Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
April 20-21, 2012
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Cooperstown, New York
- Where: Optional Friday welcoming dinner at Otesaga Hotel's Hawkeye Grill, Saturday presentations/events at Hall of Fame's Bullpen Theater, optional Saturday evening gathering at a TBA location.
- Featured speakers: Author William J. Ryczek will deliver the keynote address on Saturday. Eric Miklich will moderate a panel on “The Ten Best Baseball Rules of the 19th Century”. Jerry Casway will deliver a presentation on “The Irish and the Advent of Jim Crow Baseball”. The Member Spotlight Guest will be author David Nemec. More speakers TBA.
- Registration: Conference Registration is open to all SABR members and up to two non-SABR family members or friends (18 years or older). There are also “Welcoming Dinner”, “Luncheon Only” and “Post Conference Gathering” registration options. Registration will continue until April 10, 2012, or space is filled, whichever comes first. Click here to download a Registration Form in the Nineteenth Century Committee's Winter 2012 newsletter. Registrations can be accepted by mail only. Send completed form to: Peter Mancuso, 6970 Ely Road, New Hope, PA 18938. Please mail prior to April 10, 2012.
- Research presentations: To submit a proposed 25-minute research presentation on any aspect of 19th-century baseball, e-mail/mail a 100- to 200-word abstract to Peter Mancuso, 6970 Ely Road, New Hope, PA 18938 before February 15, 2012. Please include all contact information.
- Lodging and dining: Complete information on lodging, dining and area attractions can be obtained through the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce at (607) 547-6006 or www.cooperstownchamber.org.
- Book signings: Conference attendees who are baseball book authors will have an opportunity to submit their title(s), publisher(s) and ISBN(s) when registering so that the Hall of Fame bookstore can stock your book for purchase and for signing. All books for signing during the conference must be purchased through the HOF bookstore except those previously owned by attendees (special exceptions for OP books.)
- Information: Contact Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net or (215) 862-2887.
- Host: SABR Nineteenth Century Research Committee
Looking ahead:
These past two months and the two months immediately ahead make up the most exciting time of the year for this SABR Research Committee Chairman.
It is the time of year when the serious program planning for the Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference is in full swing. It is the time to gather one’s own thoughts and the thoughts of some very bright and enthusiastic people and begin to imagine how to make this conference as good, or better, than the year before. Usually, that’s a tall order. The process is never simple but it is ultimately rewarding. The rewards begin when the Luncheon Keynote Speaker you invite says “yes.” The excitement increases when the Member Spotlight Interview host agrees to return for a second year and when the interview subject you invite agrees to be put under the spotlight. It gets better still when the Panel Discussion topic is decided on and the Moderator who agrees to lead the discussion is a person who is an expert on the topic. Then, we have the fun of bringing in the other expert panelists who will agree and disagree, argue and joke, draw in the rest of the conference attendees and leave everyone a lot more knowledgeable and somewhat amazed.
Sometimes, I think I’m stumped. Who is going to step up and be willing do the preparation work required to give that great hour-plus Special Presentation, that everyone agrees was super? Somehow, one of our Nineteenth Century Committee members takes it on and delivers a show-stopper. It never hurts to work with one of the Hall of Fame’s best go-to people, Jim Gates, who can most often be heard saying, “We can do that.”
The best segment of these four months, however, begins when the Research Presentation proposals begin to arrive and go out for review and selection. There will be six, possibly seven this year, each 20-25 minutes in duration. That’s when you really begin to realize how interesting, diverse and fun the conference is going to be.
Add in the book signers and their titles, approve the dinner and luncheon menus and finalize the morning and afternoon coffee breaks and you are mostly home.
To whet your appetite, I am most pleased to announce that the 2012 Conference will feature Luncheon Keynote Speaker Bill Ryczek and Member Spotlight Guest David Nemec. The Panel Discussion Topic will be “The 10 Best Baseball Rules of the 19th Century” with Panel Moderator Eric Miklich and three panelists to be named.
The six or seven Research Presenters will depend on you, so get off the bench and get into the game and send me your proposal.
Now, who is going to bring down the house this year with that hour-long Special Presentation? Someone will surprise me. Someone always does. Look forward to seeing you.
— Peter Mancuso
Chair, SABR Nineteenth Century Research Committee
January 2012
Who was Frederick Ivor-Campbell? Learn more about the 2003 Bob Davids Award winner here.
