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This Week in SABR: April 29, 2022

This Week in SABR: April 29, 2022

Welcome to “This Week in SABR!” Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web. Here’s what we’ve been up to as of April 29, 2022:


Send in your questions for Ballpark Figures on May 5 with ESPN’s Mina Kimes

Ballpark Figures with Shakeia Taylor and Mina KimesJoin us each month for SABR’s Ballpark Figures, a new interview series hosted by award-winning writer Shakeia Taylor. The virtual Zoom event is free and open to all active SABR members.

At 8:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 5, we’ll be joined by Mina Kimes, award-winning journalist, analyst, podcast host, and television contributor for ESPN since 2014.

Kimes is a highly acclaimed football analyst and appears regularly on NFL Live, SportsCenter, Around the Horn, and other TV programs across the network. In addition, she hosts The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny podcast and was the original host for the ESPN Daily podcast. In 2017, her ESPN The Magazine article, “The Art of Letting Go,” on bat flips in the Korea Baseball Organization, won a SABR Analytics Conference Research Award for best historical analysis or commentary. Prior to ESPN, she worked for Bloomberg News and Fortune Magazine, where she penned pieces on topics from arms exports to tainted drugs.

Visit SABR.org/ballpark-figures to learn more or to watch replays of past episodes.


SABR Board of Directors election begins next week

SABR members, please pay attention to the e-mail address that you have on file with SABR; you will receive a message on Monday, May 2, 2022, with a link to vote online in the 2022 SABR Board of Directors election. The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.

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; if you wish to add it to a whitelist in your e-mail client, that may help ensure that you will receive the e-mails. You will receive at least one more voting email between May 2 and June 1 with active voting links.

You can read the candidate biographies, along with full descriptions of the positions and responses the candidates made to a series of questions, in the 2022 SABR Election Guide which is available for download below:

When you vote, please rank the candidates in order of preference, with 1 being your top choice. SABR elections use a simplified preferential voting system, allowing voters to rank their preferred candidates 1-2-3 and transferring preferences until a winner with more than 50 percent of votes is achieved.

You will find two items on the 2022 election ballot: the election of the SABR Vice President and two (2) Directors positions. The candidates are:

For Vice President

  • Leslie Heaphy
  • Bruce McClure

For Director (2 seats)

  • Allison Levin
  • Bill Nowlin
  • Bill Pearch

Click here to learn more and to download the Election Guide.


SABR’s Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference begins today

SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference (ERIC MIKLICH)The 13th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference began today and will run through Saturday, April 30 at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The 2022 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from author Thomas Gilbert, along with a panel discussion on owner Chris Von Der Ahe with Tom Hetrick, Dennis Thiessen, Paul Browne, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a special presentation by Jonathan Popovich on “A Game of Ball: Reconstructing The Elysian Fields, 1845-1865”; a Member Spotlight interview of Dixie Tourangeau by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations.

To learn more about the conference, or find the full schedule, visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c.


SABR Digital Library: The 1883 Philadelphia Athletics: American Association Champions

SABR Digital Library: The 1883 Philadelphia Athletics: American Association Champions, edited by Paul Hofmann and Bill NowlinAdd a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:

The 1883 Philadelphia Athletics: American Association Champions
Edited by Paul Hofmann and Bill Nowlin

Associate editors Bob LeMoine and Len Levin
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-970159-69-1, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-970159-70-7, $24.95
8.5″ x 11″, 206 pages

In 1883, the Philadelphia Athletics were champions of the American Association. Although they are largely-forgotten today, the team epitomized the Beer and Whiskey League. The summer of 1883 had one of the tightest pennant races in baseball history to that point, with the Athletics edging out Chris Von Der Ahe’s St. Louis Browns by a single game. The race fueled the popularity of the game of baseball, particularly in Philadelphia and St. Louis. The Athletics were a hard-living team that connected with the working-class immigrants of Philadelphia. Despite numerous injuries, the team battled through adversity to bring Philadelphia a championship.

This book presents biographies of the ballplayers, the owners, a history of the ballpark, the Jefferson Street Grounds, and a timeline of the team’s season. Ten selected games have been written up, and a few essays on the season provide valuable historical context. The book represents the combined efforts of 28 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

Contributors include: Matt Albertson, Pamela A. Bakker, Clifford Blau, Richard Bogovich, Jerrold Casway, Paul E. Doutrich, Brian C. Engelhardt, Dan Fields, Tim Hagerty, Donna L. Halper, Richard Hershberger, Paul Hofmann, Michael Huber, Bill Johnson, Chris Jones, Bob LeMoine, Len Levin, Dalton Mack, Michael McAvoy, Brian McKenna, Eric Miklich, Bill Nowlin, Joel Rippel, Bill Ryczek, John Thorn, Michael Wagner, Gregory H. Wolf, and John Zinn.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

Having trouble downloading our e-books? To view PDF files on your computer, click here to download the free Adobe Reader software. Having trouble downloading e-books to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.

Visit SABR.org/ebooks for more titles from the SABR Digital Library.


Member Benefit Spotlight: Register now for SABR 50 convention in Baltimore

SABR 50 logoAs 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 this month’s 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.

With baseball season in full bloom, we look forward to the summer where we will once again gather for our annual convention, SABR 50, on August 17-21, 2022, in Baltimore. If you ask veteran members their favorite thing about SABR, many of them will quickly point to our convention. It’s safe to say SABR 50 is our most anticipated convention to date!

Click here to watch this month’s Member Benefit Spotlight video on SABR 50.


New scholarship opportunities open for students

  • Yoseloff Scholarship for SABR 50 in Baltimore: With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to 10 scholarships to currently enrolled high school or college students to attend SABR 50 on August 17-21, 2022, in Baltimore. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250. The objective of this scholarship fund is to encourage high school and college-level student engagement with baseball research and to engender an active interest in baseball and SABR. Deadline to apply: June 3, 2022. Click here to learn more or download the application form.
  • Women in Baseball Scholarship: SABR’s Women in Baseball Committee will award one $500 scholarship to a high school senior in its annual Women in Baseball Essay Contest in 2022. Students must write an essay of 1,500 words or less addressing the following question: “Choose one person or event in women’s baseball history that you believe has made a significant impact on the game and explain the importance.” Deadline to apply: June 14, 2022. Click here to learn more or download the application form.

SABR Digital Library: Not an Easy Tale to Tell: Jackie Robinson on the Page, Stage, and Screen

Not an Easy Tale to Tell: Jackie Robinson on the Page, Stage, and Screen, edited by Ralph CarhartAdd a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:

Not an Easy Tale to Tell: Jackie Robinson on the Page, Stage, and Screen
Edited by Ralph Carhart
Associate editors Bill Nowlin, Carl Riechers, and Kate Nachman
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-970159-71-4, $6.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-970159-72-1, $19.95
8.5″ x 11″, 128 pages

Click here to read the full description of this book at SABR.org.

SABR members, get this e-book for free!

Having trouble downloading our e-books? To view PDF files on your computer, click here to download the free Adobe Reader software. Having trouble downloading e-books to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.

Visit SABR.org/ebooks to find more titles from the SABR Digital Library.


Join SABR’s Give Local campaign today

Donate now to SABR's Give Local campaignAs SABR strives to become the essential community for the world of baseball, our amazing chapters, research committees and communities of interest continue to promote our great game and share our passion for baseball’s past, present and future.

In 2021, SABR launched its Local Grants Program, delivering mission-focused funding to chapters and committees for projects concentrating on one or more of SABR’s four pillars: Research, Preservation, Scholarship, and Future of the Game. During our Give Local campaign, we’ll proudly share some of the stories of our inaugural group of Local Grants recipients and how they will put these funds to work in their communities.

  • By joining our Give Local campaign between now and June 10, you will help support SABR’s general operation and fund more of our members’ amazing work on the local level.

While seven projects initiated by SABR chapters across the country received Local Grants for 2022, there were many more worthy applications submitted that we were unable to fund in the first year of the program.

Visit SABR.org/donate/give-local to learn more.


Last call to register early for 2022 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in Birmingham

2022 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League ConferenceEarly registration discounts are still available for SABR’s annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, which will be held on June 2-4, 2022, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

The full schedule for the 2022 Malloy Conference has now been posted online; click here to view the daily panels, presentations, and historic site tours.

  • Register: Click here to register online for the 2022 Malloy Conference. Full registration is $175 before April 29, $195 afterward. Students: $125 before April 29, $140 afterward. Single-day registration is also available for $75 for Friday or Saturday. Extra tickets can be purchased for the Rickwood Field bus tours, Thursday’s “meet and greet” reception, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Tour, or the awards banquet on Saturday night. All of these sessions are included in the full registration package.
  • Hotel: Please note: Hotel rooms at the Sheraton Birmingham are now sold out. A limited number of rooms are available at the Courtyard Birmingham Homewood, 500 Shades Creek Parkway, Homewood, AL 35209, at a special rate of $145/night (plus tax). Please call 205-879-0400 to book your room at the Courtyard hotel; you must identify yourself as a member of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference to get the special SABR rate while availability lasts. The Sheraton Birmingham, our host hotel, is located at 2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd., North Birmingham, AL 35203. Call 205-324-5000 for any questions with the Sheraton.
  • Schedule: Click here to view the full schedule for the 2022 Malloy Conference.
  • COVID-19 policy: All attendees must supply proof of a negative test. Those who can provide proof of vaccination are exempt from this requirement. Attendees will be required to follow any additional local public health declarations, including mask mandates. Click here to learn more.
  • Contact: For questions, email Larry Lester or Leslie Heaphy.

Visit SABR.org/malloy to learn more.


Sign up now for SABR Analytics Certification online course

Watch on YouTube: SABR Analytics Certification previewIt’s time to get SABR Certified! The first course in the new SABR Analytics Certification program — Conversational Analytics and Critical Thinking in Baseball — is available online now.

The SABR Analytics Certification program is 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 curriculum was developed by current baseball professionals, including employees of Major League Baseball and its clubs.

SABR members get a significant discount on this Analytics Certification course registration, saving $55 off the regular price.

Visit SABR.org/analytics/certification to sign up today or learn more.


Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

Neil Leifer: Ballet in the DirtSABR chapters and committees are encouraged to set up virtual meetings to stay engaged with our members throughout the world at SABR.org, as part of our Stay Home With SABR initiative to assist in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

  • Can’t-Miss Event: SABR’s Mathewson-Plank Chapter in Central Pennsylvania will hold a virtual Zoom meeting at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 1. All baseball fans are invited to attend. Our guest speakers are Gabriel Schechter, who will talk about his experiences working with legendary sports photographer Neil Leifer on his Ballet in the Dirt book, and Stew Thornley, who will talk about Andy Oyler’s Two-Foot Home Run. Click here to register in advance for this Zoom meeting.
  • Video Replays: This week, we heard from MLB.com editor Elizabeth Muratore, authors Scott Longert (Victory on Two Fronts) and Robert Elias and Peter Dreier (Major League Rebels), along with presenters Jim McDonald (“Joe Bernard”) and Richard Cuicchi (“The Larkins and Boones Make it a Family Affair”). Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.

Here are some more upcoming virtual events you can attend online; check the Events Calendar for complete details:

  • May 1: Mathewson-Plank (PA) Chapter meeting with Gabriel Schechter and Stew Thornley (2:00 p.m. EDT)
  • May 3: Bay Area/Sacramento joint chapter meeting with Shane Barclay (7:00 p.m. PDT)
  • May 4: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting with Robert Elias and Peter Dreier (7:00 p.m. EDT)
  • May 5: Ballpark Figures with Shakeia Taylor and Mina Kimes (8:00 p.m. EDT)
  • May 7: Talkin’ Baseball: Jerry Manheim (9:00 a.m. EDT)
  • May 7: Play Ball: The Japanese American Experience and the National Pastime (2:00 p.m. EDT)

In addition, the following events will be held in person:

  • April 30: Halsey Hall Chapter spring meeting (Minneapolis, MN)
  • April 30: Sebring-Stovey Williamsport Chapter meeting (Williamsport, PA)
  • April 30: Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter meeting (Milwaukee, WI)
  • April 30: Oscar Charleston Chapter meeting (Indianapolis, IN)
  • May 4: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter fellowship meeting (St. Louis, MO)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.


10 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

John Means (TRADING CARD DB)Ten new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project:

New Games Project stories can be found at SABR.org/gamesproject.

  • Get involved: Have memories of a game you attended? Or a game you watched that caught your interest? Write about it! Writing for the Games Project is an easy way to get involved as a SABR member. Find out how by reading the Games Project FAQs section or checking out the Authors’ Guidelines. We have editors and fact checkers who are willing to help you write your first article.
  • Social media: Follow the SABR Games Project on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with new stories and updates.

Read all stories from Griffith Stadium book at the SABR Games Project

A Palace in the Nation’s Capital: Griffith Stadium, Home of the Washington SenatorsIn 2021, the SABR Digital Library published A Palace in the Nation’s Capital: Griffith Stadium, Home of the Washington Senators, edited by Gregory H. Wolf, a look back at the home of the American League’s Washington Senators from 1911 through 1960, the identically named expansion team in 1961, and many great Negro Leagues teams of the 20th century, too.

All of the game recaps from A Palace in the Nation’s Capital can now be found online at the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories published this week:

SABR members can download a free e-book edition of A Palace in the Nation’s Capital or save 50% off the purchase of the paperback edition at SABR.org/ebooks.


SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with Hall of Famer Jim Kaat

SABRcast #159: Jim KaatBaseball 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 #159 on Monday, April 25 featured Jim Kaat, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 following a decorated 25-year major-league career spent mostly with the Minnesota Twins, in which he won 283 games, 16 Gold Glove Awards, and a World Series championship with the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals. He has worked as an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster on MLB Network since 2009 and has also called games for the Twins, New York Yankees, and ESPN since the early 1980s. He is the author of Good As Gold: My Eight Decades in Baseball.

Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to the full episode.

Subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or Stitcher, and listen to each episode as soon as it’s released on Mondays. To learn more, visit SABR.org/sabrcast.


Listen to a new episode of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on Saturdays

Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM with Vince GennaroBehind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, is back at a new time for the regular season. Listen to new episodes at 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET on Saturdays on MLB Network Radio.

You can also listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio app.

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM focuses on examining and interpreting the statistical analysis that plays a critical role in baseball today. It airs weekly throughout the year on MLB Network Radio, available to subscribers nationwide on XM channel 89, Sirius channel 209, and on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App.


ICYMI: Highlights from last week’s This Week in SABR

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

All previous editions of This Week in SABR can be found here: SABR.org/this-week-in-sabr-archives.


Welcome, new members!

We’d like to welcome all of our new SABR members who have joined this week. You can find all Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org and the Membership Handbook can be downloaded here.

Please give these new members a warm welcome and help them make the most of their membership by giving them the opportunity to get involved in their local chapter or a research committee.

You can find contact information for any SABR member in the online Membership Directory.

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Chris Bailey Argyle, TX     Scott Mayer Richmond, VA
Matt Ciabattari Scotch Plains, NJ     Roger C. Meeks Englewood, CO
Bill Cornelius Boaz, AL     Brandon Melton Valley Grande, AL
Robert Cullen Baltimore, MD     Zoe Merod Ithaca, NY
Aaron DeLong Porter, IN     Chad Miller Louisville, KY
Eric Ensminger San Diego, CA     George Myers Warsaw, IN
Catherine Falardeau Kissimmee, FL     Diego Portela Pittsburgh, PA
Marc Favaro Castle Rock, CO     Hernan Ramos Webster City, IA
Wayne Fisher Georgetown, TX     Andrew Rix Eureka, CA
Scott Flynn Cudahy, WI     Peter Ryan Philadelphia, PA
Alex Frederick Acton, MA     Robert Schlesinger Little Neck, NY
Jacob Hendrix Haughton, LA     Lawrence Sommerfeld Atlanta, GA
Calder Holbrook Los Angeles, CA     Robert Spisak N. Las Vegas, NV
Heather Keepers Louisville, KY     Sinkler Tormet Campinas, BRA
David Kerr Brandon, MS     William Vinson Knoxville, TN
Thomas Larson Paterson, NJ     Quentin Wiest Travelers Rest, SC
Thomas Leslie Chicago, IL     Kristopher Ziskin Hermosa Beach, CA
Ernesto Lhuillier Enola, PA        

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

Find all SABR research committee newsletters at SABR.org/research/committees.


Regional Chapter news

There are no new regional chapter and chartered community updates this week.

Click here for more information on SABR regional chapters. Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.


Around the Web

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

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.

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Originally published: April 29, 2022. Last Updated: April 29, 2022.