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Summer Love : For One Long, Sunny Night Every Year, Fairbanks, Alaska is the Baseball Capitol of America One of Dennis' heroes is a tough SOB, Gutzon Borglum, the man who created Mount Rushmore.  Sporting News, The, July 7, 2006 by Sean Deveney Fairbanks, Alaska, requires toughness. Living on the 65th parallel, you don't exactly spend time thinking about how the petunias are coming along. The average high temperature in January is 2-below. Extension cords dangle out of car grills, and most parking spaces are equipped with electrical outlets. That's because if you parked for a few hours during an Alaska winter without plugging in, your engine would become an Ice Pop. Mother Nature hung a Keep Out sign here, and most of humanity listened. The population of Fairbanks, Alaska's third-largest city, is 30,000. That's a couple of city blocks in midtown Manhattan. But there's evidence that Alaskans are not daft. After all, even here, they find ways to play baseball. In the early 1900s, on Alaska's southern tip, locals built a field on the tidal flats of Ketchikan Creek. When the tide was high, the field was underwater. At low tide, they played. In Barrow, on Alaska's northern tip, there's a field with a road through right field. The right fielder has the right of way on a batted ball. And in Fairbanks, on every summer solstice, they play the Midnight Sun game. It starts on June 21 and ends June 22, no lights allowed. That was confusing for Chu Yuan-Chin, a 19-year-old Taiwanese outfielder for the Goldpanners, Fairbanks' entry in the Alaska Baseball League--a respected summer training ground for U.S. college players. The Goldpanners have been the hosts of the game (first played in 1906) since 1960, and Chu soon learned he wasn't just adjusting to America--he was adjusting to Alaska. But when Goldpanners starter Chris Kissock threw his first pitch against Beatrice (Neb.) at Growden Memorial Park, it was 10:27 p.m. and sunny, with the temperature in the 50s. By the seventh-inning stretch, it was 11:43 and still sunny. At 12:31, Chu fought fatigue and doubled in the bottom of the 10th to give the Goldpanners a 2-1 win. "It's weird," Chu says. "I never thought I'd play a day game that ends at 1 a.m. It was tough to see." Tough. Exactly. The Midnight Sun game is baseball under any circumstances, even the toughest that Alaska offers. Don Dennis, the Goldpanners' general manager, was attracted to the team by a tough situation. In 1967, he was working with a team in Grand Junction, Colo., when the Goldpanners' field flooded. In need of help, team founder Red Boucher lured Dennis to straighten out the Goldpanners. Dennis never left. One of Dennis' heroes is a tough SOB, Gutzon Borglum, the man who created Mount Rushmore. The sculpture is nice, but Dennis reveres him because he's a kindred spirit. When Borglum recruited workers, not only did they have to be the finest in their field but they had to play baseball. When the Taiwanese national team visited Fairbanks for pre-Olympic work in 1984, how do you suppose Dennis housed them? The Fairbanks Ritz? Nope; he bought used trailers that had housed workers on the Alaska Pipeline. They're still home for visiting teams. Fairbanks players are given $800 for the summer and are set up with host families. Part of their duties include field maintenance at 11 a.m. (Outfielder Jordan Mayer bemoans, "They pushed it back for the midnight game--all the way to noon.") Veterans of the Goldpanners would scoff. Used to be, players got summer jobs. Rugged catcher Bob Boone worked at a lumberyard. Dan Pastorini--later a quarterback in the NFL--spent the summer of 1968 wrestling barrels for Standard Oil. Obviously, there is value in Fairbanks toughness. The team has produced almost 200 major leaguers. Dave Winfield was better known as a basketball player before his stint in 1971. Tom Seaver was a junior college kid in 1964. Alvin Davis and Harold Reynolds forged a Fairbanks friendship before they became Mariners teammates. BALCO did not exist when Barry Bonds played for the Goldpanners in 1983 nor when Jason Giambi was with the team in 1990. When Winfield made his induction speech at the Hall of Fame in 2001, he reflected on his time in Alaska. He listed three favorite things: "To get a chance to win, climb mountains and go dogsledding in the winter." Mountains, dogsledding and winning baseball games. Those Alaskans do some tough things COPYRIGHT 2006 Sporting News Publishing Co. COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group

 

 

Click on thumbnail pics to enlarge   Barney Koph & Tom Miklautsch	Jim Dietz
Aubrey Rhinehart giving Don key to city.. Columbia, SC
Skip Snedden
Jimmy Bedford	Dave Winfield, Peggy Hanson,  Lois Fekete
Ann, J.Leonard, Jesse Owens, Helen Miklautsch, Don, Mrs. Gunderson	Dave Stewart
Ray Kohler	Mack Gendreau Background Left: Red Stocker, Right: Hurst Otto
Bill Stroecker, Larry Rhody, Bill Ackiss	Sam Suplizio, Bill Stroecker

 

(The following material is from www.goldpanners.com,  with permission from Todd Dennis, Webmaster

Click on Don's name to go to this specific page.)

40TH ANNIVERSARY WITH GOLDPANNERS (1967-2007)   “The best baseball I ever played was in the summer of 1982 for the Panners. I felt so privileged to be playing in Fairbanks among such talented players and for such a great skipper (Ben Hines), that it elevated my entire game. I owe that opportunity to Don Dennis and I will never forget it.” - Indiana State Head Coach Lindsay Meggs  One thing that is certain about the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks ballclub is a learned approach to decision making. The team is powered by a volunteer Board of Directors which is behind every move made on and off the field. At the head of that body are two main figures: President William G. Stroecker, and General Manager Don Dennis. This summer, the Goldpanners are celebrating a generation of leadership by both men -- Stroecker now in his 45th year of direct involvement with the club, and Dennis celebrating his 40th anniversary as General Manager. . In 1963, Don was working as sports editor of The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado. It was at this time that he first met Panners’ team founder H.A. “Red” Boucher. The Goldpanners were barnstorming their way to the NBC tournament through Colorado, and Red used the opportunity to play the Grand Junction Eagles, a team for which Dennis was serving as business manager. . As a result of Red’s flamboyant style, and the team’s impressive showing, Dennis and the entire town fell in love with the Alaskan allure. Though Red almost immediately began lobbying Don to come up to Fairbanks so he could take over management of the Goldpanners, other opportunities were knocking for him in the publishing world. It wasn’t until 1967 that they had a dramatic shift in their negotiations -- and the breakthrough came in the form of a flood.  The waters of the Chena river severely overflowed their banks in 1967 and completely destroyed the ballpark. The club nearly found itself swept away as well. The flood’s water line, which embedded itself on the only remaining plank of the field’s outfield wall, marked the team’s most critical moment to date. It was in the aftermath of this Fairbanks tragedy that Don was finally persuaded to come to Fairbanks -- for a commitment of two years. He has been here ever since then, operating as the heart and soul for both Fairbanks and Alaskan baseball. . . Years later, Boucher would describe these successful negotiations in 1967 as “the best thing I ever did for the Goldpanners.” Certainly, subsequent events have vindicated the decisions of all three men. Don has built a program that is second to none in the non-professional baseball world. One key measure of his success has been the collection of state, national and international championships won during his tenure. In 2002, immediately following his orchestration of a record sixth National Baseball Congress championship, he was described as “the most successful figure in NBC history” -- a history that spans 80 years! Shortly thereafter, his level of achievement was given special recognition by his induction into the the NBC World Series Hall of Fame. Through his generation of leadership, Don Dennis has led Fairbanks and the Goldpanners organization in their emergence above the high water mark in the baseball world -- making the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks the most successful non-professional team in the history of baseball.

“Don has been a baseball mentor to many of us, and for that I thank him. Sitting around, grabbing a bite, and talking baseball ranks right up there with any baseball memory that I have ever had. Don is just a special human being”
Elliot Strankman (03-04-05-06)

“I have a lot of respect for Don Dennis. He is one of the all-time great guys in amateur baseball.” - Ed Cheff (02-03-04-05-06)
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“Don has an amazing eye for baseball talent. That, combined with his ability to successfully recruit an unparalleled number of talented future big leaguers, administrate, and coordinate every facet of the Goldpanner organization, leaves me in awe of Don’s accomplishments the past 40 years. Don is loyal, honest, smart, an astute businessman, a terrific father and has been a great friend to me and my two Goldpanner sons, Scott (2001-02-MVP and National Champs) and Tommy (2005). I feel blessed to count him as my friend. The Goldpanners have had a remarkable run and owe much of this success and winning tradition to Don Dennis.” - Bruce Robinson (72-72-37-47-75) .

“Don has touched so many peoples lives with his coordination of the finest place to play summer baseball in the world. He has connected with families to house players, advertisers, sponsors, workers, volunteers, the media, etc.; all of them for one purpose: to make Fairbanks the jewel of the Alaska League and the greatest experience for the amateur baseball player. He has been a business associate, a mentor, a surrogate father, and an inspiration to many people in baseball. “ - Jerry McClain (67-68)

“The institution he has built in Fairbanks should itself be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Who has created that kind of history in the baseball world? It’s the players on the field who paint the picture but those opportunities would not have been there without Don. What would have happened to those hundreds of players that parlayed their Fairbanks summers into major league careers? What would have happened to all the rest of us who simply had the best summers of our lives with the Goldpanners? I’ve never been the same.” - Gero von Dehn (01-02-03-04)

“I had the great privilege of working alongside Don for three summers (1972-74) in Fairbanks, and the experience remains one of the most rewarding I have had in all my years in baseball. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Goldpanners won the NBC World Series championship all three years I was there. Don has certainly been the inspiration for all the success the Goldpanners have had through the years, and all the recognition he receives this year on his 40th anniversary with the team is justly deserved. There has never been a summer league general manager who can match his dedication and record of success. Congratulations, Don." - Allan Simpson, Founder, Baseball America

 

 

Don's wife Ann has always worked side by side in all aspects of his professional pursuits, and likewise shares a lifelong passion for baseball.   Ann has functioned in countless areas of importance, from oversight of personnel to serving as team driver during barnstorming journeys across Alaska and the continental United States.  She has performed many management duties with the Goldpanners, including superintendence of the concessions operation and administration of the Olympic Training Village.

Ann has worked in nearly all departments of the Goldpanner organization as well as pursuing her lifelong artistic career in pottery.  She has pieces worldwide, and  currently works from her studio in Southern California.

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Hey Goldpanners, You’re 50 Alaska Goldpanners make stop in Dodge, renew old acquaintance By KEITH JENKINS DODGE CITY DAILY GLOBE Posted Jul 23, 2009 @ 02:50 PM DODGE CITY —     Before the Dodge City Athletics defeated the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks 6-5 Monday night at Cavalier Field, the Dodge City Drovers first had to acknowledge history.     The Goldpanners, celebrating not only 50 years of Alaska state-hood, but also 50 years of baseball, are embarking on the "Alaska 50 Tour" through Canada and the states, and on Monday, Dodge was on its list of destinations.     Before the first pitch, the Drovers recognized Goldpanners general manager Don Dennis as an honorary member of their cattle-driving troop. Earlier in the day, Dennis also received an honorary deputy marshall certificate in the Long Branch Saloon at Boot Hill.     Dennis, who has been the club's general manager for 43 years, said coming to Dodge was a no-brainer, seeing as how it gave him and the rest of the club a chance to reunite with an old friend.     "The 50th anniversary trip is based on renewing old acquaintances basically," Dennis said. "It gave us the opportunity to come in here and renew acquaintance with Phil Stephenson and it allowed us to complete the circuit of the Jayhawk. We'll do Dodge, Liberal, Hays, El Dorado and Derby."     Before heading to Wichita to play in the ceremonial opening game of the 75th anniversary celebration of the National Baseball Congress — an organization Alaska has enjoyed great success in — Alaska will take on all the teams within the Jayhawk League, including Dodge.     A's general manager and Dodge City Community College head baseball coach Phil Stephenson played in the infield, outfield and batted in the designated-hitter slot for the Goldpanners during the summers of 1980 and 1981, while at Wichita State University playing for the Shockers.     Stephenson helped lead Alaska to a NBC World Series championship in 1980 and played his way to a spot on the list of the top-50 Goldpanners of all-time.     "It was quite an incredible group," Stephenson said of the championship-winning club. "And Don Dennis is the guy who obviously orchestrated all that and deserves a lot of the credit."     In two years with the Goldpanners, Stephenson batted .312, while tallying 16 home runs, 68 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Stephenson went on to play 14 years of professional baseball, including four years in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres.     Stephenson is just one of 197 former Goldpanners that have gone on to play in the majors, Dennis said.     Stephenson landed in Fairbanks after his older brother, Gene, had a managerial position in Anchorage. Phil said he had little expectations as to what the summer in Alaska would be like.     "We had no idea what to expect," Stephenson said. "We just knew we were going to play with good players and were playing against really good competition."     Just like the A's, Stephenson and the rest of his teammates in Alaska had to stay with neighborhood families during the summer, and Stephenson can still remember the Woodkes — the family that brought him in.     "From the moment I stepped foot in their house, they made me feel like a member of their family," Stephenson said of the Woodkes.     Back then, and even now, Stephenson admittedly had a vice for Dr. Pepper. He said when he arrived at the Fairbanks home of Sam and Ruth Woodke and their three sons, Ruth asked him if there was anything specific he would want or need during his stay. On Stephenson's short list was Dr. Pepper.     The following morning, when Stephenson woke up for breakfast, Ruth greeted him by saying, "...Oh, and if you need any more Dr. Pepper, let me know." Stephenson walked out to the garage and saw four cases of his favorite soft drink.     Many families in Dodge opened their doors to the Alaska players during their visit, even though some are already offering their homes to members of the A's ball club. The community even gave the players a home-cooked meal just outside the playing field after the game.     Dennis said the people of Fairbanks have kept the Goldpanners afloat for 50 years, and they have truly made the team their own.     Stephenson said he hopes the Goldpanners' visit to Dodge will have the same benefit for the A's.     "I hope from the exposure standpoint, it'll allow us to continue to grow, advance and improve what we're trying to do here," he said. "I hope a team like this shows how much work, effort and commitment it truly takes. The people in Dodge City can see that it takes everyone to make it work."     So to conclude the Alaska Goldpanners' first-ever trip to Dodge City, the A's won 6-5 on a walk-off RBI-single by third baseman Oscar Sigala.     With all the history and success Stephenson has with the Goldpanners franchise, Dodge manager Jeremy Irlbeck said he now has one up on his boss.     "I got something that they can never take away from me, and something not even Phil Stephenson's done — Phil Stephenson's never beat the Alaska Goldpanners," Irlbeck said. "That's pretty cool."

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 LUKE WINN  of Sports Illustrated "Remember to never take the game home with you." —Former major league closer Lee Smith, on how a reliever can maintain his sanity WHAT, HOWEVER, is a pitcher to do when his team's bullpen is closer to his bed than it is to the dugout? That was the conundrum facing Kevin Camacho last summer on college baseball's last frontier. At 2 a.m. on June 22, not long after the conclusion of the 102nd Midnight Sun Game, many of Camacho's Alaska Goldpanners teammates mounted bicycles and rode off, still in full uniform. They receded like a gang of supersized Little Leaguers into Fairbanks's Arctic glow, which had made the game—a 6--1 loss to the visiting Oceanside Waves that had begun at 10:36 p.m. under a cloudy tapestry of blues and pinks—possible without the aid of artificial lights. On the summer solstice the natural light never dies out in Fairbanks, 160 miles south of the Arctic Circle, and on this night Camacho, a California-raised righty, would never leave the confines of Growden Memorial Park, where the centerfield backdrop is the eight-starred Alaskan flag and Take Me Out to the Ballgame is forsaken during the seventh-inning stretch in favor of the Beat Farmers' 1985 country-punk song Happy Boy. Out with the peanuts and Cracker Jack, in with lyrics about a dead dog in a drawer, as well as the most guttural refrain ever to blare from a stadium speaker: "Hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba!" While his teammates biked a mile or two to their host families' houses, Camacho had a shorter trip home. He made a left at the batting cage down the leftfield line, then a hard right at the Port-o-Lets. He passed through a chain-link gate, climbed four wooden steps and unlocked a door, marked d4, on a 50foot white trailer. Camacho tossed his equipment bag on the floor of the 9-by-12 room with a view ... of the back of Growden's third base bleachers. "Welcome to the O.V.," he said. "This is how we live." O.V. is short for Olympic Village, 13 weather-beaten trailers in which visiting teams in the Alaska Baseball League often bunk when in Fairbanks. The vehicles are so named because Goldpanners general manager Don Dennis, a thickly bespectacled 68-year-old who lives in his office at the park, has leased them in the past to actual Olympic teams—U.S. skiers and lugers, and the Taiwanese and Korean baseball teams—which have occasionally trained in Fairbanks. During the 2007 season, however, the trailers housed four Goldpanners players, all of them from NAIA national champ Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho, who had chosen not to live with host families. In its previous life the four-decade-old O.V. fleet harbored some of the men who built the Trans-Alaska Pipeline near Atigun Pass, 300 miles to the north. Dennis bought the trailers for $125,000 in 1986 and relocated them to an asphalt lot adjacent to leftfield. The amenities are few and dated—wood-grain paneling, vintage '80s TVs and no AC, which means players often wake up drenched in sweat—but there is a Last Frontier State authenticity to the spartan quarters that the players appreciate. "It's kind of like camping," explained one of Camacho's D-block neighbors, pitcher Brad Schwarzenbach. "But I'll tell you this: I've never been late to the field." The only latecomer to last year's Midnight Sun Game was the sun itself, which in the end never showed at all. A sellout crowd of about 4,000 had filled the park, but the sun stayed tucked away behind a horseshoe of clouds beyond the leftfield foul pole. Camacho threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run relief in the dusk before making the trek to his trailer. When a visitor described his digs as "pretty rugged," Camacho corrected him: "It's pretty Alaska." THE TERM Alaskans use for the Lower 48 is Outside, and the six-team, four-city ABL is stocked with college standouts who are primarily Outsiders. The league—founded in 1969 but with roots going back more than a century—bills itself as an unvarnished version of the more prestigious Cape Cod League, another wood-bat summer league that serves as a showcase for top U.S. college players; last spring Dennis took a jab at the Cape circuit, calling it a "show league" for scouts and tourists compared with the "down and dirty competition among the cities" in Alaska. The ABL is best known for its alumni; it has produced almost 400 major leaguers, including Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Dave Winfield and stars such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Randy Johnson and J.D. Drew. The league's character, however, is shaped more by things uniquely Alaskan: pipeline trailers, perpetual summer light and that signature tradition, the Midnight Sun Game, which grew out of a 1906 bet between two Fairbanks bars, California's Saloon and the Eagles Club. Their patrons formed teams called the Drinks and the Smokes. June 09, 2008

 

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