June 28-July 2, 2017
Grand Hyatt New York
109 E. 42nd St.
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 883-1234
Here is the daily schedule for the SABR 47 convention in New York City. Click on a link below for more details or highlights from each session.
Click here to scroll down to that day’s schedule:
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (Booth)
SABR Board Meeting
1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (SABR registration area, main lobby)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a Mets game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 47 souvenir shirts, caps, and crystal baseball.
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Chairs Meeting
Leslie Heaphy, chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)
4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Regional Chapter Leaders Meeting
Leslie Heaphy, co-chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)
Blane Ferguson, co-chair (bferguson@sabr.org)
6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (New Museum event space, lobby level)
Ross Adell Welcome Reception, presented by Baseball-Reference.com
Ross Adell, a SABR member for almost 25 years before he died of cancer in 2006 at the tender age of 50, loved a good party. He enjoyed making new friends and introducing them to kindred baseball spirits. That’s what the SABR convention is all about. For those of you attending your first convention, we know it can be a bit daunting. But we want you to feel welcome and Ross would, too. So come join us at the Ross Adell Welcome Reception — everyone is welcome, not just first-timers. We’ll talk baseball and help show you how to get the most out of your SABR convention experience. Presented by Baseball-Reference.com.
7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Ballroom Foyer registration area)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a Mets game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 47 souvenir shirts, caps, and crystal baseball.
7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. (Ballroom I)
Research Committee Meeting: Minor Leagues
Joe Wancho, co-chair (jw2462@sbcglobal.net)
* Guest speaker: F.X. Flinn will give a demonstration of SABR’s digitized collection of The Sporting News Player Contract Cards
7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Official Scoring
Stew Thornley, chair (stew@stewthornley.net)
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Ballroom V)
Vendors Room Open
The Vendors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week.
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Annual Business Meeting
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
One on One: Jean Afterman with Claire Smith
New York Yankees’ Senior Vice President/Assistant General Manager Jean Afterman, one of the highest ranking women in baseball, will sit down for an interview with acclaimed sports writer Claire Smith, the 2017 J.G. Taylor Spink Award recipient from the Baseball Hall of Fame.
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Casey Stengel: A Man For All Seasons
Guest speakers: Ira Berkow, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and retired columnist with the New York Times; Steve Jacobson, retired Newsday writer and author; Marty Appel, author of Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Character; and moderator Ed Randall, host of “Talking Baseball” on WFAN Radio and MLB Network Radio.
11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m. (Ballroom V)
How to Do Baseball Research: Bill Nowlin
SABR Director Bill Nowlin will be available at the How to Do Baseball Research table in the Vendors Room to discuss SABR publications and answer questions related to SABR’s book projects and journals. Click here for more information.
11:45 a.m.-12:10 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP01: Dodger Stadium Redux: A Conversation with Janet Marie Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers Senior Vice President of Planning & Development and Jean Hastings Ardell
Jean Hastings Ardell and Janet Marie Smith
11:45 a.m.-12:10 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP02: Does Changing Leagues Affect Player Performance, and How?
Chuck Hildebrandt
12:15 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP03: Roosevelt Stadium: The Forgotten Ballpark
David Krell
12:15 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP04: Southside Hitmen: A 40th Anniversary Celebration of a Memorable Season
Don Zminda
12:45 p.m.-1:10 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP05: The Integration of Baseball Cards and Chicano Pop Art: An Appreciation and Interpretation
Anthony Salazar
12:45 p.m.-1:10 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP06: The Death and Life of Harry Pulliam
Steven A. King
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP07: How to Determine Winners In Sports Memorabilia
Leila Dunbar
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP08: Doc Adams: A Founding Father of Baseball
Marjorie P. Adams
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Research Committee Meeting: Women in Baseball
Leslie Heaphy, co-chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)
Guest speakers: Claire Smith, acclaimed baseball writer and 2017 J.G. Taylor Spink Award recipient and Perry Barber, pioneering baseball umpire, author, and musician
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Ballroom I)
Research Committee Meeting: Latino Baseball
Anthony Salazar, chair (salazar8017@yahoo.com)
* Guest speakers: Peter C. Bjarkman, a Henry Chadwick Award recipient and expert on Cuban baseball history, and Cuban journalist Reynaldo Cruz, editor of the Universo Béisbol digital magazine
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Index Project
Andy McCue, chair (agmccue44@earthlink.net)
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Broadway Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Games Project
Bruce Slutsky, co-chair (bruce@bruceslutsky.com)
Len Levin, co-chair (lenlevin5@hotmail.com)
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
MLB Now: The Changing State of Sabermetrics panel
Guest speakers: Mark DeRosa, MLB Network studio analyst and a versatile former major-league player for 16 seasons; Joel Sherman, national baseball columnist for the New York Post who appears regularly on MLB Network; Mike Petriello, Stats Analyst for MLB Advanced Media and host of the Statcast Podcast; moderator: Brian Kenny, host at MLB Network and the author of Ahead of the Curve: Inside the Baseball Revolution.
4:15 p.m.-4:40 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP09: Heroes, Goats, and Myths: 1926 World Series, Game Seven
Steve Steinberg
4:15 p.m.-4:40 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP10: Ball of Confusion: Dick Allen, the Arkansas Travelers and the Integration of Little Rock
Jacob Goldfinger
4:45 p.m.-5:10 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP11: “The Dictionary Definition of Perfidy”: Del Webb, Branch Rickey and the American League expansion of 1961
Andy McCue
4:45 p.m.-5:10 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP12: Philadelphia vs. New York: A Rivalry in the Negro National League
Courtney Michelle Smith
5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (Manhattan Ballroom, lobby level)
SABR Awards Reception
Note: Early entrance for SABR donors is from 5:15 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
The Awards Reception will feature the announcement of SABR’s annual awards — including the Bob Davids Award, our highest honor — plus an array of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.
7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. (Ballroom I)
Trivia Contest preliminary round & quarterfinals
Trivia at SABR 47 is for all baseball fans. Come test your knowledge against SABR’s best! The Trivia Contest is open to all SABR convention attendees. Just show up with your thinking cap on and follow the instructions. For more details, click here to download the Trivia Contest Guidelines.
7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Ballroom Foyer registration area)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a Mets game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 47 souvenir shirts, caps, and crystal baseball. Please note: Chits for your Mets ballgame ticket must be redeemed at the Registration Area before 10:00 a.m. Friday.
8:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Ballroom V)
Vendors Room Open
The Vendors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week. Please note: The Vendors Room will be closed during the Mets game/ballpark session.
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Research Committee Meeting: Ballparks
Ron Selter, co-chair (rselter@att.net)
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Ballroom I)
Research Committee Meeting: Retrosheet
David W. Smith, president (dwsmith@retrosheet.org)
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Educational Resources
Herb Wilson, co-chair (whwilson@colby.edu)
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Broadway Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Biographical Research
Bill Carle, chair (bbxpert@aol.com)
9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
A Celebration of 70 Years: Jackie Robinson’s Journey
Guest speakers: William C. Rhoden, columnist and editor-at-large for TheUndefeated.com and former award-winning columnist and author at the New York Times; Della Britton Baeza, President and CEO of the Jackie Robinson Foundation; Lee Lowenfish, author of Branch Rickey: Baseball’s Ferocious Gentleman; Larry Lester, SABR Negro Leagues Committee chair and co-organizer of the annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference.
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Ballroom V)
How to Do Baseball Research: Leslie Heaphy
SABR Vice President Leslie Heaphy will be available at the How to Do Baseball Research table in the Vendors Room to discuss research resources and answer questions on improving your research techniques. Click here for more information.
11:15 a.m.-11:40 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP13: The Seventh Inning is the Key
David W. Smith
11:15 a.m.-11:40 a.m. (Ballroom I)
RP14: Civil Rights Brings Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr. Together
Dennis Corcoran
11:45 a.m.-12:10 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP15: Another Look at the 2011 Boston Red Sox Season
Tom Tippett
11:45 a.m.-12:10 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP16: Louis Armstrong – Swinging
Douglas Schoppert
12:15 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP17: Defensive Evaluations of Team Constructs in the Ball-in-Play Data Era
Chris Dial
12:15 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP18: Charlie Dressen’s Pacific All Stars Tour of 1945
Karl Cicitto
12:45 p.m.-1:10 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP19: Statcast and the Value of Defense
Jonathan Dine
12:45 p.m.-1:10 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP20: The Dodgers in Jersey City: The Giants Games
John J. Burbridge Jr. and John R. Harris
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP21: Are There “Pitchers” Umpires and “Hitters” Umpires?
Mark Pankin
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP22: Bats, Balls, Boys and Dreams: All-Star Sandlot Games in New York and the Players Who had a lasting impact on the New York Landscape (Baseball and Otherwise)
Alan Cohen
1:45 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
Leave for SABR 47 Ballpark Session
A SABR 47 Mets game ticket includes roundtrip subway transportation to Citi Field. For directions to Citi Field, see our Transportation Tips page.
3:00-5:00 p.m. (Citi Field)
SABR 47 Ballpark Session
Mets vs. Phillies, 7:05 p.m.
A special treat is in store for SABR 47 attendees. On Friday, June 30, SABR convention attendees will have the opportunity to visit Citi Field for an exclusive ballpark session with special guests before the Mets game against the Philadelphia Phillies begins at 7:05 p.m. Our guest speakers are expected to include Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, first-base coach and former major-leaguer Tom Goodwin, broadcasters Josh Lewin, Steve Gelbs, and Wayne Randazzo, and an Analytics Panel with executives T.J. Barra and Joe Lefkowitz and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler.
Please note: Purchase of SABR 47 conference registration AND a game ticket is required to attend the special pregame session at Citi Field. You need to pick up your badge at the hotel before the game because you must present both your convention badge and your Mets game ticket in order to enter the ballpark early. Registration will NOT be available at the ballpark. You must exchange your chits for a ballgame ticket at the Registration Area before 10:00 a.m. Friday.
7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Research Committee Meeting: Collegiate Baseball
Karl Green, chair (atlcrackersfan@gmail.com)
7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. (Ballroom I)
Research Committee Meeting: Business of Baseball
Michael Haupert, co-chair (mhaupert@uwlax.edu)
Steven Weingarden, co-chair (steveweingarden@gmail.com)
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Manhattan Ballroom, lobby level)
Donors Breakfast
As part of the SABR Donor Program, all donors of $100 or more since the last convention are invited to a special breakfast in their honor to learn about how their gifts have made a difference to the organization and to the betterment of baseball. SABR Chief Executive Officer Marc Appleman and SABR President Vince Gennaro will be at the breakfast to engage in discussions on any topics of interest to members. To learn more, visit SABR.org/donate.
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Ballroom Foyer registration area)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials.
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Ballroom V)
Vendors Room Open
The Vendors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week.
9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
It Ain’t Over: The Legacy of Yogi Berra
Guest speakers: Lindsay Berra, MLB.com correspondent and the granddaughter of Yogi and Carmen Berra; Harvey Araton, best-selling author of Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry and Baseball’s Greatest Gift and a New York Times reporter and columnist; George Vecsey, best-selling author of Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game and a New York Times reporter and columnist; and moderator Dave Kaplan, former director of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center.
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Cards
Mark Armour, co-chair (markarmour04@gmail.com)
Chris Dial, co-chair (pfeiffer86@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Keith Olbermann, a longtime SABR member, author, and award-winning sports and political commentator. Click here to listen to highlights from his talk.
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Games and Simulations
Joseph Runde, co-chair (josephrunde@gmail.com)
Matt Benham, co-chair (matt1964@sbcglobal.net)
* Guest speakers: Harold Richman, founder and CEO of the popular Strat-O-Matic and other sports board games; Keith Avallone of PLAAY.com Sports Simulation Board games
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Ballroom V)
How to Do Baseball Research: Cecilia Tan
SABR Publications Director Cecilia Tan will be available at the How to Do Baseball Research table in the Vendors Room to discuss how to write for the Baseball Research Journal and participate in the BRJ’s peer-review process. Click here for more information.
11:30 a.m.-11:55 a.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP23: Where Have You Gone, Master Melvin? A Re-Appreciation of Mel Ott
Steve Treder
11:30 a.m.-11:55 a.m. (Ballroom I)
RP24: All in Good Fun? The Emasculating Rituals of MLB Players
Allison Levin
12:00 p.m.-12:25 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP25: Baseball’s Age of Aquarius: Milestone Transformations of 1968-1969
Paul Hensler
12:00 p.m.-12:25 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP26: Happy Felton
Rob Edelman
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (Ballroom V)
Poster Presentations
From 12:00–1:00 p.m. on Saturday, SABR 47 poster presenters will be available for questions and discussion with their posters in Ballroom V. The posters will be available for viewing all week in Ballroom V. Click here to learn more about the SABR 47 poster presentations.
12:30 p.m.-12:55 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP27: Bedsheet Bedlam: Chronicling New York Mets history through the team’s Banner Day tradition
Dirk Lammers
12:30 p.m.-12:55 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP28: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”: The Story of Katie Casey, Suffrage, and Our National Pastime
George Boziwick
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Jim Bouton: A Life in Baseball
Guest speakers: Jim Bouton, author of Ball Four and former major-league pitcher; Paula Kurman, wife of Jim Bouton and a retired psychologist and professor; Mark Armour, author of Jim Bouton’s SABR biography and founding director of the BioProject; Mitchell Nathanson, author of A People’s History of Baseball, God Almighty Hisself: The Life and Legacy of Dick Allen, and other books; Marty Appel, author of Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Character and former New York Yankees PR director; moderator: John Thorn, Official Historian for Major League Baseball.
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Research Committee Meeting: Negro Leagues
Larry Lester, chair (larrylester42@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Jim Robinson, three-time East-West All-Star Game selection (1956-58) and former captain of the Kansas City Monarchs
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Ballroom I)
Research Committee Meeting: Statistical Analysis
Phil Birnbaum, chair (birnbaum@sympatico.ca)
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball and the Arts
Joanne Hulbert, co-chair (jhulbert@earthlink.net)
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Broadway Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Nineteenth Century
Peter Mancuso, chair (peterplus4@earthlink.net)
Bob Bailey, vice-chair (bobbailey@cox.net)
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Uris & Juiliard Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Oral History
John McMurray, chair (sabroralhistorycommittee@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Tom Villante, batboy for the 1944 and 1945 New York Yankees under manager Joe McCarthy; producer of Brooklyn Dodgers TV and radio broadcasts from 1950-57; creator of the Major League Baseball Promotion Corporation; and founding director of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Join us for this unique live oral history and the opportunity to learn from someone who spent decades observing and knowing many of baseball’s greats.
3:15 p.m.-3:40 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP29: Ejection Diaries: John McGraw Battles the National League’s Umpires and Executives
Daniel Levitt
3:15 p.m.-3:40 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP30: Changing Trends in Baseball Salary Arbitration
Ed Edmonds
3:45 p.m.-4:10 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
RP31: 1969: A Baseball Centennial
Mark Armour
3:45 p.m.-4:10 p.m. (Ballroom I)
RP32: Getting to the Money in Moneyball: Better Understanding Revenue per Win Across Different Baseball Market
James Goldstein and Paul Sauer
4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Records
Trent McCotter, chair (treant985@gmail.com)
* Guest speakers: David S. Neft, a Henry Chadwick Award recipient and the driving force behind Macmillan’s The Baseball Encyclopedia, will participate in a one-on-one interview with MLB Official Historian John Thorn
4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (Ballroom I)
Research Committee Meeting: Deadball Era
John McMurray, chair (deadball@sabr.org)
* Guest speaker: Glenn Stout, this year’s Larry Ritter Book Award winner for The Selling of the Babe, will accept his award and answer questions about baseball’s Deadball Era
4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Science and Baseball
Eric Van, chair (emvan@post.harvard.edu)
5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball and the Media
Chuck Hildebrandt, chair (chuck.sabr@gmail.com)
John McMurray, vice-chair (mcmurrayj@aol.com)
* Guest speaker: Join us for a live “Working The Game” interview with Alain Usereau, play-by-play broadcaster for French-language RDS network in Canada. Learn how Alain prepares for games he broadcasts both live at the stadium and from RDS studios.
5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m. (Ballroom I)
Research Committee Meeting: Black Sox Scandal
Jacob Pomrenke, chair (buckweaver@gmail.com)
5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: BioProject
Rory Costello, co-director (rcostello@nyc.rr.com)
6:15 p.m.-7:15 p.m. (Alvin & Carnegie Room)
Research Committee Meeting: Pictorial History
Cary Smith, co-chair (zinnbeck@me.com)
7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Ballroom I)
Encore presentation: Doug Pappas Research Award
The winners of the Doug Pappas Research Award and SABR Convention Poster Presentation Award will be announced, and an encore presentation will be given.
7:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. (Empire State Ballroom)
Trivia Contest Semifinals/Finals
We steadfastly maintain that there is nothing trivial about baseball trivia. Come watch SABR’s best as they try to answer questions that are presented in ascending difficulty. The early-round questions will be at a relatively easy starting point, while the late-round questions, though more difficult, will still interest casual fans. Who will win the SABR 47 Trivia Contest? Come watch to find out.
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (Booth)
SABR Board Meeting
For more information on SABR 47, visit SABR.org/convention.
Cronkite School at ASU
555 N. Central Ave. #406-C
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-496-1460
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