This Week in SABR: April 28, 2023
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, April 28, 2023.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
One week left to vote in 2023 Board of Directors election
SABR 51: Early-bird registration discounts expire next week
Call for papers: 2023 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
Join SABR’s Campaign for Baseball Research
Sign up now for Ballpark Figures on May 4 with Louis Moore
SABR 51: Early-bird registration discount expires next week
If you haven’t yet signed up for SABR’s annual convention on July 5-9, 2023 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, now is the time! Early registration discounts expire next Friday, May 5, so this is your chance to get the lowest pricing available for SABR 51 in Chicago.
The annual SABR convention, which is open to all baseball fans, includes featured speakers from around the baseball world — including White Sox broadcaster Jason Benetti, baseball executives Mike Veeck and Dan Evans, ballpark organist Nancy Faust, AAGPBL star Maybelle Blair, and more — innovative panel discussions, groundbreaking research presentations, ballgames, the SABR Trivia Contest, the Awards Banquet, and most of all, the opportunity to make and renew baseball friendships over the course of this exciting and memorable event.
Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more and register.
- Transportation Tips: Check out our new SABR 51 Chicago transportation tips page, compiled by members of the host Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter
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.
Call for papers: 2023 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center have announced a call for papers for the fifth annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference, scheduled for September 29-October 1, 2023, at Rockford University in Rockford, Illinois.
The 2023 conference will be a hybrid event, with panels and presentations on Zoom and a dinner banquet and golf outing in Rockford, Illinois. Registration information will be available soon.
This year’s conference theme is “Through the Lens of Baseball.” Topics can focus on broadcasters, sports writers, social media, advertising, artists, photographers and more. All topics related to women’s baseball are welcome.
Please submit abstracts of approximately 200 words, along with contact information and a short biography, by June 30, 2023, to Leslie Heaphy at Lheaphy@kent.edu.
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.
Join us next week 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.
Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference begins in Cooperstown
The 14th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference is now under way at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
The 2023 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from author Jonathan Popovich, along with a panel discussion on baseball’s 19th-century color line with Richard Hershberger, Peter Mancuso, Brian Sheehy, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a 19th-century artifact session with Robert Mayer, Gary Passamonte, and Popovich; a Member Spotlight interview of Robert Mayer by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations and a Sunday morning vintage baseball game at Doubleday Field.
Visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c to find the full schedule and more details.
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.
1 week left to vote in 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 and April 26 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.
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.
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 #211 on Monday, April 24 featured Ryan McGee, a senior writer for ESPN and author of Welcome to the Circus of Baseball. 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.
3 new stories published at the SABR BioProject
- Jim Hickman, by Steve Dunn
- Leovigildo Xiqués, by Rory Costello
- Jeff Richardson, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR BioProject or to get involved.
8 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- September 30, 1895: Washington’s Ed Cartwright hits for the cycle on season’s final day, by Mike Huber
- April 28, 1905: Youngsters Ty Cobb, Eddie Cicotte, and Clyde Engle excel in Augusta’s South Atlantic League win over Macon, by Stephen V. Rice
- June 3, 1954: Thompson, Mays power Giants over Cardinals with five-homer barrage, by Alan Cohen
- April 13, 1969: Clemente booed at Forbes Field, spearheads game-winning rally for Pirates, by John Fredland
- August 24, 1973: Rare Duffy power surge gives Cleveland a win in John Adams’ debut on drums, by Vince Guerrieri
- April 28, 1986: At Triple-A exhibition, Indians’ win is the Maine event, by Kurt Blumenau
- June 23, 2007: Paul Lo Duca holds a yard sale before David Wright brings down the house in Mets squeaker, by Larry DeFillipo
- April 8, 2013: Boston Red Sox win ninth consecutive home opener, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project 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
- 2023 Larry Ritter Book Award finalists 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 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tony Adams | Rochester, NY | Nicholas Herfordt | Omaha, NE | ||
Francisco Alarcon | Tallahassee, FL | Nate Louf | Brighton, MA | ||
Harv Aronson | Jacksonville, FL | Jason Lundquist | Grove City, OH | ||
Evan Bakota | Woodbury, NJ | Gary Paetzold | Watauga, TX | ||
Jacob Baugher | Louisville, KY | Dom Provisiero | Commack, NY | ||
Zach Binkley | Romeoville, IL | Wyatt Schroeder | Philadelphia, PA | ||
Tobias Cortese | Seattle, WA | David Smith | Clay City, IN | ||
Max Fabrizi | Seville, OH | Tom Smith | Longmont, CO | ||
Jim Fritz | Cypress, TX | Kyle Thompson | Lawrence, AL | ||
Brian Hardbarger | Durham, NC | Matthew Ward | Huntingdon Valley, PA |
- Events Calendar: Find complete details of all SABR events
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from authors Tim Hagerty (Tales From the Dugout), Thomas Gilbert (How Baseball Happened), Dan Schlossberg (Baseball’s Memorable Misses), and a Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter meeting. Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- 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)
- May 1: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with Paul Semendinger (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- May 1: Northern New England Chapter meeting with Nancy Finley (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- May 3: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Dan Schlossberg (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- May 3: Central Florida Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- May 4: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter meeting with César Brioso (7:30 p.m. EDT)
- May 4: Ballpark Figures with Shakeia Taylor and Louis Moore (8:00 p.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- April 28-29: 2023 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference (Cooperstown, NY)
- April 29: Central Illinois/St. Louis Chapter joint meeting (Nokomis, IL)
- May 3: Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter meeting (Tallahassee, FL)
- May 3: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter fellowship meeting (St. Louis, MO)
- May 6: Forbes Field Chapter meeting (Pittsburgh, PA)
- May 6: Ken Keltner Chapter meeting (Milwaukee, WI)
- May 6: Maddux Bros.-Las Vegas Chapter meeting (Las Vegas, NV)
- May 6: Pacific Northwest Chapter meeting (Seattle, WA)
- May 7: Elysian Fields Chapter brunch (Mountainside, NJ)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Baseball Records: Spring 2023 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Halsey Hall Chapter: May 2023 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
- Larry Dierker Chapter: April 17 meeting recap (Houston, TX)
- Magnolia Chapter: Spring 2023 newsletter (Atlanta, GA)
- Schott-Pelican Chapter: Spring 2023 newsletter (New Orleans, LA)
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:
- Benjamin Hoffman: Ball Doctoring: A History of Excuses, Denials and Knowing Winks (New York Times)
- Jayson Stark: Baseball’s new rules: You asked, we answered — Metrics? Minor leagues? Robot umps in 2024? (The Athletic)
- Stephen J. Nesbitt: Dick Groat, Pirates legend and Duke basketball HOF’er, dies at 92 (The Athletic)
- Mike Petriello: New stat identifies which backstops are elite at preventing steals (MLB.com)
- Evan Drellich: As A’s pursue Las Vegas stadium, an expert cautions against using tax dollars (The Athletic)
- Stephanie Apstein: A’s Owner Must Be on a Mission to Alienate Everyone in Oakland (Sports Illustrated)
- Hannah Keyser: Fans of Reds, Pirates, Orioles and A’s sound off about their teams’ losing ways (Yahoo! Sports)
- Jim Margalus: White Sox collapse finally forces front office to consider its own mortality (Sox Machine)
- Tyler Kepner: A Blue Jays Superstar Thrives on Bronx Cheers (New York Times)
- Derrick Goold: Cardinals expect clarity to plug in power for outfield. Why ‘slug matters’ (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Russell A. Carleton: The Return of the Double Hook (Baseball Prospectus)
- Emma Baccellieri: How a Spinning Pitching Staff and ‘Good Vibes’ Fueled the Pirates to a Winning Record (Sports Illustrated)
- Rob Mains: The Disengagement Rule and Larger Bases Haven’t Helped (Baseball Prospectus)
- Grant Brisbee: How Blake Sabol’s walk-off rates among walk-off homers in Giants’ history (The Athletic)
- Howard Megdal: Can Fernando Tatis Jr. Still Mash After A Year Away From MLB? (FiveThirtyEight)
- Michael Baumann: George Kirby, Like John Paul Jones, Is a Mariner With Elite Command (FanGraphs)
- Jay Jaffe: Muncy Is Back To Showing Maximum Power (FanGraphs)
- Daniel R. Epstein: What Does a New Pitch Do for a Pitcher? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Travis Sawchik: To dream the impossible dream – and then decide it’s time to let it go (The Score)
- Marc Carig: On Lee Elia: 40 thoughts on the 40th effin’ anniversary of baseball’s best rant (The Athletic)
- Gordon Edes: Terry Francona doc reveals naked truth about his life in baseball (Bally Sports)
- Bill Shea: Inside the high-priced world of vintage sports photography collecting (The Athletic)
- Steven Goldman: Oh, What A Night (Baseball Prospectus)
- David Laurila: Mark Gubicza Built a Bridge and Had Two Saves (FanGraphs)
- Rick Kogan: Wendell Smith covered sports, history and civil rights and traveled with Jackie Robinson. A new book remembers his work. (Chicago Tribune)
- John Thorn: Baseball Pioneers: Luis Castro (Our Game)
- Gary Cieradkowski: Harry Coveleskie: ’cause down the shore, everything’s all right (Studio Gary C)
- Jason Schwartz: Accidental Rickwood (SABR Landmarks Committee)
- Alex Newton: The Story Behind The 1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese Card (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 28, 2023. Last Updated: April 28, 2023.