This Week in SABR: March 4, 2016
Welcome to “This Week in SABR!” Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web. Here’s what we’ve been up to as of March 4, 2016:
Download the SABR Analytics Conference digital program
We’re just a week away from the fifth annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 10-12 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, and we’ve got an All-Star lineup of speakers, panelists and presenters on the schedule this year.
Complete coverage of the SABR Analytics Conference, including a full schedule and panel descriptions, can be found at SABR.org/analytics. We’ll be posting stories, photos, and multimedia clips online next week. You can also follow along live on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #SABRanalytics during the conference.
Once again, we’re bringing together the top minds of the baseball analytic community under one roof to discuss, debate and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. Representatives from more than 25 Major League Baseball front offices — including all 15 Cactus League teams — are expected to attend this year’s SABR Analytics Conference.
The SABR Analytics Conference will consist 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.
Find more information on the 2016 SABR Analytics Conference below:
- Schedule: Click here for the complete schedule.
- Speakers: Click here for bios of all the featured speakers and panelists, including Derrick Hall (Arizona Diamondbacks President/CEO); Dick Williams (Cincinnati Reds GM); Billy Eppler (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim GM); Aaron Boone, Dallas Braden, Alex Cora (ESPN analysts); Brian Kenny, Eric Byrnes (MLB Network); Ken Rosenthal (MLB Network/FoxSports.com), and many more.
- Research presentations: Click here for presentation abstracts and presenter bios.
- Digital program: Click here to download the 2016 SABR Analytics Conference digital program (PDF)
- Diamond Dollars Case Competition: Click here for a list of participating schools and presentation schedule.
- SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards: Click here to read the finalists for this year’s awards.
- Sponsors: Click here for a list of Analytics Conference sponsors.
- Hotel: Hyatt Regency Phoenix, 122 N. 2nd St., Phoenix, AZ 85004. Please note: Our exclusive SABR Analytics block of rooms is now sold out. Click here to visit the hotel’s website and reserve your room. Or call (602) 252-1234 and mention that you’re with the SABR Analytics Conference.
- Registration: Registration is still available online at the SABR Store. On-site registration will be available in the Regency Ballroom Foyer (first floor) of the Hyatt beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 10 and continuing through the conference. Please note: The early registration rate is no longer available.
Visit SABR.org/analytics for more information or to register.
SABR Digital Library: 1986 Mets/Red Sox: There Was More Than Game Six
It’s a double feature! Add two new baseball books to your collection with the latest releases from the SABR Digital Library:
The 1986 New York Mets: There Was More Than Game Six
Edited by Leslie Heaphy and Bill Nowlin
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-943816-13-2, $19.95
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-943816-12-5, $9.99
8.5″ x 11″, 360 pages
The 1986 Boston Red Sox: There Was More Than Game Six
Edited by Bill Nowlin and Leslie Heaphy
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-943816-13-2, $19.95
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-943816-12-5, $9.99
8.5″ x 11″, 415 pages
This two-book companion series focuses on the rivals that met in the 1986 World Series, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets, including biographies of every player, coach, broadcaster, and other important figures in baseball’s top organizations that year.
This book on the 1986 season re-tells the story of that year’s classic World Series. After four games, each team had won two away games and neither had won at home. Then the Red Sox won Game Five at Fenway, and were one game away from winning their first World Championship in 86 years. It came to the point they were one pitch away from baseball Nirvana. And then …
Just about everyone knows what happened, but there are takes on it here you might not have read elsewhere. Mostly, this is the story of each of the players, coaches, managers, and broadcasters, their lives in baseball, and the way the 1986 season fit into their lives.
As with many of the books published by SABR, this was a true collaborative effort. There are 74 different SABR members who contributed to making these two books on the Mets and Red Sox a reality. It took us two books to tell the story as well as we wanted. Get your copy of each book for the full story!
SABR members, get these e-books for FREE!
- E-books: Click here to download the 1986 Mets or 1986 Red Sox e-books for FREE from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, Kindle/MOBI and EPUB formats.
- Paperbacks: Get a 50% discount on the 1986 Mets or 1986 Red Sox paperback editions for $9.95 (plus shipping) from CreateSpace.
Having trouble downloading our e-books? To view PDF files on your computer, click here to download the free Adobe Reader software. Having trouble downloading e-books to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.
SABR members will get discounted rates for all Digital Library publications, including e-books for free. To download any past publications, visit SABR.org/ebooks.
2016 Seymour Medal winner Bill Pennington to receive award at NINE Conference banquet
2016 Seymour Medal winner Bill Pennington, a veteran reporter who covered the New York Yankees during Billy Martin’s final years as manager, will receive his award at the banquet of the 23rd annual NINE Spring Training Conference on Saturday, March 12 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Tempe, Arizona (formerly the Fiesta Inn and Resort.)
The banquet includes the Seymour Medal ceremony with Dorothy Seymour Mills, dinner, and the NINE keynote address by SABR member Rob Edelman, the author of Great Baseball Films and Baseball on the Web who teaches film history at the University at Albany.
To register for the NINE conference, visit nineregistration.com.
Pennington won the Seymour Medal — which honors the best book of baseball history or biography published during the preceding calendar year — for Billy Martin: Baseball’s Flawed Genius, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The Seymour Medal, named in honor of Dr. Harold Seymour and Mrs. Dorothy (Seymour) Mills, was first awarded by SABR in 1996. To be considered for the medal, a work must be the product of original research or analysis. The winning book shall significantly advance our knowledge of baseball and shall be characterized by understanding, factual accuracy, profound insight and distinguished writing.
To see a list of previous Seymour Medal winners, click here.
Early registration now open for SABR 46 in Miami
We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a spectacular SABR 46 convention, July 27-31, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Miami in downtown Miami, Florida.
- Registration: Click here for complete information on SABR 46 registration rates, all-inclusive packages, and optional sessions. Or click here to register for SABR 46! More details on guest speakers, panelists, and presenters will be announced soon. We’re again offering a special all-inclusive rate for the annual SABR convention. SABR members can pay $269 for an all-inclusive package that includes full registration to SABR 46, a premium Home Plate Box ticket to the Miami Marlins game on Friday, July 29 (includes special pregame ballpark session/tour and roundtrip bus transportation), and one ticket to the Awards Luncheon — the package is a savings of $40 off the regular rate. Non-members can pay $299 for the all-inclusive rate. The deadline to register at the all-inclusive rate is Monday, June 13, 2016.
- Hotel: Don’t forget to book your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Miami; our room block usually goes quickly. Click here to book your room online. The deadline to book your room at the SABR group rate of $129/night (plus tax) is Monday, June 13, 2016. If you have any questions about your reservation, please call the hotel at (305) 358-1234.
- Pregame ballpark session/tour: SABR 46 attendees will have a special opportunity to visit Marlins Park for an exclusive pregame ballpark session with Miami Marlins executives and players. Before the Marlins 7:10 p.m. game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, July 29, a special SABR 46 panel discussion will take place at Marlins Park followed by a ballpark tour for convention attendees. Guest speakers and more details will be announced soon. Purchase of SABR 46 conference registration AND a game ticket will be required to attend this special session. A SABR 46 Marlins game ticket also includes roundtrip bus transportation. Click here to learn more.
- Pre-order your SABR logo shirts, caps, or souvenir baseballs: Avoid the rush at registration, and pre-order your SABR logo polo shirt, T-shirt, baseball caps, or souvenir crystal baseball online when you register for SABR 46. Please indicate shirt size (adult S to XXXL) when you register. Caps are one-size-fit-most. Your items will be available to be picked up when you arrive at the SABR convention. The souvenir baseballs are crystal paperweights measuring about 3 inches around, with an embossed SABR logo in the center. Deadline to pre-order: Monday, June 13, 2016.
- Apply for a 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 46 in Miami. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250. Students must be currently enrolled in a high school, college undergraduate or graduate program, and be between 18 and 29 years of age at the time of the conference. Some form of age verification (photocopy of driver’s license, passport, etc.) must be attached to your application. Submissions must include a written essay and a letter of recommendation from a current high school/college teacher, guidance counselor or a school administrator. For full details on how to apply, click here.
All SABR 46 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 Miami 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 46.
SABR 46: Call for presentations
SABR invites all members to present their research findings to their colleagues attending SABR 46, the 2016 annual convention on July 27-31 in Miami, Florida.
Oral presentations are expected to last 20 minutes, followed by a five minute question-and-answer period. Posters will be presented, with the author on-hand to discuss the work, during a poster session of 90 or so minutes, and will probably remain on display throughout the convention. 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.
The submission deadline for SABR 46 abstracts is midnight PST, Sunday, MARCH 13, 2016. Click here for complete details and criteria.
Submit abstracts to sabr2016-presentations@comcast.net, the research presentations address for SABR 46. You may also use the alternate address sabr46-presentations@comcast.net.
Please note: If your abstract is accepted and you intend to make a research presentation, you must register to attend the SABR 46 convention. Registration and hotel information for SABR 46 is now available at SABR.org/convention.
7 new biographies published by SABR BioProject
Seven new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 3,616 published biographies. Here are the new bios:
- Bob Brush, by Terry Bohn
- Moe Burtschy, by David E. Skelton
- Mike Chartak, by David E. Skelton
- Francis Dale, by Charles F. Faber
- Lafayette Henion, by Terry Bohn
- Moxie Meixell, by Terry Bohn
- Greasy Neale, by Joseph Wancho
All new biographies can be found here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/recent
- Search for any SABR biography: You can now visit sabr.org/bioproj_search to search for any player — or manager, executive, scout, spouse, broadcaster, or umpire — who appears in the SABR BioProject. You can also browse all of these BioProject categories and a lot more, including 300-game winners, Hall of Famers, 1960s All-Stars, or Negro Leaguers, at our Browse page: sabr.org/bioproj/browse.
1 new story published by the SABR Games Project
One new game story was posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. Here is the new game story:
All new Games Project stories can be found here: http://sabr.org/gamesproject/recent
- 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.
Listen to Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on Sunday nights
Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro, will air this weekend at its regular time, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET on Sundays, on MLB Network Radio.
- Audio preview: Click here to listen to a clip from last week’s show, in which Vince Gennaro reacts to Boston Red Sox owner John Henry’s comments about analytics and the Red Sox’s offseason moves
- Video preview: Click here to watch MLB.com’s Mike Petriello discuss the importance of pitch selection and types of contact
Now, you can watch video highlights of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on MLB.com and you can also listen to all 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.
For more information, 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:
- SABR announces 2016 Henry Chadwick Award recipients
- Check out the SABR Bookshelf listings for Winter 2016
- SABR welcomes new Rickwood Field Chapter in Alabama
- Update: 2016 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference will be held July 7-9 in Kansas City
- Fair Grounds Park historical marker unveiled in Houston
- Mort Zachter’s Gil Hodges: A Hall of Fame Life wins 2016 Ron Gabriel Award
- SABR unveils new logo, relaunches website
- Check out highlights and photos from 2016 SABR Day
- SABR Digital Library: Nuclear Powered Baseball: Articles Inspired by The Simpsons Episode ‘Homer At the Bat’
- John McMurray: Grantland Rice’s legacy in the Deadball Era
- 2016 Larry Ritter Book Award nominees announced
- Sold out: SABR’s 2016 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
- Students, submit entries for 2016 Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award
- Marisa Elliot joins SABR as Manager of Chapter/Partner Relations
- Read SABR biographies of new Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza
- Seeking donations for new SABR book on Deadball Era World Series
- MLB.com seeking stats stringers for 2016 season
- Fast Times at SABR High: Meet SABR’s two new high school student groups
- Help support SABR’s 19th Century Baseball Grave Marker Project
- All e-books in SABR Digital Library available for free to members
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 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 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alejandro Aldama | Havana, CUB | Matthew Koenig | Homer Glen, IL | ||
Sean Aronson | Tempe, AZ | Frederick Leinheiser | York, PA | ||
Gary Babich | St. Petersburg, FL | Jack Levine | Tallahassee, FL | ||
Robert Baginski | Irving, TX | Justin Mckinney | Ottawa, ON | ||
Joe Brinkman | Chiefland, FL | George Nolte | Laurel, MD | ||
Alex Cantor | Amherst, MA | Camilo Quintas | Houston, TX | ||
Craig Castille | Orlando, FL | Steve Scales | Fishers, IN | ||
Michael Darcy | Briarcliff Manor, NY | Robert Stephens | Charlottesville, VA | ||
Robert Eatman | Shreveport, LA | Weston Ulbrich | North Haven, CT | ||
Charlie Hanlon | N. Tonawanda, NY | Damian Vacin | Schofield Barracks, HI | ||
Edward Kasputis | Rocky River, OH | Ty Winchester | Indianapolis, IN | ||
Marc Kirsch | Philadelphia, PA |
Research Committee news
Here are the new SABR research committee updates this week:
- Biographical Research: January/February 2016 newsletter
- Educational Resources: The SABR Educational Resources Committee is creating a Syllabi and Activity Depository to collect baseball related education materials. We are hoping in the near-future to create a database for people to search, and download these materials. We are asking that if you are teaching a “baseball course” (Introduction to Baseball Literature, etc.) or using baseball as an example to teach a particular topic to please share those materials with us. Please fill out one of our surveys — click here for the Syllabi form or click here for the Activity form — and then e-mail your activity or syllabi (in PDF format) to Tom Mueller at hoopsgis@gmail.com.
Find all SABR research committee newsletters at SABR.org/research.
Regional Chapter news
Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:
- SABR welcomes new Rickwood Field Chapter in Alabama
- Halsey Hall Chapter March 2016 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
- Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter meeting recap (February 27; Hamden, CT)
- Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter: Information on ordering the chapter’s new book, 100: The 100 Year Journey of a Baseball Journeyman, Mike Sandlock, can be found on the chapter website at smokyjoewood.com. Contributors include chapter members Don Harrison, Norman Hausmann, Alan Cohen, Steve Krevisky, Stan Dziurgot, Peter Seidel, Tom Monitto, and Karl Cicitto. The book will be available on Amazon for $14.95 plus shipping. SABR members can pre-order copies for $10 plus shipping by emailing Karl Cicitto at kcicitto@cox.net.
Visit SABR.org/chapters for more information on SABR regional chapters.
SABR Events Calendar
Here is a list of upcoming SABR events:
- March 5: 2016 Southern Association Conference (Birmingham, AL)
- March 5: Halsey Hall Chapter Hot Stove Saturday Morning (Minneapolis, MN)
- March 5: Maddux Brothers-Las Vegas Chapter spring meeting (Las Vegas, NV)
- March 5: Talkin’ Baseball: Bob Luke (Columbia, MD)
- March 9: Bob Davids Chapter Monthly Hot Stove Dinner (Arlington, VA)
- March 10-12: 2016 SABR Analytics Conference (Phoenix, AZ)
- March 12: 2016 Seymour Medal banquet at NINE Conference (Tempe, AZ)
- March 12: Connie Mack Chapter Hot Stove meeting (Philadelphia, PA)
- March 15: Bob Davids Chapter Maryland Hot Stove Dinner (Silver Spring, MD)
- March 16: Rocky Mountain Chapter monthly luncheon (Denver, CO)
- March 17: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” monthly meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
- March 19: Rogers Hornsby Chapter monthly meeting (Austin, TX)
- March 19: Allan Roth Chapter meeting (Whittier, CA)
- March 21: Baseball Industry Network Grapefruit League meetup (Bradenton, FL)
- March 21: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter monthly meeting (St. Louis, MO)
- March 21: Larry Dierker Chapter monthly meeting (Houston, TX)
- March 23: Magnolia Chapter “Fourth Wednesday” monthly meeting (Tucker, GA)
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:
- Download the updated 2016 version of Sean Lahman’s baseball database (SeanLahman.com)
- Rich Mueller: Million-dollar discovery of Ty Cobb cards in a paper bag (Sports Collectors Daily)
- Richard Sandomir: Crucial 19th-century baseball rules document back on the auction block (New York Times)
- Maury Brown: Statheads, researchers mourn as MLB’s Red and Green Books are discontinued (Forbes.com)
- Rob Neyer: Phantom major leaguers (The National Pastime Museum)
- Craig Brown: A study of the “Kelly Special” 1887 Boston uniforms (Threads of Our Game)
- Michael Baumann: Killing God and Willard Hershberger (Baseball Prospectus)
- Mark Price: Charlotte’s Negro League past fading fast (Charlotte Observer)
- Joe Posnanski: Passing the Buck, 10 years later (NBC Sports)
- Graham Womack: Hall of Fame should do more to honor baseball’s legendary writers (The Sporting News)
- John Dewan’s Stat of the Week: Who will be the 2016 statistical leaders? (ACTA Sports)
- Jacob Pomrenke: The World Series champs in … breaking training (The National Pastime Museum)
- Bill Nowlin: This year in baseball, 1916 (The National Pastime Museum)
- Clinton Riddle: George Stovey’s forgotten legacy (The Baseball Magazine)
- Jonathan Blitzer: Satchel Paige and the championship for the re-election of the General (Atavist Magazine)
- Dan Carpenter: Baseball salsa style, with Peter Bjarkman (Sky Blue Window)
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.
Are you receiving our e-mails? “This Week in SABR” goes out by e-mail to all members on Friday afternoons. If they’re not showing up, try adding “sabr.notes@sabr.org” to your contact list to ensure they show up in your inbox (and not the spam folder.)
Follow us: |
Contact us: |
More info: |
Originally published: March 4, 2016. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.