Call for papers: 2022 The National Pastime
The summer 2022 issue of SABR’s convention journal, The National Pastime, will have a theme of the Minor Leagues. Open to all topics relating to the minors, including both affiliated and unaffiliated leagues/teams. The history of minor league baseball parallels that of the majors, stretching back into the 19th century. Before major-league expansion, the only baseball west of St. Louis was minor-league ball.
As Mark Stang published in a recent Baseball Research Journal, the minor leagues pioneered many innovations that would later be adopted by the majors, including uniform numbers and the “knothole gang.” Some unaffiliated or “outlaw” leagues, by dint of operating outside of MLB’s control, were able to flout rules, like the Quebec league drafting a Black player more than a decade before Jackie Robinson, or the various teams who have signed female players, from the St. Paul Saints to the Sonoma Stompers.
We are seeking engaging, impeccably researched articles on any aspect of minor league baseball, including people, players, teams, stadiums, leagues, between-inning entertainment, championships, and more. Personal essays and interviews will also be considered alongside research papers, but their slots will be limited.
Please email an abstract or article topic description, along with expected word count length and information on how you plan to research the topic, with email subject line “TNP: Minor Leagues” to PubDir@sabr.org by Monday, December 6, 2021. First drafts will be due in February 2022, with final drafts needed by the end of April 2022.
Remember that to be published in a SABR journal, your SABR membership must be current. (Click here to join.) Each article must include proper citation of sources and present a clear thesis. For full writers’ guidelines and details on how to prep your manuscript for submission, click here.
— Cecilia M. Tan
SABR Publications Director
Originally published: November 24, 2021. Last Updated: November 24, 2021.