Bales, Barry win 2017 McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Awards
The 2017 winners of the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, which honors the best articles on baseball history or biography completed or published during the preceding calendar year, are:
- Jack Bales, “The Show Girl and the Shortstop: The Strange Saga of Violet Popovich and Her Shooting of Cub Billy Jurges,” Baseball Research Journal, Fall 2016 (SABR)
- Dan Barry, “The Big League Prospect Who Became a Mob Hit Man,” New York Times, October 30, 2016
The selection committee passed along the following comments about the winners: Both winning entries were described by one judge as “good stories, well told.” Another judge described them as “well-written and researched; splendid story telling.”
The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the author(s) of the best articles or papers, published or unpublished, on baseball history or biography completed during the preceding calendar year. Eligible works include magazine and journal articles, previously unpublished chapters or articles in anthologies or other books with multiple authors, and unpublished research papers and written versions of oral presentations. Each winner will receive a plaque and a cash prize of $200.
The awards will be presented at the 47th annual SABR convention, June 28-July 2, 2017, at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City.
The selection committee consists of: Len Levin (chair), Phil Bergen, Warren Corbett, Chuck Hilty, and Bill Humber. To submit a nomination for the 2018 awards, please send an electronic copy (or three print copies) of the work, along with the title, author, and publisher information (if applicable) to Len Levin.
For a complete list of winners of the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, click here.
Originally published: May 3, 2017. Last Updated: May 3, 2017.