This Week in SABR: April 17, 2015

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Welcome to “This Week in SABR!” Here’s what we’ve been up to as of April 17, 2015:

SABR 45: Broadcasters Panel with Len Kasper, Ron Coomer, Jim Deshaies

We are pleased to announce two of the featured panels at the upcoming SABR 45 convention in Chicago.

The SABR 45 Broadcasters Panel is scheduled for Thursday morning, June 25, 2015, at the Palmer House Hilton. Visit SABR.org/convention for complete information on SABR 45 registration rates, all-inclusive packages, and optional sessions. Or click here to register for SABR 45. Early registration and the all-inclusive discount package expires on May 15.

The Broadcasters Panel is expected to include:

  • Ron Coomer, Chicago Cubs radio analyst and former American League All-Star infielder
  • Jim Deshaies, Chicago Cubs TV analyst and former pitcher for 12 seasons with the Yankees, Astros, Padres, Twins, Giants, and Phillies.
  • Len Kasper, Chicago Cubs TV play-by-play voice
  • Moderator: Curt Smith, author, baseball broadcasting historian, SABR member

Please note: All speakers are subject to change depending on availability. Visit SABR.org/convention for more information.

SABR 45: Negro Leagues Panel with former players Al Spearman, Ernie Westfield

The SABR 45 Negro Leagues Panel is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, June 27, 2015, at the Palmer House Hilton.

The Negro Leagues Panel is expected to include:

  • Al Spearman, pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs and Chicago American Giants, 1949-51; then played in minor leagues and Japan
  • Ernie Westfield, pitcher for the Birmingham Black Barons, 1959-65; starter in final East-West All-Star Game at Comiskey Park
  • More speakers TBA
  • Moderator: Larry Lester, author, Negro Leagues historian, SABR member

Please note: All speakers are subject to change depending on availability. Visit SABR.org/convention for more information.

SABR 45: Hotel room block at Palmer House Hilton almost sold out

Are you planning to come to SABR 45 this summer in Chicago? Our hotel room block at the Palmer House Hilton is almost sold out, so book your room today.

Join us June 24-28, 2015, at the Palmer House Hilton for a full week of baseball fun at SABR 45. Please call the hotel at (312) 726-7500 to book your room or click here to book your room at the Palmer House Hilton online. The deadline to book your room at the SABR group rate of $189/night (plus tax) is 11:59 p.m. MST Friday, May 15, 2015, or until our room block is full.

The Palmer House Hilton is at 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603, in the heart of the downtown Loop, near two CTA stops — from O’Hare Airport, take the Blue Line to Monroe/Dearborn stop and then walk two blocks east on Monroe; from Midway Airport, take the Orange Line to the Adams/Wabash stop.

For more information on SABR 45, visit SABR.org/convention.

  • Note: If you have already reserved your hotel room but have NOT registered to attend SABR 45, please go ahead and do that soon so we can get a more accurate count of our room block capacity. Early registration is available until May 15. Click here to register for SABR 45.

Students: One week left to apply for SABR 45 Yoseloff Scholarship

With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four scholarships to high school or college students to attend SABR 45 on June 24-28, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250.

The objective of this scholarship fund is to encourage high school and college-level student engagement with baseball research and to engender an active interest in baseball and SABR. The Yoseloff scholarship is to assist young researchers who want to attend SABR’s annual convention and to introduce them to fellow SABR members. Through this fund, SABR hopes to inspire future baseball research, expose students to high-quality research and build the research capability of interested students.

All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Jeff Schatzki at jschatzki@sabr.org no later than FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015.

For complete details and criteria, click here.

Voting has begun in 2015 SABR Board of Directors election

SABR members, you should have received an e-mail from tellers@sabr.org on Wednesday, April 15 with a link to vote in the 2015 SABR Board of Directors election. This year’s election includes four ballot items: the election of the SABR President, Secretary, one Director’s position, and one By-Laws amendment change.

If you did not receive your voting e-mail from tellers@sabr.org, please contact Jacob Pomrenke to have the ballot re-sent.

The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time Wednesday, April 29. The only way to vote online is through the link you will receive by e-mail. All e-mails will come from the address tellers@sabr.org. (If you do not have an e-mail address on file with SABR, the ballot has been sent to you by mail. Please return it to the SABR office at 4455 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. D-140, Phoenix, AZ 85018 by Wednesday, April 29.)

The candidates up for election in 2015 are:

For President

  • Vince Gennaro (incumbent)

For Secretary

  • Todd Lebowitz (incumbent)

For Director

  • George R. Skornickel
  • Ty Waterman (incumbent)

You can read the proposed By-Laws changes, candidate biographies, along with full descriptions of the positions and responses the candidates made to a series of questions, in the 2015 SABR Election Guide below:

For more information on the 2015 SABR election, click here.

Leerhsen, Lomax, Swanson win 2015 SABR Baseball Research Awards

The 2015 SABR Baseball Research Awards, which honor outstanding research projects completed during the preceding calendar year that have significantly expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball, have been awarded to:

The authors will receive their awards at the SABR 45 national convention, June 24-28, 2015, in Chicago.

The SABR Baseball Research Award, formerly known as The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award, is designed to honor projects that do not fit the criteria for the Seymour Medal or the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award.

Click here to learn more about the winners.

SABR 45: Early registration, all-inclusive discounts close on May 15

Early registration for the SABR 45 convention, June 24-28, 2015, in Chicago, is now available at SABR.org/convention. Just a reminder that our ticket block for the Cubs-Dodgers game on Thursday, June 25 at Wrigley Field is limited and the game is expected to sell out. Game tickets in the SABR block will not be available after early registration ends on May 15 and will not be sold on-site during the convention.

Click here for complete information on SABR 45 registration rates, all-inclusive packages, and optional sessions. Or click here to register for SABR 45. More details on guest speakers, panelists, and presenters will be announced soon.

  • Conference registration: Click here for complete information on SABR 45 registration rates. Once again, we’re offering a discounted all-inclusive package for the annual SABR convention. For a savings of $44 off the regular rate, SABR members can get:

         — 1 full conference registration (regular rate: $199)
         — Choose: 1 Upper Deck Box ticket to the Cubs game on Thursday, June 25 (regular: $48) OR 1 Terrace Reserved ticket (regular: $38)
         — 1 round-trip ticket on the CTA Red Line train to and from Wrigley Field (regular: $6)
         — 1 ticket to the Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 26 (regular: $50)

    The all-inclusive package is available to SABR members for $259 with an Upper Deck Box ticket or $249 with a Terrace Reserved ticket to the Cubs game instead, plus all of the above amenities. Please note: The all-inclusive packages are only available until May 15, 2015. Click here to register for SABR 45.

  • Cubs ballgame: At SABR 45, we’ll be attending the Cubs-Dodgers game on Thursday afternoon, June 25, at Wrigley Field. The SABR block of tickets is available in two sections when you register: Upper Deck Box-Outfield ($48) or Terrace Reserved-Outfield ($38). This game is expected to sell out and our ticket block is only available on a first-come, first-serve basis through Friday, May 15, 2015. Game tickets in the SABR block will NOT be available for purchase on-site at the convention. Please note: Your purchase of a SABR 45 all-inclusive package includes round-trip transportation to and from Wrigley Field on the CTA Red Line train. (Purchasing a game ticket as part of regular/a la carte registration does NOT include transportation.) Click here for more details on SABR 45 registration.
  • The Baseball Project concert: On Thursday evening, June 25, SABR 45 attendees will have a special opportunity to see The Baseball Project in concert in the Grand Ballroom at the Palmer House Hilton. Advance presale tickets are available for $25 members/$40 non-members when you register for SABR 45 before May 15, 2015. Tickets will be $40 online after May 15 or until the concert venue reaches capacity. Click here for more details.

Please note: The SABR 45 all-inclusive package includes 1 full conference registration; 1 ticket to the Cubs game on Thursday, June 25; 1 round-trip ticket on the CTA Red Line train; and 1 ticket to the Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 26. It does NOT include any other optional events such as the Downtown Baseball Walking Tour on Wednesday, June 24, The Baseball Project concert on Thursday, June 25, or the Historical Ballpark Sites Bus Tour on Sunday, June 28. Those tickets must be purchased separately.

All SABR 45 attendees will also receive a souvenir print edition of The National Pastime, our annual convention journal, focusing on baseball teams, players and events in the Chicago area. All SABR members, whether you attend the convention or not, will receive the expanded e-book edition of The National Pastime in their inboxes later this summer. Click here to register for SABR 45.

For more information on SABR 45, visit SABR.org/convention.

SABR 45: Get your tickets now for a special concert with The Baseball Project

Attendees at the SABR 45 convention this summer in Chicago will have a special opportunity to see The Baseball Project in concert on Thursday, June 25, 2015, in the Grand Ballroom at the Palmer House Hilton.

Advance presale tickets for The Baseball Project at SABR 45 are available for an early-bird price of $25 members/$40 non-members when you register for the SABR convention online at SABR.org/convention before May 15, 2015. Tickets will be $40 online after May 15 or until the concert venue reaches capacity.

Formed in 2007 by Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus 5, R.E.M.) and Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate, Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3, Gutterball), The Baseball Project began as a way for a couple of fans to pay musical tribute to our national pastime. But The Baseball Project has since blossomed into a full-fledged, much-loved band in its own right, one which includes drummer Linda Pitmon (Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3, Zuzu’s Petals), and Peter Buck and Mike Mills, founding members of R.E.M., one of the best-selling alternative rock bands of all time.

Their mutual love of baseball inspired them to record their first album, Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, in 2008. It includes baseball-themed songs such as “Gratitude (For Curt Flood),” “The Yankee Flipper,” and “The Death of Big Ed Delahanty.” They followed up with Volume 2: High and Inside in 2011, which features the San Francisco Giants World Series-themed hit “Panda and the Freak” along with “Tony (Boston’s Chosen Son)” and “The Straw that Stirs the Drink.” Their third album, 3rd, was released in 2014.

To learn more about The Baseball Project, visit their website at thebaseballproject.net or their YouTube channel at youtube.com/thebaseballproject.

(Note: For those interested, The Baseball Project concert will not conflict with the SABR 45 Trivia Contest preliminaries on the schedule.)

Registration for SABR 45 is now available at SABR.org/convention.

2015 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference begins today

The seventh annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference opened today at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Click here to download the 2015 conference program and schedule (PDF). The conference continues through Saturday, April 18.

The 2015 conference is highlighted by a keynote address from baseball historian Jerrold Casway, along with a panel discussion, “Sporting News: Baseball in the 19th Century Press” with Jim Overmyer, Bob Tholkes, George Thompson, and John Thorn; a special presentation by James Brunson III (“Black Baseball: 1858-1900”); a Member Spotlight interview of Bob Bailey by Tom Simon; plus book signings, more research presentations, a welcome dinner, and more.

For more information, visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c.

Deadline: 2015 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference call for papers

The 18th annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference — August 6-8, 2015, at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — will celebrate the rich history of black baseball in Pittsburgh.

We welcome proposals for oral and poster presentations from all research fields. Click here for detailed criteria and submission guidelines. All proposals must be sent to lheaphy@kent.edu by Friday, April 24, 2015.

 Previous presenters have included college faculty, public school teachers, graduate students, and independent scholars. Presentations may focus on any topic related to the theme, “Baseball’s Best: the Grays and the Crawfords,” or other Negro Leagues issues. Some possibilities include: Josh Gibson, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Gus Greenlee, Cum Posey, Vic Harris, Cool Papa Bell, the Crawford Grill, and many others.  

The 2015 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference is open to all baseball, history and sports fans of all ages.

Visit SABR.org/malloy for information on the 2015 Essay Contest, Art Contest, and Library Grant Program.

Get a 20% discount off MLB.TV or MiLB.TV subscriptions in 2015

The 2015 season has begun, and SABR members have the opportunity to take advantage of two special offers from MLB Advanced Media for the 2015 season.

In addition to the 20% discount off MLB.TV Premium Monthly subscriptions that SABR members receive in 2015, you can also now get a 20% discount off MiLB.TV Yearly subscriptions all season long.

With MiLB.TV, you can watch more than 5,000 Minor League Baseball games streamed live and on-demand online, including select All-Star and postseason games. Take the action on the go on select Apple devices with the free MiLB First Pitch App. Games involve affiliates of all 30 MLB clubs. Complete game archives are available any time on demand.

For any questions about your subscriptions, please contact MLB.TV Customer Service or visit MiLB.TV.

Negro Leaguer Wesley Barrow to receive new grave marker on April 25 in New Orleans

On Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m., community volunteers, city of Gretna officials and former local Negro Leagues baseball players will gather at New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery in Gretna, Louisiana, to dedicate a new grave marker for Wesley Barrow, a New Orleans African-American baseball legend who influenced hundreds, if not thousands, of young men and players locally and nationally.

The SABR Schott-Pelican Chapter will also hold its quarterly spring meeting on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Holiday Inn New Orleans West Bank Tower (275 Whitney Avenue, Room 210 upstairs) in Gretna. All baseball fans are welcome to attend the SABR meeting and the dedication ceremony afterward.

Barrow enjoyed a 40-plus-year career in America’s pastime as a player and manager for numerous local African-American sandlot, semipro and professional teams during the era of baseball segregation and beyond.

His talent for discovering and development the talent and character of young players earned him the nickname “the Skipper” and stints as the pilot of teams across the country as well, including the Baltimore Black Sox and Portland Rosebuds.

However, despite his massive influence on the local and national black baseball scene, when Barrow died suddenly on Christmas Eve 1965, he was buried in an unmarked grave in New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery in Gretna.

His burial spot remained anonymous until this spring, when Gretna City Councilman Milton Crosby, who played for Barrow on the New Orleans Black Pelicans, and SABR member Ryan Whirty, a Negro Leagues journalist and researcher, led an effort to raise money to purchase a marker for Barrow’s grave.

Earlier this month, the burial stone was erected on Barrow’s grave, a process that also included a fresh coat of white paint on the cement border around Barrow’s final resting place.

Click here to learn more.

  • Donate to SABR’s Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project: Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution; your support will be used to help locate the gravesites of former ballplayers from the Negro Leagues and adorn them with proper headstones.

Read the Spring 2015 Baseball Research Journal online

SABR members, you can now read articles from the Spring 2015 edition of the Baseball Research Journal online at SABR.org:

http://sabr.org/research/spring-2015-baseball-research-journal

Those of you who receive the print edition should find your BRJ arriving in the next two to three weeks (if you haven’t gotten it already!) For digital subscribers, the e-book edition was delivered to your inboxes on April 2.

To learn more about contributing to a future SABR publication, click here.

We hope you enjoy reading the Spring 2015 Baseball Research Journal!

Listen to Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM

We invite you to listen to Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a new radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro, on Sunday nights on MLB Network Radio.

Baseball SABR Style focuses on examining and interpreting the statistical analysis that plays a critical role in baseball today. It will air weekly throughout the year on MLB Network Radio, available to subscribers nationwide on XM channel 89, Sirius channel 209, and on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App. (Recent shows are available afterward in the “on-demand” section of the SiriusXM app or website.)

For more information, click here.

6 new biographies published by the SABR BioProject

Six new biographies were posted as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 3,153 published biographies. Here are the new bios:

All new biographies can be found here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/recent

You can find the SABR BioProject at SABR.org/BioProject.

Bios on more than just ballplayers: The ambitious goal of the SABR Baseball Biography Project is to publish a full-life biography of every major league player in history. But SABR members write about a lot more than just ballplayers. In addition, we have pages for Ballparks, Broadcasters, Executives, Managers, Scouts, Spouses, Umpires and a lot more on the BioProject website. You can browse all of these categories at http://sabr.org/bioproj/browse. So if you’ve ever thought, “Hey, that person (or ballpark) should get the full BioProject treatment” — write the story and we’ll publish it!

Get involved! If you’d like to help contribute to the SABR BioProject, visit our BioProject Resources page or read the FAQs section to get started. We’re also looking to expand the BioProject to include all “encyclopedic” articles on baseball-related subjects from past SABR publications or committee newsletters. If you come across an article you think should be included in the SABR “baseball repository” at the BioProject, send a copy or link to markarmour04@gmail.com or jpomrenke@sabr.org.

3 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

Three new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories:

The SABR Baseball Games Project was launched in January 2014 to research and write articles on major-league and Negro League regular, postseason, and All-Star Games. These game accounts will complement Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference box scores as well as BioProject essays on the players involved.

The articles are not intended to be mere play-by-play summaries, nor should they be first-person narratives. Rather the goal is to put each game in historical context — whether that history is of a particular player, team, season, or something even broader.

Visit the new Games Project website at SABR.org/gamesproject.

In Memoriam

  • SABR member John W. Burgoon Jr., 68, died on April 10, 2015, in Greencastle, Pennsylvania. Born on February 4, 1947 in Frederick, Maryland, he was the son of the late John W. and Dorothy Crouse Burgoon. He was a 1965 graduate of Littlestown High School and a 1969 graduate of Shippensburg State College. John retired from teaching American History and Civics at Central Junior High and J. Frank Faust Junior High in the Chambersburg Area School District. He coached basketball and football for a combined total of over 70 athletic seasons. Along with having those teachable moments every coach enjoys, John also enjoyed continued friendships with former students, family time, golfing and traveling, visiting over 20 major league ballparks over the years. John is survived by his wife of 42 years, Dawn E. Burgoon, daughter Nicole Matero and husband Tony of Dallastown, Pennsylvania; 3 grandchildren; a sister in-law; and his two dogs. A memorial service was held April 16 and interment was private. Memorial contributions may be made to Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter, 5051 Letterkenny Rd. West, Chambersburg, PA 17201.  

ICYMI: Highlights from last week’s This Week in SABR

We’ve heard your feedback: Some of you have said you look forward to “This Week in SABR” every Friday, but sometimes there are just too many compelling articles and announcements to read every week. We’re not complaining — hey, keep up the great work! — but we know the feeling. So in an effort to make the length of this newsletter more manageable to read, we’ll summarize some of the repeating/recurring announcements in a special “In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)” section of “This Week in SABR”.

Here are some major headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:

All previous editions of This Week in SABR can be found here: http://sabr.org/content/this-week-in-sabr-archives.

Welcome, new members!

We’d like to welcome all of our new SABR members who have joined this week. You can find all Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org and the New Member Handbook can be downloaded here.

Please give these new members a warm welcome and help them make the most of their membership by giving them the opportunity to get involved in their local chapter or a research committee.

You can find contact information for any SABR member in the online membership directory (SABR.org/directory).

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Carol Ackerman Phoenix, AZ     Don Harris Guthrie, OK
Logan Ballew Fayetteville, AR     David Hill Dallas, TX
Joy Benjamin Fort Lauderdale, FL     John Hommes Ankeny, IA
Roseann Cook Glen Rock, NJ     James Loeffler Upper Saddle River, NJ
Oliver Curtiss Pasadena, CA     Peter Martin Roseville, CA
Reginald Deal Beaumont, TX     Greg May Lakewood, CO
Whitney Dempsey Arvada, CO     Carl Park South Orange, NJ
Robert DePaolo New Rochelle, NY     Adam Platt Minneapolis, MN
John Diehl Columbus, OH     Frederick Reber Mooresville, NC
Joseph Giovannetti Eureka, CA     Michael Shepherd Philadelphia, PA
Nathan Green Harvest, AL     Mark Sherrard Skokie, IL

 

Research Committee news

There were no new SABR research committee newsletters published this week.

Find all SABR research committee newsletters at SABR.org/research.

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates published this week:

  • Bob Davids Chapter: Get your tickets now for Bob Davids Chapter Day with the Washington Nationals and special guest George F. Will on Saturday, June 6, 2015, at Nationals Park. Every odd-numbered year since 2005, we have met to watch the Nationals; we would love to include you. Cost: $65 (includes program, tickets to the game, and buffet lunch). Register before May 31. The room we will be meeting in is limited to 70 dedicated fans. Click here for more details.  
  • Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter: The Bob Broeg St. Louis SABR Chapter announces its inaugural chapter Research Conference on Saturday, August 22, 2015, at a location to be determined in the St. Louis area. This will take the place of the chapter’s usual monthly meeting in August. At this conference we’ll be awarding the Jim Rygelski Research Award to the best presentation. This award includes a $200 cash award. The second- and third-best papers will also receive cash awards of $100 and $50, respectively. Please submit to Brian Flaspohler your interest in presenting a paper by June 22. Click here to learn more.

Visit SABR.org/chapters for more information on SABR regional chapters.

SABR Events Calendar

Here is a list of upcoming SABR events:

All SABR meetings and events are open to the public. Feel free to bring a baseball-loving friend … and make many new ones! Check out the SABR Events Calendar at SABR.org/events.

Around the Web

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

Read these articles and more at SABR.org/latest.

This Week in SABR is compiled by Jacob Pomrenke. If you would like us to include an upcoming event, article or any other information in “This Week in SABR,” e-mail jpomrenke@sabr.org.

Have trouble reading this e-mail? Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web.

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Originally published: April 17, 2015. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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