This Week in SABR: October 17, 2014

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Welcome to “This Week in SABR!” Here’s what we’ve been up to as of October 17, 2014:

Early registration open for 2015 SABR Analytics Conference

SABR has a long and storied history with baseball statistical analysis, evidenced by the link between our name and sabermetrics. While SABR is a multi-faceted organization involved in virtually every aspect of baseball, we have taken a major step to re-connect with our beginnings by producing and hosting the fourth annual:

SABR Analytics Conference
March 12-14, 2015
Hyatt Regency Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona

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.

The schedule 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.

  • Conference registration is available now at the SABR Store. Click here to register. The conference is open to all baseball fans. The early registration rate is $395 for SABR members and $495 for nonmembers, or $350 for currently enrolled high school or college students (includes one-year membership to SABR).

The 2015 SABR Analytics Conference will be held Thursday, March 12 through Saturday, March 14 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, 122 N. 2nd St., Phoenix, AZ 85004. Click here to book your hotel room at the special SABR group rate of $174/night (plus tax) for double occupancy. Or call (602) 252-1234 and mention that you’re with the SABR Analytics Conference.

Check back soon as we announce some of our featured speakers, panels and presentations!

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.

For complete details and information, visit SABR.org/analytics.

The third annual SABR Analytics Conference was held March 13-15, 2014, in Phoenix, Arizona. Check out highlights at SABR.org/analytics/2014.

Related links:

Special guests expected for 2014 SABR Arizona Fall League Conference

At the 2014 SABR Arizona Fall League Conference in two weeks, we’re expecting a few special guests to join us for dinner at Don and Charlie’s on Friday, October 31 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

On the guest list are members of the Arizona Major League Alumni, including Lou Klimchock, former Indians infielder and president of the AZMLA; Kevin Kobel, a pitcher for the Brewers and Mets and retired firefighter; Leon Brown, former Mets outfielder; Ron Davis, former Yankees and Twins reliever; Dave Hilton, former Padres infielder; and Bobby Knoop, former Angels infielder.

To register online, click here.

Can’t make it to the entire 2014 SABR Arizona Fall League Conference? You can now register for individual sessions during the sixth annual AFL Conference, which will be held October 30-November 1, 2014.

Single-event rates are available for the following sessions:

  • Thursday, October 30: AFL game ticket/ballpark dinner at Salt River, $30 per person
  • Friday, October 31: Dinner at Don and Charlie’s with AZ Major League Alumni, $40 per person
  • Saturday, November 1: Game ticket to AFL Fall Stars Game at Salt River, $7 per person

The full registration fee of $195 includes all game tickets; an AFL Media Guide; dinner at Don and Charlie’s; a special evening with Arizona Major League Alumni; and transportation to and from all events. Hotel registration includes breakfast and complimentary happy hour each day.

  • Host hotel: Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Old Town Scottsdale, 3131 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251. Visit www.hiescottsdalehotel.com or call (480) 675-7665. The deadline to book your room at the SABR group rate of $99/night (plus tax) was Monday, September 29. You can still book your room at the regular rate by visiting the hotel website or making a reservation by phone.
  • Questions: Contact Rodney Johnson at sabrrodney@aol.com.

The conference will feature four AFL games. On Thursday afternoon, we’ll take a special tour of new Cubs Park in Mesa and see a game there, then in the evening we’ll have a ballpark dinner and guest speaker at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick before the Salt River Rafters-Surprise Saguaros game. In addition, we’ll also have dinner at Don and Charlie’s in Scottsdale, home to one of the great sports memorabilia collections you will ever see, and a special evening with members of the Arizona Major League Alumni.

On Saturday morning, attendees will join members of SABR’s Flame Delhi (Arizona) Chapter for their regional fall meeting. Saturday night is always a highlight of the conference as the top prospects from every organization participate in the AFL Fall Stars game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. All of this, including transportation, is included in one low registration price.

The full conference schedule is available at SABR.org/AFL.

Almost time to renew your SABR membership

For those of you whose SABR memberships expire on December 31 — you can check your current membership status here — it’s almost time for you to renew! We’re excited about the upcoming year ahead of us and we hope you’ll take advantage of all the great membership benefits offered to SABR members in 2015. Here’s a short list:

http://sabr.org/member-benefits

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 two editions of the Baseball Research Journal, the expanded e-book edition of The National Pastime; 8-10 free e-books published by the SABR Digital Library; “This Week in SABR” every Friday; access to research resources such as Paper of Record (with complete archives of The Sporting News); discounts to all SABR conferences such as the National Convention (Chicago 2015), the SABR Analytics Conference, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, and the Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference; discounts to MLB.TV; and much, much more.

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

  • Add a family member for $15: Any SABR member can add a family member in the same household for $15 per year; they will receive all electronic member benefits and access to the website, but no printed publications. To add a new family member, please contact Membership Director Deb Jayne. Note: In order to renew your existing family membership, you must log in to the SABR website under the family member’s username/e-mail address, not your own.

SABR Digital Library: Van Lingle Mungo: The Man, The Song, The Players

Add a musical new book to your baseball collection with the newest title from the SABR Digital Library:

Van Lingle Mungo: The Man, The Song, The Players
Edited by Bill Nowlin
Associate Editors: James Forr and Len Levin
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-933599-76-2
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-933599-77-9

Just as 1930s and 1940s Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants pitcher Van Lingle Mungo was surprised that Dave Frishberg wrote a song around his name back in 1969, so he might have been surprised to come across this book in the year 2014. Frishberg’s song “Van Lingle Mungo” listed 37 ballplayers in the lyrics. A different version contained three different names. That’s a total of 40, and all 40 are represented with biographies in this book.

Dave Frishberg himself has been a member of SABR since 1984. This book, largely comprised of biographies of all the players mentioned in the song, is the product of the hard work and dedication of 31 other SABR members.

SABR is the Society for American Baseball Research, a group of over 6,000 enthusiasts about the game of baseball whose research interests range from the game’s history to statistical analysis, records, cultural impact, and more. The BioProject is a SABR effort to research, write, and publish biographies of every player — and every person — ever connected with organized baseball. Anyone with a love of baseball can join SABR and become a part of these efforts.

With contributions by Mark Armour, Lawrence Baldassaro, Ralph Berger, Alan Cohen, Warren Corbett, Rob Edelman, Dave Eskenazi, David Fleitz, James Forr, Jerry Grillo, Eric Hanauer, Mark Hodermarsky, Joanne Hulbert, Bill Johnson, James W. Johnson, Greg King, Norm King, Tara Krieger, Len Levin, Bill Nowlin, Armand Peterson, C. Paul Rogers III, Steve Rudman, Jim Sargent, Rick Swaine, Jim Sweetman, Stew Thornley, Joseph Wancho, Charlie Weatherby, and Gregory H. Wolf.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

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 all Digital Library e-books for free, and significant discounts on paperback versions. You can find all of our SABR Digital Library publications at SABR.org/ebooks.

Stay tuned throughout the year for new (and old!) titles that we’ll be adding to the SABR Digital Library!

Donate to SABR and support the future of baseball research

In my 31 years as a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, I have seen SABR evolve greatly as an organization, offering unparalleled opportunities and benefits for members and commanding respect throughout the baseball community. And I have seen that first-hand: In 1983, I attended my first SABR Convention in my hometown of Milwaukee, where I was thrilled to meet some of the organization’s founders. This past year, I attended both the 2014 Analytics Conference and the 44th annual convention in Houston — and I’m equally thrilled for SABR’s future after getting to know the staff and volunteer leadership now in place.

To continue to grow as an organization, and to seize the great opportunities now within reach, SABR is in need of charitable gifts. Many members have already become donors, and you can join them right now by making your gift online at SABR.org/donate.

SABR is a 501(c)3 organization, which means your donation is tax deductible in the U.S. to the fullest extent of the law.

While the incentives are attractive, the real benefit is the satisfaction received from contributing to the continuing knowledge and appreciation of our national pastime.

Please join me in supporting SABR and send your donation by check to SABR Donor Program, 4455 E. Camelback Road, Ste. D-140, Phoenix, AZ 85018 — or by visiting SABR.org and pressing the convenient DONATE button at the top of the page. By doing so you help SABR fulfill its mission and increase the impact of our baseball analysis and historical study.

Many companies offer matching gift programs to encourage employees to contribute to charitable organizations. Please check with your company to see if it offers a matching gift program that will match your gift or volunteer hours to the Society for American Baseball Research. If you have questions regarding your gift, e-mail me at pbolda@sabr.org.

— Phillip Bolda, Chair, SABR Fundraising and Development Committee

Register now for 2014 NYC 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium

Both baseball and non-baseball historians of the 19th century will present a day-long NYC 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, 2014, at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (524 W. 59th Street in New York). This interdisciplinary symposium, co-hosted by SABR’s Nineteenth Century and Origins Committees, is intended to illuminate New York City’s indelible contributions to the origins, growth, spread, and institutionalization of the game as we know it today, and how, in turn New York baseball of the era, impacted the lives of 19th-century New Yorkers and Americans beyond.

To help derive a greater understanding of what is known and what is not known about 19th-century baseball in and around New York City, SABR’s Nineteenth Century and Origins Committees have established the inaugural NYC 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium on Saturday, November 15, 2014, to bring together a rare assembly of both leading baseball historians and experts on 19th-century New York City and 19th-century life.

The all-day program of panel discussions and research presentations will cover the last six decades of the 19th century, which will be divided between baseball’s Pre-Professional Era (1840s-1870) in the morning and its Professional Era (1871-1900) in the afternoon. The $95.00 registration fee ($45.00 for students with currently valid College IDs) will include a comprehensive packet of symposium handout materials, a continental breakfast service, and a full hot buffet luncheon with a keynote address by NYC historian, author, and curator, Steven H. Jaffe (see below).

There will also be an optional post-symposium gathering immediately following the day’s program at a nearby restaurant (food and beverage are individual pay).

The interdisciplinary program will feature baseball historians, authors and researchers, including: Major League Baseball Official Historian John Thorn; William Ryczek; Tom Gilbert; George Thompson; Robert Bailey; David Dyte; William Lamb; David Nemec; Donald Jensen; Ralph Carhart; and David Krell, among others.

An exclusive “interview” by Gary O’Maxfield of NYC baseball pioneer Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams (1814-1899) will be provided by his great-granddaughter and “Doc” Adams historian, Marjorie Adams.

Three dedicated and highly regarded non-baseball historians, whose devotion to their respective studies go well beyond the letters following their names, will be joining this program as guest faculty. They are:

  • Keynote Speaker Dr. Steven H. Jaffe, historian, author and curator, currently the guest curator of the exhibition “Activist New York” at the Museum of the City of New York and author of New York at War: Four Centuries of Combat, Fear, and Intrigue in Gotham (Basic Books, 2012) and Who Were the Founding Fathers? Two Hundred Years of Reinventing American History (Henry Holt, 1996).
  • Dr. Ann Fabian, who will present on “Gambling in 19th Century America”. Dr. Fabian is Distinguished Professor of History and American Studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is the author of Card Sharps, Dream Books & Bucket Shops: Gambling in Nineteenth-Century America (Cornell University Press, 1991; paperback, Routledge, 1999).
  • Dr. David Hochfelder will present on “How the Telegraph Helped Make Baseball the National Pastime”. Dr. Hochfelder is Associate Professor of History at University of Albany and author of The Telegraph in America: A History (Baltimore and London: John Hopkins University Press, 2012).

The symposium is open to both SABR members and to the general public. See the Registration Form for fees and payment information. To download the application for your passport to 19th-century New York City and a front-row seat to baseball being played there, please click here to download the registration form and information packet (PDF). Registration will continue until November 1, 2014 or until registration is announced “closed” due to space constraints. For questions, please contact Peter Mancuso or John Zinn.

John Smoltz to speak at Magnolia/Georgia Chapter fall banquet

The Magnolia/Georgia Chapter’s annual fall banquet will be held Saturday, November 15 at the Doubletree by Hilton Atlanta-Northlake (4156 Lavista Road, Tucker, GA 3008) in the Cabernet Savignon room.

Our special guest speaker will be former Braves great and current MLB Network announcer John Smoltz. Other surprise guests are expected to attend, and door prizes will be given away.

All baseball fans are welcome to attend, but space is limited. Reserve your spot today!

Tickets are $50 per person, which includes meal, tax, and gratuity. Please mail the downloadable registration form found here and a check made out to Millard Fisher (list “SABR banquet” in the note) and send to 2079 Deer Ridge Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30087. Your payment MUST be received by November 5, 2014.

For more details, click here. For questions, e-mail John Hill or call Millard Fisher at (770) 939-6265.

  • RSVP now for Rocky Mountain Chapter banquet in Denver: Former major league pitcher Brad Lidge will serve as the Keynote Speaker at the 17th annual Rocky Mountain Chapter Banquet on Saturday, November 15 at the Denver Athletic Club, 1325 Glenarm Place in downtown Denver, Colorado. Our Featured Speaker will be Herschel Cobb, grandson of the great Hall of Famer Ty Cobb and author of a new book on his relationship with his grandfather. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. Reserve your spot today. For more information, click here.

Gruver: The greatest World Series never played

Murderers’ Row and the Gashouse Gang. The M&M Boys and El Birdos.

The New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals have fielded some of the greatest and most colorful teams in World Series history. Five times they’ve collided in the Fall Classic; twice their Series went the full seven games.

Their meetings have been rare — the last Yankees-Cardinals World Series came in 1964 — but when the stars aligned overhead, they also aligned on the field. In 1926 and again in ’28 sluggers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig dug in against wily old Grover Cleveland Alexander; Joe DiMaggio dueled Stan Musial in 1942 (and the Yanks beat the Cards again with DiMaggio in the service in ’43); in 1964 Bob Gibson glared in at Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris while Whitey Ford pitched low and away to Lou Brock and Curt Flood.

Yet as memorable as those October matchups were, the most intriguing may be the ones that didn’t happen. Two of these franchise’s more famous clubs — the Depression-era Bronx Bombers and the Cardinals’ Gashouse Gang — came close to clashing in 1934 and again in ’36 only to be thwarted by the baseball gods.

When the Gashouse Gang of Dizzy Dean, Pepper Martin, Ducky Medwick, Daffy Dean, Leo “The Lip” Durocher, and Frankie Frisch fought their way to the National League pennant in 1934, the Bronx Bombers of Ruth, Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Lefty Gomez, and Bill Dickey finished second in the AL.

Two years later, the Yankees had added a young DiMaggio to go with Gehrig, Gomez, Dickey, et al. and the Bombers blew away the American League, finishing 19½ games ahead of second-place Detroit. The Yankees appeared to be on a collision course with the Cardinals, who benefiting from the addition of Big Cat Johnny Mize, spent a good deal of the summer — 91 days — in first place in the NL.

Read the full story at SABR.org: http://sabr.org/latest/gruver-greatest-world-series-never-played

— Ed Gruver

5 new biographies published by the SABR BioProject

Five new biographies were posted as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 2,939 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.

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:

The SABR Baseball Games Project was launched in January 2014 to research and write articles on major-league and Negro League regular, postseason, and All-Star Games. These game accounts will complement Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference box scores as well as BioProject essays on the players involved.

The articles are not intended to be mere play-by-play summaries, nor should they be first-person narratives. Rather the goal is to put each game in historical context — whether that history is of a particular player, team, season, or something even broader.

Visit the new Games Project website at SABR.org/gamesproject.

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
Rick Cotton Boone, NC     David Newman Grosse Pointe, MI
Rian Crowther Brighton, AUS     Laura Nygaard McFarland, WI
Brian Flynn Pasadena, CA     Christopher Phillips New York, NY
Chris Jara San Francisco, CA     Paul Warner Portland, OR
David Keys Las Cruces, NM     Dan Weigel Lancaster, PA
Charlie Litten Cleveland, OH     Greg Zeis Elizabeth, PA
Bernard McKenna Newark, DE        

 

Research Committee news

There were no new SABR research committee newsletters published this week.

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

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates 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.

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.

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.)

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Originally published: October 17, 2014. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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