American Association SUNDAY Insider: 404 Not Found, end of an era

Kevin Luckow

(Not a member of IBWAA) 

It's been a year and a half since This Week in the Association ended its run. I had hoped that in some form or fashion the show could be resurrected with a different host, Heck I would've been happy if it were reincarnated with a different cast altogether as long as they put out a quality product. Last year I was part of a regular feature on Sioux City Explorers pregame shows on Thursday nights which helped scratch the itch. Hey guys, I'm open for anything. Look me up if you need filler.

But I digress. Earlier this week after getting a text from Sean Aronson that Saints emails to Minor League Sports Report were bouncing back to him, I decided to take a look. In checking it out, I found the dreaded screen that anyone going to a website doesn't want to see, 404 Not Found. Just like that, stories about AAPB players that would never have been featured anywhere else, nightly recaps done religiously, and so many different podcasts along with the flagship This Week in the Association. Gone. 

The biggest stigma AAPB and Independent Baseball has dealt with from Day One is a lack of media coverage. If it's not the big leagues, you're lucky to get a line score, standings or even a brief gamer published. There were exceptions in the beginning. Terry Hersom in Sioux City was the biggest advocate for Sioux City Explorers baseball in his writings. Combining columns, game stories and being an unpaid publicist for the X's, his impact was incredible right up until his passing in 2021. St. Paul Saints were a national phenomenon in 1993, but the local coverage was helped in large part due to the support of Mike Augustin. "Augie" was an advocate of covering sports at all levels but especially at the levels that normally didn't get the press they deserved. The Saints beat was perfect and Augustin brought it with his writing up until his passing in 1997 at a young 57 years old. The Saints never got his kind of coverage since. Gary Lawless reported about all things Goldeyes for the Winnipeg Free Press before moving on to make his mark covering the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Around the late 1990's the world wide web was a major part of media. Nobody gave the Northern League the kind of devotion that Bill Tyler did. What began as a Northern League Fan's Guide and collectibles showcase, became the place to be for fans seeking news as his discussion forums were a draw for fans, players and team executives. Tyler then switched to American Association as the Saints did in 2006. Tyler was winding down around 2015, but there was a new kid in town of sorts.

I was seeing the writings of a Rob Pannier pop up here and there. He was covering the St. Paul Saints and Wichita Wingnuts. What a coincidence, two markets that were affected by becoming Minnesota Twins affiliates. As the story went, Pannier just started showing up at Midway Stadium, covering baseball for a website. Then the idea came to start his own site. This would be the genesis of Minor League Sports Report. Originally intended to cover minor league and small college sports, MLSR eventually became American Association eccentric with Pannier a one man show. Aronson was more than happy to welcome him in to the Saints media fold, "I looked forward to everyone of Rob's columns. It was great having someone who coared as much about the league and players as those that worked for the teams. I'd often use the information in his stories in my research for broadcasts and use that on air. He believed all the players had their own unique story and he wanted to tell those stories. The league was stronger for having a guy like Pannier cover the American Association. I'm glad he found his next passion in life and is succeeding in that".

In 2016 in a chance meeting during a rain delay at CHS Field, the superpowers united. I was in awe at first. Media had their own makeshift placards in the CHS Field Press Box. And here I was, a blogger in his fourth year covering the Saints, a fan masquerading as a media wannabe. But we gelled immediately. Pannier was someone I could bounce story ideas off of, get advice from and generally was like a media brother. It's been tough in the last year and a half to not have that shoulder to lean on for advice. 

But as Aronson mentioned, Pannier has moved on to another passion which in part was due to the American Association. In order to be more centrally located to American Association teams, Pannier moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Who seriously has the kind of devotion to uproot to an area of the US for a gig that you're not even collecting a paycheck? In Cedar Rapids, Pannier began working with Hope CDA, a program described by their website as, "providing a one year program where men commit to overcoming addiction, gaining life skills and finding employment". Pannier has brought the passion he had for baseball and writing and brought it to Hope CDA where he is now the Executive Director.

Hope CDA website

If the American Association wants to consider a true media wing of their Hall of Fame, I hope that legends like Hersom, Augustin, Lawless, Tyler, and especially Pannier are considered for it. 

And in the meantime I hope there is someone out there that someday has the passion to develop a website, put their name on it, and does the sort of features that made Pannier a household name in league media circles.