This Week in SABR: April 26, 2024

April 26, 2024/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

Last call to vote in SABR Board of Directors election
SABR 52: Black Baseball in Minnesota Panel
Register now for Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
Contribute to SABR’s Four Pillars Fund
Baltimore celebrates Union Park historical marker dedication
Join us for Live Oral History with Dave Righetti

SABR 52: Black Baseball in Minnesota Panel

We hope you’ll join us for SABR’s 52nd annual convention on August 7-11, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota! We’re excited to announce our Black Baseball in Minnesota Panel:

Pete Gorton, founder, The Donaldson Network
Todd Peterson, co-chair, SABR Negro Leagues Committee
Carl Rogan, grandson of Hall of Famer Wilber “Bullet” Rogan
Frank M. White, historian and author

Click here to learn more about our Featured Speakers at SABR 52, including Hall of Famers Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Bert Blyleven, and Jim Kaat.

SABR 52 will be the most accessible and social experience we’ve ever organized as we emphasize SABR’s ability to unite all of us in baseball fellowship, so sign up today to join us! All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more.

1 month left to register for Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference

Early registration is now open for SABR’s annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, which will be held on June 6-9, 2024, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

Full and single-day registration is available for a discounted rate before May 24, along with a new virtual registration option. All panels and presentations held at the Hall of Fame’s Grandstand Theater on Friday and Saturday will be available on the Zoom livestream.

In-person attendees will also have an opportunity to view the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s new exhibit, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball.

Schedule: Click here to view the 2024 Malloy Conference schedule.
Information Packet: Click here to download the conference information packet (PDF)
Library Grants: Click here to download an application for the $500 Dick Clark Memorial Library Grants (PDF). Deadline: September 16, 2024.

Visit SABR.org/malloy to learn more or to register.

Contribute to SABR’s Four Pillars Fund

Research – Preservation – Scholarship – Future of the Game. These are the four pillars on which SABR stands as an organization.

Each pillar represents one of our organizational values and the support of donors like you makes a significant impact on our ability to fortify our foundation while also fulfilling SABR’s vision of becoming the essential community for the world of baseball.

This spring, we ask you to contribute to the FOUR PILLARS FUND. Our goal is to raise $65,000 during this campaign to strengthen each of our four pillars by supporting baseball research, committing to preservation, furthering the reach of our scholarship, and building a bridge to the future of the game.

To donate or learn more about SABR’s Four Pillars Fund and the existing efforts and exciting new initiatives that will be funded by a successful campaign, visit SABR.org/donate/four-pillars.

Baltimore celebrates Union Park historical marker dedication

On Friday, April 19, SABR’s Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter hosted a dedication ceremony for the Union Park historical marker placed by the chapter on the front façade of the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

The chapter was the recipient of a SABR Local Grant in 2023 to help install the Union Park historical marker. Speakers at the ceremony included Michael Gibbons, director emeritus and historian of the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum; Professor Bernard McKenna, author of The Baltimore Black Sox: A Negro Leagues History, 1913-1936; Burt Solomon, author of Where They Ain’t: The Fabled Life and Untimely Death of the Original Baltimore Orioles; Janet Marie Smith, chapter board member; and Bill Stetka, director, Orioles alumni.

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

Join us on May 9 for Live Oral History with Dave Righetti

Baseball fans, join us for a special virtual event at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, May 9, 2024: a live SABR Oral History interview with former New York Yankees All-Star pitcher and longtime San Francisco Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti.

Register: Click here to register for this free Zoom event on May 9

All fans are invited to attend this interview session on Zoom, which will be conducted by Oral History Committee chair John McMurray. The interview will be recorded and added to SABR’s Oral History Collection archive afterward.

Last chance to vote for 2024 Board of Directors Election

SABR members, please pay attention to the email address that you have on file with SABR; you should have received messages from tellers@sabr.org on April 16 and April 23 with a link to vote online in the 2024 SABR Board of Directors election.

Not seeing your ballot? Some members have reported that Tuesday’s election ballot email showed up in their Spam folder rather than their inbox. If you did not receive your ballot, please check your Spam folder. Or contact jpomrenke@sabr.org to request that your ballot be re-sent.

The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, April 30. The only way to vote online is through the link you will receive by email. All emails will come from the address tellers@sabr.org.

Election Guide: Click here to download the 2024 SABR Election Guide (PDF)
Virtual Candidate Forum: Click here to watch a replay of the 2024 Virtual Candidate Forum (YouTube)

You will find three items on the 2024 election ballot: the election of the SABR Vice President, Secretary, and two (2) Directors positions. Click here to learn more.

Member Benefit Spotlight: This Week in SABR

As a SABR member, you have vast resources and benefits at your disposal. With so much information at your fingertips, we realize it can be overwhelming to absorb it all! To highlight key benefits, read on for a SABR Member Benefit Spotlight, an email series that identifies and explains some of the most valuable features of your membership. We hope this allows you to take full advantage of all SABR has to offer.

Click here for a short video about how to access This Week in SABR and what you can expect to find in your inbox each Friday in our newsletter.

Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.

3 new stories published at the SABR BioProject

Brian Jordan, by Douglas Jordan
Nate McLouth, by Warren Kent III (first-time author)
Bullet Rogan, by Thomas Kern

Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR BioProject or to get involved.

4 new stories published at SABR Games Project

May 12, 1915: Red Faber’s reported 67-pitch complete game beats Washington, by Kurt Blumenau
August 14, 1960: Bill White’s cycle a bright spot for Cardinals in Pirates’ sweep, by Mike Huber
April 28, 1964: Dick Stuart rallies Red Sox with 11th-inning grand slam, by Bill Nowlin
April 30, 1974: Fenway falls silent again after Doug Griffin is beaned by Nolan Ryan, by Andrew Harner

In addition, these stories from SABR’s Ebbets Field: Great, Historic, and Memorable Games in Brooklyn’s Lost Ballpark (2023), edited by Gregory H. Wolf, were posted online this week:

September 12, 1942: Whitey Kurowski’s home run lifts Cardinals into first-place tie with Dodgers, by Stephen V. Rice
September 2, 1944: Dixie Walker hits for the cycle as Dodgers climb out of last place, by Mike Huber
September 11, 1946: Johnny Vander Meer’s tireless 15 innings end in futility, by Richard Cuicchi
October 3, 1946: Cardinals finish tiebreaker sweep, advance to the World Series, by Don Zminda
October 2, 1947: Dodgers strike back to beat Yankees in Game 3, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
October 3, 1947: Cookie Lavagetto’s walk-off double shocks Yankees, ruins Bill Bevens’ no-hit bid, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
October 4, 1947: Spec Shea’s pitching puts Yankees on the verge of title, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
July 4, 1948: Dodgers beat Giants in Fourth of July fireworks, by Paul E. Doutrich
July 30, 1948: Wally Westlake hits for the cycle as Pirates double up Dodgers, by Mike Huber
August 5, 1948: Gene Hermanski becomes first Dodger to hit 3 home runs in Brooklyn; Carl Erskine goes distance in first career start, by Gregory H. Wolf
June 12, 1949: Hodges, Cox combine forces in Dodgers’ offensive explosion, by Richard Cuicchi
July 12, 1949: The All-Star Game finally comes to Brooklyn, by Lyle Spatz

Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.

Sox Bid Curse Farewell: The 2004 Boston Red Sox
Edited by Bill Nowlin

Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback edition of all Digital Library books.

Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:

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
Greg Bergeron	Houston, TX	Dan Greder	Ames, IA
Morgan Blank	Baton Rouge, LA	Ben Heitzman	Fairfield, CT
Chris Cramer	Anaheim, CA	Alfredo Muente	Lakeland, FL
Sofie Dill	Little Rock, AR	Jose Valdes	Miami, FL
Robert Gravelle	Lakeland, FL

Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from the 19th Century Book Club (Inventing Baseball). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

April 27: Schott-Pelican (LA) Chapter meeting with Stew Thornley, Mary Shea, and Ian O’Dougherty (10:00 a.m. CDT)
April 28: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Jack Bales (7:00 p.m. EDT)
April 28: IWBC Author Talks with Lincoln Mitchell (3:00 p.m. EDT)
April 29: Clyde Sukeforth (ME/NH) Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
April 29: Central Illinois Chapter meeting with David Brauer (7:00 p.m. CDT)
April 30: Games and Simulations meeting with Derrick Beckner (8:00 p.m. EDT)
May 1: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Noah Gittell (7:00 p.m. EDT)
May 4: Bob Davids Talkin’ Baseball: Steve Steinberg (9:00 a.m. EDT)
May 4: Rice-Russell Nashville (TN) Chapter meeting with Steve Dittmore and Ken Beck (10:00 a.m. CDT)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

April 27: Rabbit Maranville Chapter Meeting (Springfield, MA)
April 27: Smoky Joe Wood Chapter meeting (Middletown, CT)
April 27: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Baltimore, MD)
April 27: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter game night (St. Louis, MO)
April 30: Juan Marichal Chapter meeting (Santo Domingo, DOM)
May 1: Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter meeting (Tallahassee, FL)
May 1: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter fellowship meeting (St. Louis, MO)
May 5: Gardner-Waterman Vermont Chapter meeting (South Burlington, VT)

To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.

Baseball Records: Spring 2024 newsletter

Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.

Halsey Hall Chapter: May 2024 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)

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:

Save 40% on baseball books from University of Nebraska Press with discount code 6BAB24 through April 30
Scott Waltman: Sign will commemorate history of Aberdeen Pheasants (Aberdeen Insider)
David Brancaccio: How baseball’s Negro Leagues became successful business enterprises (NPR Marketplace)
Catherine Orihuela: How Newark Eagles’ co-owner Effa Manley fought for civil rights (NPR Marketplace)
Jayson Stark: Tanner Houck’s 1-hour, 49-minute shutout: A quick appreciation (The Athletic)
Jay Jaffe: A Look at Aaron Judge’s Season-Opening Slump (FanGraphs)
Alex Speier: ‘Ready to ball out’: Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer is a man on a mission (Boston Globe)
Mark Simon: The Running Reds Are Even Better in 2024 (Sports Info Solutions)
Tyler Kepner: Reconsidering the pitcher win criteria, MLB’s best mounds and more (The Athletic)
Stephen J. Nesbitt: ‘Back to boring’: Chad Kuhl’s baseball comeback is a welcome return to ‘normal’ (The Athletic)
Howard Bryant: A racial slur and a Fort Myers High baseball team torn apart (ESPN.com)
Derrick Goold: How Cardinals reliever assured more chances with ‘biggest performance of my life’ mindset (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
David Laurila: Logan O’Hoppe Bought a Bleacher Ticket (FanGraphs)
Michael Clair: Meet the fan with an autographed baseball from every Mexican-born Major Leaguer in history (MLB.com)
Patrick Dubuque: Do Sophomores Still Slump? (Baseball Prospectus)
Davy Andrews: The Deconstructed Hitter (FanGraphs)
Rob Mains: Has the Universal Designated Hitter Affected the DH Penalty? (Baseball Prospectus)
Daniel Brown: Former Dodger Steve Sax sets out to honor the Marine pilot he calls ‘my hero’ (The Athletic)
Grant Brisbee: Joey Bart is off to a hot start with the Pirates. Should the Giants have regrets? (The Athletic)
Dan Cichalski: MLB’s oldest living player is turning 100 (MLB.com)
Peter Devereaux: How the Tobacco Industry Lured Customers with Baseball Cards (Smithsonian Magazine)
Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with author Patrick Montgomery (Baseball and BBQ)

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.

Are you receiving our e-mails? “This Week in SABR” goes out by e-mail to all members on Friday afternoons. If they’re not showing up, try adding “sabr.notes@sabr.org” to your contact list to ensure they show up in your inbox.

Originally published: April 26, 2024. Last Updated: April 26, 2024.

Search the Research Collection

SABR Analytics Conference