Boston Chapter meeting recap – 1/16/2012

On Saturday, January 16, the weather cooperated and despite the cold wind that permeated the brick wall of The Baseball Tavern, another great meeting of the Boston Chapter has come and gone.

Attendance was 50, and the agenda kept everyone engaged in a wide range of baseball discussions. We were extremely fortunate to have Pam Ganley, from the Red Sox media office, who gave us insight into workings in the front office. Many took the opportunity to ask questions about day-to-day operations on Yawkey Way. Next came Peter Abraham from the Boston Globe. An engaging speaker, not surprising if you have read his excellent reporting, he kept the crowd entertained. Ben Crockett, the Red Sox Director of Player Development, left us with the understanding that it’ll be all right with the Sox and their future. Donna Halper gave us a spirited lecture on how the press covered baseball. We look forward to hearing her speak again, as she left us wanting to hear more. She’ll be back!


Related link: Read SABR intern Mike Cook’s recap of the Boston Chapter meeting at Cook Sports Research


The presentation by the Tufts Sabermetrics 101 students also gave us much to ponder about the impact of temperature and humidity on pitch effectiveness. I wish I had that course when I was in school — might have been more interesting than economics, but I digress. We also, as a surprise bonus, heard from one of the students, Kimberley Minor, a Red Sox ball girl, and she had a few great stories to tell about intercepting foul balls at Fenway Park.

Mark Kanter talked about cancelled games that were NOT due to weather. The most intriguing he presented was the D-Day story.

The Emerson College film project has begun in earnest. Their project, “An Emotional Fenway Park Film,” has generated a fundraising effort. As SABR members we ought to encourage their work. We can all contribute by going to Kickstarter.com, search by keyword “Fenway Park – Red Seat Productions”, and contribute a little or a lot to their fund. Their presentation has already inspired a few of us to do so, and we encourage all to do the same.

Patrick Laguzzi made an impassioned presentation and plea to help get Dwight “Dewey” Evans into the Hall of Fame. With his drive and enthusiasm, he can’t fail!

Thank you all who helped to make the January 16 meeting a success. We will be considering ideas for a spring meeting, and we will keep you informed as details come together.

— Joanne Hulbert
jhulbert@earthlink.net

P.S.: Join us for a Boston “Baseball Tour of Infamy” pub crawl on SABR Day, Saturday, January 28. All are welcome, so bring a friend!