the College of Idaho by scores of 10-0 and 8-3 in Caldwell on Tuesday.  The sweep stretched LCSC's win streak to 11 games.

3/8/8: Eddie Bane (82), Floyd Bannister (74-75) Bane and Bannister Inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame "Eddie Bane and Floyd Bannister, two of the greatest pitchers to ever wear a Sun Devil uniform, have been named to the 2008 induction class for the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the College Baseball Foundation announced today."
3/8/8: Allan Dykstra homered twice, and four Wake Forest pitchers collected 15 strikeouts in a 13-11 victory over Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener

3/7/8: Beau Mills (06) Mills sees action in Indians Spring Training Games Big fly: Infielder Beau Mills, the Indians' No. 1 pick in 2007, is hitting .429 (3-for-7) in six games this spring. He hit his first homer, a two-run shot over the right-field fence, in the sixth inning on Thursday. "He's making an impression," Wedge said. "He's advanced. He's strong. He knows the game, you can tell that by having a conversation with him." Mills is playing first and third base. The Indians want him to continue to work on his defense.

3/6/8: Quinn Stewart (05) Rays Review: Quinn Stewart "Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics describes him as “a big strong kid with whack in his bat and athleticism.” In his first full season, he had a 20-20 year, hitting .258 with 21 homers and 21 steals in 112 games at Class A Columbus last year, posting a .466 slugging percentage but striking out 122 times. But he also hit .471 in the playoffs to help lead the Catfish to the Sally League title."

3/4/8:  Sports Collectors Digest: Summer collegiate leagues a unique hobby source (Ed Kobak) "Collecting summer collegiate baseball team and league card sets is very challenging. It is very much like pulling teeth to obtain these sets, which is an attraction to a true collector, unlike MLB-sponsored minor leagues and the independent league sets, which are rewarding to collect but are readily available for sale from teams and card dealers. On the whole, the Alaska League has been great for card collectors. "

3/3/8: Terry Francona (78) Interview with Terry Francona
3/3/8: Ninth-inning rally: The A's beat visiting Colorado 3-2 in the ninth, thanks to a triple by Brooks Conrad (99-00) Brooks is tied for the team lead in total bases

3/2/8: Brooks Conrad (99-00) hit a home run, a double, single and drove in three runs against the Giants
3/2/8: Beau Mills (06) Big Beau "He's got some work to do," said Wedge. "His bat is ahead of his glove, but we knew that. He's a smart kid, but then he grew up in the game. You've got to love the way the ball comes off his bat."

3/1/8: Late inning blast lifts LCSC over UW - Fitts (05) and Guerrero (07) combine for the win ; Tyler Cheney (06) takes the loss
3/1/8: Bobby Crosby (99) Crosby's aim: Stay healthy "Throughout my whole life, I've never really been injured," he said. "I wasn't injured in high school or college or the minor leagues or my rookie year. These are just things that happen in baseball that, to be honest, are unlucky."

2008 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
PLAYERS / PERSONNEL
NRI2ST - Spring Training Non-Roster Invitee

Bill Lee (66-67)
Boston Red Sox
Hall of Fame
Class of 2008
Google News on Bill Lee

Tim Wallach (78) Latest Panner Scrapbook!

2/27/8: Reid Suitor (UC-Irvine) - Added to 2008 Pre-Season Roster
2/27/8: HS teammates Ryan Garko (00), Ben Francisco look to future with Cleveland

2/26/8: Adam Gaylord (Stanford) - Added to 2008 Pre-Season Roster
2/26/8: Three Goldpanners combine to give LC three hit shutout "Brian Bird allowed one hit with two strikeouts in the fourth, while Max Hibbs allowed one hit in his two innings with a strikeout. Michael Guerrero pitched the final three innings and allowed one hit, but struck out six. In all, LCSC pitchers struck out 12 in the game."
2/26/8: Joey Dunn (06) Huskies start season with a split "For Knutson, a real star of the series was senior centerfielder Joey Dunn, who battled an injury late last year but played in three games over the weekend, doing his job offensively and defensively. He went 4-for-10 at the plate with a homerun and three RBIs during the series, while also throwing out runners trying to steal."

2/25/8: Terry Francona (78) Francona becomes second-highest paid manager in baseball "The extension will reportedly pay Francona an average of $3.75 million over its first three years. Francona will make $1.75 million this season."

July 31, 1962 "Looking Forward - Red Boucher, manager of the state champion Pan Alaska Gold Panners baseball team, expresses his determination to take his team to Wichita, Ka., for the National Baseball Congress tournament for semi-professional state winners, which begins Aug. 17. Boucher has said that sending the team will cost $7,500.  A public subscription campaign has been started here to raise the money, and nearly $2,000 has been collected already.  Boucher said the team should leave here Aug. 13 if it plans to attend the tournament."  (The team DID go, and came within one run of winning the championship, ending the season with a national second-place finish)

2/24/8: Joe Szekely (81) Introduced as Princeton Rays Head Coach (Tampa Bay)
2/24/8: Alan Regier (88) Minor League Cupboards Not Bare - "There are a handful of teams out in front of everyone else, and the rest are trying to get to that point," said White Sox farm director Alan Regier of his supposedly depleted Minor League ranks. "When it comes down to it, what's the difference between the team ranked 12 and the team sitting at 29? "Are we exceptional right now? No. But we want to be in the exceptional category, and there's no doubt we will be."

Added Four New Pictures

Jim Barr (67-68-69)

Three New Pictures

Gene Delyon (71-72-73)

2/22/8: Brian Felten (00-01) Coach Felten gets early bragging rights in family “With my brother being on the team, I follow Crespi real closely,'’ said Felten, also a former Celt  `I probably know more about Crespi than any other team we play.'’ (2008 Loyola of LA High School Varsity Head Coach)
2/22/8: Kevin Muno (80) Son Kevin Muno Jr. Sophomore Outfielder at USD

2/19/8: Brad Arnsberg (83) Ryan eyeing opening day "Brad Arnsberg turned his arm and smiled, revealing a six-inch reminder of an operation he had nearly two decades ago. A jagged scar arcs along the right forearm of Toronto's pitching coach and ends near his elbow.  The mark is a remnant of Tommy John surgery -- an elbow ligament replacement procedure that's become commonplace among pitchers. It was still a relatively new surgery when Arnsberg went under the knife in 1989, but a lot has changed in the years since. That's one reason why Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan, who is currently attempting a swift return from the same operation on his left elbow, doesn't bear nearly as prominent of a scar as his coach.

"They're a lot prettier than they used to be," Arnsberg said with a laugh.

2/18/8: Bret (88), Bob Boone (66-67-68) Bret joins Bob in Washington "He went to spring training in 2006 with the New York Mets but called it quits before playing in an exhibition game. Looking back Monday, he said: "I was in no position mentally to continue on at that point. I needed to walk away." Bob and Bret talked about it two years ago. "He said, 'Dad, you won't understand.' I said, '[You're] right, I won't understand. I mean, who cares how you feel? This is baseball,'" the elder Boone recalled."

2/17/8: Allan Dykstra (05) Dykstra named to Golden Spikes watchlist "Wake Forest junior first baseman Allan Dykstra has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2008 Golden Spikes Award, as announced Friday by USA Baseball. The award is presented annually to the premier amateur baseball player. "

2/15/8: Rayner Noble (81) Rayner Noble show starts on Monday

2/14/8: Harold Reynolds (80) Interview with Harold Reynolds (80) "I played with the Alaska Goldpanners, which has a lot of history with good ballplayers, so that looked good to a lot of scouts. Players like Tom Seaver and Bob Boone played up there before me. It was nice playing up there, a honor because so many great ballplayers played there."
2/14/8: Bill Lee (66-67) "Bill Lee said in answer to Jim Prime's question about what had made him an eccentric replied, “I used to play for the Alaska Goldpanners, and when you play on permafrost, and it warms and your centerfielder disappears, that leads to eccentricity.”

Growden Memorial Park on Google Earth/Maps

Looking for Something to do While in Fairbanks?

Consult Google Earth

2/14/8: Amazon.com: Josh Pahigian - 101  Baseball Places to Visit Before You Strike Out (Fairbanks and the Goldpanners featured)

Josh Pahigian is an American author who specializes in books and articles about baseball. He is particularly renown in the field of sports travel, writing books on this topic, as well as articles that frequently appear on the ESPN.com Sports Travel page under the Travel Ten heading.

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"Seaver played in 1964 and 1965, along with Andy Messersmith, and Rick Monday, among others. So, they had the first draftee, the first player to successfully challenge the reserve clause and bring about free agency, and the HOFer with the highest voting percentage from the BBWAA. Not just outstanding teams, but teams with very historically significant players on it.

And MLB teams should have such well-organized and navigable sites as the Alaska Goldpanners! "

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1962 Pan-Alaska Goldpanners
1962 Panners: Pan Alaska Wins Series, Retains NBC State Championship - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner	Don Merchant - 350 Foot HR

1964 Goldpanners

TRAVELING - The Goldpanners, now set up at the Town House Motel in Wichita, Kans., while playing for the National Baseball title, found various means to relax while traveling across the western states.  Bob Maxwell, left, followed the trip with a road map while Mike Paul, standing, would kibitz the card games in the center of the bus.  Curt Motten can be seen facing the camera while John Herbst watches intently while sitting on the armrest across the aisle."

2/12/8: Bill Schmidt (85) Vice President of Scouting, Colorado Rockies
2/12/8: Ben Julianel (00) Signed by Minnesota Twins

1974 Alaska Goldpanners

1963 Pictures

Emmitt Wilson (62-63-64-65-66)

2/11/8: Jon Pokorny (08) Kent State Left Handed Pitcher - Added to 2008 Roster
2/11/8: The College Baseball Blog - Added to Outside Links

2/8/8: Chris Zachgo (00-02-03-05) Coaches Delta Junction to state hockey championship "Zachgo described Smith as a major role player -- in other words, much like his teammates. "We don't have a bunch of snipers, we have a bunch of hard workers," Zachgo said. "They grind it out. That's how we win. That's exactly what happened tonight. Hard work got it done."

2/6/8: Alaska Goldpanners Roster of Team USA Alumni

1963 Midnight Sun Game Floyd Watson

"Meet Our Goldpanners" Thanks to Al Coutts  for 1963 Season Pics!

1968 Yearbook Cover
Boone & Seinsoth

2/4/8: Jim Brock lived for baseball in his final days "You might wonder, why was it baseball for me?" he says. "Simple. No sport in the world comes close to it..   Energized, ASU scores once in the second, then blows the game open in the fourth. Catcher Todd Cady (93) hits a two-run homer, and first baseman Damon Lembi follows with a solo shot." JIM BROCK "I am making every effort to get our two best freshmen signed to a Fairbanks contract because I feel, at this time, Fairbanks is the best non-pro organization in the country."
2/4/8: 1984 Baseball Schedule - Added
2/4/8: 1984 Season Roster - "The Big List" Added

1983 Goldpanners - June Picture

Beau Mills (06) "It's just my personal goal to get to Double-A or Triple A by the end of the year."

2/2/8: Warrior players return for ring ceremony "Beau Mills, Jessie Mier, Mark Thompson. Remember those guys from last year's NAIA World Series Championship team? Well those three players and more are back in town this weekend for the annual Ring ceremony."
2/2/8: John Butcher (76) New Scrapbook
2/2/8: Jason Brown (95-96) New Scrapbook - Non Roster Invitee to Spring Training with Yankees
2/2/8: Pete Broberg (69-70) College Kept Broberg From A's in 1968

"In 1979, Broberg signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who gave him a choice of going to Triple-A or being released.  "I went home," Broberg said. "They still had to pay me, and the Dodgers paid my way through law school." Broberg went on to be a lawyer and now owns his own firm in West Palm Beach."

2/1/8: 2008 Season Schedule
2/1/8: J.J. Brock (97) Now coaching at Georgetown
2/1/8: 1977 Kamloops Tournament Champions (Not 1978 as Previously Listed) Help with identifications would be appreciated email todd @ goldpanners.com

Steve Dunning (69)

Kerry Dineen (72)

Brad Brink (84)
Teacher of the Year, Carroll Fowler Elementary
Mother of All-Time Rosters

Mag: "How did you feel the day you were signed to your first pro deal?"  Brad: "Rich!" (Jon Valenti (92) Reference!)

Ed Olsen elected to JC Baseball Hall of Fame

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-15-08) -- Long-time Grossmont College baseball coach ED OLSEN (74-75-76-77) produced plenty of impressive numbers during his 22 seasons as the Gossmont Griffins skipper.

It all starts with his 516-376-7 record, which ranks among state's top 10 for coaching victories.

The Olsen legacy doesn't stop there. He's guided 11 Griffins into the major leagues and helped an additional 355 players receive some form of scholarship.  Olsen will be inducted in the CCCBA Hall of Fame on May 23 in Fresno, site of the state baseball championships.

1/29/8: Sung-Wei Tseng (05) Minor League Insider : Sung-Wei Tseng

Neil Simons (78-79)

1/28/7: West Coast Conference/Rawlings 40th Anniversary Baseball Team - Miah Bradbury, Billy Bean, Barry Matthews, Rich Troedson, Joe Ciccarella, Chris Donnels, Tim Layana, Steve Rodriguez
1/28/7: Added Boone genealogy to Bob, Bret (9th generation descendent of Daniel Boone)

1/24/8: Ryan Garko (00) Garko makes himself at home
1/24/8: Clarence Griego (07) Joins Gold Sox "Yuba College baseball fans will recognize one of manager Jack Johnson's new assistants, but the on-field brain trust for the 2008 Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox will be very different this year. "
 

Al Coutts (63)
Al Coutts, 1963 Pictures at Flickr

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2008 Site Updates
2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

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Barry Bonds ALL-TIME HOME RUN KING 1983 GOLDPANNERS

NAVIGATING
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2008: Schedule/Results • Statistics • Personnel || Roster - Tim Gloyd • Shawn Epidendio • Nate Anderson • Bryan Tapley // Bryan Beres • Kyle Brule • Nick Ciolli • Andrew Clauson • Cody Crutcher • Steven Davis • Trent Diedrich • Jake Dunning • Tyler Duran • Adam Gaylord • Jeremy Gillan • Jason Hamel • Jonathan Harmston • Ryan Heroy • Ben Jones • Bill Lee  • Matt Maggiolo • Nigel Morton • Thomas Myers • Matt Newman • Eric Nyquist • Jon Pokorny • Ryan Robowski • Ryan Scoma • Casey Stevenson • Reid Suitor • Sean Timmons • Raoul Torrez | 2008 Team Baseball Card Set | All-Time Roster • All-Time Lineups

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