DODGE CITY —
So the Goldpanners loaded one division of their team on a bus and hit the road for Wichita, where they'll play in the ceremonial opening game of the tournament on Aug. 1.
"We'll be playing against the Liberal Bee Jays, arguably Kansas' most successful team," said Don Dennis, general manager of the team since 1967.
Land of the midnight sun
The Goldpanners are perhaps best known for their annual game, which is always played at midnight June 21.
What makes the game worthy of recognition is the fact that the late-night game is played without lights, thanks to the perpetual light that illuminates Fairbanks for three midsummer days. Fairbanks is far enough north that the sun never actually sets for those three days each year.
As Dennis put it, "Sunset for those three days just consists of the sun kind of skimming horizontally along the horizon, occasionally disappearing behind a row of mountains."
The midnight sun game started seven years before Anchorage was even founded and is considered the oldest continuous event in the state.
The Goldpanners team was founded in 1906 by Ed Stroecker. Ed's son, Bill, became president of the team in 1965 and has maintained the family enterprise to the present.
"Bill is 89 and will turn 90 in a few days," Stroecker said.
Ode to barnstorming baseball teams
As they planned their 23-game tour of Canada and the U.S. leading up to the ceremonial game and the tournament itself, the managers decided to hit as many locations as possible that had some historic meaning for baseball fans and players.
The players on the team are primarily from California, Oregon and Washington.
"We don't raise too many Alaskan players," Dennis said, "and there's not many teams out there barnstorming like this anymore."
"We decided to include Dodge City partly because of its historical significance and partly because of Phil Stephenson," Dennis said.
Stephenson is the baseball coach at Dodge City Community College and also works with the Goldpanners.
Dodge City's newest deputy
Dennis was honored Monday with an appointment as an honorary Dodge City deputy marshal. The ceremony, which took place in the Long Branch Saloon, led Dennis to reminisce about an earlier trip to Boot Hill.
"As a kid, I came here in 1953, and I still have my little blue Boot Hill pennant," Dennis said. "But I certainly learned a lot more riding the trolley on this trip," he added.
The Goldpanners spent Monday evening as guests of the Dodge City A's. (For more information, check out Keith Jenkins' results on the sports page.)
Tuesday morning, the Goldpanners headed for parts north and west. By the end of their tour, they will have seen a lot of country, learned a little history and celebrated several important anniversaries.
For more information on the tournament in Wichita, visit the National Baseball Congress Web site at www.nbcbaseball.com.
Reach Don Steele at (620) 408-9910 or e-mail him at don.steele@dodgeglobe.com
DODGE CITY —
For the Alaska
Goldpanners of Fairbanks, it just
seemed like a good year to
celebrate. It's the 50th anniversary
of Alaska statehood. The Goldpanners
are marking their 50th year as one
of the most successful teams in the
National Baseball Congress, which is
celebrating its 75th anniversary
with a tournament in Wichita soon.
So the
Goldpanners loaded one division of
their team on a bus and hit the road
for Wichita, where they'll play in
the ceremonial opening game of the
tournament on Aug. 1.
"We'll be playing
against the Liberal Bee Jays,
arguably Kansas' most successful
team," said Don Dennis, general
manager of the team since 1967.
Land of the midnight sun
The Goldpanners
are perhaps best known for their
annual game, which is always played
at midnight June 21.
What makes the
game worthy of recognition is the
fact that the late-night game is
played without lights, thanks to the
perpetual light that illuminates
Fairbanks for three midsummer days.
Fairbanks is far enough north that
the sun never actually sets for
those three days each year.
As Dennis put it,
"Sunset for those three days just
consists of the sun kind of skimming
horizontally along the horizon,
occasionally disappearing behind a
row of mountains."
The midnight sun
game started seven years before
Anchorage was even founded and is
considered the oldest continuous
event in the state.
The Goldpanners
team was founded in 1906 by Ed
Stroecker. Ed's son, Bill, became
president of the team in 1965 and
has maintained the family enterprise
to the present.
"Bill is 89 and
will turn 90 in a few days,"
Stroecker said.
Ode to barnstorming baseball teams
As they planned
their 23-game tour of Canada and the
U.S. leading up to the ceremonial
game and the tournament itself, the
managers decided to hit as many
locations as possible that had some
historic meaning for baseball fans
and players.
The players on
the team are primarily from
California, Oregon and Washington.
"We don't raise
too many Alaskan players," Dennis
said, "and there's not many teams
out there barnstorming like this
anymore."
"We decided to
include Dodge City partly because of
its historical significance and
partly because of Phil Stephenson,"
Dennis said.
Stephenson is the
baseball coach at Dodge City
Community College and also works
with the Goldpanners.
Dodge City's newest deputy
Dennis was
honored Monday with an appointment
as an honorary Dodge City deputy
marshal. The ceremony, which took
place in the Long Branch Saloon, led
Dennis to reminisce about an earlier
trip to Boot Hill.
"As a kid, I came
here in 1953, and I still have my
little blue Boot Hill pennant,"
Dennis said. "But I certainly
learned a lot more riding the
trolley on this trip," he added.
The Goldpanners
spent Monday evening as guests of
the Dodge City A's. (For more
information, check out Keith
Jenkins' results on the sports
page.)
Tuesday morning,
the Goldpanners headed for parts
north and west. By the end of their
tour, they will have seen a lot of
country, learned a little history
and celebrated several important
anniversaries.
For more
information on the tournament in
Wichita, visit the National Baseball
Congress Web site at
www.nbcbaseball.com.
Reach Don Steele at (620) 408-9910
or e-mail him at
don.steele@dodgeglobe.com
Monday
July
20,
2009
Sigala
sends
Goldpanners
Away
with
Loss
Third
basemen
Oscar
Sigala
ruined
the
Alaska
Goldpanners
visit
to
Dodge
City
in
the
bottom
of
the
ninth
inning.
With
the
game
tied
5-5
in
the
last
inning,
Chris
Winder
reached
base
to
lead
off
the
inning
and
stole
second
base.
Sigala
then
came
up
with
two
outs
and
delivered
the
game-winning
RBI
just
beyond
the
centerfielder's
reach
in
the
left
center
gap
to
win
the
game
6-5.
Starter
Jermaine
Barksdale
pitched
well
until
he
surrendered
five
walks.
David
Saiz
then
came
in
to
pitch
5
1/3
solid
innings.
He
gave
up
three
hits,
one
run,
zero
earned
runs,
and
five
strikeouts
to
keep
the
game
close.
Michael
Lacourse
came
in
to
pitch
the
last
inning
to
get
the
win.
Lacourse
got
out
of a
second
and
third
situation
and
one
out
with
two
strikeouts
in a
row
in
the
top
of
the
ninth
inning.
Sigala
was
2
for
5 at
the
plate
with
a
run
scored
and
the
game-winning
RBI.
Catcher
Brad
Cochrane
was
3
for
4
with
a
home
run
in
the
game.
Landon
Anderson,
Zach
Atkins,
Max
Taylor,
and
Mark
Radmacher
also
added
RBI's
for
the
A's.
By Aaron Torres, Goldpanner Media
DODGE CITY —
On
Monday,
the
Alaska
Goldpanners
made
a
stop
at
Cavalier
Field
along
their
trip
through
the
lower
48
states
as
they
celebrate
50
years
of
baseball.
The
Dodge
City
Athletics
could
not
have
cared
less.
The
A's
(15-22)
spoiled
the
Goldpanners
visit
by
beating
the
team
from
up
north
6-5
on a
walk-off
single
in
the
ninth
inning
by
third
baseman
Oscar
Sigala.
Alaska
struck
first
in
the
top
of
the
second
with
two
RBI-groundouts
to
take
a
2-0
lead.
But
Dodge
answered
in
the
bottom
half
with
three
runs
of
their
own.
A's
left
fielder
Max
Taylor
doubled
to
center
field
to
bring
home
Dodge's
first
run
of
the
game,
scoring
first
baseman
Zach
Atkins
who
reached
on a
single
to
left.
The
next
at-bat,
designated
hitter
Mark
Radmacher
singled
to
center
to
score
Taylor
and
tied
the
game
at
two
runs
apiece.
Radmacher
later
scored
Dodge's
third
run
of
the
inning
on a
groundout
by
center
fielder
Landon
Anderson.
In
the
top
of
the
third,
Dodge
starting
pitcher
Jeremy
Barksdale
walked
the
bases
loaded
and
threw
a
wild
pitch
to
send
home
the
tying
run.
Later
in
the
inning,
Barksdale
walked
in
another
run
with
the
bases
jammed
and
Alaska
grabbed
a
4-3
lead.
The
score
remained
the
same
until
the
bottom
of
the
fourth
when
Dodge
catcher
Brad
Cochrane
tagged
Goldpanners
starter
Brett
Williams
for
a
solo
shot
to
left.
The
home
run
knotted
the
score
at
four
runs
each.
Alaska
finally
got
the
run
back
in
the
top
of
the
sixth
as
third
baseman
Josh
Ashenbrenner
hit
a
RBI-groundout
to
give
the
Goldpanners
a
5-4
lead.
Dodge
failed
to
score
in
the
bottom
of
the
sixth
or
the
seventh,
but
Atkins
tied
the
score
5-5
with
a
groundout
to
third,
which
scored
Sigala
who
reached
on a
fielding
error
by
Alaska
short
stop
Trent
Olezszcuk.
In
the
bottom
of
the
ninth
with
two
outs
and
the
score
still
knotted
at
five,
Sigala
stepped
to
the
plate
and
singled
in
the
winning
run,
scoring
second
baseman
Chris
Winder
who
took
a
pitch
to
the
body
earlier
in
the
inning
to
give
the
A's
a
baserunner.
Sigala
went
2-for-5
on
the
night,
while
Cochrane
led
the
way
with
a
3-for-4
performance
at
the
plate.
"Hopefully
these
guys
are
having
fun,"
A's
manager
Jeremy
Irlbeck
said.
"And
they
looked
like,
tonight,
they
looked
like
they
had
fun.
So
hopefully
a
win
like
this
propels
us
into
a
couple
games
in
Derby
and
we'll
see
what
happens."
The
A's
will
head
to
Derby
today
for
a
two-game
series
with
the
Twins.
Dodge
is
back
at
home
this
Sunday
to
take
on
the
Liberal
BeeJays.
Note:
Check
out
tomorrow's
edition
for
an
extended
look
at
the
history
of
the
Alaska
Goldpanners
of
Fairbanks
baseball
club
with
words
from
Alaska
general
manager
of
43
years
Bob
Dennis
and
A's
general
manager
and
Dodge
City
Community
College
head
baseball
coach
Phil
Stephenson.
Stephenson
earned
a
spot
on
the
list
of
the
top-50
Goldpanners
of
all-time
for
his
play
as
the
team's
designated
hitter
during
the
summers
of
1980
and
1981.
Goldpanners Hit the Town in Dodge
City, KS
Aaron Torres
Monday was a busy day for the Midnight Sun Goldpanners, as they took part in several activities during their one day in Dodge City, KS.
The kick-off actually began the night before, when the Goldpanners received a welcome dinner put together by Dodge City resident Debbie Setzkorn and several families who hosted the Goldpanners players during their stay. Despite the team getting in at close to 11 p.m.- some four hours after their expected arrival due to a tire repair on the team bus- they were welcomed with a great hot dinner of Midwestern barbeque, homemade macaroni and cheese, and a variety of desserts.
It was time to sightsee Monday morning, as the team took a trolley ride through the historic Kansas town of Dodge City. Players, coaches and support staff took the trolley up to Boot Hill, Gospel Hill, and several buildings, including a library and post office that was nearly 200 years old.
Next, the team took a walking tour of Dodge City, seeing several important landmarks dedicated to the television show Gunsmoke. Although Gunsmoke was never actually filmed in the small town, there are several monuments and plaques honoring the cast, including it’s most famous alum- Burt Reynolds, who was just starting his acting career at that point, as the show's storyline was based in the old western town of Dodge City, KS.
Following the walking tour, the Goldpanners had the opportunity to tour a local museum, where they took in a real, old-fashioned Wild West shootout. Several Goldpanners posed for pictures following the shoot-out.
The final scheduled event of the day was the most important, as the team visited the Youthville children’s facility, right outside the town. The facility is home to children who have been neglected or abandoned by their parents and are cared for by the State of Kansas.
During the Goldpanners two hours at the facility, the team answered several questions from the children, ranging from how they got involved in baseball, which are their favorite teams and players and even what video games and movies were the favorites.
The Goldpanners finished their day playing baseball, losing 6-5 to the Dodge City A’s. Despite the loss, several players commented that it was one of the most fun experiences of the barnstorming trip to date.
