This Week in SABR: October 27, 2023

October 27, 2023/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, October 27, 2023.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

Apply now for the 2024 Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship
Double your donation’s impact alongside Baseball-Reference.com founder Sean Forman
Present your research at the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference
Sign up now for Ballpark Figures with Meg Rowley
SABR Analytics Certification: Sign up now for new Level 3 course
Submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board by November 1

Apply now for the 2024 Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship

Named in honor of baseball researcher, analyst, and SABR member Sarah Langs, SABR is thrilled to introduce the Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship. Awarded annually to two recipients, the scholarship will provide meaningful professional development and networking opportunities for female identifying students or young professionals pursuing a career in baseball analytics and data science. Recipients will receive:

Registration for the SABR Analytics Conference, baseball’s premier analytics symposium, including hotel accommodations and travel stipend
Registration for all courses in the SABR Analytics Certification program, an online, on-demand curriculum offering professional development and learning opportunities for those interested in elevating their skills and knowledge relating to baseball analytics
One-year SABR membership, which includes access to quarterly SABR Scholar Session virtual networking events

Click here to download an application form or learn more at SABR.org.

Double your donation’s impact alongside Baseball-Reference.com founder Sean Forman

SABR continues toward our vision of becoming the essential community for the world of baseball, and it is gifts from members like you who sustain our organization, allowing us to produce wonderful baseball research and programming that reaches people everywhere. As 2023 comes to a close, we need your support to Bring It Home and ensure this vision turns into a reality.

Thanks to one generous member, you now have the opportunity to double the impact of your donation. Baseball-Reference founder Sean Forman is a Chadwick Award winner and was honored in 2020 with the SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award. And he’s matching donations up to a grand total of $7,500.

Visit SABR.org/donate/2023 to learn more.

Research presentation abstracts now accepted for 2024 SABR Analytics Conference

SABR and Sports Info Solutions are excited to announce the call for presentations for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held on March 8-10, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona.

The submission deadline for all 2024 SABR Analytics Conference presentation abstracts is 11:59 p.m. MST on November 22, 2023. Click here to learn more or to submit a presentation abstract.

Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more:

Registration: Click here to register for the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference. Early-bird registration is $395 for SABR members, $495 for non-members, and $150 for currently enrolled high school or college students. Student-only virtual registration is $50. Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive the discounted registration link.
Student Registration: Students have the option of choosing virtual ($50) or in-person ($150) registration. Both include access to General Session panels and presentations on Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, March 7. All student registrations also include a one-year SABR membership ($25 value) and a complimentary Rapsodo certification course ($395 value). SABR membership will be fulfilled after event sign-up and access to Rapsodo course will be delivered after the conference.
Research Presentations: Present your baseball research at the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference. Deadline to submit an abstract: November 22, 2023.
Diamond Dollars Case Competition: Click here to register your team for the 2024 Diamond Dollars Case Competition. Registration is $1,750 per team, which includes admission to all SABR Analytics Conference sessions and a one-year SABR membership for each participant.
Yoseloff Scholarship: Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference. Deadline: December 31, 2023.

Stay tuned for more information on speakers, panelists, and presenters soon! Learn more at SABR.org/analytics.

Sign up for Ballpark Figures with Meg Rowley on November 2

Join us each month for SABR’s Ballpark Figures, a new interview series hosted by Shakeia Taylor. The virtual Zoom event is free and open to all active SABR members.

On Thursday, November 2, our guest will be Meg Rowley, managing editor of FanGraphs and co-host of the Effectively Wild podcast.

Pre-register: Click here to pre-register for Ballpark Figures on November 2 with Meg Rowley

Visit SABR.org/ballpark-figures to learn more about upcoming shows or view past episodes.

Call for papers: 2024 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference

SABR’s Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference welcomes proposals for oral and poster presentations from all research fields for the upcoming conference on June 6-9, 2024, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Previous presenters have included college faculty, public school teachers, graduate students, and independent scholars. Presentations may focus on any topic related to the theme, or other Black baseball topics. Proposals should include a 250-word abstract, plus a brief biographical note with contact information. Deadline to apply: February 1, 2024.

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

SABR Analytics Certification: Sign up now for new Level 3 course

We’re excited to announce that the newest course in the SABR Analytics Certification program, Level Three – Introduction to Baseball Programming, is now available.

Taught by award-winning baseball writer and analyst Rob Arthur, the Level Three course provides an introduction to programming using a practical approach in its application for baseball and focusing on R (with a dash of SQL) as a programming language, the goal of this online, on-demand course is to give learners a foundational understanding of the technical skills necessary for a career in data science and baseball analytics.

To sign up now, or to learn more about previous courses, visit SABR.org/analytics/certification.

Last call for papers: 2024 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference

All SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a Research Presentation Proposal Abstract on any topic of 19th-century baseball for the 2024 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 15th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 19-20, 2024. The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2023.

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

Submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board by November 1

SABR’s Editorial Board welcomes new project proposals from members to be considered for publication through the Digital Library, SABR.org, or any other multimedia formats. We strongly encourage new proposals that involve collaboration between SABR research committees and/or chapters, and web-based projects with an eye toward enhanced multimedia presentation.

Click here to submit a SABR project proposal
Next deadline: November 1, 2023 (for publication in early 2025 or 2026)

SABR seeks to publish 2-4 web-based multimedia projects and 6-8 books per year. Book projects should be of a scope that can fit in a single volume, typically between 100,000 and 200,000 total words.

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

Call for volunteers: Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires

SABR seeks volunteers to help transcribe the Bill Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires, a collection of self-completed surveys of professional baseball players from 1945-2005, which will soon be made available at SABR.org.

No experience is needed, just a love for baseball, data, and history. We are looking for any volunteers who can spare a few hours a week (or more!) with help reading these questionnaires and writing down the player’s ambitions, background, and signing scout. Please contact Jason Sigler if you would like to be a part of our team.

Baseball fans, tune in this season to SABRcast with Rob Neyer, a weekly podcast hosted by award-winning author and longtime SABR member Rob Neyer. Episode #237 on Monday, October 23 featured part 2 of our interview with Eddie Frierson, an actor, broadcaster, baseball coach, author, and SABR member. Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to the full episode or subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks.

Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.

6 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

May 14, 1904: After embracing spitball, Jack Chesbro kicks off impressive streak of 14 successive wins, by Andrew Harner
July 19, 1940: Yankees’ backup backstop Buddy Rosar hits for the cycle, by Mike Huber
September 2, 1949: Dodgers rookie Don Newcombe tosses third straight shutout on Bill Klem Night, by Gary Belleville
June 6, 1952: Dodgers prospect Elroy Face throws no-hitter through 9 innings, settles for 1-hit shutout, by Gregory H. Wolf
July 22, 1973: Freddie Velázquez breaks 4-year hitless streak; Braves lose anyway, by Kurt Blumenau
September 26, 2004: Red Sox score early, beat Yankees by 7 runs for the second game in succession, by Bill Nowlin

Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.

Read essays from new Nichibei Yakyu book on Japan baseball tours

All essays from the SABR Digital Library book, Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan, 1907-1958, are now available to read online in the SABR Research Collection.

Over 100 baseball teams from the United States and Hawaii have crossed the Pacific to play baseball in Japan. Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan is the first book written in English that focuses on these international tours. Between 1907 and 1958, many of the sport’s greatest stars—including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson—played in the Land of the Rising Sun. These tours helped spread the game across the globe, spawned thousands of individual friendships, and helped bring nations together through the mutual love of baseball.

Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback edition of all Digital Library books.

The Team That Couldn’t Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers
Edited by Steve West and Bill Nowlin

With the Texas Rangers seeking their first World Series title since they moved to Arlington in 1972, check out new essays on the franchise’s early history in the SABR Research Collection from “The Team That Couldn’t Hit” (2019). Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback edition of all Digital Library books.

Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:

Please give a warm welcome to all new SABR members who joined this week! View more Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org or click here to download the Membership Handbook. Find contact information for any SABR member in the online Membership Directory.

NAME	HOMETOWN	NAME	HOMETOWN
Ken Akerman	Tempe, AZ	Samantha Hare	Phoenix, AZ
Douglas Byers	Edina, MN	Patrick Holcomb	San Diego, CA
James Campbell	North Haven, CT	Gary Joaquin	Beaverton, OR
George Casey	Sunderland, MA	Bruce Meier	Bethesda, MD
Jerry Coker	Ashland, OR	Matthew Plotnick	Rockville, MD
Ryan Drake	Galena, OH	Brad Skillman	Brooklyn, NY
Erica Fan	Pittsburgh, PA	Nick Taylor	Cambridge, MA
Jake Fayette	Westville, NJ	Robert Valeno	Oaklyn, NJ
Paul Freeborne	Aldie, VA	Michael Wallace	Kitchener, ON
Radley Haddad	Baden, PA

Events Calendar: Find complete details of all SABR events
Video Replays: This week, we heard from Dr. Catalina Lara of the Los Angeles Dodgers; author Erik Sherman (Daybreak at Chavez Ravine); video game designer/progammer Chris Taylor; and the 19th Century Book Club (When Johnny Came Sliding Home). Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

October 28: Hank Gowdy Columbus (OH) Chapter book club meeting (9:30 a.m. EDT)
October 28: Schott-Pelican (LA) Chapter meeting (10:00 a.m. CDT)
October 28: Josh Gibson Foundation: Todd Peterson (12:00 p.m. EDT)
October 30: Northern New England Chapter meeting with Anna DiTomasso (7:00 p.m. EDT)
October 30: South Florida Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
November 1: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Lindsay Berra (7:00 p.m. EDT)
November 2: Ballpark Figures with Shakeia Taylor and Meg Rowley (8:00 p.m. EDT)
November 2: Pacific NW Chapter meeting with Zak Ford (7:00 p.m. PDT)
November 4: Ted Williams (CA) Chapter meeting (10:00 a.m. PDT)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

October 28: Smoky Joe Wood Chapter meeting (Middletown, CT)
October 28: Ted Williams Chapter meeting (San Diego, CA)
October 28: Luke Easter Chapter meet-up (Rochester, NY)
October 28: Rogers Hornsby Chapter meet-up (Austin, TX)
October 28: Juan Marichal Chapter meeting (Santo Domingo, DOM)
October 28-29: SABR Board of Directors meeting (Cleveland, OH)
October 30: Hank Gowdy Columbus Chapter meet-up (Columbus, OH)
October 30: Pee Wee Reese Chapter meet-up (Louisville, KY)
November 1: Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter meeting (Tallahassee, FL)
November 1: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter fellowship meeting (St. Louis, MO)
November 4: Maddux Bros.-Las Vegas Chapter meeting (Las Vegas, NV)
November 4-5: 2023 Canadian Baseball History Conference (Toronto, ON)

To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.

Baseball Records: Fall 2023 newsletter
Minor Leagues: Fall 2023 newsletter

Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.

Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter: Fall 2023 newsletter (Baltimore, MD)
Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter: Fall 2023 newsletter (Hartford, CT)
Halsey Hall Chapter: November 2023 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)

Sign up for SABR chapter announcements at SABR.org/chapters.

Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

2023 Fielding Bible Award winners announced (Sports Info Solutions)
2024 Ford C. Frick Award ballot finalists for baseball broadcasters (BaseballHall.org)
Emma Baccellieri: Diamondbacks, Rangers Ride ‘Will to Win’ to the World Series (Sports Illustrated)
Jay Jaffe: Postseason Starting Pitching Ain’t What It Used to Be, After All (FanGraphs)
Eno Sarris: The new battle for the top of the zone — and how it’s showing up in this year’s playoffs (The Athletic)
Lindsey Adler: The Diamondbacks Snuck Into the Playoffs. They Snaked Their Way to the World Series. (Wall Street Journal)
Ryan Fagan: Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll’s clutch postseason moments no surprise to teammates (Sporting News)
Michael Baumann: If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, You Gotta Have a Little Running Man (FanGraphs)
Sarah Langs: Bruce Bochy an all-timer by taking third club to World Series (MLB.com)
William C. Rhoden: Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker retires with many gifts left to give MLB (Andscape)
Evan Drellich: Challenge to MLB’s antitrust exemption nears juncture: chase payday or history? (The Athletic)
R.J. Anderson: Why are Red Sox struggling to fill their seemingly attractive GM opening? (CBS Sports)
Davy Andrews: Kevin Ginkel Whips His Hair Back and Forth (FanGraphs)
Russell A. Carleton: The Other Post-Season Hunt (Baseball Prospectus)
Tyler Kepner: Where the Phillies’ Game 7 loss to Diamondbacks ranks among franchise’s most devastating defeats (The Athletic)
Rob Mains: Is Kyle Schwarber the Weirdest Leadoff Hitter Ever? (Baseball Prospectus)
Jayson Stark: Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber can’t stop swatting postseason homers. He’s a walking October history museum. (The Athletic)
Steven Goldman: When Managing is More Passive Than Active (Baseball Prospectus)
Grant Brisbee: How Bob Melvin might manage the Giants (The Athletic)
Dave Barber: As Black baseball’s legacy expands, experts say there is more to learn (WOSU.org)
Craig Brown: Swinging for the Fences: A Deep Dive on the Page Fence Giants (Threads of Our Game)
Heritage Minute: Mary “Bonnie” Baker and the AAGPBL (Historica Canada)
Andre Kobayashi Deckrow: How Baseball Became Brazilian (Defector)
Baseball Music and Songs at the Library of Congress: An Updated Guide (LOC.gov)
Amanda Lane: Earthquake! At the Kingdome (NW Baseball History)
Jon Caroulis: Gale Force: Pitching in Japan (BallNine.com)
Jeff Cohen: Baseball and BBQ interview with Gregg Olson (Baseball and BBQ)
Jason Schwartz: Shrödinger’s bat (SABR Baseball Cards)

Please note: Some articles may require a separate subscription to view online. SABR does not endorse, and is not responsible or liable for, any content that appears on a third-party website.

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. To find past editions of TWIS, click here.

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Originally published: October 27, 2023. Last Updated: October 27, 2023.

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