This Week in SABR: January 11, 2013

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Welcome to “This Week in SABR”! Here’s what we’ve been up to as of January 11, 2013:

2013 Baseball Hall of Fame BBWAA vote is a shutout

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America failed to elect a single player to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 voting results, which were announced Wednesday. Former Houston Astros star Craig Biggio received 68.2 percent of the vote, nearly 7 percent below the 75 percent threshold required for Hall of Fame induction. You can view the full 2013 BBWAA balloting, including individual voter ballots where available, at http://bbwaa.com/2013/01/13-hof-results/.

This is the eighth election by the BBWAA that did not produce a Hall of Famer and the first since 1996. The other BBWAA elections without a winner were in 1945, 1946, 1950, 1958, 1960 and 1971. You can view all past Hall of Fame election results at Baseball-Reference.com.

Three Pre-Integration Committee electees will be honored on 2013 Induction Weekend, July 26-29 in Cooperstown, New York. Umpire Hank O’Day, New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and 19th-century player Deacon White — who was SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Legend of 2010 — were selected by a 16-person committee that included SABR members Pat Gillick, Roland Hemond, Steve Hirdt, Peter Morris and Tom Simon. In addition, the Hall of Fame will recognize 12 individuals previously counted among its roster of members who never had a formal induction due to wartime restrictions, including Lou Gehrig (1939), Rogers Hornsby (1942) and the entire Old Timers class of 1945.

As you can imagine, the 2013 BBWAA voting results touched off a vigorous debate this week on SABR-L; join in the discussion by subscribing to our daily e-mail listserv at http://sabr.org/about/sabr-l.

Here are some related articles published this week by SABR members on the Hall of Fame election we thought you might enjoy:

Introducing the 2013 SABR Analytics General Managers Panel

The SABR Analytics Conference, presented by Major League Baseball and Bloomberg Sports, announces its 2013 General Managers Panel. This panel will discuss how major league front offices are using analytics to develop a competitive edge and stay ahead of their competition. Time and date TBA.

The General Managers Panel will include:

  • Jon Daniels, General Manager, Texas Rangers
  • Rick Hahn, Senior VP/General Manager, Chicago White Sox
  • Jed Hoyer, Executive VP/General Manager, Chicago Cubs

The 2013 SABR Analytics Conference will be held Thursday, March 7 through Saturday, March 9 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, 340 North 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004. Click here to book your room online or call (602) 262-2500 and tell them you’re registering for the SABR Analytics Conference.

Conference registration is available now at the SABR Store. Click here to register. The conference is open to all baseball fans.

For more details and to register for the conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.

For highlights of the 2012 SABR Analytics General Managers Panel, click here.

Seeking nominations for SABR Analytics Research Awards

What was the best analytical baseball research published in 2012?

The new SABR Analytics Research Awards will recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year in the following categories:

  • Contemporary Baseball Analysis: Honoring the best analysis focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s).
  • Contemporary Baseball Commentary: Honoring the best commentary focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s). 
  • Historical Baseball Analysis/Commentary: Honoring the best original analysis or commentary focusing on a subject related to a game(s), team(s) or player(s) throughout baseball history.

Works of “Analysis” will be judged on the following criteria: thorough examination of the subject matter; originality of research; factual accuracy; significance in advancing our understanding of baseball.

Works of “Commentary” will be judged on the following criteria: distinguished writing; profound insight; factual accuracy; significance in advancing our understanding of baseball.

A work can be in any format except books, including but not limited to articles, columns, blog posts, television, film, websites, spreadsheets or databases, but it must have been first published in the preceding calendar year. No unpublished work will be considered. No work published, in part or in whole, prior to the preceding calendar year will be considered.

No work will be considered in more than one category.

Nominations will be solicited by representatives from SABR, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs and The Hardball Times. Please send your nominations to Jacob Pomrenke at the SABR office. SABR will choose the final 3-4 nominees in each category, from the list submitted by each group. Voting for the winners will be conducted online at SABR.org, BaseballProspectus.com, FanGraphs.com and HardballTimes.com, with results weighted equally at 25%.

Results will be announced and presented at the second annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 7-9, 2013, at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more or register for the conference at SABR.org/analytics.

Join us on SABR Day: January 26, 2013

The fourth annual SABR Day is coming up soon: January 26, 2013. We’re compiling details now on 2013 SABR Day chapter meetings around the country. We’ll post them as soon as we get them at SABR.org/sabrday.

So far, we have SABR Day events scheduled in these cities:

  • Albuquerque, NM (Rio Grande Chapter)
  • Charlotte, NC (Charlotte Chapter) 
  • Columbus, OH (Hank Gowdy Chapter)
  • Cooperstown, NY (Cliff Kachline Chapter)
  • Denver, CO (Rocky Mountain Chapter)
  • Des Moines, IA (Field of Dreams Chapter)
  • Fort Lauderdale, FL (South Florida Chapter)
  • Houston, TX (Larry Dierker Chapter)
  • Indianapolis, IN (Oscar Charleston Chapter)
  • Kansas City, MO (Monarchs Chapter)
  • Kenosha, WI (co-organized by Emil Rothe and Ken Keltner Badger State chapters)
  • Little Rock, AR (Robinson-Kell Chapter) 
  • Los Angeles, CA (Allan Roth Chapter)
  • Louisville, KY (Pee Wee Reese Chapter)
  • Middletown, CT (Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter)
  • Montreal, QC (Quebec Chapter)
  • Montpelier, VT (Gardner-Waterman Vermont Chapter)
  • New Orleans, LA (Schott-Pelican Chapter)
  • New York, NY (Casey Stengel Chapter)
  • Oakland, CA (Lefty O’Doul Chapter)
  • Philadelphia, PA (Connie Mack Chapter)
  • Phoenix, AZ (Flame Delhi Chapter)
  • Pittsburgh, PA (Forbes Field Chapter)
  • Seattle, WA (Northwest Chapter)
  • St. Louis, MO (Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter)
  • Tallahassee, FL (Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter)
  • Toledo, OH (co-organized by Bresnahan-Mudhens Chapter, Detroit Chapter, Don Lund Chapter, Wally Pipp Chapter)
  • Toronto, ON (Hanlan’s Point Chapter)

In addition, these chapters will be holding their SABR Day meetings on Saturday, February 2 due to scheduling conflicts with the popular team FanFests on January 26:

  • Minneapolis, MN (Halsey Hall Chapter)
  • San Diego, CA (Ted Williams Chapter)
  • Washington, DC (Bob Davids Chapter)

Chapter leaders, please send your SABR Day plans to Jacob Pomrenke at jpomrenke@sabr.org so we can add them to the map ASAP!

(Having trouble viewing our map at SABR.org/sabrday? Visit http://bit.ly/SABRday-2013-list to view all SABR Day 2013 details in a spreadsheet on the web.)

Regional SABR meetings are open to all baseball fans and are usually free to attend, so bring a friend! Guest speakers often include current and former baseball players, managers, umpires, executives, scouts, writers and authors.

To view event details for a SABR Day meeting near you, check out our SABR Day map at SABR.org/sabrday for more information.

Seamheads Negro Leagues Database update: 1915-1916 Cuban League and Florida Hotel League

Here’s a note from SABR member Gary Ashwill on updates to the Seamheads Negro Leagues Database:

This week we’ve added two leagues from the 1915/16 winter season—the Cuban League and the Florida Hotel League—along with the 1907 Southern Championship contested between the Birmingham Giants and San Antonio Black Bronchos.

In Cuba, due to a labor dispute, the old Cuban National League was no more, replaced by a player-led league, the Cuban National Association.  The players of the three former clubs–Almendares, Fe, and Habana—reorganized themselves into teams called Almendares Park, Habana Park, and San Francisco Park, presumably unable to use the old team names for legal reasons.

In 1914/15 Fe, despite hiring Spot Poles, Dick Redding, and several other black players from the United States, had finished with an abject 5-28 record.  So it probably seemed safe for San Francisco Park, the team that took Fe’s place, to dispense with the Americans and add Eustaquio Pedroso, perhaps the most valuable player in Cuban baseball the past couple of winters.  But Pedroso soon switched back to Almendares Park and San Francisco Park lost 21 out of 22 games, whereupon the league sent to the United States for Rube Foster and his Chicago American Giants to replace them.  Foster’s team, still playing under the San Francisco name, won 5 and lost 9 before returning to the U.S., and a thrown-together outfit lost the club’s last three scheduled games.  Altogether, the three different versions of San Francisco Park fielded a total of 56 players.

Despite the cosmetic name changes, Almendares and Habana fielded similar teams to their 1914/15 editions.  Habana Park again featured mostly players from organized baseball in the U.S., including major leaguers Armando Marsans and Mike González, but lost the pennant to Almendares Park.  The eventual champions starred Cristóbal Torriente (.401/.491/.562), Manuel Cueto (.403/.481/.493), Gervasio González (.370/.517/.407, with a league-leading 32 walks), and Dolf Luque (12-5, 2.80), along with the two-way threat  Pedroso, who hit .451 and went 9-2 as a pitcher after leaving San Francisco Park for Almendares.

This would be the last winter season in old Almendares Park, which was torn down and replaced by a new stadium in time for the 1918/19 season.

Meanwhile in Palm Beach, Florida, the New York Lincoln Giants and the Indianapolis ABCs clashed in a 15-game series.  The annual Florida Hotel League, also known as the Coconut League, had taken place from January to March since at least the mid-1900s.  The teams represented the exclusive Breakers Hotel and Royal Poinciana Hotel.  The 1916 series saw John Donaldson, already a legendary, fireballing southpaw for J. L. Wilkinson‘s All-Nations Club, make his big-time blackball debut.  It was a rough start, as the equally legendary Cyclone Joe Williams out-dueled him several times.  Unfortunately we only have box scores for 6 of 15 games that year, and in those games Donaldson went 0-4.

Our additions to the DB also bring us back to the start of Joe Williams’s career at the age of 21, with the San Antonio Black Bronchos in 1907, playing for the Southern black championship against C. I. Taylor’s Birmingham Giants.

To view the Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, visit http://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/index.php.

Register now for Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference

The fifth annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference will be held April 19-20, 2013, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The conference will be highlighted by a special session with Richard Hershberger, “The Two Faces of Baseball’s Creation Myth”; a panel discussion with John Thorn, Peter Morris and Eric Miklich, “The Evolution of the Pitching/Catching Battery”; an artifact presentation from Hall of Fame Librarian Jim Gates; a Member Spotlight interview with author Peter Morris; a keynote address by Tom Shieber of the Baseball Hall of Fame; and the usual high-quality research presentations (TBA).

To view the full schedule, download the 2013 conference program here:

https://sabr.box.com/shared/static/ljvqrtqidk8ql1rjnp5u.pdf

Conference Registration is open to all SABR members and up to two non-SABR family members or friends (18 years old or over). See Registration Form for “Welcoming Dinner”, “Luncheon Only” and “Post Conference Gathering” options.

Registrations can be accepted by mail only. Send completed 19th-Century Base Ball Conference Registration Form to: Peter Mancuso, 6970 Ely Road, New Hope, PA 18938. Enclose your personal check for the appropriate amount and made payable to: “SABR – 19c BB Conference.” Please, mail prior to April 9, 2013. If you miss the registration mailing deadline to see if space is still available or if other information is required, contact Peter Mancuso: peterplus4@earthlink.net, (215) 862-2887.

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 2,204 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.

Emerald Guide to Baseball editors seeking volunteers

The editors of SABR’s The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2013 are seeking two volunteers to serve as proofreaders and fact-checkers for the annual book of record published by SABR. There is an immediate need for the volunteers and most of the work would be completed in January. If you are looking for a way to get involved in important research — with some coaching — and you are conscientious, contact Gary Gillette at baseballist@247baseball.com or Rod Nelson at rodericnelson@gmail.com.

The Emerald Guide to Baseball, edited by Gary Gillette and Pete Palmer with Rod Nelson and Ted Turocy, is the most comprehensive record of the previous baseball season.

Historically, the primary purpose of annual baseball guides has been the publication of the official league standings plus the official team and individual statistics for both Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball. Our new Emerald Guide follows faithfully in that tradition, containing the official batting, pitching, and fielding statistics for every team and every player in the Major Leagues plus extensive lists of league leaders.

SABR members can download a free copy of the 2012 edition of the Emerald Guide on the Research Resources page.

Call for SABR award nominations

  • SABR Baseball Research Award, due 1/31/2013: The SABR Baseball Research Award (formerly the Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award) honors those whose outstanding research projects completed during the preceding calendar year have significantly expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball. To submit a nomination for the 2012 awards, please contact Steve Gietschier at sgietsch@gmail.com.
  • Ron Gabriel Award, due 1/31/2013: The Ron Gabriel Award annually honors the author(s) of the best research, published or unpublished, on the subject of the Brooklyn Dodgers completed during the preceding calendar year. Eligible works include but are not limited to magazine and journal articles, previously unpublished chapters or articles in anthologies or other books with multiple authors, unpublished research papers, written versions of oral presentations, books, databases and websites. To submit a nomination for the 2012 awards, please contact Stephanie Liscio at stephanieliscio@yahoo.com.
  • McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, due 2/15/2013: The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the authors of the best articles on baseball history or biography completed or published during the preceding calendar year. To submit a nomination for the 2012 awards, please contact Len Levin at lenlevin5@hotmail.com.

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” starting today.

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

Of course, 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.

Here is a list of new members:

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Randy Aafedt Chandler, AZ     William Kovacs Hershey, PA
Matthew Anderson Hoffman Estates, IL     Barry Lesch Albany, CA
Matthew Austin Chesterfield, VA     Bill Lombardi Danville, CA
Peggy Bair Prescott, AZ     Al Miller Longmont, CO
Wendy Bicovny New York, NY     Ben Miller Potsdam, NY
Al Bodi Bedford, NH     Kap Misir Lawrenceville, NJ
Evan Bodi Bedford, NH     Eddie Mitchell Portsmouth, VA
Dick Bohling Walnut Creek, CA     James Nieves Irving, TX
Lyle Bowlin Lakeland, FL     Michael Noakes Lyndhurst, OH
Jon Campbell Boulder, CO     Jeff Nordeng Madison, WI
Lloyd Chapin Larchmont, NY     Francis Ofungwu Austin, TX
James Click San Francisco, CA     Noel Perry Lebanon, PA
Jean Francois Corbet Rimouski, QC     John Perry Hickory, NC
Mathew Doherty Fairbanks, AK     Blaine Peterson Lyons, CO
Ricardo Durham Kettering, MD     Larry Porschen St. Louis, MO
Duke Dwyer Rochester, PA     Regina Reis Arvada, CO
Michael Eckstein Bryn Mawr, PA     Paul Ringel Greensboro, NC
Alan Elmore Texarkana, TX     Cliff Roberson Houston, TX
Sarah Evans Pasadena, CA     John Russo Morgan City, LA
Peter Febbraro Jr. Mount Pocono, PA     John Schubert Captiva, FL
Cole Figueroa Tampa, FL     Steve Selby Denton, TX
Greg Flanders Tustin, CA     Robert J Stenz New York, NY
Edward Frederick Hinsdale, MA     Ryan Stern S. San Francisco, CA
John Garcia Glen Head, NY     Stacie Stern Phoenix, AZ
James Gentile Chicago, IL     Jim Stringfellow Cudahy, WI
Linda Green Beavercreek, OH     Brett Swearingen Anaheim, CA
William Hardesty Oxford, OH     Daniel Symonds Bradenton, FL
Constance Hill St. Paul, MN     Hunter Taylor Alton, NH
Skip Holman Peoria, AZ     Blake Thielen Ames, IA
Scott Joseph Natick, MA     Ken Thompson Willis, TX
Christopher Kaempfer Las Vegas, NV     Jim Vassallo Cinnaminson, NJ
Kieran Kelly Omaha, NE     Matthew Viereck Wilmington, DE
Gary Kenney Seal Beach, CA     Kevin Wilcox Albany, NY
Kevin Klein Chicago, IL     Robert Winter Brighton, MA
Liza Koon Chantilly, VA     Wayne Wozniak Bensenville, IL

 

Research committee newsletters

Here are the new SABR research committee newsletters published this week:

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

Chapter meeting recaps

There were no chapter meeting recaps published this week.

  • Visit SABR.org/sabrday for a listing of all 30+ SABR Day events scheduled for January 26 around the U.S. and Canada.

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.

All previous editions of This Week in SABR can be found here: http://sabr.org/content/this-week-in-sabr-archives. If you would like us to include an upcoming event, article or any other information in “This Week in SABR”, e-mail Jacob Pomrenke at jpomrenke@sabr.org.

Find exclusive Members’ Only resources and information here: http://members.sabr.org

Did you know you can renew your membership at any time? 1- and 3-year SABR memberships are available by clicking “Renew” at http://members.sabr.org. Please also consider a donation to SABR to support baseball research at SABR.org/donate.

Are you following us on Twitter or Facebook? Get SABR updates every day at @SABR or by searching “SABR” on Facebook.

Replying to this e-mail goes to an undeliverable address. If you would like to contact the SABR office, please visit: http://sabr.org/about/contact-sabr


Originally published: January 11, 2013. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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