This Week in SABR: January 13, 2017

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Welcome to “This Week in SABR!” Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web. Please note: The SABR office will be closed on Monday, January 16 for the MLK Day holiday. Here’s what we’ve been up to as of January 13, 2017:

Sabermetric pioneer Bill James to speak at 2017 SABR Analytics Conference

Forty years after Bill James first published his annual Baseball Abstract, revolutionizing the world of baseball statistics, SABR is pleased to announce that the sabermetric pioneer will return as a featured panelist at the 2017 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix.

The SABR Analytics Conference will be held Thursday, March 9 to Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix. The conference is open to all baseball fans, and early registration is now available online. Click here to register!

We’re also excited to announce more featured speakers and panelists at the 2017 SABR Analytics Conference:

  • Jon “Boog” Sciambi, Announcer, ESPN
  • Dan Migala, Chief Innovation Officer, PCG & SportsDesk Media
  • Daniel M. Laby, MD, FAAO, Associate Clinical Professor, State University of New York College of Optometry

Our all-star lineup of speakers and panelists will also include: Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza, MLB Network host Brian Kenny and analyst Eric Byrnes, SABR President Vince Gennaro, FanGraphs writer Eno Sarris, Arizona Diamondbacks broadcaster Mike Ferrin, deCervo co-founder Jordan Muraskin, and many more. Click here to learn more about our speakers.

Stay tuned as we announce more featured speakers and panelists at the 2017 SABR Analytics Conference! Please note: All speakers are subject to change depending on availability.

For more information, visit SABR.org/analytics.

Early registration ends February 15 for 2017 SABR Analytics Conference

Early registration is still open for the sixth annual SABR Analytics Conference on March 9-11, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona, but you should register before February 15 to take advantage of the early registration discounted rate. Our special group rate at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix also expires on February 15, 2017.

We hope you’ll join us this spring in Arizona, where we’ll bring together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. Click a link below for more information:

SABR has a long and storied history with baseball statistical analysis, evidenced by the link between our name and sabermetrics. SABR’s long history in this area of baseball research, coupled with our mission of advancing the understanding and knowledge of baseball, makes us the perfect choice to coordinate and host this ground-breaking event.

The Analytics Conference schedule consists of a combination of Guest Speakers, Panels, and Research Presentations — plus the unique Diamond Dollars Case Competition, in which undergraduate, graduate and law school students from across the country analyze and present a real baseball operations decision.

For more information on the 2017 SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.

Register now for the 2017 Diamond Dollars Case Competition at SABR Analytics

The SABR Analytics Conference is pleased to host the unique Diamond Dollars Case Competition on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Click here for more details.

In the Diamond Dollars Case Competition, undergraduate, graduate and professional school students from colleges and universities across the country compete against each other by preparing an analysis and presentation of a baseball operations decision — the type of decision a team’s GM and his staff is faced with over the course of a season. The cases are developed by SABR President Vince Gennaro, author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball, and consultant to MLB teams. The Diamond Dollars Case Competition is the first national competition to be based solely on baseball operations issues.

Four- to five-person student teams are asked to evaluate a baseball operations case problem. The student team presents their analysis and recommendations to a panel of judges that includes MLB front office executives. More than a dozen alumni from the first five Diamond Dollars Case Competitions have secured internships or permanent positions within Major League Baseball.

For more information on the 2017 Diamond Dollars Case Competition, please contact SABR President Vince Gennaro or click here for rules and entry requirements.

Save the date! SABR Day is coming up on January 28

We hope you’ll join us for the eighth annual SABR Day, scheduled for Saturday, January 28, 2017. We’re compiling details now on 2017 SABR Day chapter meetings around the country. We’ll post them as soon as we get them at SABR.org/sabrday.  

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.

SABR Day events are scheduled for Saturday, January 28 in the following cities:

  • Birmingham, AL (Rickwood Field Chapter)
  • Columbus, OH (Hank Gowdy Chapter)
  • Cooperstown, NY (Cliff Kachline Chapter)
  • Denver, CO (Rocky Mountain Chapter)
  • Fort Wayne, IN (Kekionga Chapter)
  • Indianapolis, IN (Oscar Charleston Chapter)
  • Kenosha, WI (joint meeting of Emil Rothe/Chicago and Ken Keltner Badger State Chapters)
  • Knoxville, TN (East Tennessee Chapter)
  • Las Vegas, NV (Maddux Brothers-Las Vegas Chapter)
  • Little Rock, AR (Robinson-Kell Chapter)
  • Los Angeles, CA (Allan Roth Chapter)
  • Louisville, KY (Pee Wee Reese Chapter)
  • Minneapolis, MN (Halsey Hall Chapter)
  • Montreal, QC (Quebec Chapter)
  • Nashville, TN (Rice-Russell Nashville Chapter)
  • New Orleans, LA (Schott-Pelican Chapter)
  • New York, NY (Casey Stengel Chapter)
  • Philadelphia, PA (Connie Mack Chapter)
  • Phoenix, AZ (Flame Delhi Chapter)
  • Pittsburgh, PA (Forbes Field Chapter)
  • Rochester, NY (Luke Easter Chapter)
  • St. Louis, MO (Bob Broeg Chapter)
  • San Diego, CA (Ted Williams Chapter)
  • San Francisco, CA (Lefty O’Doul Chapter)
  • Tallahassee, FL (Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter)
  • Toronto, ON (Hanlan’s Point Chapter)
  • More meetings TBA soon!

Click here for complete details on all events on our interactive 2017 SABR Day map (or click here to view details on a spreadsheet).

In addition, SABR Day meetings will also be held on these dates due to schedule or venue availability. Click on a link below to learn more:

Chapter leaders, please be sure to send any details on your SABR Day meeting to Blane Ferguson at bferguson@sabr.org so we can update our interactive map at SABR.org/sabrday.

Rogers Hornsby Chapter’s Winter Meeting tomorrow to include Dr. Bobby Brown, Gene Watson

SABR’s Rogers Hornsby Chapter will hold its 11th annual Winter Meeting from 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., on Saturday, January 14. The meeting will be held on the third floor of the Old Main Building at Texas State University-San Marcos (601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666).

Our guest speakers are expected to include Dr. Bobby Brown, former New York Yankees infielder and American League president; Gene Watson, Director of Professional Scouting, Kansas City Royals; Mike Acosta, Authentication Manager, Houston Astros; Mike Capps, Director of Broadcasting, Round Rock Express; and Mark Saccomanno, former Houston Astros first baseman. We’ll also feature a trivia contest, memorabilia, mock Hall-of-Fame voting, and much more.

The meeting is open to all baseball fans and is free to attend. Lunch is optional ($10; cash only); you can register upon arrival and sign up for your lunch choices before 10 a.m. to have them delivered to us.

For more information, please contact Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com or visit the chapter website at sabrhornsby.org.

  • Boston Chapter MLK Day meeting on Monday: The SABR Boston Chapter will hold its annual MLK Day meeting from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 16. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. A donation of $10 is humbly requested to defray the expense of location, lights and levity. We’ll meet at The Baseball Tavern (1270 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215), where an optional lunch buffet will be available for an additional $10. Our featured speaker will be Dave Wallace, former pitching coach for the 2004 Boston Red Sox and also the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Houston Astros, and most recently the Baltimore Orioles. He also pitched parts of three seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. We’ll also hear from Boston Red Sox team historian Gordon Edes, as we did last year, and hear what’s up at Fenway Park. Clayton Trutor will speak about the Tony Conigliaro Award winners, subject of a new SABR publication that’s out this month. Donna Halper, interesting and informative as always, will talk about “Honoring Black Baseball Writers,” and Bob Brady and Mark Kanter have a lot to say about baseball in Cuba. Kara Jackman will speak about Boston University, Martin Luther King Jr., race, and baseball. David Kaiser will also present on “The Unluckiest Pitchers: Won-Lost Records and Selection to the Hall of Fame. Dixie Tourangeau will have a lot to say about a lot of things.

Coming soon: Registration information for SABR 47 convention in New York City

SABR will be returning to the Big Apple for our 47th national convention on June 28-July 2, 2017, at the Grand Hyatt New York. Registration and hotel information will be available beginning next week at SABR.org/convention, along with a call for presentation abstracts and the SABR 47 Yoseloff Scholarship application. The New York Mets are scheduled to play the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series at Citi Field during SABR 47.

The Grand Hyatt New York, one of the city’s most historic and luxurious hotels, is conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan just steps from Grand Central Terminal and within walking distance of many major attractions, including Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the New York Public Library. The Grand Hyatt is also easily accessible to all forms of transportation: planes, trains, automobiles (including car services), and more.

SABR 47, which is open to all baseball fans, will include top featured speakers from around the baseball world — front office executives, players, managers, scouts, writers and analysts.

SABR’s 2017 national convention will be our 47th annual gathering; the organization’s founding in Cooperstown in 1971 is counted as the first. Learn more about SABR’s convention history by clicking here.

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

Registration now open for 2017 SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference

The ninth annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference will be held April 21-22, 2017, at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to attend, but space is limited so RSVP today!

The 2017 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from baseball historian Bill Lamb, along with a panel discussion on SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legends Project with Adam Darowski, Michael Haupert, Joe Williams, and moderator John Thorn; a special presentation of the documentary film “Town Teams: Bigger Than Baseball” by Dorothy Seymour Mills and Mark Honer; a Member Spotlight interview of Joanne Hulbert by Tom Simon; plus book signings, research presentations, and a welcome dinner.

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

Call for papers: 2017 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference

The 20th annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, hosted by SABR’s Negro Leagues Research Committee, will be returning to its roots on July 27-30, 2017, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, site of the first Negro League conference in 1998. A registration packet and more information will be available in early 2017 at SABR.org/malloy.

Each year, SABR’s Negro Leagues Research Committee raises money to donate books to schools or libraries; for the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project; and award scholarships to high school seniors in a nationwide essay contest and a nationwide art contest through the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference.

Click a link below for more information on the 2017 call for papers, high school scholarships and essay contest, art contest, and library grants.

  • Call for Papers: The SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference welcomes proposals for oral and poster presentations from all research fields. Previous presenters have included college faculty, public school teachers, graduate students, and independent scholars. Presentations may focus on any topic related to the theme, “Black Baseball in Harrisburg,” or other Negro Leagues issues. Some possibilities include: the 1920s Harrisburg Giants, Spottswood Poles, Rap Dixon, the 1954 Harrisburg Giants, Monrovian Club of 1867, 1903 Colored World Series, and so much more. Please email your proposal as a Word attachment to Dr. Leslie Heaphy at Lheaphy@kent.edu before March 27, 2017. Click here for complete details and criteria.
  • High School Essay Contest: SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee will award $1,000 scholarships to two high school seniors in its ninth annual Thomas R. Garrett Scholarship essay contest in 2017. Students must write a 1,200-word essay answering a question related to one of the Negro League figures who are the namesakes of the scholarships. Click here to download the Jimmie Crutchfield Memorial Scholarship application or click here to download the Normal “Tweed” Webb Scholarship application. The deadline to apply is March 27, 2017.
  • Dick Clark Memorial Library Grants: SABR’s Negro Leagues Research Committee will award two $500 Dick Clark Memorial Library Grants for 2016-17. School and community libraries from across the country are invited to submit grant proposals centering on educating students and the community about black baseball and American history. Click here to download the PDF application for eligibility requirements, submission criteria, and style guidelines. The deadline is May 8, 2017.
  • Art Contest: SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee’s will hold its eighth annual Art Contest in 2017. The theme is “Black Baseball History.” For professionals and amateurs: Click here to download the PDF application for eligibility requirements, submission criteria, and style guidelines. The entry fee is $30 and the deadline for submission is May 29, 2017. For the youth contest: Click here to download the youth art contest PDF application. The entry fee is $10 (per three entries) and the deadline for submission is May 22, 2017.

For more information, visit SABR.org/malloy.

Delayed but not defeated: Marjorie Adams, Doc Adams, and the Hall of Fame

SABR member Marjorie Adams has had some extraordinary times since December 2015. Her great-grandfather, Daniel “Doc” Adams, author of the “Laws of Base Ball” in 1857, narrowly missed induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The “Laws of Base Ball” sold for $3.26 million in April 2016 and in the process Marjorie was able to hold and inspect the Laws in an emotional meeting with the seller. There have been satisfying and disappointing times in her five-year effort to have Doc Adams inducted. 

Karl Cicitto interviewed Marjorie for an article in the SABR Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter’s Winter 2017 newsletter that was published this week.

Read the full interview with Marjorie Adams at SABR.org/latest/delayed-not-defeated-marjorie-adams-doc-adams-and-hall-fame.

For more information on the chapter, visit SmokyJoeWood.com.

Students, submit your entries for 2017 SABR Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award

Entries are now being accepted for the 2017 SABR Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award.

The Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award was established in 1999 by the Society for American Baseball Research in recognition of Kavanagh’s writing and research achievements and his contributions to SABR. The Kavanagh Award may be presented each year for either a research presentation given at the SABR National Convention (papers must accompany any oral presentation), or for a research paper that is submitted to the awards committee by a researcher in grades 6-8 (middle school category), grades 9-12 (high school category), or undergraduates age 22 and under (College Category). The winners will receive a plaque honoring their achievement, a $200 prize, and a one-year membership to SABR.

All entries must be submitted to committee chair Dr. Leslie Heaphy, postmarked or e-mailed by May 29, 2017. Email entries can be sent to lheaphy@kent.edu and mail in papers can be sent to Dr. Leslie Heaphy, KSU at Stark, 6000 Frank Rd., North Canton, OH 44720.

Click here for complete details and criteria.

5 new SABR biographies published

Five new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 3,971 published biographies. Here are the new bios published this week:

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

4 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

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

New Games Project stories can be found at http://sabr.org/gamesproject/recent. Find all published Games Project articles at SABR.org/GamesProject.

  • Get involved: Writing for the Games Project is an easy way to get involved as a SABR member. Find out how by reading the Games Project FAQs section or checking out the Authors’ Guidelines.
  • Still seeking a Chief Editor: For those of you who have reached out offering to edit or fact-check games over the past few weeks: Thank you! Thanks to numerous responses, we are now sufficiently staffed in this area to more quickly process game articles toward publication. However, we are still seeking a Chief Editor to help coordinate the editing for all Games Project stories. This is a crucial role that is necessary to keep the project running smoothly. If you are interested, please contact Greg Erion or Bruce Slutsky for more information.

Interested in baseball cards? Join SABR’s Baseball Cards Research Committee

Want to learn more about the history and evolution of baseball cards? SABR’s newly revived Baseball Cards Research Committee, co-chaired by Mark Armour and Chris Dial, is seeking new members.

The committee has launched a new website at https://sabrbaseballcards.blog; check out all the great content that has been posted this week:

Any SABR member can sign up for announcements or contribute to future committee newsletters. Click here to learn more.

For more information on all 30 SABR research committees, click here.

Listen to Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on Sundays

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro is back for the Hot Stove League offseason, at a new time: 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET on Sundays, on MLB Network Radio.

This week’s guest is Eno Sarris of FanGraphs.

You can watch video highlights of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on MLB.com. Click here to watch more video highlights of Baseball SABR Style from MLB.com. You can also listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App.

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM focuses on examining and interpreting the statistical analysis that plays a critical role in baseball today. It airs 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.

Deadlines approaching for SABR award nominations

  • SABR Baseball Research Award, due 1/31/2017: 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 2017 awards, please contact Bill Felber at bfelber@att.net.
  • McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, due 2/15/2017: 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 2017 awards, please contact Len Levin at lenlevin5@hotmail.com.

Please note: Only ONE entry per nomination will be considered (do not submit multiple nominations for the same award). For more information on SABR Awards, click here.

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.

For more information, click here.

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 Membership 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
Rafael Amanau Philadelphia, PA     Ryan Keeler Denver, CO
Steve Bollier Fort Wayne, IN     Simon Kim Commerce, TX
Tom Crittenden Oklahoma City, OK     Al Kwiatkowski Carefree, AZ
Mark Davis Brantley, AL     Lloyd Matt Andover, MN
Tad Deja Naperville, IL     Bruce McClure W. Hartford, CT
David Doeling Los Angeles, CA     Mike Mayes Nixa, MO
Edward Fong San Pedro, CA     Masahiro Nanbu Tokyo, JPN
Keith Gaddie Norman, OK     Hideshi Okada Gifu, JPN
Gregory Gay Watertown, NY     Lorraine Padden San Diego, CA
Jon Giles Charlotte, NC     Clay Parker W. Monroe, LA
Jason Hillman Charlotte, NC     Shane Katz Sutton, MA
Moreau Hunt Cedar Key, FL     Jason Winders London, ON
Jonathan Judge Chicago, IL     Michio Yorifuji Sagamihara, JPN

 

Research Committee news

Here are the new SABR research committee updates this week:

  • Baseball and the Arts: The Baseball and the Arts Committee has announced plans for a new SABR publication focused on baseball and the arts, including poetry, music, essays, fiction, and visual art. First, we need a couple of motivated, interested souls to join an editorial board to review the deluge expected from SABR members. If you have an interest in serving as an editor or future contributor, please contact Joanne Hulbert at jhulbert@earthlink.net.
  • BioProject: New BioProject co-chairs Rory Costello and Gregory H. Wolf have announced that the committee has launched new social media accounts to help promote the project, led by J.G. Preston. On Twitter, BioProject updates can now be found at @SABRBioProject and on Facebook, click here for the BioProject group page. To learn more about the BioProject or to get involved, visit SABR.org/BioProject.
  • Women in Baseball: Winter 2017 newsletter

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

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

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: January 13, 2017. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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