This Week in SABR: October 21, 2011

/in /by

Here’s what we’ve been up to as of October 21, 2011:

World Series news and notes

As usual, there are plenty of hot topics to discuss as the World Series gets under way — but no subject was hotter among SABR writers in the blogosphere than the “hot spot” on Adrian Beltre’s foot in the ninth inning of Game 1, which appeared on our TVs when Fox showed a replay of his foul ball using a high-tech infrared camera. Over at The Physics of Baseball, Alan Nathan (chair emeritus of our Science of Baseball Committee) explains the physics of Fox’s IR technology at the World Series, while Larry Granillo wonders what else this camera might be useful to spot at the ballpark at Baseball Prospectus.

The wisdom — or lack thereof — of certain managerial decisions was another point of contention. At BP, Colin Wyers examines Rangers manager Ron Washington’s decision to intentionally walk the light-hitting Nick Punto, while Wendy Thurm at FanGraphs writes that Tony La Russa’s bullpen management this postseason has been the exception, not the rule, during his Cardinals tenure.

Looking forward to (hopefully!) a long, seven-game series, here are a few more Fall Classic-related stories this week that we enjoyed: 

Five more days to book your room for AFL Conference

We were able to extend the deadline for the $99 hotel group rate at the third annual SABR Arizona Fall League Conference, November 3-5 at the Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa. You can book a room by Wednesday, October 26 to guarantee your spot if you’d like to join us for a great weekend with the AFL!

Conference attendees will see:

  • Four AFL games, including the premier Rising Stars Game on November 5 in Surprise and games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and Hohokam Park in Mesa.
  • Major League Alumni Awards Dinner, featuring Roland Hemond, Laurel Prieb, Dustin Pedroia, Steve Cobb and Clint Meyers.
  • A tour of the “Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience” museum exhibit at the Arizona Historical Society in Tempe
  • A tour of Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Flame Delhi Chapter meeting, with MLB.com writer Barry Bloom and former major league umpire Travis Katzenmeier

To register: Registration for the conference is available now at the SABR Store: $125 for SABR members and guests, or $159 for nonmembers. The conference is open to all baseball fans: http://store.sabr.org

To book your room: The Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa is at 1011 West Holmes Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210. SABR has reserved a block of rooms for $99/night (plus tax) for the nights of November 1 through November 8. Click here to book your room online or call (800) 544-5866 and tell them you’re registering for the SABR Arizona Fall League Conference. Conference attendees will receive complimentary parking, complimentary breakfast buffet (for up to two people per room) and complimentary wireless high-speed Internet in guest rooms. Please book your room by Wednesday, October 26 to guarantee a spot.

Download a 2011 AFL Conference schedule: Tentative schedule downloads as a single-page PDF file

See who’s going: SABR members can view a list of registered AFL Conference attendees by clicking here

Register for Rocky Mountain Chapter banquet

SABR’s Rocky Mountain Chapter will hold its 14th annual chapter banquet on November 4 at the Denver Athletic Club. Cocktails begin at 6 p.m., dinner and program at 7. The banquet will take place in the Grand Ballroom of the DAC, 1325 Glenarm Place, Denver, CO 80204.

John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball, will be the keynote speaker. Rob Neyer, baseball editor at SB Nation, will be the featured speaker. Jim Armstrong, the Denver Post’s Rockies beat writer, will serve as master of ceremonies.

For more information, contact Paul Parker or visit RMSABR.org. For a downloadable PDF registration form, click here.

Introducing the SABR Advisory Board

SABR is pleased to announce the formation of an Advisory Board consisting of leaders who bring unique knowledge and skills which complement the skills of the Board of Directors. The SABR Advisory Board does not have formal authority to govern the organization. Rather, the advisory board serves to make recommendations, provide key information and make networking introductions to the Board of Directors and the Executive Director.

The first seven members of SABR’s Advisory Board are:

  • Pat Gillick: A highly regarded baseball executive who was a general manager for 27 years and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.
  • Derrick Hall: President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
  • Roland Hemond: In 2011, the longtime SABR member became the second recipient of the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. A three-time Sporting News Executive of the Year
  • Jane Leavy: SABR member and author of the New York Times best-sellers The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood and Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy.
  • Laurel Prieb: MLB’s Vice President for Western Operations and Special Projects.
  • John Thorn: Longtime SABR member was hired as MLB’s Official Historian in 2011.
  • Del Wilber Jr.: President of The Perfect Game Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works with those who aspire to a business career in baseball by providing mentorship along with financial assistance for internships.

Lahman to serve as point of contact for SABR data projects

SABR member Sean Lahman will serve as a point of contact for SABR committees and volunteers who are contributing to data projects, with particular focus on the Minor Leagues, Collegiate Baseball and Pictorial History committees. Coordinating closely with Ted Turocy, Lahman will work with the volunteer community to help get new data sets integrated into SABR databases, as well as processing corrections to existing data.

Lahman is the database specialist for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. He has served as editor of Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball and The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia. His 2008 book, The Pro Football Historical Abstract, was called “the best football book of the decade” by the Pro Football Researchers Association. He also has created the popular Lahman Baseball Database, an open source collection of baseball statistics. Lahman attended the University of Cincinnati and lives in Irondequoit, New York.

One new biography posted at SABR BioProject

One new biography was posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, bringing us to a total of 1,686 published biographies. Who will write No. 1,700?

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.

SABR internship opportunities

  • In Phoenix: The SABR office is seeking an intern with journalism and multimedia skills for the spring of 2012. The ideal candidate will produce and edit content to be displayed on our website at SABR.org, working with our Web Content Editor/Producer and other staff members. This internship will include responsibilities across a variety of disciplines. This internship is an unpaid educational opportunity, covering 15-20 hours per week (flexible schedule), at the SABR office in Phoenix, Arizona. The internship will be for a fixed period of time and is designed to provide the intern with skills and training that may be applicable to working in a nonprofit research environment or in other research-based organizations. No housing assistance will be provided. Internships may count toward college credit. Please send a resume, cover letter and 4-6 samples of published articles in PDF form by 12 p.m. MST November 15 to jpomrenke@sabr.org. 
  • In Boston: As SABR moves into the frontier of e-books and digital distribution, our Publications Director, Cecilia Tan, is looking for Boston-area interns to help grow the program. (She works out of a home office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.) The ideal candidate should be a current college student or recent graduate who knows baseball and is interested in exploring a career in publishing, editing or journalism/writing. Good writing skills and knowledge of computers are musts. To apply, send the following by e-mail to ctan@sabr.org as a Word .doc attachment: a cover letter introducing yourself; your resume; a short writing sample up to 5 pages (class paper, blog entry, article, etc.); your predictions for who will win the 2012 World Series including a short explanation of your pick. Deadline for applications: Tuesday, October 25. The internship runs 12 weeks, either the winter term (Nov/Dec/Jan) or spring (Feb/Mar/Apr) and can be adjusted to fit a semester schedule.

Chapter meeting recaps

If you would like to include your chapter meeting recap in “This Week in SABR”, please e-mail a notice to Jacob Pomrenke.

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 and SABR.org 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”, please send an e-mail to Jacob Pomrenke.


Originally published: October 21, 2011. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

Support SABR today!

Donate Join

Cronkite School at ASU
555 N. Central Ave. #406-C
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-496-1460

About

History

Meet the Staff

Board of Directors

Annual Reports

Diversity Statement

Contact SABR

DONATE

© SABR. All Rights Reserved