Buck O’Neil / North Florida Chapter meeting recap – 6/3/2020

Once again operating in accordance with coronavirus pandemic guidelines, SABR’s Buck O’Neil / North Florida Chapter met electronically on June 3, 2020. Participating were:

Matt Keelean, Chapter President; Kent Putnam; Chuck Rosciam; Brent Kallestad; Fred Dunphy; Glenn Robertson; Jim Turner; Lori Willner; Billy Morin; Tim Mueller; Nick Gandy; special guest Charles Slavik of the NE Florida SABR Chapter; special guest Sam Zygner of the South Florida SABR Chapter.

The meeting was called to order and our initial discussion concerned the general state of society at the local and, national, and world levels. We segued to the role of professional baseball in America and agreed that this is a time when it can help unify our country but failure to play a 2020 season would be disastrous to the sport.

Charles Slavik shared his experiences with starting a new SABR Chapter in the Jacksonville area, including selection of a name, recruiting new members, and more. President Keelean pointed out that with many chapters holding virtual meetings, this is a good time to attend meetings and meet fellow SABR members.

According to Glenn Robertson, the pandemic has provided him with time to organize his baseball card collection and he made a presentation based on same. Specifically, Glenn talked about cards from 1952 to 1955 from Topps, Bowman, and others. He reported on how he created his collection (thanks, Big Ollie) and how it survived to this day (thanks, Mrs. Robertson [mom] and Mrs. Robertson [wife]). Glenn also described the condition of the cards, how they are graded, and how those grades affect price. A power point presentation allowed members to see some of Glenn’s favorite cards including but not limited to a 1953 Bowman Mickey Mantle, 1953 Bowman Pee Wee Reese, 1954 Willie Mays, and 1955 Sandy Koufax.

Wrapping up, Fred recommended the movie “The English Game” about the development of soccer; Nick spoke to the possibility of another “spring training” in Florida if the season resumes.

Members agreed that is best to stay with virtual meetings for the next few months.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.

— Kent Putnam
Chapter Secretary