Sunday, July 26, 2009

Alaska has key role in NBC

By Bob Lutz

The contradiction has been one of the core pieces of the National Baseball Congress' World Series 75 years.

Baseball in Alaska?

Doesn't even make sense. It's so cold in Alaska, after all. It's so far north. There are polar bears and ice caps and igloos.

But without Alaska, what would these 75 years — at least the past 47 of them — been like for the NBC?

It started with Fairbanks in 1962. The Goldpanners had been just a town team, playing other town teams in the area and not drawing much of a crowd or a response.

But then Don Dennis, a newspaper man from Grand Junction, Colo., who had a knowledge of the NBC's history because of the team from that town that played in Wichita during the 1950s, came on board.

"I got my first education by reading some NBC annuals when I took the sports editor's job in 1961,'' Dennis said. "(NBC founder) Hap Dumont was around in those days. And if you made contact with him, you kind of got infected."

Dennis would eventually find his way to Fairbanks in 1963, a year after the Goldpanners made a splash in their first NBC World Series by finshing second to the Rapid Transit Dreamliners of Wichita.

And during an amazing seven-tournament stretch from 1971-77, Fairbanks won four championships and was second three times. There has never been such dominance in the tournament, before or since.

The Goldpanners have played in the World Series only three times since 1986, yet their six titles are more than any other franchise. So are their six second-place finishes.

Though not a part of the World Series field this year, Fairbanks will play a couple of exhibitions early in the tournament to help with the 75-year celebration. On Saturday's opening night, the Goldpanners will take on another of the NBC's powerhouse franchises, the Liberal BeeJays.

"There's been nothing like this tournament,'' said Dennis, who is 70 and is celebrating the 50th year of the Goldpanners and the state of Alaska by accompanying the team on a nearly month-long barnstorming tour that is leading them to Wichita for opening-night festivities.

Fairbanks started out in Washington, then went to Canada and played in Idaho and Montana before moving into the Midwest for games in Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.

It's similar to what Fairbanks did preceding the NBC World Series in 1963, when the Goldpanners also barnstormed in towns along the way to take on willing opponents.

Dennis and Jim Dietz, who managed Fairbanks during its incredible run from 1971-77, are running the team during this tour.

In Wichita, Dennis and Dietz will be joined by former Fairbanks player and coach Bud Hollowell, a 1964 Olympian from Southern California. They are the only three men connected with the Goldpanners through five decades, Dennis said.

Red Boucher, a former Fairbanks mayor and baseball lover, founded the Goldpanners in 1960 and managed the team until 1969. Fairbanks' all-time roster is a Who's Who that includes Barry Bonds, Tom Seaver, Dave Winfield, Dave Kingman, Rick Monday, Bob Boone and Graig Nettles.

Fairbanks is only one of the crown jewels from Alaska. The Anchorage Glacier Pilots won the NBC World Series in their first year, 1969, and have won three other championships. The Kenai Peninsula Oilers have won three times; the Mat-Su Miners twice. The Anchorage Bucs and North Pole Nicks also have had success in Wichita.

Since Anchorage won the state's first NBC championship 40 years ago, Alaska teams have accounted for 16 titles and 13 runner-up finishes.

This tournament obviously wouldn't have been the same without them.

And it's a great gesture by the NBC to book Fairbanks for a couple of exhibitions, even though the Goldpanners didn't qualify for the World Series.

Liberal is an appropriate opponent. The BeeJays have met Fairbanks twice in championship games (1973 and 1980) and lost both.

"We're looking forward to playing Liberal,'' Dennis said. "We've told people that we're arguably the most successful franchise in NBC history and that Liberal is arguably the most successful team from Kansas. So it's a natural.''

Dennis says his love for the NBC is as strong as ever and disputes the notion that a feud with former tournament director Larry Davis caused him to curtail Fairbanks appearances. He said he is eager to make another stop at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

"I think there will be a strong nostalgic feeling for me,'' he said. "I wouldn't really call this a farewell tour for Dietz and me, but it's kind of like that. There are going to be a lot of warm-fuzzies.''

Top 25 NBC franchises

Bob Lutz ranks the teams that have been NBC regulars:

 

1. Fairbanks (Alaska) Goldpanners — The six championships and six runners-up speak for themselves. No team has produced more big-name players.

2. Anchorage (Alaska) Glacier Pilots — Four titles and a bunch of near misses. The Pilots won in 1969, their first season.

3. Grand Rapids (Mich.) Sullivans — Bob Sullivan, the skipper and owner, is one of the most colorful figures in NBC history and his team won four championships, including back-to-back in 1983 and '84.

4. Boulder (Colo.) Collegians — The mystique of the team and its leader, Bauldie Moschetti, was off the charts. Won in 1966, 1967, 1975 and 1978.

5. Ft. Wayne (Ind.) General Electrics/Capeharts/ Dairymen — The most powerful early franchise won four straight from 1947-50 and added a fifth title in 1956.

6. Liberal BeeJays — Now in its 55th year of operation, Liberal has been Kansas' best team over the long haul. Won championships in 1969, 1979, 1985 and 2000.

7. Hutchinson-Wichita-El Dorado Broncos — The orange-and-black dominated the late 1980s and '90s, winning in 1989, 1990, 1996 and 1998.

8. Wichita Rapid Transit Dreamliners — What a nickname. And what a team with championships in 1962, 1963 and 1965.

9. Kenai (Alaska) Peninsula Oilers — The first Alaska team other than Fairbanks or Anchorage to win, the Oilers broke through in 1977 and added championships in 1993 and 1994.

10. Santa Barbara (Calif.) Foresters — Bill Pintard's franchise has energized the tournament in recent years, winning championships in 2006 and 2008 and finishing second in 2003 and 2005.

11. Enid (Okla.) Enidairs/Champlain Oilers/ Army Air Field — The team from Enid accounted for four championships and three second-place finishes from 1937-45.

12. Wichita Boeing Bombers — The local aircraft plants used to be big in the tournament and Boeing's run during the 1940s and '50s was the biggest. The Bombers won in 1942, 1954 and 1955.

13. Midlothian (Ill.) White Sox — Midlothian's 1992 championship team is one of the most legendary in tournament history because of its prodigious offensive production. No team has ever hit like Midlothian, which finished second in 1988 and 1990.

14. Clarinda (Iowa) A's — The team that gave us Ozzie Smith in 1976, and has played in Wichita almost every year since, won its only championship in 1981 and is always fun to watch.

15. Sinton (Texas) Plymouth Oilers — Another staple of the early days, the Oilers won in 1951 and 1957 and were second in 1955.

16. Hays Larks — Hays has never won a title, but has finished second four times and is almost always in the hunt behind coach Frank Leo.

17. Buford (Ga.) Bona Allens — Made noise early with second-place finishes in 1936 and '37 and a championship in 1938.

18. Duncan (Okla.) Haliburtons — After finishing second to Satchel Paige and the Bismarck (N.D.) Corwin Church in the first tournament, the Haliburtons won the second and the fifth.

19. Mat-Su (Alaska) Miners — Yet another Alaska franchise made its mark, winning in 1987 and 1997 and finishing second in 2004.

20. Ft. Leonard Wood (Mo.) Hilltoppers — Military teams were prominent in the World Series during the 1940s and '50s and Ft. Leonard Wood was the best, winning in 1953 after finishing second a year earlier.

21. Santa Maria (Calif.) Indians — The team that wears all red won its only championship in 1982 but was a consistent contender for two decades.

22. Wichita Service Auto Glass — The Glassmen weren't around for long, but they made an impact. With local ex-pros dotting the roster, SAG won in 1964, beating Fairbanks.

23. Ponchatoula (La.) Athletics — A staple of the early 1960s, the colorful A's won in 1961 and were second twice.

24. Prairie Gravel (Ill.) —Once an understudy to Midlothian, Gravel busted through by winning the 2005 World Series.

25. Nevada (Mo.) Griffons — Never a winner, but the Griffons were second in 1997 and 1998.

© 2009 Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansas.com

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by Aaron Torres

WICHITA, KS- It was a disappointing way to end an exciting barnstorming summer.

The Midnight Sun Goldpanners rallied for three runs in the bottom of 9^th inning, butwith the bases loaded, still fell a run short, falling to the Liberal Beejays 6-5 in the NBC World Series.

Trailing 6-2 coming into the 9^th inning, the Goldpanners got three runs off reliever Matt Applegate, courtesy of a bases loaded double by Joe Pratt.

After Eric Lane started the rally with a walk, and Cam Christian and Mykal Stokes followed with back-to-back singles, Pratt came up and cleared the bases with a double down the right field line. Applegate was relieved by Mitch Caster, but the rally wasn’t over just yet.

Dave Duetchman followed with a walk, putting runners at first and second. After a Trent Olezsczuk strikeout, Josh Kalalau was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and bring up Travis Anderson, the Goldpanners top power hitter.

However, there would be no remarkable ending to the season as Anderson struck out ending the game for the Goldpanners.

On the mound, Thomas Hoenshell started for the Goldpanners, giving up five runs (but just two earned) in 5.2 innings pitched. He was relieved by Stephen Foster and Carey Schwartz.

The loss ended the season for the Goldpanners. They played in 11 states and Canada, with the highlight of the tour a victory in the Kamloops International Baseball Tournament, when they won three games on the last day of action to take home the championship.

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