A look back at SABR 38 — 2008 Cleveland convention
Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller welcomes attendees to the 2008 SABR convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
JULY 23, 2026 — Next week, the annual SABR convention will return to Cleveland, Ohio, for the first time in nearly two decades. Our SABR 54 convention will be held July 29–August 2, 2026, at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown hotel.
We will hear from a Major League-sized lineup of speakers, including Cleveland Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti; former Cleveland greats Sandy Alomar Jr., Carlos Baerga, Mike Hargrove, Kenny Lofton, and Charles Nagy; Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick; BBWAA Career Excellence Award recipient Paul Hoynes; Guardians broadcaster and Ford C. Frick Award recipient Tom Hamilton; and more. We’ll also visit Progressive Field for a Cleveland Guardians game. Click here to view the full SABR 54 schedule.
Back in 2008, Hall of Famer Bob Feller welcomed 632 attendees to the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland, the city where the organization was then headquartered. Feller was making his third appearance at a SABR convention, having previously spoken at the 1990 and 1996 gatherings. Ron Shapiro, agent to five Hall of Fame players and father of Indians general manager Mark Shapiro, was the keynote speaker. Mark Shapiro continued the baseball discussion after the awards banquet in a session with minor league executive Mike Veeck, son of Bill Veeck, that was moderated by former SABR Executive Director Morris Eckhouse.
A player panel of former Cleveland players included Len Barker, Dave Burba, Joe Charboneau, Vern Fuller, and Kevin Rhomberg. Rob Neyer, Charles Alexander, and Tom Swift participated in an authors’ roundtable. A baseball origins panel with David Block, Larry McCray, Sam Marchiano, and Tom Shieber followed the world premiere of the documentary Base Ball Discovered.
A media panel was led by Bob DiBiasio, with broadcasters Tom Hamilton and Rick Manning and sports writer Russ Schneider; afterward, author Curt Smith played host to a special session on the state of broadcasting. Convention attendees saw an interleague game at Progressive Field as future Hall of Famer C.C. Sabathia shut out the Cincinnati Reds in his final home start for Cleveland. A trip was also taken to University Circle for a picnic on Wade Oval and a tour of the Western Reserve Historical Society. Attendees saw minor league games at Akron’s Canal Park and Lake County’s Classic Park.
To learn more about SABR 54 in Cleveland, visit SABR.org/convention.
Click here for a multimedia look back at SABR convention history.
Sports agent Ron Shapiro was the keynote speaker during the 2008 SABR 38 convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
Baseball executives Mike Veeck, left, and Mark Shapiro speak during the 2008 SABR 38 convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
Authors Barbara Thompson, left, and Dorothy Seymour Mills speak during the Awards Breakfast at the 2008 SABR 38 convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
SABR founding members Joe Simenic, left, and Bob McConnell catch up during the 2008 SABR 38 convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
All photos courtesy of Austin MacDonald.
Originally published: July 23, 2026. Last Updated: July 22, 2026.