Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter meeting recap – 11/18/2014
Nineteen members and guests of the Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter gathered at The Original Crusoe’s Restaurant in South St. Louis on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.
Chapter president Brian Flaspohler called the meeting to order.
Flaspohler announced the establishment of an annual chapter Rygelski Research Award in honor of the late Jim Rygelski, as decided during the chapter board meeting on the preceding Saturday. It was also determined that the chapter would host an annual research symposium in the month of July where the Rygelski Award winner will be determined. This will be an open competition.
Also decided at the board meeting was the date for the annual Hot Stove Luncheon. The date will be SABR Day, January 24, 2015. As details are finalized there will be updates to the SABR website.
Flaspohler also revealed some of the positive comments and suggestions from his recent survey of chapter members. Sixteen members shared their thoughts on the monthly meetings, improved publicity, having a published chapter roster, and projects and fundraisers.
Rich Applegate’s presentation on baseball personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country featured “Harvard Eddie” Grant. Grant was born in Franklin, Massachusetts. He attended Dean Academy in Franklin for one year before enrolling at Harvard University, where he played baseball and basketball as a freshman. He was declared ineligible for baseball the following spring for playing pro ball in an independent league the previous summer. After graduation he continued to play semi-pro ball until he was given a trial with Cleveland. He made his major league debut August 4, 1905 as a replacement for an ailing Nap Lajoie. In a 10-year career he also played for the Phillies, Reds, and Giants. After retiring from baseball, he practiced law in Boston. When the U.S entered World War I in April 1917, he was among the first to enlist. During the Meuse-Argonne offensive, he took command of his troops on a four-day search for the Lost Battalion. During the search, an exploding shell killed Captain Grant on October 5, 1918. There is a plaque honoring him at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Applegate also passed out the list “Baseball’s 100 Most Important People”, a 10-year old list being revisited on John Thorn’s blog. There was some lively discussion on some that were included and others omitted.
Items noted in “Today in Baseball History” were MVP announcements from 1949 (Jackie Robinson), 1980 (George Brett), 1985 (Willie McGee), and 1987 (Andre Dawson).
Open discussion included the Shelby Miller/Jason Heyward trade, the postseason awards, the Giancarlo Stanton contract, and the time clock experiment in the Arizona Fall League.
Bob Tiemann’s trivia topic this month was World Series Game Seven Trivia. Mark Antonacci was the winner getting 19 correct answers out of a possible 20.
Monday, December 15th is the date for the next roundtable meeting at Crusoe’s.
— Jim Leefers, Secretary