This Week in SABR: November 23, 2011

Note: The SABR office will be closed from Thursday, November 24 through Sunday, November 27. We hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s what we’ve been up to as of November 23, 2011:

It’s time to renew your SABR membership!

‘Tis the holiday season, which means it’s time to renew your SABR membership for 2012. For most of you, your annual membership will expire on December 31*.

You can renew your membership for 1 year or 3 years online at the SABR Store; by phone at (602) 343-6450; or by mailing this downloadable PDF form and your payment to the SABR office at 4455 E. Camelback Road, Ste. D-140, Phoenix, AZ 85018.

Dues are the same as they have been in recent years: for this, you get three publications (two issues of the Baseball Research Journal and one issue of The National Pastime); access to research resources such as Paper of Record (with complete archives of The Sporting News); discounts to SABR conferences such as the national convention (Minneapolis 2012), the Arizona Fall League Conference, the spring Analytics Conference and Case Competition, and the summer Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference; access to our SABR-L e-listserv; research committees, regional chapter meetings; and more.

We believe SABR has something for everyone, from the active researcher to the passionate baseball fan. We hope you’ll invite your friends, colleagues and family members to join, too, at http://store.sabr.org.

* All members are on the “rolling” calendar system as of August 1, 2011. If you signed up before that date and continue to renew, your annual membership will expire on December 31 as it always has.

Please consider a donation to SABR

Here at SABR, we are proud of our mission to foster the study of baseball, to assist in developing and maintaining the history of the game, to facilitate the dissemination of baseball research, and to stimulate interest in baseball. These are worthy goals, and when combined with fellowship, community, and our great publications, SABR has a lot to offer. Of course, all of this takes resources.

If you support SABR and all the groundbreaking research our members have and will produce, please consider donating online at SABR.org/donate or via mail. No amount is too big or too small, and as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donation to SABR is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you have given in the past, we remain grateful and hope you will consider giving again. If you are a first-time donor, welcome aboard!

Donor Levels

  • $25-$99: receive a “Donor” convention badge ribbon entitling early entry into the SABR 42* Banquet
  • $100-$249: receive the above benefit plus a ticket to the Donor Breakfast at SABR 42* that features a “State of SABR” presentation by our executive leadership
  • $250-$499: receive all of the above benefits plus the new SABR Lapel Pin
  • $500-$1,499: receive all of the above benefits plus a SABR MVP Polo Shirt
  • $1,500-$2,499: receive all of the above benefits plus a junior suite upgrade at the SABR 42* hotel
  • $2,500 and up: receive all of the above plus an executive level room upgrade at the SABR 42* hotel.

*SABR 42 convention-related incentives assume payment of registration fees.

While the incentives are attractive, the real benefit is the satisfaction received from contributing to the continuing knowledge and appreciation of our national pastime. For more information, please contact SABR’s Director of Operations, Jim Cassandro, at jcassandro@sabr.org or (602) 343-6452.

The SABR Bookshelf: Fall 2011

Periodically throughout the year, SABR.org publishes listings of new books that are received at the SABR office. This feature is called The SABR Bookshelf, continuing a popular section in the old SABR Bulletin.

Here are The SABR Bookshelf listings for Fall 2011:

http://sabr.org/content/sabr-bookshelf-fall-2011

To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, make sure a review copy is sent to: The SABR Bookshelf, Society for American Baseball Research, 4455 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. D-140, Phoenix, AZ 85018.

To ensure a listing in The Baseball Index — SABR’s online catalog of baseball research materials at www.baseballindex.org — make sure a review copy is sent to The Baseball Index, 4025 Beechwood Pl., Riverside, CA 92506.

Five new biographies posted at SABR BioProject

Five new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, bringing us to a total of 1,710 published biographies:

All new biographies can be found here: http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=n&m=61

Writing a biography for the BioProject is an easy way to get involved as a SABR member. Find out how by visiting our BioProject Resources page or reading the FAQs section.

Emerald Guide editors seek research assistants, fact-checkers

The editors of SABR’s The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2012 are seeking two volunteers to serve as research assistants, fact-checkers and compilers 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 December and the very beginning of 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.

Taking a tour of Cuban ballparks

At the SABR Arizona Fall League Conference earlier this month, we enjoyed hearing stories from John Moist, who is co-chair of the Sacramento Chapter, about his 2010 and ’11 baseball tours of Cuba with Kit Krieger’s group, Cubaball.

Recently, John wrote up a recap of his Cuban experiences at BallparkDigest.com, detailing his time in Havana, Santiago and Cruces. You can read his story here: http://ballparkdigest.com/201110174264/minor-league-baseball/visits/touring-the-ballparks-of-cuba

Cubaball will conduct its 10th annual baseball tour of Cuba from January 18-26, 2012.

SABR members are the target group for the program that includes attendance at five or six games of the 51st Cuban National Series, visits to historic sites related to the rich history of baseball on the island (Tropical Stadium and the baseball monuments at Havana’s Cristobal Colon cemetery), and opportunities to meet with Cuban stars and league officials.

The highlight of each tour is a visit to the home of Conrado “Connie” Marrero, who became baseball’s oldest living major leaguer during the 2011 tour. You also meet with veterans of the fabled Havana Sugar Kings and pre-revolutionary Cuban winter league. The 2012 tour will include games in Havana and Cuba’s western provinces.

The tour is limited to 25 persons and places are quickly filled. Visit www.cubaballtours.com for more information, photos and links to the registration form.

Can you solve Rick Swaine’s latest Baseball Crossword Puzzle?

Since March, SABR member Rick Swaine has been creating baseball crossword puzzles of varying difficulty and posting them every week on his website at RickSwaine.com.

Try his latest one online by visiting http://www.rickswaine.com/puzzles/puzzles.html.

Find out about his new puzzles every week on the SABR Bulletin group at SABRNation, which you can access by clicking here: http://sabrnation.sabr.org/groups/profile/view/groupid/1960

Chapter meeting recaps

Attention, chapter leaders: Just a reminder that the third annual SABR Day is scheduled for January 28, 2012. Please send the details of your SABR Day meeting to Jacob Pomrenke at jpomrenke@sabr.org. We’ll post them as soon as we get them at SABR.org/sabrday.

Upcoming SABR events:

Visit SABR.org/latest for details on all upcoming SABR events.

In other recent SABR news:

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

Find more information about SABR at the Members’ Info page here: http://sabr.org/about/members-info.

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.

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: November 23, 2011. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.