ALL-TIME WIN/LOSS RECORD THRU 2011: TOTAL GAMES (2,870); WINS (1,881); LOSSES (989) ALL-TIME WINNING PERCENTAGE: 65%
All-Time Leading Champions
51 Seasons of Championship Baseball
The Alaska Goldpanners have won the
NBC national championship tournament six times, a feat unequaled by any other club.
In addition to the NBC tournament, the Goldpanners have captured numerous other state, national and international championships. Alaska League success is underscored by two seven-year league championship stretches (1962-1968 & 1978-1984). The decade of the 90s saw the Goldpanners win five league championships.
Amazing Panner to Major Leagues
Mark Reaches 197!
Brooks
Conrad (99-00) & Mike Cervanek (98)
No less than 188 former Goldpanners have ascended to the major leagues coming off 37 of the teams - averaging 5 Goldpanners per team to reach the pinnacle of the sport. The record of sending Goldpanners to the major leagues is not even remotely challenged by any other single summer amateur team.
The latest to reach the majors from the Goldpanners is
Oakland Athletics infielder Brooks Conrad. With
his elevation, the 2008 Oakland A's reprised a Panner
middle infield, as Brooks rejoins 1999 Goldpanner Bobby
Crosby.
Baseball Popular
in the Far North
Games Called at Midnight Where the Spell of the Yukon Reigns
Baseball has always been the great game in Alaska. When the Klondike was booming there were four semi-professional clubs in that city, and twice each week every one with any life or ambition was present. Stores were closed up, and thousands of dollars changed hands on each game.
In the North baseball games are called at 8 o'clock in the evening, and on June 21st games are called at midnight, it being as light then as it is in Seattle at 7 o'clock. In all the wide world there are more real, genuine fans to the population in Alaska than elsewhere.
Growden Memorial Park, Fairbanks AK "this diamond is not
only the geographic pinnacle of baseball, it's the
spiritual pinnacle as well." Jim Caple, ESPN
Located near intersection of Wilbur and Airport Rd. | Stadium lights visible from McDonald's on Airport
Beau Mills featured in Baseball Film "I saw the
one about the Cape, but thought this one was even
more fun to watch," he said. "They actually came out
and traveled with us for a good while and came on
some fishing trips with us. Doing that and being
part of that was a great experience."
Lights, camera -- baseball: Filmmakers shoot
documentary on Alaska Baseball League "Shawn
Maltby, the general manager of the Peninsula Oilers,
saw an earlier cut of the movie and told Carroll he
thought the Goldpanners received too much attention
and the rest of the league did not receive enough.
Maltby said the new version is much better."
I got to live the Alaskan lifestyle, but we were also
playing baseball all the time. I was able to get some
great experience starting and facing great competition.
12/16/9: ABCA Convention Goldpanner Clinicians:
Scott Striklin - "Catching Skills
and Drills"
Brent Strom - "Blending: The
Art of Improving or Enhancing the Rate in Which Movement
Patterns Transfer from Our Practicfe, Training or Drill
to Game Time."
8/4/9:
Bret
Lachemann (09)
Where baseball burns bright Its good to coach the
college kids again, to see the College World Series kids
from (Arizona State University), to see the level of
dedication and how good the kids are, Lachemann said.
I got a chance to deal with the college guys on an
everyday basis. It was a great way to get that fix. Its
good for me because Ive been coaching high school and I
can go back and probably be a little tougher on our
guys. You guys say you want to play college baseball?
You gotta work your butt off.
7/24/9:
Graham steps down as Belgrade manager - "The
biggest highlight of my career was bringing the
Alaska Goldpanners in and being able to coach the
college kids from Montana.
"Dennis said the people of Fairbanks
have kept the Goldpanners afloat for 50 years, and they
have truly made the team their own."
7/6/9:
Red Boucher: Alaskan Progressive "I had
been soured on Democratic politics by the Vietnam war
and Humphrey's losing 1968 campaign against Nixon, but
Red got me involved in politics on the local level. He
convinced me that if I wanted the party to change, I
needed to work for change at the local level"
7/5/9:
Land of Midnight Baseball "It gets kind of dusky
like when youre at a ballgame and theyre about to turn
the lights on, but you dont need lights. You start to
get some shadows, then the sun comes up again."
"At one
point the sky turned really pink," Jablonski said. "But
the sun never went past the horizon. It was really cool.
Ive never played in front of a crowd that big."
More than
4,000 boisterous fans attended the game. The game is
halted briefly at midnight for the singing of a
traditional Alaskan folk song.
"They were
chanting the whole game," Yinger said. "The sun went
down and literally came right back up. "It was awesome.
It made the whole trip worth it. It was a great
atmosphere." 6/26/9:
All you ever wanted to know about Tom Seaver in Fairbanks ("The
reincarnation of Christy Mathewson") "The impossible seemed to have
occurred. Seavers 11-2 record at Fresno City College earned the
recruiting attention of Rod Dedeaux. He was a legitimate fastball
artist. Dedeaux called him the phee-nom from San Joaquin.
But Dedeaux needed to know for sure that he could compete for the
Trojans. I only have five scholarships to give out, the coach told
him. Before the ride would be offered, Seaver would have to prove
himself with the Fairbanks, Alaska Goldpanners.
Today, collegiate summer baseball is a well-known commodity. Many
scouts place more credence on a players performance in one of these
leagues than they do on their college seasons. The Cape Cod League
uses only wooden bats, which proves to be a great equalizer for
pitchers and a shock for aluminum-bat sluggers who find themselves
batting .250 on the Cape. Summer ball has a long tradition in
Canada, where American collegians test themselves in such exotic
locales as Red Deer, Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton. The Kamloops
International Tournament in British Columbia has attracted some of
the fastest baseball for decades. The Jayhawk League, consisting of
teams from Boulder, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, plus Kansas and Iowa,
was once a leading destination for college players. The California
Collegiate Summer League, consisting of teams from the Humboldt
Crabs in the north to the San Diego Aztecs in the south, has
produced many stars in its various forms over the years.
But
the Alaskan Summer Collegiate League is the most legendary. Over
time, the league became the Alaska-Hawaii League, with teams flying
in for extended road trips on the islands and the land of the
midnight sun.
The team was put together by a man named Red Boucher, said former
Met pitcher Danny Frisella, who was a teammate of Seavers in
Fairbanks. Boucher was the Mayor of Fairbanks. He got all the best
young ball players up there. Andy Messersmith of the University of
California became a 20-game winner with the California Angels. Mike
Paul pitched for Cleveland. Graig Nettles played for Minnesota. USC
quarterback Steve Sogge, a baseball catcher, played on that team.
Rick Monday was an All-American at Arizona State, where he was a
teammate of Reggie Jackson and Sal Bando in a program that captured
the 1965 National Championship (also producing Mets pitcher Gary
Gentry). In the very first amateur draft ever held in 1965, Monday
became the first player chosen, by the Kansas City As.
Monday was there the year I was and he couldnt even make our
team, said Frisella. I think 13 guys were signed off that team. It
was semi-pro ball, and we played eight games a week. We didnt get
paid. Not for playing ball. But I earned $650 a month for pulling a
lever on a dump truck. And I didnt have to pull the lever too
often.
6/14/9:
Film Crew Captures Essence of Midnight Sun Four Massachusetts
filmmakers spent two years following the teams in the Alaska League.
They sent me an advance copy of the DVD, and it is about as in-depth
a look at the world of Alaska baseball that we might ever see.
6/9/09 FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS MINER / 25 YEARS AGO
June 9, 1984 Theyve all played here before.
In 24 years, the likes of Dave Winfield, Craig
Nettles, Tom Seaver, Tim Wallach and Steve Kemp have graced the
hallowed walls of Growden Memorial Park in the baseball uniforms of
the Alaska Goldpanners.
Now, its the Page Odles, the Kevin Basts, the
Troy Evers et al who are the new boys of summer.
Tonight, the 25th edition of Fairbanks
non-professional baseball club, the Goldpanners, renews its annual
romance with the Golden Heart City.
Ryan Heroy (08)
has recorded at least one hit over the past six games since
starting the season with an 0-for-4 ... Heroy has produced three
multi-hit performances during this stretch and is currently
batting .290.
SacState: Shortstop
Derrick Chung
(09R) did his part, knocking in a run in the 5th and 7th
innings, but the Arizona bullpen showed some of its 2008 magic,
not allowing the Hornets to have any multi-run innings.
Tokarz went 2-for-5 and hit a
grand slam but it was not enough as the Lions tagged Eastern
junior starting pitcher Tyler Kehrer
(09R) for seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.
12/14/9:
Interview with 2010 Goldanner Darian Sanford "I
am not trying to sound arrogant, but I feel I should
have been in the top 5 in both lists because of the type
of season I had. My biggest step from college to the
pros would be my swing from the left side. It's good but
not as good as I want it to be. I think I can hit any
pitching but I am working on developing more power."
7/18/9:
Glacier Pilots' offense too much for
Goldpanners In a fight to
stay alive in the Alaska Baseball League title race, the
Pilots defeated the Alaska Goldpanners 9-7 on Saturday
night at Growden Memorial Park
7/4/9:
In the land of "continual sunlight" - "After dinner and
the Midnight Sun Festival, Brad and I attended the 104th
Midnight Sun Game hosted by the Alaska Goldpanners. It was
one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. The game
started at 10:30 at night and went until about 1 am. The
whole game was played under natural light. The furthest the
sun went down was a little bit under the horizon but it
never got dark. It was neat seeing baseball played under
those conditions and to see how much the community supported
that game, as over three thousand people attended the game.
Im really glad I had the opportunity to go to the game."
7/3/9:
Alaska Goldpanners baseball tour stops in Longview Monday, Tuesday
Longview turns golden on Tuesday.
A touring team representing the legendary Alaska Goldpanners baseball club
will take on the Red Lion Senior American Legion squad at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
at David Story Field in an exhibition matchup.7/2/9:
Goldpanners escape jams for victory over Miners
A diving catch and a bizarre play helped the Alaska
Goldpanners clinch a 2-1 win Wednesday over the Mat-Su Miners
6/30/9: ESPN:
San Diego Chicken Deserves Hall Call "My guy? Ted Giannoulas, aka the
San Diego Chicken."They've got a
players' wing [in the Hall of Fame]," Giannoulas said. "They've got
a broadcasters' wing. And I hope one day they'll have a chicken
wing."6/29/9:
Panners knock off Bucs for third straight ABL victory The
Goldpanners scored two runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead, and
never trailed after that. They added a run in the third, two more in the
four, another in the sixth and a pair in the seventh.
Thank you Jarod! 10 RBI in 11 Games
Good luck in 2010
Aaron Torres - Touching the Game: Alaska
"Alaska
Goldpanners of Fairbanks head coach Tim Gloyd announced Wednesday that
Sacramento State pitcher Jesse Darrah will take the mound Sunday night,
when the Goldpanners host the Lake Erie Monarchs in the 104th
edition of the Midnight Sun Game.
Boucher's Vision Changed Baseball in Alaska - We had a
remarkable relationship from the moment I met him in 1964, Dennis
said. He was one of those guys that when you met him you knew you
would never forget him. There are so few who genuinely stand out
that way.His family said Boucher earned his lifelong
nickname after President Franklin Roosevelt met the red-haired
boy and said, They ought to call you Red. The family said he
ended up in Alaska after campaigning for a young senator from
Massachusetts by the name of John F. Kennedy, who told him there
was great potential in the far north territory.Former Fairbanks mayor, Goldpanners founder 'Red' Boucher dies at 88FILM KICKS OFF MIDNIGHT SUN GAME FESTIVITIESMIDNIGHT SUN GAME IN THE NEWS
2009 Picture Page Heroes of the Game : Derrick Chung (HR) ; Sean Timmons (W#34)
6/11/9:
Shorthanded Goldpanners Open ABL Season
Whether were ready or not, were going to put a team on the
field, Dennis said with a chuckle earlier this week. Usually
the Panners open the season with a series of exhibition games
against teams from Outside, then begin the ABL season. Since the
ABL expanded from 35 to 45 league games this season, the
exhibition games are intermingled with the regular season
action."SEAN TIMMONS GETS MSG SAVE TO GO WITH THREE
WINS!
2/29/9:
AK Hall of
Fame welcomes inductees "H.A. "Red" Boucher founded the Alaska
Goldpanners in Fairbanks and helped push Alaska baseball into
national prominence in the 1960's. One of many future big leaguers
to play for Boucher was Tom Seaver who observed that Boucher
instilled such a sense of unity and pride in his players "that there
still remains a feeling of brotherhood among us fortunate enough to
have played for him."
Lake Erie Monarchs - 2009 Midnight Sun Series
1/5/9:
Lake Erie Monarchs to Play in 104th Midnight Sun Game To be able to
represent the Great Lakes League and the Great Lakes region in the Midnight
Sun game is one of the greatest opportunities our organization will have
ever taken part in, stated Jim DeSana, the Monarchs General Manager.
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.
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)
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
League of their
own Jason Giambi's home run for Colorado on Saturday
was his first in the National League, after 14 1/2
seasons and 407 homers in the American League. And
it left just two hitters among the top 20 active
home-run leaders who have hit all their long balls
in the AL --Alex Rodriguez (579) and David Ortiz
(313). There are five in the top 20 whose home runs
have come in the NL only --Chipper Jones (425),
Albert Pujols (366), Todd Helton (324), Adam Dunn
(315) and ance Berkman (311).
7/24/9:
Ryan Garko (00)
Garko could be next on the trade block "If
Garko was making the Major League minimum or
something close to it, his position on the active
roster would not be much of an issue. But that won't
be the case beyond 2009. Garko is entering
arbitration-eligibility this winter, and if you look
at his comparables around the league, he's in line
for a hefty raise."
Ryan Robowski (08) pitched 1 2/3
scoreless, hitless innings - on just 14 pitches
- to pick up the win.
7/20/9:
Brooks
Conrad (99-00)
Round Rock Ex-Press: Brooks Conrad "Conrad was
recently promoted to the MLB on July 3, where his bat
caught fire quickly for the Braves. He is receiving nice
playing time, and has now logged 13 games this season
(more than doubling his career high in games). Similar
to his Triple-A Express call up, the second basemans
switch must have been flipped again: hes hitting .344
with 2 homeruns, 8 RBI, and 6 runs in his 32 at-bats."
Jamestown's
Sequoyah Stonecipher (07) sent a high
fastball into the left-field picnic deck for a
two-run homer in the first.
Pinch-hitter Brooks
Conrad (99-00 MVP) hit a go-ahead three-run
homer in the seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves beat
the Washington Nationals 9-8 on Friday night for their
season-high fifth straight win. "Huge thrill,
obviously the best experience I've had in the big
leagues," Conrad said. "It was only 12 days last year.
It just feels awesome to come up in a situation like
that and contribute right away."Emerson Frostad
(03) is batting .369 in June (24-for-65) with 6 doubles, a triple,
homer and 10 RBIs.
Bill
"Spaceman" Lee (66-67-08)
He Came From His Vermont Farm "Lee was asked on Sunday how
effective he remained at his advanced baseball age. And, no
surprise, he hesitated not at all.
"Let's put it this way," Lee answered. "On June
21st of last year, I won the 103rd Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks,
Ala., after losing the 62nd Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, Ala., on
June 21st in 1967. So, 41 years, three wives, four children and five
grandchildren later, I go back and beat the kids who are supposed to
be the next generation of big-league ballplayers. As Casey Stengel
said, you can look it up."
I did, and it was true. Before a roaring crowed
of 4,900, Lee went six-plus innings, allowing four runs on seven
hits while striking out three to earn the win in the Alaska
Goldpanners' 10-6 victory over the Southern California Running
Birds. And never mind, as he said, that those young Birds could have
caught his fastball with their teeth.
You see, he won. And he won the old-fashioned
way."
No. 286 Jon Pokorny (08), Brewers
No. 428: Seqouyah Stonecipher (07), Marlins
No. 486 Ryan Robowski (08-09R), Diamondbacks
No. 492 Dakota Watts (07), Twins
No. 531 Jeremy Gillan (08), Angels
No. 564 Chris Tremblay (07 MVP), Padres
No. 571 Dustin Garneau (08), Rockies
No. 826 Ryan Platt (07), Milwaukee
No. 861 Carson Andrew (07)
Bobby Crosby
(99) has kept his cell phone close at hand over the past week or
so because his wife, Gina, has been expecting their first child,
a boy.
Crosby got the call in the seventh inning of the A's 3-0 victory
over Baltimore on Sunday, and Manager Bob Geren told him to head
to the hospital immediately. "He got a phone call and his wife
was in labor in the hospital," Geren said after the game. Crosby
started at first base, and Jack Hannahan replaced him for the
top of the eighth.
Las Vegas' Jason Lane
(96-97) doubled twice and Aaron Mathews
(03) drove in two with a single
5/24/9: Carlos Fisher
(04) GP2MLB#197 - Fisher had spent the first six
weeks of the 2009 season with the Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville
Bats. Fisher made 13 appearances for the Bats, all in relief, and went 2-0
with a 2.00 earned run average (18 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 21 SO). Kris Medlen (05)
Set for MLB Debut - GP2MLB#196 "Braves pitcher Kris Medlen will have to wait a little longer for his
big-league debut. Because of a change in plans after Sundays rainout, the
23-year-old right-hander is set to start Thursday against Colorado, instead
of Tuesday."
"Generously listed as 5-foot-10, Medlen dominated hitters in the
International League, where he was 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA and .152 opponents
average. He had 44 strikeouts and 10 walks in 37 1/3 innings."
OAKLAND / GOLDPANNERS CONNECTION
Ron Romanick (80) - Bullpen Coach ; Todd Steverson (89) - First Base Coach;
Jason Giambi (90) - First Base; Adam Kennedy (95) - Second Base ;
Bobby Crosby (99) - Third Base
3/17/9:
Emerson Frostad (03)
Promoted to MLB camp with Indians
3/16/9:
Ryan Garko playing outfield: A good deal for Cleveland Indians
"There's no negatives to it other than if
you're selfish," said Garko. "I don't think anyone in this locker
room is like that and I'm not going to be like that. "It's only going to help the team. It's only going to
help my career if I can play another position. To be negative about
it wouldn't be very intelligent."
3/11/9: Sung-Wei Tseng (RHP,
Chinese Taipei): 1 game, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0
BB, 4 K, 1.00 WHIP after Chinese Taipei was eliminated by China,
4-1.
3/8/9:
Bob
Gallagher - Cardboard God "When he was at
his peak as a player, winning those championships with the Alaska
Goldpanners, Bob Gallagher must have felt as if there were flecks of
gold in his veins. He had learned how to hit, perhaps learned so
well he forget where hed learned it. It all felt as natural as
water running down a stream, as blood flowing from the heart."
3/6/9: Brooks Conrad
(99-00)
Conrad gives G-Braves big bat "I'm going to do everything
I can in spring training to make the Braves," the young center
fielder said before the start of the Grapefruit League games. "Of
course, I want to be in Atlanta. (But) if I'm sent to Gwinnett, I'll
be excited to open the new stadium there."
3/5/9:
Fathers and Sons: Mills
3/3/9:
Second baseman Adam Kennedy may be good fit with Tampa Bay
"La Russa insisted Monday he wasn't angry at Kennedy, whom he has
"tremendous professional and personal respect for" a point he
plans to make in a future phone call. La Russa said it just wouldn't
have been a good fit, with the Cardinals planning an open
competition (converting outfielder Skip Schumaker into a second
baseman), and Kennedy wanting to be "the guy."
2/25/9: Donny Baarns (07
Broadcaster)
Interview with Visalia Media Relations Manager Donny Baarns
On top of
pile . . . on top of world
Here's
another in a series of memories from the
2008 championship season. Utility infielder
Mike Cervenak (98) had his first
big-league hit during the Phillies'
championship season of 2008, but that
wasn't his favorite memory. "My favorite
memory was jumping on the pile after
Game 5 of the World Series," said
Cervenak, 32, whose first pro contract
was in the Frontier League in 1999. "To
come from independent-league ball to be
part of a world-championship team was
even more memorable than my first hit." Cervenak was on
top of the celebratory pile, and he has
a souvenir picture of it. "I was
one of the later guys to get out there,"
he said. "Me and Greg Golson slapped
five, hugged, and ran out there."
2/19/9:
TB Rays sign Kennedy to MiLB deal
2/14/9:
Emerson Frostad (03)
Calgary hopeful eyes MLB promotion "It's a moment Greg Maddux likely
doesn't remember, but one Emerson Frostad will never forget. It's been almost two years since Frostad, a
Calgary product climbing the ranks in the Texas Rangers system,
ripped a double off the four-time Cy Young winner and sure-thing
Hall-of-Famer in a spring training outing, but his voice still
bubbles with enthusiasm as he recounts the tale. "That was definitely a highlight," Frostad said.
"(Maddux) tried to throw a fastball in and I hit a double down the
right field line ... I don't even think I could feel my feet
touching the ground. I was pretty jittery. It was pretty exciting."
2/12/9: Mike Couchee (76)
Padres roving instructor arrives in Portland
1/29/9: Mosiello (89)
Named Auburn Kernels managerMosiello has four
years of professional experience in the Yankees organization including a
129-98 (.568) record as the manager of the Charleston RiverDogs of the South
Atlantic League. He was named the interim manager with the Battle Creek
Yankees in 2004, compiling a 59-50 record in the MWL. 1/28/9: Aaron
Heilman (98 MVP)
Cubs acquire Heilman "The former Mets first-round Draft pick (2001, 18th
overall) spent most of the last four seasons as a New York reliever,
pitching exclusively out of the bullpen the last three years. He had his
best season in 2007, posting a 3.03 ERA in 81 games -- fifth most in the
National League that year"
1/26/9: Jason
Lane (96-97)
Lane signs MiLB deal with Toronto
1/23/9: Bobby Crosby
(99)
Crosby hitting stride with 'Big Mac'
1/16/9:
Bill "Spaceman" Lee
(66-67-08) "I've won more games than Satchel Paige," Lee argued. "I'm the
winningest Alaska pitcher with the lowest ERA of all-time. I pitched the
103rd Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks (Alaska, June 19, 2008) after losing
the 62nd Midnight Sun Game. That's 41 years between first and last. I think
I was throwing harder this time."
1/16/9:
Garko to take a shot at playing outfield
1/13/9: Tim
Wallach (78)
Wallach named manager of Isotopes "Having retired following the '96
season, Wallach was named hitting instructor for Class A San Bernadino in
'97 and stepped in as manager of the team for the second half of the '98
season. He spent the 2000 season coaching at Cal State-Fullerton (his alma
mater) before taking over as manager of the Class A Advanced Rancho
Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) in '01. Wallach was the hitting coach for the
Dodgers at the Major League level under Jim Tracy in '04 and '05. "
1/12/9:
Brad E. Davis (03) Invited to
Marlins Spring Training Camp 1/11/9:Todd Jennings (02)
Resigned by
SF, Invited to Spring Training "Jennings will make his fourth trip to the
Giants' spring camp, as he was also a non-roster invitee in 2004 and from
2006-07. The 6-foot-0, 190-pound backstop missed most of last season after
suffering a left ankle sprain and appeared in just 12 games for triple-A
Fresno."
1/4/9:Royce Ring
(00)
Royce Ring joins Cardinals
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. Smiths 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 didnt 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, Smiths friends and former teammate remembered the former
San Diego State pitchers 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 youll see on the way down. He was correct
with that advice he gave me
..Pic from 6/20/9...lights on in Anchorage from the beginning...
"It took Anchorage more than a century to catch
on, but this weekend the city will take a page from its neighbor to the
north and host a late-night, summer solstice baseball game -- 103 years
after Fairbanks first tried it." "Unlike the Midnight Sun game in Fairbanks -- which has gained
considerable national and even worldwide attention -- the Pilots won't go
into the game with a strict lights-out policy."
1960 MIDNIGHT SUN LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME 2 Teams, 16 Goldpanners
!
1960
Fairbanks All-Stars: Ray Wheeler (60-61; in
GP duds!), Fred Harris (61-62), George Mies
(60-61-62-63-64-65-66), Paul Long (61), John
Hollingsworth (60), Spencer Engle (60), Willie Taylor (60), Augie Acuna (60-61),
Floyd Watson (60-61-62-63), Lou Webb (60-61),
Ed Merdes (BOD:67-91), Phil Ramos (61), Bernie Bernstein (60),
Red Boucher (FOUNDER -
59-69;89-09)
1960 Military All-Stars:
Gonzales (61), Banales (61)
AND THE WINNER IS... (1960 All-Stars
weaker than 1960 Panners?)
Boucher, Dennis Span Panners' History
H.A. 'Red' Boucher founded the Goldpanners in 1960 under the sponsorship of his local sporting goods store. The team, then known as the Pan Alaska Goldpanners, joined the North of the Range League and used primarily local players but did have five young recruits from the University of Arizona.
Boucher, with a great assist from his wife Heida, virtually ran the club single-handedly from its inception through the first three seasons. But a big change came at the end of the '62 campaign when the Panners went to the
National Baseball Congress Tournament and astounded all by staying in the competition. The need for funds to maintain the stay, an eventual second place finish, led to the community involvement which was to spawn today's organization.
After founding the team, Boucher managed the club through
1969, but after the 1967 season he turned over all duties associated with the team to current general manager Don Dennis. Dennis, summoned by Boucher from a newspaper post in Pueblo, CO, has been the organization's administrative leader since November of that year.
more...
FAIRBANKS HISTORY & ALASKAN-LEGACIES.COM
The Chena River Area was first inhabited by Anglo-Americans at the beginning of the 20th Century. The history of baseball in Fairbanks dates back to these early days of the town's founding.
In its very first year of existence as a temporary trading post, Fairbanks became a gold rush camp when the mineral was discovered by Felix Pedro. After the gold rush settled down, the Defense Department invested millions into the area during WWII. After the war, the discovery of oil in the North Slope brought a housing and building boom for Fairbanks.
The original trading camp has
become a city teeming with activity. Throughout the century, a
main source of entertainment for the inhabitants was baseball.
Military and civilian teams were formed, and the
Midnight Sun Game
tradition was celebrated during the entire century and beyond. The
Alaska Goldpanners evolved out of the intense competition being
fielded in the Midnight Sun Baseball League. Immediately, the
new club gained dominance in the local scene, and then very shortly
thereafter the nation, becoming the national non-professional team
in the early 1960s. Six NBC championships later, the
Goldpanners have cemented the Fairbanks team as the most successful
non-professional club in baseball history.
No other amateur team comes
close to the nearly 200 players sent to the major leagues.
Among these are three Hall of Famers, Barry Bonds, Dave Winfield,
and Tom Seaver -- who holds the record for highest vote percentage
in MLB Hall of Fame balloting history.
1/17/9:
Mike Rooney (00)
League of their
own Jason Giambi's home run for Colorado on Saturday
was his first in the National League, after 14 1/2
seasons and 407 homers in the American League. And
it left just two hitters among the top 20 active
home-run leaders who have hit all their long balls
in the AL --Alex Rodriguez (579) and David Ortiz
(313). There are five in the top 20 whose home runs
have come in the NL only --Chipper Jones (425),
Albert Pujols (366), Todd Helton (324), Adam Dunn
(315) and ance Berkman (311). 
