Today is the big day! The 107th Midnight Sun Game is tonight at 10:30 pm Alaskan time. It seems like all of Fairbanks is excited and everyone I have talked to says they are going to the game. The crazy part is, I’m the starting pitcher this evening as we take on the Everett Merchants. The idea behind the game is to play a game through the midnight hours without using artificial lighting. At some point the sun will dip below the horizon for about an hour but the game will be played almost entirely in what could be described as dusk. Last night I researched some of the history of the game and it is truly incredible. There are typically 4000 to 6000 people in attendance and the names that have played in this game are startling; Tom Seaver, Dave Winfield, Terry Francona, Jason Giambi, and Bret Boone. Are you serious? So I will be pitching for the Goldpanners, the northernmost baseball team in the United States, and the stands will be packed full of Fairbanksans looking to see future major leaguers as kids just having fun.
This article in ESPN from a few years ago really tells the story of the game and the league…http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/050622. My experience in Alaska this summer has paralleled the description by Jim Caple. I recently filled up the tires of a bicycle I found in the garage and have been riding it to the game. There is a truly Sandlot feel to this summer. The other night we decided, after the game, to grab a bat and some baseballs and head over to an adjacent field for a home run derby. My performance was terribly embarrassing but Tanner Mendonca, a player who will certainly be drafted next June as a pitcher, hit seven home runs in his victory.
Today I am simply killing time and trying not to dwell on the magnitude of the game too much. As Caple states in the article, a few years from now I will reflect on this game as possibly the pinnacle of my baseball career, so I hope everything goes well. In terms of relevance to the league standings and our overall record this game is almost meaningless, but in terms of entertaining Fairbanks, making money for our organization, and my own peace of mind, this game is huge. Farewell for now from Fairbanks. Oh, and if you want to watch the game live check out http://www.pannervision.com/
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