Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter recap – 7/7/2020

Recently, the Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter held their first Zoom meetings during the current pandemic. The first was on Monday, June 22 with 22 participants and the second was held Tuesday, July 7 with 27 participants, including SABR Board President Mark Armour & Directors Bill Nowlin and Allison Levin (a local chapter member who has also arranged and hosted both meetings).

There were two presentations in each meeting. In the first meeting J.J. Cooper, Executive Editor of Baseball America, addressed the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, assessed the recent draft for the Cardinals and discussed what the draft may look like in future years with the downsizing of the minor leagues, the CBA, and the upcoming 60-game season.

Ed Wheatley, President of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society and Fan Club, discussed his new book Baseball in St. Louis: Little Leagues to Major Leagues. The book tells the history of not only the Cardinals, Browns, and Negro League St. Louis Stars but also the region’s little leagues, high school teams, college teams, the beginning of the Khoury League in St. Louis and many interesting side stories interwoven throughout its pages.

In the second meeting Brian Finch, St. Louis Cardinals Team Historian and Tours and Museum Operations Manager, gave an excellent presentation on the 1944 World Series, the last World Series to be played entirely in one stadium, pitting the Cardinals versus the Browns. Brian recapped the series game-by-game, and showed many items from the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum connected to the series.

Mark Simon, Senior Research Analyst for Sports Info Solutions and a longtime member of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight team, talked about the upcoming 2020 season and specifically about the Cardinals. He also discussed the Hall of Fame and the prospect of recent Cardinals players Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Scott Rolen getting in. There was a great deal of general baseball discussion, which Mark fielded with the dexterity of Keith Hernandez covering a bunt.

There was time after each presentation for some Q & A. There were also some Today in Baseball History items mentioned both nights.

A great deal of thanks goes to Allison Levin for hosting both meetings and doing a masterful job!

Chapter President Rick Zucker announced that the next regular monthly meeting will be Monday, August 17, 2020 at the Sports Café in Bridgeton. Information will be forwarded if this too is destined to become another Zoom Meeting.

— Jim Leefers