Southern New England Lajoie-Start Chapter meeting recap – 6/20/2026
On Saturday, June 20, 2026, approximately 40 enthusiastic baseball aficionados attended the spring meeting of the Southern New England Lajoie-Start SABR chapter at the First Baptist Church in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
The day started with a remembrance of Len Levin, who was our leader for over 40 years. Then, Kerry Keene discussed his project of picking the top 150 players to be in the Hall of Fame. Steve Krevisky discussed some upcoming Smoky Joe Wood Connecticut Chapter events, including going to a Hartford Yard Goats game. Herb Crehan discussed the first night baseball game in US history which was held in 1880 at Nantasket Bay near Hull, Massachusetts.
Our keynote speaker, Rob Fitts (above), made a wonderful presentation about his new book, In the Japanese Ballpark: Behind the Scenes of Nippon Professional Baseball. Ty Waterman discussed his book, The Year the Red Sox Won the Series. His wife, Jan Waterman, played “Tessie” on the piano while she and Ty sang the lyrics.
Dixie Tourangeau discussed the fraud of Cap Anson winning the 1888 National League batting title. His research suggested there was no way that Anson could have won the batting title.
The members of the church provided a sumptuous baseball buffet lunch of hot dogs, popcorn, nuts and beverages. Fr. Gerry Beirne provided the questions for the trivia contest. Mark Kanter won the contest with Steve Krevisky and Mark Weiss as the runners-up.
Photos courtesy of Dixie Tourangeau.
— Mark Kanter
Steve Trimble
Jan Waterman, right, and Ty Waterman play “Tessie,” an early Boston Red Sox rooters’ anthem, on the piano.
Ty Waterman speaks to the group.