Larry Dierker Chapter meeting recap – 9/18/2017
Twenty-two hearty SABR members and friends of the SABR Larry Dierker Chapter braved a stormy night at the Spaghetti Western in Houston on Monday, September 18, 2017, to hear presentations about the Hall of Fame inductions in July, SABR 47, and then virtually travel to dozens of minor-league ballparks.
Mike McCroskey started the HOF discussions followed by guest speakers Tal Smith, Tom Plemons, Gloria Rubac, and Larry Dierker. In particular, Larry’s comments were intimate and heartwarming as he described being with so many of his contemporaries and being able to travel to Cooperstown with his wife.
Bob Dorrill discussed SABR 47 in New York City and talked about some of the highlights from his perspective. SABR 48 will be in Pittsburgh from June 20-24, 2018.
Then Larry Dierker asked if he could make some comments about championships and the difficult decisions the Manager and GM have to make roster and rotation wise, especially if a team clinches the pennant with 13 games to go. So many factors are involved concerning starters, ballparks, playing time, team objectives, lineups, schedules, bullpens, matchups and so forth. Larry and Tal’s comments gave us a real behind-the-scenes Ph.D lesson.
Herb Whalley then took the floor and we went with him on his six trips this year to minor-league ballparks. He has identified some 199 parks and has been to over 30% so far.
Announcements: There is an exhibition on the campus of SMU this coming Sunday starting at 3:30 PM commemorating the Jackie Robinson Era. Speakers will include Bobby Brown, Eddie Robinson, and Wally Moon with Paul Rogers moderating. The exhibition is free but to attend you must register first. Click here for more information.
The Houston Babies will play at the Texan Marketing Days at the George Ranch on Saturday, October 21.
I ran into Opie Otterstad at MMP and he says he still has a few prints left of Marie “Red” Mahoney, Bill Brown, etc. Contact him through his website if interested.
Our next meeting, unless the Astros are playing a home game, is Monday, October 16 at the Spaghetti Western, 1608 Shepherd Drive in Houston. All baseball fans are welcome. Hope to see you all there!
— Bob Dorrill
bdorrill@aol.com