This Week in SABR: April 21, 2023
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Voting now open for 2023 Board of Directors election
SABR 51: Sign up for Chicago Historical Ballparks Bus Tour
Join SABR’s Campaign for Baseball Research
Second course in SABR Analytics Certification program now available
Pre-register for Ballpark Figures on May 4 with Louis Moore
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SABR 51: Sign up for Chicago Historical Ballparks Bus Tour
At this summer’s SABR 51 convention, attendees will have an opportunity to join our Chicago Historical Ballpark Sites Bus Tour to see unique sites that hosted professional and semi-professional baseball in the city for the past 150 years.
The guided bus tour is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, July 8, 2023. Tickets are $30 per person. Click here to reserve your seat for the tour. Space is limited.
- For those who have already registered for SABR 51 wishing to add the bus tour, please contact Jessica Smyth at jsmyth@sabr.org.
Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more.
Join SABR’s Campaign for Baseball Research!
We say it right in our name: Society for American Baseball RESEARCH.
Research is at the heart of what we do as an organization. SABR’s online Research Collection and array of Research Resources are major sources of pride and a key component in our vision of becoming the essential community for the world of baseball.
This spring, we invite you to join the Campaign for Baseball Research. Our goal is to raise $60,000 to expand, maintain, and preserve SABR’s Research Collection and Research Resources for current and future generations of baseball enthusiasts. We will use your best gift of $150, $300, $500, or $1,000 to better serve our growing membership base, attract more attention for our research, and offer new tools to all corners of the worldwide baseball community.
To donate or learn more about the Research Collection projects and improvements to our Research Resources, assets, and tools that will be funded by a successful campaign, visit sabr.org/donate/research-campaign.
Second course in SABR Analytics Certification program now available
In 2022, we launched the SABR Analytics Certification program, an online, on-demand curriculum offering professional development and learning opportunities for those interested in elevating their skills and knowledge relating to baseball analytics.
The second course in the program, Level Two – Advanced Analytics in Baseball, is now available!
SABR members save $55 on both available courses (and future courses), so we hope you’ll check out these exciting opportunities at sabr.org/analytics/certification.
Sign up now for Ballpark Figures on May 4 with Louis Moore
SABR’s Ballpark Figures is a monthly interview series hosted by award-winning writer Shakeia Taylor. On Thursday, May 4, our guest will be Dr. Louis Moore, a Professor of History at Grand Valley State University and author of We Will Win the Day: The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality.
To learn more, visit SABR.org/ballpark-figures.
Deadline extended! Students, apply now for a SABR Negro Leagues Committee scholarship
SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee will award $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors in its 15th annual Thomas R. Garrett Scholarship essay contest in 2023. Students must write a 1,200-word essay answering a question related to one of the Negro League figures who are the namesakes of the scholarships.
- Click here to learn more about each scholarship or to download an application. The deadline to apply has been extended until May 15, 2023.
Visit SABR.org/malloy to learn more about our annual School Library Grants, High School Essay Contest, and Art Contest.
2023 Larry Ritter Book Award finalists announced
Each year, SABR’s Deadball Era Committee presents the Larry Ritter Book Award to recognize the best new baseball book primarily set in the Deadball Era that was published during the previous calendar year.
Here is the list of Ritter Award finalists for 2023:
- Jason Cannon, Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman behind the Chicago Cubs (University of Nebraska Press)
- Harry J. Dietz Jr., Covey: A Stone’s Throw from a Coal Mine to the Hall of Fame (Sunbury Press)
- Ronald T. Waldo, Deadball Trailblazers: Single-Season Records of the Modern Era (Sunbury Press)
The winner will be announced in the coming weeks.
Voting now open for 2023 Board of Directors Election
SABR members, please pay attention to the e-mail address that you have on file with SABR; you should have received a message from tellers@sabr.org on Wednesday, April 19 with a link to vote online in the 2023 SABR Board of Directors election. The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, May 2. The only way to vote online is through the link you will receive by e-mail. All e-mails will come from the address tellers@sabr.org.
You will find three items on the 2023 election ballot: the election of the SABR President, Treasurer, and three (3) Directors positions. To account for the expansion of the Board from eight to ten members in 2023, and to ensure that two Directors’ terms expire each year, the Director elected with the fewest votes in 2023 shall serve a one-year term, and in 2024 that seat shall again be opened for election to a three-year term.
Last call: Apply now for Yoseloff Scholarship to attend SABR 51
With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the SABR 51 convention on July 5-9, 2023, in Chicago. This scholarship will pay for all registration fees and expenses associated with the conference. Deadline to apply: April 21, 2023. Click here to learn more.
Visit SABR.org/scholarships to learn more about student scholarship opportunities.
Get involved: BioProject, Games Project seeking editors, fact-checkers
The BioProject and Games Project committees are seeking more SABR members to help as volunteer editors, fact-checkers, vetters, and peer reviewers. If you are interested in helping out in an editing role, please contact BioProject lead editor Rory Costello or Games Project director John Fredland.
Helping out behind the scenes is an important way to improve our stories and get them ready for publication online and in SABR’s upcoming books and website series. We have a talented and experienced team of editors already in place, and new faces are always welcome. Looking at other authors’ stories from an editing perspective can also help make your own writing better.
Visit SABR.org/writing-opportunities to learn more about ongoing projects and ways to get involved.
January 30 Board minutes posted
Minutes from the Board of Directors virtual meeting on January 30, 2023, have now been posted on the SABR website.
Click here to view all past minutes of SABR Board meetings.
Baseball fans, tune in this season to SABRcast with Rob Neyer, a weekly podcast hosted by award-winning author and longtime SABR member Rob Neyer. Episode #210 on Monday, April 17 featured a roundtable discussion on memorable baseball films with Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde, and Noah Gittell. Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to the full episode or subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
6 new stories published at the SABR BioProject
- Weldon Bowlin, by Michael Trzinski
- George Grantham, by Larry DeFillipo
- George Leidy, by Stephen V. Rice
- Mike Muldoon, by Tim Hagerty
- Leo Posada, by José I. Ramirez and Rory Costello
- Dave L. Roberts, by C. Paul Rogers III
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR BioProject or to get involved.
8 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- June 13, 1885: Detroit’s George Wood hits for the cycle but White Stockings wallop Wolverines, by Mike Huber
- September 13, 1953: Johnny Mize’s final home run beats Indians, by Steven C. Weiner
- October 12, 1964: Tim McCarver’s 10th-inning homer wins Game 5 for Cardinals, by Laura H. Peebles
- April 22, 1971: Castoff Luis Tiant loses frigid Triple-A home opener, by Kurt Blumenau
- September 20, 1986: Rookies John Gibbons and Stan Jefferson propel Mets to win over Phillies, by Steve Ginader
- June 26, 1994: Rick Sutcliffe wins in return trip to Wrigley Field with Cardinals, by Andrew Heckroth
- April 6, 2001: Ichiro’s first major-league homer gives Mariners 10-inning win over Rangers, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
- April 15, 2013: Red Sox win second walk-off in three days before bombs explode at Boston Marathon, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
7 new Oral History interviews posted
The following interview transcripts were donated to the SABR Oral History Collection by award-winning author and SABR member Dave Heller, who conducted interviews with seven major league players for his 2003 book, As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns:
- Ellis Clary, St. Louis Browns utility infielder
- Denny Galehouse, St. Louis Browns pitcher who won 109 games over 15 seasons
- Don Gutteridge, St. Louis Browns infielder and later Chicago White Sox manager
- Tom Hafey, St. Louis Browns pinch-hitter and brother of Hall of Famer Chick Hafey
- Marty Marion, St. Louis Cardinals shortstop and 1944 NL MVP
- Babe Martin, St. Louis Browns outfielder and backup catcher
- Jimmy Outlaw, Detroit Tigers outfielder
Visit SABR.org/oralhistory to learn more about the SABR Oral History Collection or to get involved.
Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America’s First Modern Ballpark
Edited by Tara Krieger and Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org to download any SABR Digital Library e-book for free or save 50% off the paperback edition.
Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:
- 10,000 images from SABR-Rucker Archive added to Research Collection
- SABR members approve By-Laws changes in special election
- Boyd, Harris selected as winners of 2023 SABR Jefferson Burdick Award
- 2023 SABR Baseball Research Award winners announced
- The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2023
- Andy Andres honored with 2023 SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award
- Steve Gietschier, Mark Rucker, Robert Whiting selected as 2023 Henry Chadwick Award recipients
- Submissions open for fourth edition of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts
- Learn more about the recipients of 2023 SABR Local Grants
- SABR donates archives of founder Bob Davids to Library of Congress
- Watch a preview of the Landmarks Committee’s new SABR Baseball Map
- Get a gift for baseball fan in your life with the SABR Store @ CafePress
- All e-books in SABR Digital Library available for free to members
Please give a warm welcome to all new SABR members who joined this week! View more Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org or click here to download the Membership Handbook. Find contact information for any SABR member in the online Membership Directory.
| Name | Hometown | Name | Hometown | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bilyj | Philadelphia, PA | Thomas Nurse | Homewood, IL | ||
| Donovan Bush | Pittsford, NY | Kerry Osaki | Fountain Valley, CA | ||
| Drew Carty | Milton, MA | Andrew Parton | Wantagh, NY | ||
| Jeffrey Craig | Palm Coast, FL | Amar Rehal | Chicago, IL | ||
| Ryan Dales | Dallas, TX | Dominik Rettberg | Salamanca, NY | ||
| Tom Doxsee | Attleboro, MA | Ed Roesinger | Severna Park, MD | ||
| Smith Essman | Midland, TX | Jake Rood | Iowa City, IA | ||
| John Farmer | Radford, VA | Harrison Rubin | Katonah, NY | ||
| Noah Flick | Portland, OR | Josh Ruffin | Robbinsdale, MN | ||
| Scott Greene | Longmeadow, MA | Scott Shertzer | Lancaster, PA | ||
| Richard Huhn | Tampa, FL | Taylor Silvestri | New York, NY | ||
| Jevon Jaconi | Green Bay, WI | David Simon | Plainview, NY | ||
| Joseph Lazniarz | Long Beach, CA | Laura Van Pate | Baltimore, MD | ||
| Franck Lerman | London, ON | Chris Watkins | Aliso Viejo, CA | ||
| Ray McCurdy | Whitby, ON | Barton Zeller | Scottsdale, AZ | ||
| Cale McCurdy | Whitby, ON |
- Events Calendar: Find complete details of all SABR events
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from authors Justin Mckinney (Baseball’s Union Association) and Lee Lowenfish (Baseball’s Endangered Species), and a Games and Simulations Committee meeting. Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- April 22: Hank Gowdy Columbus (OH) Chapter book club meeting (9:30 a.m. EDT)
- April 22: Schott-Pelican (LA) Chapter meeting with Dan Schlossberg (10:00 a.m. CDT)
- April 22: Smoky Joe Wood (CT) Chapter meeting (12:00 p.m. EDT)
- April 22: South Florida Chapter meeting with Tim Hagerty (6:30 p.m. EDT)
- April 24: Bay Area/Sacramento Chapter joint meeting with Peter Mancuso and Justin Mckinney (7:00 p.m. PDT)
- April 29: Scouts Committee meeting with Lee Lowenfish (12:00 p.m. EDT)
- April 30: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- April 22: Williamsport Sebring-Stovey Chapter meeting (Williamsport, PA)
- April 22: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Baltimore, MD)
- April 24: Rabbit Maranville Chapter meeting (Springfield, MA)
- April 28-29: 2023 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference (Cooperstown, NY)
- April 29: Central Illinois/St. Louis Chapter joint meeting (Nokomis, IL)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Minor Leagues: Spring 2023 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Rogers Hornsby Chapter: April 16 meeting recap (Austin, TX)
Sign up for SABR chapter announcements at SABR.org/chapters.
Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.
Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:
- Tyler Kepner: What’s It Like to Be Shohei Ohtani? Only Bo Would Know. (New York Times)
- Lindsey Adler: MLB Suspends Max Scherzer Over Use of ‘Sticky Stuff’ (Wall Street Journal)
- Jayson Stark: A ‘standing O’ for Cody Bellinger’s ovation violation and MLB’s Weird and Wild week that was (The Athletic)
- Robert Arthur: Drag Drops To 2020/2021 Levels (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jim Margalus: Spare Parts: Oakland A’s take big step toward Las Vegas (Sox Machine)
- Andy McCullough/Stephen J. Nesbitt: How is MLB expansion impacted by the Oakland A’s likely move to Las Vegas? (The Athletic)
- Emma Baccellieri: A’s Display the Ugly Side of Moneyball (Sports Illustrated)
- Michael Baumann: A’s To Escape Disaster of Their Own Creation (FanGraphs)
- Russell A. Carleton: Fit to Be Tied? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Alex Speier: Red Sox keeping the faith as Chris Sale struggles in his return (Boston Globe)
- Jay Jaffe: Hunter Greene Locks Himself Into the Reds’ Rebuilding Effort (FanGraphs)
- Dan Hayes/Aaron Gleeman: Twins’ Joey Gallo returns from the IL with a higher batting average (The Athletic)
- Stephanie Apstein: Juan Soto Recalls Tumultuous Trade to Padres: ‘Even My Family [Was] Against Me’ (Sports Illustrated)
- Manny Randhawa: ‘A lot I still want to prove:’ Nolan Arenado reflects on 10 years (MLB.com)
- Mark Simon: Brewers Living Up To Their Reputation (ACTA Sports)
- Grant Brisbee: The 2023 Giants pitching staff has a home run problem (The Athletic)
- Eno Sarris/Fabian Ardaya: MLB’s trendiest pitch, the sweeper, has its problems — but with familiar fixes (The Athletic)
- David Laurila: Pablo López Added a Sweeper (If That’s What You Care To Call It) (FanGraphs)
- Steven Goldman: Settling to the Bottom (Baseball Prospectus)
- Wendy Snyder: ‘Last Comiskey’ film is a love letter to the old ballpark (WGN Radio)
- Matt Monagan: Jophery Brown: The pitcher who became a legendary Hollywood stuntman (MLB.com)
- Clayton Trutor: New Hampshire’s Gifts to Baseball (New Hampshire Magazine)
- Danny Valle: Jackie Robinson’s connection to southern Illinois lies with a little-known scout who made a big impact (WSIL-TV)
- Jeff Cohen: Baseball and BBQ interview with author Paul Semendinger (Baseball and BBQ)
- Bryan Walko: Atari 2600: From Home Run to Hit King (SABR Baseball Gaming)
- Jason Schwartz: Collecting King Carl (SABR Baseball Cards Committee)
- Jeff Katz: Of Pack Nights and Rub Downs (It’s Not What You Think) (SABR Baseball Cards Committee)
Please note: Some articles may require a separate subscription to view online. SABR does not endorse, and is not responsible or liable for, any content that appears on a third-party website.
This Week in SABR is compiled by Jacob Pomrenke. If you would like us to include an upcoming event, article, or any other information in “This Week in SABR,” e-mail jpomrenke@sabr.org. To find past editions of TWIS, click here.
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Originally published: April 21, 2023. Last Updated: April 21, 2023.