June 20-24, 2018
Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh
600 Commonwealth Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone: (412) 391-4600
Here is the daily schedule for the SABR 48 convention in Pittsburgh. Click on a link below for more details or highlights from each session.
Click here to scroll down to that day’s schedule:
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (Sky Lounge)
SABR Board Meeting
1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (SABR Registration Area, Main Lobby)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a Pirates game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 48 souvenir shirts, caps, and crystal baseball.
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (Sky Lounge)
Research Committee Chairs Meeting
Leslie Heaphy, chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Sky Lounge)
Regional Chapter Leaders Meeting
Leslie Heaphy, chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)
6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 1)
Ross Adell Welcome Reception, presented by Baseball-Reference.com
Ross Adell, a SABR member for almost 25 years before he died of cancer in 2006 at the tender age of 50, loved a good party. He enjoyed making new friends and introducing them to kindred baseball spirits. That’s what the SABR convention is all about. For those of you attending your first convention, we know it can be a bit daunting. But we want you to feel welcome and Ross would, too. So come join us at the Ross Adell Welcome Reception — everyone is welcome, not just first-timers. We’ll talk baseball and help show you how to get the most out of your SABR convention experience. Presented by Baseball-Reference.com.
7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (King’s Landing registration area)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a Pirates game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 48 souvenir shirts, caps, and crystal baseball.
7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: Official Scoring
Stew Thornley, chair (stew@stewthornley.net)
* Guest speakers: Pittsburgh Pirates official scorers Bob Webb and Evan Pattak
7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Games Project
Mike Huber, chair (huber@muhlenberg.edu)
7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 3)
Research Committee Meeting: Minor Leagues
Karl Green, acting chair (atlcrackersfan@gmail.com)
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Annual Business Meeting
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Opening Remarks: Frank Coonelly
Pittsburgh Pirates president Frank Coonelly will be on hand to deliver the opening remarks at SABR 48.
9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 5)
Vendors Room Open
The Vendors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week.
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
The Great One: The Life and Legacy of Roberto Clemente
Our panel discussion will focus on the life and legacy of Puerto Rican and Pittsburgh Pirates icon Roberto Clemente. Guest speakers: Duane Rieder, Executive Director and Curator of the Roberto Clemente Museum; Danny Torres, LatinoSports.com and LaVidaBaseball.com writer. Moderator: Adrian Burgos Jr., Editor-in-Chief of La Vida Baseball and author of Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line.
11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 5)
How to Do Baseball Research: Bill Nowlin
SABR Director Bill Nowlin will be available at the How to Do Baseball Research table in the Vendors Room to discuss SABR publications and answer questions related to SABR’s book projects.
11:45 a.m.-12:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP01: Why Didn’t Babe Ruth Ever Become a Major League Manager?
John McMurray
11:45 a.m.-12:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP02: Baseball for the Blind, A Brief History
David Wanczyk
12:15 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP03: From Deadball to Techball: The Evolution of Baseball Innovation
Daniel R. Levitt
12:15 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP04: Roy Sievers: The Sweetest Right Handed Swing in 1950s Baseball
Paul Scimonelli
12:45 p.m.-1:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP05: Ralph Kiner and Branch Rickey: Not a Happy Marriage
John Burbridge Jr.
12:45 p.m.-1:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP06: Not Just the Homestead Grays and Crawfords: Negro Baseball Exhibitions in Pittsburgh
Alan Cohen
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP07: Collusion and Collision: Hank Greenberg in Pittsburgh in 1947
Aviva Kempner, John Thorn, Bijan C. Bayne
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP08: Carlos Bernier: A Pittsburgh Pioneer 65 Years Ago
Thomas E. Van Hyning
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Cards
Mark Armour, co-chair (markarmour04@gmail.com)
Chris Dial, co-chair (pfeiffer86@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Tom Shieber, Senior Curator, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Women in Baseball
Leslie Heaphy, co-chair (lheaphy@kent.edu)
* Guest speaker: A.J. Richard, founder of the Women Belong in Baseball networking group and Baseball For All volunteer. Perry Barber will also be presented with the inaugural Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award.
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 3)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Index Project
Andy McCue, chair (agmccue44@earthlink.net)
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Wendell Smith of the Pittsburgh Courier: His Life and Legacy
Guest speakers: Chris Lamb, professor of journalism at Indiana University-Indianapolis and author of Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Campaign to End Segregated Baseball; Larry Lester, chair of SABR’s Negro Leagues Research Committee and author of nine books on baseball history; Pamela E. Walck, media professor at Duquesne University and author of an upcoming book on the Pittsburgh Courier; David K. Wiggins, professor at George Mason University and author of the upcoming book, More than a Game: A History of the African American Experience in Sport.
4:15 p.m.-4:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP09: The Humidor and the Predictive Power of Physics
Alan Nathan
4:15 p.m.-4:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP10: The 1935 Negro National League Championship Series: The Pittsburgh Crawfords vs. the New York Cubans
Rich Puerzer
4:45 p.m.-5:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP11: Injuries in the Stands: MLB Responds With Extended Netting
Ed Edmonds
4:45 p.m.-5:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP12: Pittsburgh: Baseball’s Broadcast Cradle and Characters
Curt Smith
5:15 p.m.-5:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP13: Baseball Moves West, Part 1
Andy McCue and Rob Garratt
5:15 p.m.-5:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP14: January 30, 1959: The Pirates Trade Whammy, Frank (and Others) for Smoky, Tiger, Kitten, and a Pennant
Brian C. Engelhardt
5:45 p.m.-6:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP15: Baseball Moves West, Part 2
Rob Garratt and Andy McCue
5:45 p.m.-6:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP16: Determinants of Revenue Across Different Baseball Markets
James Goldstein and Paul Sauer
6:15 p.m.-6:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP17: Barney Dreyfuss and Engineering Forbes Field: Ahead of Its Time in 1909
Robert C. Trumpbour
6:15 p.m.-6:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP18: Fast Money or Holding Out for More? Measuring the Opportunity Cost of Signing a Contract Extension and Buying Out Free Agent Years
Noah Goodman
6:40 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Moe Berg: All Star Espionage?
Filmmaker Aviva Kempner will show a 24-minute work in progress clip, entitled “Moe Berg: All-Star Espionage?”, that highlights Berg’s first trip to Japan with Herb Hunter, Lefty O’Doul and Ted Lyons to teach baseball seminars at Japanese universities and later his return to Japan in 1934 for an exhibition tour with All-Star players Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Gomez. The completed full-length documentary film will be ready in 2019.
6:40 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 3)
Research Committee Meeting: Black Sox Scandal
Jacob Pomrenke, chair (buckweaver@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Mary Darling, Albuquerque-based screenwriter on her new play that follows Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Red Oldham to the outlaw Copper League in New Mexico with banished ballplayers Hal Chase, Chick Gandil, Buck Weaver, and Lefty Williams.
6:40 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 4)
Research Committee Meeting: Latino Baseball
Adrian Burgos Jr., acting chair (nycubans1947@aol.com)
7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Trivia Contest preliminary round & quarterfinals
Trivia at SABR 48 is for all baseball fans. Come test your knowledge against SABR’s best! The Trivia Contest is open to all SABR convention attendees. Just show up with your thinking cap on and follow the instructions.
7:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (King’s Landing registration area)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials. You can also exchange your chit for a Pirates game ticket and pick up your pre-ordered SABR 48 souvenir shirts, caps, and crystal baseball. Please note: Chits for your Pirates ballgame ticket must be redeemed at the Registration Area before 10:00 a.m. Friday.
8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 5)
Vendors Room Open
The Vendors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week. Please note: The Vendors Room will be closed during the Awards Luncheon and Pirates game/ballpark session.
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: Negro Leagues
Larry Lester, chair (larrylester42@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Clem Axel Paredes, Cuban writer and tour operator on Hall of Famer Cristóbal Torriente.
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Educational Resources
Herb Wilson, co-chair (whwilson@colby.edu)
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 3)
Research Committee Meeting: Ballparks
Ron Selter, co-chair (rselter@att.net)
9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Media Panel
Guest speakers: Steve Blass, Pittsburgh Pirates color commentator and former major-league pitcher; Joe Block, Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play announcer; Greg Brown, Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play announcer; Lanny Frattare, the longest-tenured broadcaster in Pittsburgh Pirates history. Moderator: Curt Smith, author and baseball broadcasting historian
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 5)
How to Do Baseball Research: Leslie Heaphy
SABR Vice President Leslie Heaphy will be available at the How to Do Baseball Research table in the Vendors Room to discuss research resources and answer questions on improving your research techniques.
10:30 a.m.-10:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP19: Gold Glove Awards in the Advanced Metric Age
Chris Dial
10:30 a.m.-10:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP20: The Warhol Triple Play: Maris, Seaver & Rose
Paul Ember
11:00 a.m.-11:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP21: Nunn-thing Is Impossible
Melissa “Missy” Booker
11:00 a.m.-11:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP22: In Harmony: The National Anthem for the National Pastime
Joseph L. Price
12:00 p.m.-1:45 p.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 1-4)
SABR Awards Luncheon
Note: Early entrance for SABR donors is from 11:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Awards presented or announced at the luncheon include the SABR Baseball Research Awards, the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Awards, and the Henry Chadwick Awards. The Awards portion of the luncheon concludes with the awarding of the Bob Davids Award, SABR’s highest honor.
1:45 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Leave for SABR 48 Ballpark Session
From the Wyndham Grand host hotel, we’ll walk across the Roberto Clemente Bridge to PNC Park for our special SABR 48 ballpark session and the Pirates game that night. For directions to PNC Park, see our Transportation Tips page.
2:30-4:30 p.m. (PNC Park)
SABR 48 Ballpark Session
Pirates vs. Diamondbacks, 7:05 p.m.
A special treat is in store for SABR 48 attendees. On Friday, June 22, SABR convention attendees will have the opportunity to visit PNC Park for an exclusive ballpark session with special guests before the Pirates game against the Arizona Diamondbacks begins at 7:05 p.m. Our guest speakers include Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, manager Clint Hurdle, broadcaster Joe Block, Director of Baseball Informatics Dan Fox, and Thomas E. Kennedy, former project executive for the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
Please note: Purchase of SABR 48 conference registration AND a game ticket is required to attend the special pregame session at PNC Park. You need to pick up your badge at the hotel before the game because you must present both your convention badge and your Pirates game ticket in order to enter the ballpark early. Registration will NOT be available at the ballpark. You must exchange your chits for a ballgame ticket at the Registration Area before 10:00 a.m. Friday.
7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: Collegiate Baseball
Karl Green, chair (atlcrackersfan@gmail.com)
7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Biographical Research
Bill Carle, chair (bbxpert@aol.com)
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 1-2)
Donors Breakfast
As part of the SABR Donor Program, all donors of $100 or more since the last convention are invited to a special breakfast in their honor to learn about how their gifts have made a difference to the organization and to the betterment of baseball. SABR Chief Executive Officer Marc Appleman and SABR President Vince Gennaro will be at the breakfast to engage in discussions on any topics of interest to members. To learn more, visit SABR.org/donate.
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (King’s Landing registration area)
Registration Desk Open
The registration desk will be open for attendees to get their materials.
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 5)
Vendors Room Open
The Vendors Room will have books and other baseball items available for purchase all week.
9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Pirates Player Panel
Guest speakers: former Pirates pitchers and 1979 World Series champions John Candelaria and Grant Jackson. Moderator: Joe Block, Pirates broadcaster.
10:25 a.m.-11:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: BioProject
Rory Costello, co-director (rcostello@nyc.rr.com)
Gregory H. Wolf, co-director (ghwolf1967@gmail.com)
10:25 a.m.-11:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Nineteenth Century
Peter Mancuso, chair (peterplus4@earthlink.net)
Bob Bailey, vice-chair (bobbailey@cox.net)
10:25 a.m.-11:25 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 3)
Research Committee Meeting: Statistical Analysis
Phil Birnbaum, chair (birnbaum@sympatico.ca)
* Guest speaker: Sean Forman will discuss how Baseball-Reference.com calculates Wins Above Replacement.
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 5)
How to Do Baseball Research: Cecilia Tan
SABR Publications Director Cecilia Tan will be available at the How to Do Baseball Research table in the Vendors Room to discuss how to write for the Baseball Research Journal and participate in the BRJ’s peer-review process.
11:30 a.m.-11:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP23: Will a 20-second pitch clock quicken the pace of play?
Eliza Richardson Marone
11:30 a.m.-11:55 a.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP24: Ty Cobb has nothing on her: Early twentieth century women’s collegiate baseball in Ohio
Callie Batts Maddox
12:00 p.m.-12:25 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP25: Why Do Games Take So Long?
David W. Smith
12:00 p.m.-12:25 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP26: Chris von der Ahe’s Pittsburgh Vacation
Mike Bates
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (King’s Garden Ballroom 5)
Poster Presentations
From 12:00–1:00 p.m. on Saturday, SABR 48 poster presenters will be available for questions and discussion with their posters in King’s Garden Ballroom 5. The posters will be available for viewing all week during the convention. Click here to learn more about the SABR 48 poster presentations.
12:30 p.m.-12:55 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP27: Season-Long Platoons
Mark Armour
12:30 p.m.-12:55 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP28: The Emerald Diamond: From Lizzie Murphy to Mike “King” Kelly: How the Irish Transformed America’s Greatest Pastime to Their Culture
Millard Fisher
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Branch Rickey: The Pittsburgh Pirates Years
Our panel will discuss the life and legacy of Hall of Fame executive Branch Rickey, who served as the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager in the 1950s. Guest speakers: Frank Thomas, All-Star outfielder who played for the Pirates from 1951-58; Jeffrey Flannery, who oversees the “Branch Rickey Papers” at the Library of Congress; Jack Bowen, son of legendary Pirates scout Rex Bowen. Moderator: Lee Lowenfish, author of Branch Rickey: The Ferocious Gentleman.
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: Business of Baseball
Michael Haupert, co-chair (mhaupert@uwlax.edu)
Steven Weingarden, co-chair (steveweingarden@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Dick Bosman, former major-league pitcher and co-author (with Ted Leavengood) of Dick Bosman on Pitching: Lessons from the Life of a Major League Ballplayer and Pitching Coach
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Oral History
John McMurray, chair (sabroralhistorycommittee@gmail.com)
* Guest speakers: Tom Hufford, SABR founding member and former Director; Anne Keene, author of The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II.
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 3)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball and the Arts
Joanne Hulbert, co-chair (jhulbert@earthlink.net)
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 4)
Research Committee Meeting: Retrosheet
David W. Smith, president (dwsmith@retrosheet.org)
3:15 p.m.-3:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP29: Negro Leagues = Major Leagues
Todd Peterson
3:15 p.m.-3:40 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP30: The Forgotten Team in the 1908 NL Pennant Race: the Pittsburgh Pirates
Steve Steinberg
3:45 p.m.-4:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
RP31: Bobby Bragan in Pittsburgh: Sabermetrician Ahead of His Time?
Mark Pankin
3:45 p.m.-4:10 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
RP32: A 1961 Perspective of Frick’s 61* Ruling
Dave Bohmer
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: Baseball Records
Trent McCotter, chair (treant985@gmail.com)
* Guest speaker: Herm Krabbenhoft on a batting counterpart to Johnny Vander Meer’s consecutive no-hitters record.
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Games and Simulations
Joseph Runde, co-chair (josephrunde@gmail.com)
Richard Bergstrom, co-chair (rwbergstrom@gmail.com)
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 3)
Research Committee Meeting: Pictorial History
Cary Smith, co-chair (zinnbeck@aol.com)
5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Research Committee Meeting: Deadball Era
John McMurray, chair (deadball@sabr.org)
* Guest speakers: Jim Leeke, Larry Ritter Book Award winner; Dennis and Jeanne Burke DeValeria, authors of Honus Wagner: A Biography; Steve Steinberg will talk about the new SABR book by St. Johann Press, The World Series in the Deadball Era: A History in the Words and Pictures of the Writers and Photographers.
5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Research Committee Meeting: Science and Baseball
Eric Van, chair (emvan@post.harvard.edu)
* Guest speaker: Alan Nathan, on the recent MLB-commissioned report on the surge in home runs
7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 2)
Encore presentation: Doug Pappas Research Award
The winners of the Doug Pappas Research Award and SABR Convention Poster Presentation Award will be announced, and an encore presentation will be given.
7:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (Grand Ballroom 1)
Trivia Contest Semifinals/Finals
We steadfastly maintain that there is nothing trivial about baseball trivia. Come watch SABR’s best as they try to answer questions that are presented in ascending difficulty. The early-round questions will be at a relatively easy starting point, while the late-round questions, though more difficult, will still interest casual fans. Who will win the SABR 48 Trivia Contest? Come watch to find out.
8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (Sky Lounge)
SABR Board Meeting
For more information on SABR 48, visit SABR.org/convention.
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Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-496-1460
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