Sain brings the family name, talent back to Fairbanks

Greg Sain has connections. Just his name conjures admiration in the eyes of old-timers who remember watching his father, infielder Tommy Sain, hit his way to two unforgettable seasons, topping the Goldpanner clubs in both 1973 and ’74 with batting averages above .300. Over the years, the elder Sain has remained good friends with Goldpanners GM Don Dennis.

But despite his family ties to Alaska, Greg himself has made an impression on Alaska baseball and it on him. He played his first season with the Panners last summer.  He had heard the stories of his father’s days in Fairbanks and wanted to experience them for himself. Although the 1999 summer was cut short for Greg because of a broken bone in his arm, he had seen enough to know that he wanted to return. And so, instead of heading off to the Cape Cod leagues as he had originally considered doing, the veteran Panner is back behind the plate catching for some of the newest Goldanners including Jason Luker, Chris Dunwell and David Gassner.

With an enthusiastic nod, Greg rattles off the reasons he enjoys playing baseball in the North.

"I have a great host family and roommate," he said. "And I like the coach (Dan Cowgill)."

Alaska is also a refreshing change from his home state of California. A visit to Denali had Greg hooked.

"I’m from California, where everything is touched by man," he said. "Denali National Park is so pure and untouched."

Oh, and the Fairbanks baseball team isn’t too bad either. In fact, Greg expects this 2000 Panners team to be exceptional.

"This year is different," he said. "Everyone shares a common goal: They all want to win and all want to go to the World Series."

He noted that there is "as much or more talent" on the team this year, and barring the injuries that plagued the team last season, this should be a season of exciting baseball for Fairbanks fans as well as for a certain catcher from the University of San Diego and a family named Sain.

Michelle Eastty