This Week in SABR: December 13, 2024
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, December 13, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Dave Parker, Dick Allen elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Last call for papers: The National Pastime
Give the gift of SABR this holiday season
Games Project: Authors’ Choice 2024
Scholarships available to attend 2025 SABR Analytics Conference
Join us December 17 for a Live Oral History with Frank Viola
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Dave Parker, Dick Allen elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Dave Parker and Dick Allen, two prodigious sluggers and former MVP Award winners, earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday via the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Click here to read Parker’s biography, by J.G. Preston, and Allen’s biography, by Rich D’Ambrosio, at the SABR BioProject.
Parker and Allen were candidates on the Classic Baseball Era Committee Ballot, which was considered by a 16-member committee — including SABR members Larry Lester, Leslie Heaphy, Steve Hirdt, and Bob Elliott — that held meetings in Dallas, Texas. The eight-person ballot was comprised of candidates whose primary contributions to the game came from before 1980.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Last call for papers: The National Pastime 2025
The next SABR national convention will be held on June 25-29, 2025, in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. The 2025 issue of our annual convention journal, The National Pastime, will focus on the region, which includes not only the DFW Metroplex but also North, Central, and West Texas, as well as Oklahoma and parts of Louisiana and Arkansas (but not Houston or South Texas). If it is covered by the Rangers Radio Network, we’re interested.
All SABR members are welcome to submit an article for TNP. To submit an article idea or abstract, please fill out this form by December 15, 2024. If the form does not give enough space to adequately explain the idea, please upload a document. Only submissions sent using the online portal will be considered.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Member Benefit Spotlight: Gift Memberships
This holiday season, it’s easy to share that passion for the game with friends and family. If you’re looking for a great gift for the baseball fan in your life, how about a SABR Gift Membership? All baseball fans are welcome to join SABR.
Click here to learn more about how to sign up a family member or friend with a SABR Gift Membership.
Visit SABR.org/gift-membership to learn more.
SABR Games Project: Authors’ Choice 2024
The SABR Games Project polled our authors to nominate the favorite articles that they wrote in 2024. Twenty-five authors responded and their stories are collected online at SABR.org. Click here to view the full list.
These stories are a great reflection of the spirit of the Games Project, covering games from 1877 through 2023, and including selections from the minor leagues, amateur baseball, and women’s baseball.
Writing a story for the Games Project is an easy way to get involved as a SABR member. Find out how by reading the Games Project FAQs section or checking out the Authors’ Guidelines.
Early registration is now open for 2025 SABR Analytics Conference
Early registration is now open for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held in person from March 14-16, 2025, at the Beus Center for Law and Society on Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix Campus in Phoenix, Arizona.
We’ll bring together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate, and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. Register today to join us!
- Registration: Click here to register for the 2025 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 should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive a special link to register at a discounted rate. 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 14 through Sunday, March 16, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, March 13. 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.
- Diamond Dollars Case Competition: Click here to register your team for the 2025 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 2025 SABR Analytics Conference. Deadline: January 3, 2025.
- Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship: Applications are now open for the 2025 Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship. Deadline: January 3, 2025.
- Research Awards: We’re seeking nominations for the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards. Deadline: December 31, 2024.
- Certification Courses: The first three courses in the online, on-demand SABR Analytics Certification program, including the newest offering Level Three – Introduction to Baseball Programming, are available now. Click here to learn more or to sign up.
Apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship or Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship
With generous funding from The Nanar and Anthony Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four Yoseloff Scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the SABR Analytics Conference on March 14-16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging fees associated with the conference up to a total value of $1,250.
Awarded annually to four recipients, the Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics 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. This scholarship will pay for all registration fees and expenses associated with the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona; plus registration for all courses in the online SABR Analytics Certification program. Click here to learn more or to apply.
Click here to learn more about SABR Scholarships.
Help us Bring It Home in 2024 and invest in SABR’s future
SABR has made great progress toward our vision of becoming the essential community for the world of baseball, but there is still work to be done to fulfill that goal. By investing in mission-focused initiatives and outreach, SABR will be well positioned to sustain and grow into the future. Key areas of focus to achieve that growth include the continual addition of research resources, expansion and amplification of programming, and an emphasis on connection for our members and the wider baseball community. Gifts from members like you will help us BRING IT HOME, ensuring we achieve a successful 2024 while making investments in our collective future.
You can support SABR’s annual Bring it Home Campaign by making a gift of $150 or more by December 31, 2024. We will use your best gift of $150, $300, $500, or $1,000 to boost SABR’s general operations. Contributions from generous donors like you are critical in supporting SABR as we add to our research resources, expand programming, and strengthen the connection of our baseball community.
Visit SABR.org/donate/2024 to learn more.
Apply now for a SABR Local Grant in 2025
The SABR Local Grants program provides an opportunity for chapters, research committees, and chartered communities to apply for funding for their projects under SABR’s Four Pillars: Research, Scholarship, Preservation, and Future of the Game.
Applications are now open for a 2025 SABR Local Grant at SABR.org/local-grants. Submissions will be accepted until January 31, 2025. A Grants Review Board will review all submissions and respond with their final determination in February 2025.
Visit SABR.org/local-grants to learn more or to apply.
Join us on December 17 for a Live Oral History with Frank Viola
Baseball fans, join us for a special virtual event at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, December 17: a live SABR Oral History interview with former Cy Young Award winner and Minnesota Twins great Frank Viola.
All fans are invited to attend this interview session on Zoom, which will be conducted by Oral History Committee chair John McMurray. The interview will be recorded and added to SABR’s Oral History Collection archive afterward.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Save the date! SABR Day is February 1, 2025
Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 1, 2025, when we will hold our annual SABR Day celebration! SABR Day is a way for all baseball fans to come together, regardless of where they live, and talk about the game we all love.
Regional chapters are also encouraged to plan their own SABR Day events (virtually or in person) throughout the months of January or February to celebrate the start of a new baseball season.
Chapter leaders, please email Jacob Pomrenke as you finalize your SABR Day plans so we can update our comprehensive schedule of events, which will be posted online soon at SABR.org/sabrday.
Call for volunteers: Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires
Thanks to the hard work of a fantastic team of volunteers, more than 100,000 Bill Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires of players from 1945-2005 have now been transcribed. These questionnaires will give baseball researchers tremendous first-hand knowledge from the pens of 18-year-old minor-leaguers.
We’re now seeking volunteers to help match the players to their Baseball-Reference IDs, making it easier for everyone to find their favorite player. We have finished more than one-third of the players so far, and we are seeking more help to finish by the end of 2024. No experience or time commitment is needed, just a love for baseball, data, and history. You can jump right into volunteering at tinyurl.com/WeissPage, or reach out to Jason Sigler to get an informational video and more instructions.
Seeking submissions for Found Poetry of Baseball Announcers book
This is the last call for submissions for an upcoming SABR book project, Here Comes The Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Announcers, scheduled for publication in the spring of 2025.
SABR members are asked to take play-by-play calls from throughout history and fashion them into “found” poems. Found poems take existing texts and refashion them, reorder them, and present them as poems. Examples can be found in the most recent edition of Turnstyle.
To send in a submission, fill out the following form by December 15 or contact editor Eric Poulin with questions.
Writing Opportunities: Player Biographies
As part of a “team completion” project, we are seeking SABR members to write biographies of a number of former ballplayers: in particular, Paul Quantrill and John Flaherty. We would also welcome people who might like to write bios of Wes Chamberlain, Sergio Valdez, and several other players.
Please contact editor Bill Nowlin if you would like to contribute with any of these biographies.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
Read all essays from SABR’s Sandy Koufax book
In 2024, SABR published Sandy Koufax, edited by Marc Z. Aaron, Bill Nowlin, and Glen Sparks, exploring what made the Dodgers star so special in baseball and American society through 17 insightful essays and recaps of 36 key games in his career.
All of the essays from the Sandy Koufax book are now available to read online in the SABR Research Collection.
Click here to download your free e-book edition of Sandy Koufax, or save 50% off the paperback edition.
2 new stories published at SABR BioProject
- Rich Rowland, by Michael Trzinski
- Maehara Stadium (Wailuku, HI), by Jake Rinloan
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR Biography Project or to get involved.
4 new stories published at SABR Games Project
- July 12, 1900: Noodles Hahn blanks ‘greatest batting team ever organized’ in final no-hitter of nineteenth century, by Mike Huber
- July 4, 1959: Twin Cities fireworks: Millers, Saints split holiday twin bill, by Mike Worley
- September 15, 1977: Orioles manager Earl Weaver forfeits game in a pennant race — over a tarpaulin, by Larry DeFillipo
- July 10, 1984: Winning performances by two Expos lead NL to All-Star victory, by Mark S. Sternman
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Dazzling Debuts: First At-Bat Home Runs
Edited by Giselle Stancic, Bill Nowlin, and Jacob Pomrenke
Visit SABR.org/dazzling-debuts for exclusive highlights online or to download the free e-book edition.
All SABR members are encouraged to submit nominations for our annual research awards, for works published or completed in 2024. The deadline to nominate is December 31:
- Seymour Medal (history/biography books)
- SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards (baseball analytics research)
- Larry Ritter Book Award (Deadball Era books)
- Russell Gabay Award (New Jersey baseball)
- SABR Baseball Research Award (outstanding research articles/projects)
- McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award (best history/biography articles)
Please note: Only ONE entry per nomination will be considered (do not submit multiple nominations for the same award). For more information on SABR Awards, click here.
Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:
- Read articles from Fall 2024 Baseball Research Journal online
- 2024 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners announced
- Call for papers: 2025 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
- The SABR Bookshelf: Fall 2024
- Check out highlights, photos, and recordings from the SABR 52 convention in Minneapolis
- Browse the new, searchable SABR MLB Team Employee Database
- Sean Lahman donates Lahman Baseball Database to SABR
- Watch highlights from 2024 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
- D. Bruce Brown selected as 2024 Bob Davids Award winner
- Save the date! SABR 53 will be in Dallas/Fort Worth in 2025
- SABR special committee: 1949-50 Negro American League, independent Black teams are major-league caliber
- Call for papers: Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
- Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
- Get a gift for baseball fan in your life with the SABR Store @ CafePress
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lile Anderson | Garibaldi, OR | Jacob Kauffman | Little Rock, AR | ||
| Aaron Brill | Boca Raton, FL | Leon Ledgister | Limoges, ON | ||
| Nicholas Carlson | Kings Park, NY | William Moreland | Wimberly, TX | ||
| David Castle | Beaumont, TX | Matt Pelcher | Merrick, NY | ||
| John Chang | Hsinchu City, TWN | Vivienne Pelletier | Phoenix, AZ | ||
| David Cross | N. Reading, MA | Judson Rietdorf | Urbanna, VA | ||
| John DeFilippo | Nanuet, NY | Steve Shaw | Wilmington, OH | ||
| Reid Geniza | Tampa, FL | Stephen Strnisha | Surf City, NC | ||
| Alexander Godefroy | Ottawa, ON | Christian Towalski | Sauk Rapids, MN | ||
| Dariusz Golebiowski | Gayal, SAU | Sam Wengerd | Columbus, OH |
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from former MLB pitcher and executive Ed Lynch; game designer Scott Courlander; authors Steve Dunn (Pug Fireball and Company) and Tim Manners (Schoolboy); Vincent T. Ciaramella (“Who Was Charlie Fisher?”); and Karl Lindholm (“The Many Fronts of Baseball Integration”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- December 16: Bob Broeg St. Louis (MO) Chapter meeting (6:00 p.m. CST)
- December 16: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Bill Ryczek (7:00 p.m. EST)
- December 16: Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter research committee meeting (7:00 p.m. CST)
- December 16: Larry Dierker (TX) Chapter meeting with David Krell (7:00 p.m. CST)
- December 17: Live Oral History with Frank Viola (7:30 p.m. EST)
- December 18: Joint SABR chapter meeting with Dan Wallach (7:00 p.m. EST)
- December 19: Quarterly Chapter Leaders Meeting (8:00 p.m. EST)
- December 23: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Allison Levin (7:00 p.m. EST)
- December 30: Joint SABR chapter meeting: Chuck Hildebrandt (7:00 p.m. EST)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- December 14: Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter holiday party (Middletown, CT)
- December 14: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting (Baltimore, MD)
- December 14: Seymour-Mills Southwest Florida Chapter holiday party (Fort Myers, FL)
- December 15: Rogers Hornsby Chapter meeting (Austin, TX)
- December 17: Bob Davids Chapter Hot Stove Dinner (Silver Spring, MD)
- December 19: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
- December 21: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
- December 21: Allan Roth Chapter meeting (Garden Grove, CA)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Deadball Era: November 2024 newsletter
- Women in Baseball: Winter 2024 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter: December 4 meeting recap (Tallahassee, FL)
- Central Illinois Chapter: December 2024 newsletter (Bloomington-Normal, IL)
- Hanlan’s Point Chapter: December 2024 newsletter (Toronto, ON)
- Larry Dierker Chapter: November 18 meeting recap (Houston, TX)
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:
- Thomas Boswell named 2025 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner (BaseballHall.org)
- Tom Hamilton named 2025 Ford C. Frick Award winner (BaseballHall.org)
- Sridhar Pappu: Dave Parker is a father figure to Black MLB legends (Andscape)
- Jay Jaffe: JAWS and the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot: David Wright (FanGraphs)
- Russell A. Carleton: The Faintly Yellow At-Bat (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jayson Stark: As Juan Soto embarks on $765M future, Ted Williams’ shadow lingers: Where could he end up? (The Athletic)
- Mike Petriello: Which all-time marks will Juan Soto challenge before his career is done? (MLB.com)
- Tyler Kepner: How Juan Soto’s Yankees/Mets legacy could compare with others who played for both teams (The Athletic)
- Eno Sarris: Is data dead? MLB’s search for the next competitive advantage may have a softer touch (The Athletic)
- Alex Speier: Red Sox were positioned to trade for top talent. That’s why they landed Garrett Crochet. (Boston Globe)
- Derrick Goold: Rise of the ‘robo-umps’? Automated pitch call coming to Cardinals games this spring training (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Ben Clemens: Breaking Even Is for Suckers (FanGraphs)
- Michael Salfino: 75 years later, new findings reshape the Jackie Robinson rookie card discussion (The Athletic)
- Cody Stavenhagen: ‘The Donaldson Network’: How a Minnesota man shaped a barnstorming legend’s Hall of Fame case (The Athletic)
- Chris Haft: Cleveland icon Rocky Colavito, who hit 4 homers in a game, dies at 91 (MLB.com)
- Mark Simon: Which Pitchers Overachieved The Most in 2024? (Sports Info Solutions)
- David Laurila: Colt Emerson Believes In Being True To Who You Are (FanGraphs)
- Rob Mains: Three Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About the 2024 Season (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jonathan Judge: Modeling Average Maximum Athletic Effort (Baseball Prospectus)
- Joshua Rodrigues: The Hidden Edge: How Teaching is Transforming Baseball Player Development (Medium.com)
- Maury Brown: The Historical Data Behind MLB’s Record PED Use Decline (Forbes)
- Jacob Edelman: New Stadium, New Sluggers: Three Rays Ready to Rake (Baseball Prospectus)
- Amanda Lane Cumming: My Kingdome for a Roof! (NW Baseball History)
- Joelle Milholm: Ever-present and relegated to the sidelines, women’s baseball is finally being seen (SB Nation)
- Gary Cieradkowski: Dolly Stark: Renaissance Man in Blue (Infinite Baseball Card Set)
- Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Douglas Jordan (Baseball and BBQ)
- Gary Mintz: Interview with author John Iamarino (New York Giants Preservation Society)
- Steve Shaw: My Reconnection With Tabletop Baseball After 35 Years (SABR Games and Simulations)
- Brian Kopycinski: Alternatives to “True” Rookie Cards (SABR Baseball Cards)
- John Racanelli: Bowman’s Knockdown Pitch: Leaf Us Alone (SABR Baseball Cards)
- David Bussell: For the love of the strip card (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: December 13, 2024. Last Updated: December 17, 2024.