Boston Chapter meeting recap – 11/1/2014
Forty members and guests enjoyed a day inside away from the blustery, rainy weather in Boston on Saturday, November 1 for the SABR Boston Chapter‘s fall meeting.
We started to gather over at South Station and enjoyed a lively lunch trading stories, arguments, and jokes and then moved on to predictions for next season after a two-minute Pity Party for the Red Sox — we all got over it, the season past is completely past now.
At 1 PM, at the Non Profit Center, the meeting agenda was filled from the first minute until the last with a wide range of presentations. After presenting the latest SABR publication, Van Lingle Mungo, The Man The Song, The Players, Mark Sternman gave an interesting talk about his experiences researching the history of a player, Ben Cardoni, a player who will appear in an upcoming SABR publication on World War II replacement players. He described the challenges of writing about a player who, he said, had very little history, but still turned out to be an interesting character.
David Kaiser presented on the “Greatest Players of Generation X” and used WAA (wins above average) instead of WAR. His presentation inspired a lot of conversation about who were the best players of each generation as compared to their contemporaries.
The Boston Renegades, a prominent team of the National Beep Ball Association, introduced us to their players, staff and described the way their version of baseball is played. Affiliated with the Association for Blind Citizens, we urge all SABR members to learn what they do and become involved in promoting their organization. They have a video documentary available for purchase and the film can be acquired via the Association website, as well as film clips that are available on YouTube. Check them out! They are a great and worthy baseball team.
Saul Wisnia, once again, gave a lively presentation with heavy audience participation about his latest book, Miracle at Fenway. As always, Saul entertains, enlightens and impresses us with his great discoveries in baseball history.
Larry McCray and Brian Sheehy of the Origins Committee presented the latest findings on early baseball, particularly in New England. They urge everyone to keep a sharp eye out for any new historical findings. They posed the questions of: Who? When? and Why? And we can also add: Where? Keep your eye out, while researching, for clues about early base ball history!
Our next meeting is planned for Monday, Martin Luther King Day, January 19, 2015. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements.
— Joanne Hulbert
Co-chair, Boston Chapter