Larry Dierker Chapter meeting recap – 5/4/2020
At least 32 active SABR members took part in our first Larry Dierker Chapter Zoom session last night. I say 32 because people kept coming throughout the evening so it was difficult to get an exact number. We were very pleased to have out of state and out of country members Ryan Schroer, Nic Loiacono, Jim Kreuz, and Maxwell Kates join us.
Joe Thompson was our host and explained the Zoom process to first-time users.
The first order of business was a tribute to Jimmy Wynn, a very active member of our chapter who passed away on March 26. Joe Thompson prepared a series of photographs of Jimmy’s lengthy career, including one of Jimmy with 10-year-old Craig Biggio. Individual members spoke about their wonderful association with Jimmy.
Following there was quite a bit of conversation about current baseball issues including:
- Major League Baseball: Will they play ball this year, where, when, how many games and what will be the composition of the divisions.
- Live telecasts of baseball in South Korea start tonight.
- Was the commissioner’s report on cheating, especially as it impacted the Red Sox fair and impartial? The overwhelming consensus was no.
- How will our fans and players react to the imposed penalties?
- How can we as a chapter improve membership and how can we capture the interest of younger fans? One of the answers is to sponsor local activities especially at minor league ballparks.
- A trivia contest from Wesley Story (with the help of Mike McCroskey) was won by both Scott Barzilla and Mike Vance. Scott has volunteered to write the next contest.
Due to the positive reaction of our members to Zoom, we have decided to get back on schedule with our next sessions (zoom) on Monday, May 18 with Deacon Jones, Scott Barzilla, and Bob McCann as speakers.
Next will be on Monday, June 15 with longtime pitching champion Mike Stanton headlining the event.
Each of you will receive an invitation to these 2 meetings as in the past.
For your info, our longtime meeting place, the Spaghetti Western, is still open and serving meals in their dining room.
— Bob Dorrill
bdorrill@aol.com
bdorrill@aol.com