This Week in SABR: July 5, 2013

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Welcome to “This Week in SABR!” Here’s what we’ve been up to as of July 5, 2013:

SABR 43: Tips from the Convention Planners

Here’s an update from SABR 43 Committee Co-Chair Seamus Kearney:

YO! I’d like to clue you folks in who are coming to Philly for SABR 43 (July 31-August 4 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown), I will give you a bunch of links that will focus on the food, attractions and history of this great city.

If you have any questions during your stay, please don’t hesitate to ask a friendly SABR 43 volunteer for assistance (they’ll be in the royal blue shirts throughout the convention!) The Connie Mack Chapter will have an information table near our registration area at the Marriott to help point you in the right direction.

Philadelphia is a town noted for our fine eateries that fit all wallet sizes. I’ll be giving you lots of info on where to eat. Here’s a start: 

READING TERMINAL MARKET
A treasure for anyone visiting but a godsend for those staying in the Marriott and nearby. Just in back of the hotel is this market whose roots can be traced to purveyor sheds along High [now Market] Street in colonial Philadelphia. It is chock-full of eateries (mostly inexpensive), produce stalls, meat & fish purveyors and Pennsylvania Dutch stalls. There are also two table areas where you can take your sandwiches and meals to eat while listening to piano music played by volunteer musicians. Check it out with this interactive map: http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/merchants/

CHINATOWN
Close by the terminal and a 7-8 minute walk from the back of the hotel is Philadelphia’s Chinatown. From Vine Street to Arch Street and bordered by 11th and 8th, the area features bars, restaurants and markets purveying Asian culture and food. Here is a link to the restaurants of Chinatown; two of the best are Sang Kee Peking Duck and the Nan Zhou Noodle House: http://www.urbanspoon.com/nf/21/2007/2013/Philadelphia/Chinatown/Chinese-Restaurants

CENTER CITY DISTRICT
Philadelphia’s Center City has a quasi-governmental organization whose function is to make Center City clean and friendly. They have an interactive map site with dozens of attractions accessible: http://www.centercityphila.org/life/Guide.php

Here’s a few pdf files that will help you on how to travel about our city.

SEPTA TRANSIT MAP
Check out the Center City section in the Bottom Right
http://www.septa.org/maps/region/pdf/phila.pdf

ANOTHER CENTER CITY TRANSIT MAP
http://septa.org/maps/region/pdf/ccp.pdf

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More to follow soon.

Also be sure to check out our SABR 43 Transportation Tips page to help you as you travel into the city and to the hotel.

For more information on SABR 43, visit SABR.org/convention.

SABR 43: Schedule change for RP10 and RP30

Due to a travel schedule conflict, the times and dates for two research presentations have been switched at SABR 43.

Dan Levitt’s presentation, “Battle at the Dock: The Federal League Tries to Sign Major League Players as They Return from the Around-the-World Tour”, originally RP30 on the schedule, will now take place in the RP10 time slot at 3:00-3:25 p.m. on Thursday, August 1 in the Salon C/D room.

Robert Foresman’s presentation, “Home But Not Yet Home: World War I and its Impact on Professional Baseball — The Story of Win Noyes,” originally RP10 on the schedule, will now take place in the RP30 time slot at 4:30-4:55 p.m. on Saturday, August 3 in the Salon C/D room.

For an updated list and schedule of SABR 43 research presentations, click here.

SABR 43: Call for on-site presentation judges

On-site judges are needed for SABR 43 research presentations. Each judge will be responsible for viewing and evaluating oral and poster presentations during SABR 43 in Philadelphia.

Potential judges need not be “experts” in particular topics. They may choose which oral presentations they wish to evaluate, but are requested to judge all oral presentations they attend.

Through on-site judging, the most highly regarded presentations will receive the Doug Pappas Award for best oral presentation and the USA Today Sports Weekly Award for best poster presentation.

If you’re interested, send a message to the Research Presentations email at either sabr2013-presentations@comcast.net or sabr43-presentations@comcast.net.

Still time to register for SABR 43 in Philly!

We hope you’ll join us for SABR 43, July 31-August 4, 2013, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, just blocks from City Hall, Independence Hall and many other Philadelphia landmarks. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

You can register online at the SABR Store or on-site at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown during the convention. Registration includes access to all panel discussions, research presentations, committee meetings and other on-site events.

Please note that our block of Phillies ballgame tickets and the discounted all-inclusive rates are no longer available.

Watch SABR panels at 2013 MLB All-Star FanFest in New York

SABR will be in New York City next week for the 2013 MLB All-Star FanFest!

Stop by the MLB.com booth all week, as SABR members are scheduled to participate in a variety of panels throughout All-Star Weekend. For details on attending the All-Star FanFest, July 12-16, 2013, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York (655 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001), visit http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2013/index.jsp?content=asg_fanfest.

We’ll be hosting five panels at the MLB.com booth during 2013 All-Star FanFest at the Javits Center:

  • Women in Baseball Panel
    Amy Venuto, Perry Barber, Alexa Maldonado, Wendy Shotsky, moderator: Leslie Heaphy 
  • SABR Statistical Analysis Panel
    Bo Moon, Jay Jaffe, Ben Lindbergh, moderator: Vince Gennaro 
  • Baseball in NYC through the Years
    Lee Lowenfish, Matt Silverman, Tony Morante, moderator: John Thorn 
  • Jackie Robinson, his impactful legacy and “42”
    Dr. Joseph Dorinson, Lee Lowenfish, moderator: Larry Lester 
  • SABR Trivia
    Host: Cory Schwartz 

For details and times, click here: http://sabr.org/latest/watch-sabr-panels-2013-mlb-all-star-fanfest

1947 Brooklyn Dodgers book wins 2013 Ron Gabriel Award

We are pleased to announce that The Team that Forever Changed Baseball and America: The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, edited by Lyle Spatz, has been selected as the winner of the Ron Gabriel Award in 2013 .

The 1947 Dodgers book, published by University of Nebraska Press as part of its Memorable Teams in Baseball History series with SABR, was chosen by the Ron Gabriel Award Committee, chaired by Stephanie Liscio.

Spatz, whose book Dixie Walker: A Life in Baseball (McFarland & Co.) won the inaugural Ron Gabriel Award in 2012, will be formally honored at the SABR 43 convention in Philadelphia.

The Memorable Teams series, written by SABR members as part of the Baseball Biography Project, focuses on iconic teams with an unquestionable legacy in baseball history. Each book collects essays detailing the players, moments and games that define these teams.

You can order the 1947 Dodgers book from the University of Nebraska Press website or from the SABR Bookstore. For a complete list of biographies included in the 1947 Dodgers book, click here.

Fireworks in Philadelphia on July 4, 1911

Here’s an Independence Day blast from the past, written by SABR member Eric Marshall White:

This is the story of a remarkable day in baseball, one that occurred exactly a century ago. The retelling of this tale began 26 years ago when I found the baseball that I now keep displayed above my fireplace. The old ball was perched on a low, dusty shelf in a not very distinguished antique shop in Philadelphia; I spotted the ball only by chance just as I was about to leave the store. Even though I was an impoverished college sophomore who had no business spending $40 on a used baseball, I figured any ball as old and brown as the ones I’d seen at Cooperstown was worth a quick glance.

I was surprised to find that the ball bore a long black ink inscription winding its way along the curving contour of the seams:

This ball was a home run knocked into the center field bleachers by Fred Merkle the N.Y. Giants 1st baseman, and was caught by Fred T. Brown. July 4th 1911 – 2nd Game Double Header. This was the day that both the Athletics and Phillies took the lead.

Suddenly, I knew this $40 sacrifice was worth it.

To read the full story, click here: http://sabr.org/research/baseball-story-fireworks-philadelphia-july-4-1911. This article first appeared in the Spring 2011 edition of the Baseball Research Journal.

For more fireworks in Philadelphia, join us for SABR 43 on July 31-August 4 at the Philly Marriott Downtown. Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more.

8 new biographies published by the SABR BioProject

Eight new biographies were posted as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 2,468 published biographies. Can we reach 2,500 before the SABR 43 convention in Philadelphia? 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.

1912 Boston Red Sox bios now online: Last year, we commemorated the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest teams in baseball history with Opening Fenway Park With Style: The 1912 World Champion Red Sox, edited by Bill Nowlin, with Dan Desrochers, Len Levin and Maurice Bouchard. The SABR BioProject biographies that appeared in the book — from Tris Speaker to Smoky Joe Wood, from Bill Carrigan to Harry Hooper, from Neal Ball to Charley “Sea Lion” Hall — can now be read online at: http://sabr.org/category/completed-book-projects/1912-boston-red-sox. SABR members can download the e-book in PDF, EPUB or MOBI/Kindle formats for FREE by clicking here. Or click here to get the paperback edition for the special members-only price of $10.00 at Createspace.com. The book is also available for purchase at the SABR Bookstore.

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!

Check out the Baseball Ballparks Project: The SABR Baseball Biography Project has been accepting/publishing “biographies” of Ballparks for a few years, and we have 39 of them on our website at http://sabr.org/bioproj/parks. However, this thing just got real. Ballparks are now its very own PROJECT — the Baseball Ballparks Project, our first official spin-off. The project leader is Scott Ferkovich, who is now in charge of recruiting ballparks articles and publicizing them. Learn more by clicking here.

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.

In Memoriam: Bernard Esser Jr.

  •  Bernard E. (Bernie) Esser Jr., 82, passed away peacefully on June 23, 2013 at his home in Millbrae, California, surrounded by his family and his baseball books. He attended hundreds of Giants games over the years, but his interest went far beyond that of the casual fan. He devoted many hours to the Society of American Baseball Research, helping to compile a database of baseball statistics going back over 100 years. He also amassed a large library of baseball books. He took particular delight in meeting with baseball old-timers, listening to their stories, and getting his books signed. He considered many baseball legends his friends. A proud San Franciscan, Bernie was a baseball and basketball star at Lincoln High School, and a member of Lincoln’s Athletic Hall of Fame. After Lincoln, he attended the University of San Francisco on a basketball scholarship, graduating in 1951. Bernie then proudly served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army in Korea for two years. Bernie married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Ann (Elledge) in San Francisco on June 27, 1952. They had three children: sons Brooks (Stacey) and Brandt (Linda), and daughter Barrie (Kevin). After his Army service, Bernie began a successful career at Lockheed Missiles and Space Company in Sunnyvale, California. He rose to the rank of Vice President of Operations, Missile Systems Division over the course of a 37-year career, before retiring in 1994. Bernie was also actively involved in local government in Millbrae, serving on the Parks and Recreation commission, before joining the City Council in 1964. He remained on the council for a total of 14 years, and served three terms as the city’s mayor. Bernie was well-liked and respected by all those who knew him. There will be a private family service. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Bernie’s name to Mission Hospice and Home Care, 1670 S. Amphlett Blvd., Suite 300, San Mateo, CA 94402.

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.

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Brad Balukjian Los Angeles, CA     Marc Krupanski Brooklyn, NY
Robert Beekman St. Louis, MO     Gary Mears Clearwater, FL
Chris Bennett Palm Beach Gardens, FL     Mike Newell Ithaca, NY
John Dunn Buffalo, NY     Keisuke Okuno Kawasaki, JP
Laurin Grollman New York, NY     Louis Schiff Deerfield Beach, FL
Dave Johnson Swarthmore, PA     John Williams Noblesville, IN
David Keenan San Francisco, CA        

 

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 news

Here are the new chapter meeting recaps published 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.

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: July 5, 2013. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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