Larry Dierker/Houston Chapter meeting recap – 10/20/2026
The Larry Dierker/Houston Chapter held its monthly meeting on October 20, 2026, with 31 people joining in person and via Zoom.
Click here to watch the video recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/
Chapter President Joe Thompson kicked off the meeting with announcements, local chapter updates, and planning for upcoming events. Joe also took a poll of who the chapter thought would win the World Series. By an overwhelming margin, and to the joy of chapter members Vince and Lena Trovato (lifelong Milwaukee Brewers fans), the chapter believed the Brewers would win their first-ever World Series.
Earlier that day, chapter member helped unveil a new historical marker at the site of Colt Stadium, where the Astros played before the Astrodome was built. The chapter thanks member Mike Vance for all his hard work in getting the approval for the marker and the SABR Local Grants program for giving the chapter funding to help pay for the cost of the marker.
The scheduled speakers for the next few months of chapter events are as follows:
- November 14: Houston Babies event at George Ranch in Richmond, Texas. The chapter is looking for additional vintage baseball players. No experience required. All interested should contact Patrick Petty, Mike McCroskey or Joe Thompson.
- November 16: Seth Tannenbaum, associate professor of history at Manhattanville University, will speak via Zoom on luxury boxes in MLB.
- December 7: Richard Butler will present on Depression-era baseball in the Texas German Belt.
- January 18, 2027: A year-long celebration of the 2017 Astros begins, featuring Michael Schwab of Icebox Insiders.
- January 30: Brian McTaggart, MLB.com reporter for the Astros, is scheduled to speak at the chapter’s annual SABR Day event. The chapter will also have a booth at Astros FanFest in January.
Future Guest: Evan Drellich of The Athletic has agreed to speak to the chapter sometime next year.
The guest speaker for the October 20 meeting was former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Evan Crawford.
Evan Crawford was a left-handed pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012. He pitched in college at Auburn University, was drafted in 2008, and pitched in the minor leagues from 2008 until he was released in 2014. He is now in real estate as part of the Crawford-Willis Group in Opelika, Alabama, and manages the Auburn, Alabama Alternative Baseball team, the Auburn Pilots.
Evan spoke about his career, some of his favorite moments as a player, and his involvement with the Auburn, Alabama Alternative Baseball team, the Auburn Pilots. Some of his notable teammates were:
- Josh Donaldson: Crawford’s catcher at Auburn; noted for extreme confidence and a “next day” mindset.
- Zack Greinke: Crawford’s roommate’s brother; Crawford recalled a time when Greinke skipped spring training to fish, surf, and play golf.
- Yan Gomes: A close friend and fellow draftee; first Brazilian-born MLB player.
- Travis d’Arnaud: Described as one of the best players Crawford ever played with due to his preparation and game-planning.
- Aroldis Chapman: Crawford witnessed Chapman’s early transition to a reliever, noting his extreme velocity.
- Jim Hoey: A veteran pitcher who took time to mentor Crawford during his first call-up.
Crawford’s first call-up was complicated by a five-day rule after being the last cut from spring training; he was eventually called up due to a paternity leave for closer Sergio Santos.
Crawford described early minor league life as financially difficult, including living in an attic with no TV or Internet, and later sharing a two-bedroom apartment with six players on air mattresses.
Crawford now works in real estate with the Crawford Willis Group and manages the Auburn Pilots, an Alternative Baseball Organization (ABO) team for players with special needs.
Vince Trovato hosted a custom trivia competition for attendees. Kevin Garrett won the contest and will present the contest at our next chapter meeting on Monday, November 16.
Seth Tannenbaum will speak via Zoom on luxury boxes in MLB at our November 16 chapter meeting. Also, do not forget about the Houston Babies event at the George Ranch in Richmond on November 14! We look forward to seeing all of you then.
Finally, the chapter’s quarterly newsletter will be released soon after the conclusion of the World Series. All chapter members should submit an article or story (e.g., about Colt Stadium) to Tony and Scott by the end of this week for inclusion in the newsletter.
— Joseph Thompson