Boston Chapter meeting recap – 11/20/2024
The Boston Chapter hosted a “Zoom Social” meeting on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, with 25 persons joining in the numerous lively discussions, as all manner of baseball opinions were shared. The chapter has had annual Hot Stove gatherings for several years now, usually in the Bleacher Bar at Fenway Park in January. We’ll do that again, but this meeting was intended to reach Boston Chapter members in more than 20 other states, and at least four other countries.
Most everyone in SABR has a favorite team. It’s part of being a (relatively normal) baseball fan. As it happens, we think it’s safe to suggest that in the Boston Chapter, many members are either fans of the Red Sox or at least take somewhat more notice of them. Such a conversation – debate generated an hour of interesting opinions hit back and forth between speakers and listeners.
We envisioned a relatively free-flowing conversation and invited people to kick things off with some 60-second thoughts on the season that was, or second-guessing the moves being made with an eye to 2025. Among the discussions we heard:
“The Battle for .500” – the final game of the 2024 season (and Mickey Gasper)
The 2008 game in which Charlie Zink was staked to a 10-0 lead in the first inning(thanks in part to two three-run homers by David Ortiz in just that one inning), but did not finish the 19-17 game, the only major-league game in which he ever pitched.
Herb Crehan talked about his proposal to seek a SABR Local Grant to commemorate the first night baseball game ever played—under the lights, at Hull, Massachusetts – in the 19th century!
Herb also reported that he was in Worcester with two Alzheimer’s reps meeting with the WooSox about their interest in developing a pilot program of Alzheimer’s outreach as a model for other minor league teams. This is an extension of the SABR Baseball Memories program and a mirror of the MLB-Alzheimer’s Association partnership. His work with SABR’s national memory committee helped create a successful presentation resulted in a major joint-project with the Alzheimer’s Association for the WooSox.
The game at Fenway Park in which Babe Ruth and Ted Williams were both in the same lineup, in 1943, as the Service All-Stars beat the Boston Braves, 9-8.
Construction work is being done at Fenway on a new room for woman umpires.
Mark Fishbon talked about a Boston Red Stockings 19th century scrapbook he has, leading to a general discussion about what to do with valuable items we might have. Ed Brown talked about donating his collection of baseball books to Northeastern University.
The idea of a “Zoom Social” might be something new for SABR members. We think it may be something that other chapters (or ad hoc groups) might like to try, too.
— Joanne Hulbert