Call for Papers: 2014 Southern Association Baseball Conference
By Clarence Watkins and David Brewer
We are sending out a call for presentations and displays for the upcoming 11th annual Southern Association Baseball Conference to be held in Atlanta on March 1, 2014.
The annual Southern Association Conferences celebrate the history of the Southern Association, which was the heart of professional baseball in the South, until the major league expansions in the 1960s. The conferences focus on the stadiums, the teams, and players, and the historical significance of the game of baseball in the South.
Most of the annual Southern Association Conferences have been held at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, but we have also met in Chattanooga and Nashville. This is the first year that we shall visit Atlanta, the home of the Atlanta Crackers, the late Earl Mann, and Ponce De Leon Park.
We want the 11th annual conference to deal mainly with Atlanta’s long and memorable tenure in the Southern Association, but we will also consider other topics related to baseball in Atlanta and the South.
Presentations should be 20 to 30 minutes in length. We encourage PowerPoint presentations, but it is not essential. It is likely that you will be addressing a group of 50 people, so visual aids in some fashion will enhance your presentation. Please refrain from quoting large quantities of statistics, which tend to clutter and confuse.
Please send a short synopsis of your presentation to David Brewer for our consideration at david@rickwood.com. We would like to receive your proposals by January 8, 2014. We shall respond to your proposal as soon as possible, and certainly by January 22, 2014, so that you will have ample time to prepare your presentation.
We will select six presentations and two alternates. If selected, you will be asked to provide a couple of images pertaining to your presentation for our conference program. We will also need a brief bio on you.
We are also seeking several vintage memorabilia collectors to display artifacts related to the Atlanta Crackers. Displays of old bats and gloves endorsed by former Cracker players, programs, scrapbooks, uniforms, and pennants greatly enhance the atmosphere of the conference.
We are looking forward to a great conference in Atlanta. Additional details about the venue, cost, and lodging for out-of-town guests will be announced soon.
If you have any questions or would like additional information to assist with your proposal, please contact David Brewer at david@rickwood.com or (205) 458-8161. Thank you.
Originally published: December 12, 2013. Last Updated: December 12, 2013.