SABR 51 Daily Schedule
July 5-9, 2023
Palmer House Hilton
Chicago, IL

Here is the daily schedule for the SABR 51 convention in Chicago. Click on a link below for more details about each session.

Click here to scroll down to that day’s schedule:
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

---

Wednesday, July 5

9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (Chicago Ballroom, 5th Floor)
SABR Board Meeting

1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (Registration Bays, 4th Floor)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a White Sox game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 51 souvenir shirts and caps.

1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (Off-site)
Chicago Downtown Baseball Walking Tour
This magnificent 2-mile guided walking tour of significant baseball sites in the Downtown Loop will depart from the hotel at 1:00 p.m. and last approximately two hours. Please note: The guided tour is now sold out! A map and handout will be available at the SABR 51 information table to allow any convention attendees to take a self-guided tour during their stay in Chicago.

3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Research Committee Chairs Meeting
Leslie Heaphy, chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)

4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Regional Chapter Leaders Meeting
Peter Cottrell, chair (pcottrell@sabr.org)

6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (Empire Ballroom, Lobby Level)
Ross Adell Welcome Reception, presented by Baseball-Reference.com
Entertainment provided by Nancy Faust
Ross Adell, a SABR member for almost 25 years before he died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 50, loved a good party. He enjoyed making new friends and introducing them to kindred baseball spirits. That’s what the SABR convention is all about. For those of you attending your first convention, we know it can be a bit daunting. But we want you to feel welcome and Ross would, too. So come join us at the Ross Adell Welcome Reception — everyone is welcome, not just first-timers. We’ll talk baseball and help show you how to get the most out of your SABR convention experience. Beloved ballpark organist Nancy Faust will provide entertainment. Presented by Baseball-Reference.com.

---

Thursday, July 6

7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Registration Bays, 4th Floor)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a White Sox game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 51 souvenir shirts and caps.

8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Annual Business Meeting

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor)
Exhibitors Room Open
The Exhibitors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week.

9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Opening Remarks: Chase Carpenter
Chase Carpenter, Chicago Cubs’ Senior Director, Strategy and Analytics, will be on hand to deliver the opening remarks at SABR 51.

10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
AAGPBL Panel
A panel on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League will include former player and women’s baseball ambassador Maybelle Blair, with Dr. Kat Williams of the International Women’s Baseball Center, and Kristie Erickson of The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana.

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
The Negro Leagues Are Major Leagues: Two Years Post-Launch
Adam Darowski

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Games Project
John Fredland, chair (johnfredland@gmail.com)

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th floor)
Committee Meeting: Games and Simulations
Mark Wendling, co-chair (mwendlingremote@shaw.ca)
Derek Bain, co-chair (derekbain21@gmail.com)
*Guest speakers: Panel discussion with Mike Cieslinski of Dynasty League Baseball, media executive Geoff Reiss, and author and SABRcast host Rob Neyer. Click here to learn more or sign up for the Dynasty League All-Time Greats tournament, open to all SABR members on Thursday, July 6.

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th floor)
Committee Meeting: Minor Leagues
George Pawlush, chair (george.pawlush@wilkes.edu)

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (Monroe Ballroom, 6th floor)
How to Do Baseball Research: Cecilia Tan
SABR Publications Director Cecilia Tan will be available in the Monroe Ballroom (6th floor) to discuss how to publish research in the Baseball Research Journal or get involved in the SABR publications program.

1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Player Panel
*Guest speaker: Ozzie Guillén, Chicago White Sox World Series-winning manager, former player, and current television analyst. Moderated by Chuck Garfien of NBC Sports Chicago.
Note: The start time of this meeting has changed. The panel will now begin at 1:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Women in Baseball
Leslie Heaphy, chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)

2:00 p.m.-2:25 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP05: No Return to Normalcy: American Baseball Confronts the Post-War World
Steve Gietschier

2:00 p.m.-2:25 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP06: Dan Uggla: History’s Most Unlikely Hitting Streak?
David Firstman

2:30 p.m.-2:55 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP07: Ernest Hemingway: Chicago Baseball Mysteries
Sharon Hamilton

2:30 p.m.-2:55 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP08: Shining Light on the Smiling Stan Hack Mirror
Herm Krabbenhoft

3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Nineteenth Century
Bob Bailey, co-chair (bobbailey@cox.net)
Note: The start time of this meeting and the following presentations has changed.

3:00 p.m.-3:25 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP01: Gambling and the National Pastime, 1935-1950
Steven A. Riess

3:00 p.m.-3:25 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP02: All the Way: The Baseball Life of Maybelle Blair
Kat Williams

3:30 p.m.-3:55 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP03: A Fresh Scent of Scandal: The O’Connell-Dolan Affair
Rob F. Garratt

3:30 p.m.-3:55 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP04: The Inglorious Exit of Adrian Anson
Michael Haupert

4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Deadball Era
John McMurray (deadball@sabr.org)
Guest speakers: Mark S. Sternman on Fred Tenney, Ritter Award winner Jason Cannon, and Rob Fitts on Japanese baseball tours

4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Baseball Records
Herm Krabbenhoft, visiting chair (bqr9343@aol.com)
Guest speaker: Herm Krabbenhoft, “Revisiting the Psychology of ‘Round Numbers as Goals’: Achieving a .300 Batting Average”

4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Baseball and the Arts
Joanne Hulbert, co-chair (jhulbert49@gmail.com)
Jay Hurd, co-chair (jayh0912@gmail.com)

5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Retrosheet
Tom Thress, chair (tthress@retrosheet.org)

5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: The Baseball Index
Andy McCue, chair (agmccue48@gmail.com)

7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Last Comiskey film screening and Q&A
Longtime MLB executive and SABR Director Dan Evans and filmmaker Matt Flesch will host a Q&A and film screening of Last Comiskey, a new documentary on the Chicago White Sox’ final season at Comiskey Park in 1990.

7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Trivia Contest preliminary round & quarterfinals
Trivia at SABR 51 is for all baseball fans. Come test your knowledge against SABR’s best! The Trivia Contest is open to all SABR convention attendees. Just show up with your thinking cap on and follow the instructions.

---

Friday, July 7

7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Registration Bays, 4th Floor)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a White Sox game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 51 souvenir shirts and caps. Please note: Chits for your White Sox ballgame ticket must be redeemed at the Registration Bays before 11:00 a.m. Friday.

8:00 a.m.-8:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP09: Lessons from 30 Years Researching Baseball and the Color Line
Chris Lamb

8:00 a.m.-8:25 a.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP10: Luke Appling Versus The White Sox: September 1967
R.J. Lesch

8:30 a.m.-8:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP11: Replacement Spring: Baseball on the Brink in 1995
Matthew J. Prigge

8:30 a.m.-8:55 a.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP12: The Success and Setbacks of Bill Veeck
Dan Helpingstine

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor)
Exhibitors Room Open
The Exhibitors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week.

9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Research Committee Meeting: Biographical Research
Bill Carle, chair (bbxpert@aol.com)

9:00 a.m.-9:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP13: Baseball – The Dominican Way
Mark Kanter

9:00 a.m.-9:25 a.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP14: The Ultimate Tear Down and Rebuild: The White Sox, 1921-28
Bruce Allardice

9:30 a.m.-9:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP15: The Coming of the Farm System and the Manipulation of Player Control Rights
Daniel R. Levitt

9:30 a.m.-9:55 a.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP16: A Clash of Playing Styles: The 1959 World Series
Barry Mednick and Steve Krevisky

10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Fun Is Good: A Veeck Family Legacy
Legendary team owner, promoter, and publicist Mike Veeck will be featured in “Fun is Good: A Veeck Family Legacy,” a conversation highlighting his family’s storied impact on baseball and its deep Chicago ties.

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor)
Poster Presentations
From 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. on Friday, SABR 51 poster presenters will be available for questions and discussion with their posters in the Exhibit Hall on the fourth floor. The posters will be available for viewing all week during the convention. Click here to learn more about the SABR 51 poster presentations.

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Pictorial History
Cary Smith, chair (zinnbeck@me.com)
*Guest speaker: Cary Smith with an introduction of the new SABR-Rucker Archive collection

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: BioProject
Alan Cohen, visiting chair (adc0317@comcast.net)

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (Monroe Ballroom, 6th floor)
How to Do Baseball Research: Leslie Heaphy
SABR Vice President Leslie Heaphy will be available in the Monroe Ballroom (6th floor) to discuss research resources and answer questions on improving your research techniques.

1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP17: The Three-Batter Rule: Demise of the LOOGY?
David W. Smith

1:00-2:00 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Asian Baseball
Rob Fitts, visiting chair (robertfitts@verizon.net)
*Guest speakers: Steve Treder on “1970 San Francisco Giants tour of Japan” and Mark Kanter

2:00 p.m.-2:25 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP18: Wreckers in Hawaii: The Army Team that Became the Heart of the Kansas City Monarchs
Adam Darowski

2:00 p.m.-2:25 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP19: Harnessing the Power of Building Information Modeling to Preserve Chicago’s Baseball Palace of the World
Brian Powers

2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Statistical Analysis
Phil Birnbaum, chair (110phil@gmail.com)

2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (Monroe Ballroom, 6th floor)
How to Do Baseball Research: Bill Nowlin
SABR Director Bill Nowlin will be available in the Monroe Ballroom (6th floor) to discuss research resources and answer questions on improving your research techniques.

2:30 p.m.-2:55 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP20: Turkey Stearnes: One-Man Wrecking Crew in 1930s Negro Leagues
Gary Gillette

2:30 p.m.-2:55 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP21: From Comiskey Park to Comiskey Park
John Bauer

3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Baseball Memories
Joe Shaw, co-chair (rjshaw2@cox.net)
Anne Enos, co-chair (anne.enos@cox.net)

3:00 p.m.-3:25 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP22: 8 Strong Men: The Chicago Cubs’ First Move Toward Integration (1949)
Don Zminda

3:00 p.m.-3:25 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP23: Miles Wolff and the Rebirth of Independent Baseball
John Burbridge Jr.

3:30 p.m.-3:55 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP24: The 1949 Project: The Negro Leagues After 1948, and the Early Years of Boys Named Willie, Henry, and Ernie
Alan D. Cohen

3:30 p.m.-3:55 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP25: Jacks (and Césars, and Shanes, and Martíns, and …) of All Trades
Neal Traven

4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Latino Baseball
Anthony Salazar, chair (salazar8017@yahoo.com)

4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Ballparks
Kevin Johnson, co-chair (kjokbaseball@yahoo.com)
*Guest speaker: Visual artist Andy Brown

7:05 p.m.-10:05 p.m. (Off-Site)
White Sox vs. Cardinals, 7:05 p.m.
On Friday evening, SABR convention attendees will have the opportunity to visit Guaranteed Rate Field for a game between the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. SABR has reserved a block of tickets in the Lower Box Corners (sections 109-112). Chits for your ballgame ticket must be redeemed at the SABR registration desk on the 4th Floor by 11:00 a.m. Friday.

Transportation: CTA southbound trains run approximately every 6-8 minutes from the Monroe Red Line station next to the convention hotel (exit onto State Street, on the west side of the hotel, for the Red Line station.) The stop for Guaranteed Rate Field is at 35th Street. To return to the hotel, take the Red Line train north (toward Howard) back to the Monroe station. Visit transitchicago.com for complete CTA schedule and fare information.

---

Saturday, July 8

Presented by Populous

8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Registration Bays, 4th Floor)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. Please note: Chits for any pre-ordered merchandise items must redeemed at the registration desk before 10:00 a.m. Saturday.

8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Honoré Ballroom, Lobby Level)
Friends of SABR Donor Breakfast
The Friends of SABR philanthropy program hosts an invitation-only special breakfast to honor our top donors and help them learn about how their gifts have made a difference to the organization and to the betterment of baseball. SABR Chief Executive Officer Scott Bush and Executive Vice President Scott Carter will be at the breakfast to engage in discussions on any topics of interest to members. To learn more, visit SABR.org/donate.

8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Research Committee Meeting: Collegiate Baseball
Karl Green, chair (atlcrackersfan@gmail.com)

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor)
Exhibitors Room Open
The Exhibitors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week.

9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Research Committee Meeting: Century
Sharon Hamilton, chair (livesliterary@gmail.com)

9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. (Monroe Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Regional Chapter Leaders Meeting
Peter Cottrell, chair (pcottrell@sabr.org)

9:00 a.m.-9:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP26: The Celebrification of the Game: Examining Player Media Personas from ‘What’s My Line’ to ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’
Allison Levin

9:00 a.m.-9:25 a.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP27: Harry Simmons: The Major League Schedule Maker, 1952-1982
David Simmons

9:30 a.m.-9:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP28: Snoopy: Baseball’s Top Dog
Melissa Booker

9:30 a.m.-9:55 a.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP29: Pepper Martin’s Marvelous Musical Mississippi Mudcat Band
James McDonald

10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (Adams Ballroom, 6th Floor)
Research Committee Meeting: Scouts
Rod Nelson, chair (sabrscouts@gmail.com)
*Guest speaker: Marco Paddy, Chicago White Sox Special Assistant to the GM, International Operations, and 2023 Roland Hemond Award recipient

10:00 a.m.-10:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP30: Do All Wood Bats Perform Identically?
Alan Nathan, Daniel Russell, and Patrick Drane

10:30 a.m.-10:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
RP32: Abandoned Franchise Relocations in Big League History
Chuck Hildebrandt

10:30 a.m.-10:55 a.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Analytics and Coaching in Baseball
Katie Krall

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (Red Lacquer Ballroom, 4th Floor)
SABR Awards Luncheon
Keynote speaker: Jason Benetti, Chicago White Sox broadcaster. Awards presented or announced at the luncheon include the SABR Baseball Research Awards, the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Awards, and the Henry Chadwick Awards. The Awards portion of the luncheon concludes with the awarding of the Bob Davids Award, SABR’s highest honor.

1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Black Baseball in Chicago
A panel on Black Baseball in Chicago will include authors James Brunson III, assistant vice president for Diversity & Equity in Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at Northern Illinois University; Leslie Heaphy, SABR Vice President and history professor at Kent State University at Stark; and Adrian Burgos Jr., history professor at the University of Illinois. Moderated by Louis Moore, history professor at Grand Valley State University.

2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Reimagining Wrigley
A panel discussion will include Ed Hartig, Team Historian, Chicago Cubs; Kelly Holton, Brand Activation Manager, Populous; and moderator Fred Mitchell, award-winning sports writer and DePaul University journalism professor.

3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Research Committee Meeting: Black Sox Scandal
Jacob Pomrenke, chair (buckweaver@gmail.com)
*Guest speakers: Panel discussion on 1924 Shoeless Joe Jackson v. Chicago White Sox trial with Jacob Pomrenke and David Fletcher of the Chicago Baseball Museum.

4:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m. (Off-Site)
Historic Ballparks Bus Tour
Join us for a Historic Ballparks Bus Tour to see unique sites that hosted professional and semi-professional baseball in the city of Chicago for the past 150 years. Cost: $30 per person when you register for SABR 51. Note: Anyone who purchases a bus tour ticket will receive a tear-off chit in their registration packet; you must bring this chit with you in order to board the bus. Click here to learn more about the tour.

4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Landmarks
John Racanelli, chair (j.racanelli@hotmail.com)
Guest speaker: Illustrator Steve Musgrave will discuss the Cubs artwork on display at the CTA Red Line Addison station.

4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Committee Meeting: Business of Baseball
Mike Haupert, co-chair (mhaupert@uwlax.edu)
Dan Levitt, co-chair (dan@danlevitt.com)

5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (State Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Cards
Jason Schwartz, co-chair (jason.1969@yahoo.com)
Nick Vossbrink, co-chair (nick@vossbrink.net)
Guest speaker: John Racanelli, “Death, Taxes, and Baseball Cards Litigation”

7:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor)
Trivia Contest Semifinals/Finals
We steadfastly maintain that there is nothing trivial about baseball trivia. Come watch SABR’s best as they try to answer questions that are presented in ascending difficulty. The early-round questions will be at a relatively easy starting point, while the late-round questions, though more difficult, will still interest casual fans. Who will win the SABR 51 Trivia Contest? Come watch to find out.

---

Sunday, July 9

8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Chicago Ballroom, 5th Floor)
SABR Board Meeting

---