Athletes in Action Fire vs. Alaska Goldpanners
July 9, 2oo6 Growden Memorial Park, Fairbanks, AK.
Begin the tour of baseball ballparks in the state of Alaska!
Well, yeah, and visit in-laws too, but I could now visit the most well known summer collegiate baseball league in America, next to the Cape Cod League.The Alaska Baseball League. OK, yes, I am the only guy in my vast circle of friends that know there is summer collegiate baseball. Yes, I had to endure the sarcasm and snickers of people quizzing me, "You're going to Alaska to do what? Baseball in Alaska?" I even got that from the cousins living in and about the Anchorage area. Geeze.
But now all that was over. I arrived in Alaska two days before, borrowed a minivan from my cousin, John and his family, and on this Sunday drove the close to four hundred miles from Anchorage to Fairbanks to see my first game of my tour. I planned it, booked motels and tickets, thought about it all spring long, and now I was here.
And I stood there at the corner of 2nd and Wilbur in Fairbanks, the site of Growden Memorial Park and the home of the Alaska Goldpanners, and my first reaction was, "Dear lord, what a dump!"
From the outside and looking at the facility, it seemed to have no symmetry. A bombshelter-era grandstand stood at home plate and then everything was just tacked on from there. Wooden bleachers down the left field side, aluminum on the right. The bricks on the grandstand were painted a faded whit and atop the grandstand was weather-beaten sign, hand painted citing this as the home of the Goldpanners. Sanicans stood on the periphery of the facility, makeshift wooden booths served for tickets and concessions.
Inside the ballpark was alright. Good views of the Alaska Interior and the mountains in the distance but the field was one of those things I hate but know for some places is a necessary evil: grass outfiels and an artificial turf infield. Well, the area behind home plate spelled out "GOLDPANNERS". Ugly, but they do have spirit, I guess.
Now, if I seem like I am being too harsh, you are probably right. It must be awfully hard to run a facility in conditions where it is awfully warm in the summer (as a matter of fact, on this day it 85*...at 10:30 in the evening when the game ended) and frightfully cold in the winter. It's just that after being on the website and looking up the Goldpanners, I expected a franchise that really made a trip to the ballpark a wonderful event. The Goldpanners are considered the Yankees of the ABL and summer collegiate baseball. Just below the press box is painted all the years the Panners won ABL titles followed by their national titles (16 in total, I do believe). They are the oldest team in the league and their alumni boasts names such as Dave Winfield, Tom Seaver, and Barry Bonds, to name a few. So when I came to the ballpark, I was slightly disappointed. Good prices for everything from admission ($5) to cans of beer ($2 for 12 oz. can). I bought a couple of souvenir hats touting the 100th anniversary of the Midnight Sun Game (played on the day of the summer solstice) that were $10 a pop. Not bad, I just expected more.
And then the people came into the stands.
There was probably about 200-300 in the stands and each one was having a good time. Three people sitting down in the first base box seats were drinking beers and chanting stuff that we heard back when we were young. Chestnuts like "Pitcher's got a rubber arm!" or "Batter can't swing!". It was very refreshing to hear them especially in this day and age when harsher things are said. And they didn't wear out their welcome either. Their chants were nicely timed and spaced. Up in the right field bleachers were a whole section of guys and gals with kazoos (which were being sold at the souvenir stand for $2) and did cheers every now and then. But the big moment for them was in the 7th inning stretch. They don't play "Take me Out to the Ballgame" at Growden: a tape of the Beat Farmers' "Happy Boy" is played and the entire section stood up and sang, clapped, played kazoo. It was golden. Also, a shout out to the between-the-innings music selector. Live versions of Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello, and Steve Miller was played and it was sad when they had to fade it out when the game resumed. These songs were versions I had never heard before and it was capturing the bands at a good time. It was the personal touches that made it a very nice evening.
The Goldpanners won the game 7-2 on some excellent pitching and consistent hitting (the Panners had runners on base in every inning and had a 7-0 lead in the sixth) and I was glad to get the first game on my trip in the books. A little later, I was over at this saloon a few blocks away from the park when I noticed some of the right field section having some drinks. After it was noted that I wasn't from Fairbanks, a woman said that I didn't catch them on a good night. "Sometimes we get a little more boisterous. Then, it's really fun."
Hmmm. Maybe I better go back. Well, we'll see.
posted by paul shipp @ 10:35 AM
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