Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter meeting recap – 3/25/2014
Nineteen members and guests of the Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter attended the March 25, 2014, monthly roundtable, held at its usual location, The Original Crusoe’s Restaurant in South St. Louis.
Chapter president Brian Flaspohler called the meeting to order. Chapter secretary Jim Leefers gave a brief report on updating the e-mail list by use of the SABR website.
The passing of longtime member Frank C. “Bud” Kane on March 4, 2014 was acknowledged. Bud was a veteran of the Korean conflict and was also the longtime treasurer of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. A memorial gathering will be held Saturday, April 5 from 1 to 4 p.m., in the Hearth Room at Hawken House, 1155 S. Rock Hill Road.
Items noted in “Today in Baseball History” was the 1951 death of Hall of Famer Eddie Collins, the 1959 trade that brought Bill White to the Cardinals, and the 1966 birth of new Hall of Famer Tom Glavine. There was extensive discussion on the playing career of Collins and also his time as the general manager with the Red Sox.
Rich Applegate’s presentation on baseball personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country featured Harry Chapman this month. Chapman made his major league debut with the Cubs in 1912. A short stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1913 was followed by his jump to the St. Louis Terriers of the newly formed Federal League for two years, 1914-15. Chapman ended his major league career with the St. Louis Browns in 1916 before entering the service in 1917. Wounded in combat he was returned stateside where he succumbed to his injuries October 21, 1918.
Reports were given by a handful of attendees who recently returned from spring training games. Other topics of discussion were Kostya Kennedy’s new book “Pete Rose: An American Dilemma”, Montreal member Alain Usereau’s request for information on former Expo Nate Colbert and Montreal farmhand James West, both St. Louis products, and the recent MLB opening series in Australia.
14 of the 19 attendees submitted their predictions for the upcoming 2014 season. NL Champions: Cardinals-12 Nationals-1 Pirates-1 AL Champions: Tigers-5 Red Sox-3 Angels-2 Orioles-2 Rays-1 Royals-1 World Series Champions: Cardinals-12 Tigers-2
Bob Tiemann’s baseball trivia quiz, “The Keystone in St. Louis Baseball History” was won by Mark Stangl with a score of 21 out of 27.
Monday, April 21st is the date for the next roundtable meeting at Crusoe’s.
— Jim Leefers, Secretary