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This Week in SABR: April 9, 2021

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This Week in SABR: April 9, 2021

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 9, 2021:

SABR 50 at 50: Greatest Games

SABR 50 at 50: Greatest GamesAs part of the SABR 50 at 50 project to commemorate the organization’s fiftieth anniversary, we offer 50 of the greatest games played over the past 50 years.

A baseball game can be great for many reasons. It may be a high-stakes game in September or October (or even November) that meets or exceeds the hype. It may be a mundane schedule-filler that distinguishes itself with a special individual or team performance. A game’s context — from capping an unexpected championship run to breaking a shameful racial legacy — may elevate what is otherwise merely memorable to greatness. And sometimes off-field actors, including fans, medical professionals, baseball researchers, and team employees who green-light a postgame fireworks show even when the final out comes several hours after midnight, contribute to the flavor of a great game.

Visit SABR.org/50at50/games to read the full SABR 50 at 50: Greatest Games list.

— John Fredland

Download the 2021 SABR Board of Directors Election Guide

SABR members, please pay attention to the e-mail address that you have on file with SABR; you will receive a message on Monday, April 19 with a link to vote online in the 2021 SABR Board of Directors election. The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Monday, May 3.

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 2021 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 three items on the 2021 election ballot: the election of the SABR President, Secretary, and one (1) Director’s position. The candidates are:

For President

  • Mark Armour

For Secretary

  • Todd Lebowitz

For Director

  • Tyrone Brooks
  • Tara Krieger
  • Alex Marks

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

Baseball’s Better Together membership drive

Baseball's Better TogetherEveryone knows Baseball’s Better Together! With a new season upon us, we encourage all SABR members to share details about our new membership drive with the baseball-loving fan in your life.

In honor of the 2021 season, all baseball fans can save 21% off a new SABR membership! Visit SABR.org/better-together for details on how to sign up. We could celebrate our 50th anniversary this year by eclipsing our all-time high in global membership. With your help sharing this great offer for new members, this goal is within our reach!

SABR is the essential community for the world of baseball, where we celebrate history, research, and statistics of our great game. If you’re a passionate fan, there’s a place for you in SABR!

Gietschier, Schaefer win 2021 McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Awards

The 2021 winners of the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, which honors the best articles on baseball history or biography completed or published during the preceding calendar year, are:

The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the author(s) of the best articles or papers, published or unpublished, on baseball history or biography completed during the preceding calendar year.

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

The SABR Bookshelf: Winter/Spring 2021

The SABR Bookshelf: Winter/Spring 2021Periodically throughout the year, SABR.org publishes The SABR Bookshelf, a listing of new books that are received at the SABR office.

Click on the link above for more detailed information on each of these books:

  • From Rube to Robinson: SABR’s Best Articles on Black Baseball, edited by John Graf
  • A Palace in the Nation’s Capital: Griffith Stadium, Home of the Washington Senators, edited by Gregory H. Wolf
  • The Miracle Has Landed: The Amazin’ Story of How the 1969 Mets Shocked the World, edited by Matthew Silverman and Ken Samelson
  • Baseball’s Greatest Comeback Games, edited by Bill Nowlin
  • The African American Baseball Experience in Nebraska: Essays and Memories, edited by Angelo J. Louisa
  • Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball, by Luke Epplin
  • Detroit Tigers Gone Wild: Mischief, Crimes and Hard Time, by George Hunter
  • Historic Ballparks of the Twin Cities, by Stew Thornley
  • Baseball and the House of David: The Legendary Barnstorming Teams, 1915-1956, by P.J. Dragseth
  • New York Loves Them, Cooperstown Snubs Them, by Tom Van Riper
  • Zack Wheat: The Life of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer, by Joe Niese
  • Frank Selee: Hall of Fame Manager of the Boston Beaneaters and Chicago Cubs, by Richard Bressler
  • Walter Alston: The Rise of a Manager from the Minors to the Baseball Hall of Fame, by Alan H. Levy
  • Ted Sullivan, Barnacle of Baseball, by Pat O’Neill and Tom Coffman
  • Tony Lazzeri: Yankees Legend and Baseball Pioneer, by Lawrence Baldassaro
  • Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words, by Erik Sherman
  • Comeback Pitchers: The Remarkable Careers of Howard Ehmke and Jack Quinn, by Lyle Spatz & Steve Steinberg
  • Escape from Castro’s Cuba: A Novel, by Tim Wendel
  • Making Japan’s National Game: A Cultural History of Baseball in Japan, by Blair Williams
  • Double Plays and Double Crosses: The Black Sox and Baseball in 1920, by Don Zminda
  • After Jackie: Fifteen Pioneers Who Helped Change the Face of Baseball, by Jeffrey S. Copeland
  • Grassroots Baseball: Where Legends Begin, by Jean Fruth
  • The New Baseball Bible, by Dan Schlossberg
  • That Lively Railroad Town, by William H. Brewster
  • Phillies 1980! Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, and Philadelphia’s First World Series Championship, by Lew Freedman
  • Dodgers vs. Yankees: The Long-Standing Rivalry Between Two of Baseball’s Greatest Teams, by Michael Schiavone
  • Subway Series: Baseball’s Big Apple Battles and the Yankees-Mets 2000 World Series Classic, by Jerry Beach
  • The Iconic Jersey: Baseball x Fashion, by Erin R. Corrales-Diaz
  • This Never Happened: The Mystery Behind the Death of Christy Mathewson, by J. B. Manheim
  • The Only Way is the Steady Way: Essays on Baseball, Ichiro and How We Watch the Game, by Andrew Forbes
  • Eddie Cicotte: The Life and Career of the Banned Black Sox Pitcher, by David Fleitz
  • Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood, by Dave Parker and Dave Jordan
  • Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke, by Andrew Maraniss
  • The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace and the Negro Leagues, by Lonnie Wheeler
  • Baseball’s Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues, by Andrea Williams
  • The Pride of Minnesota: The Twins in the Turbulent 1960s, by Thom Henninger
  • The Captain and Me: On and Off the Field With Thurman Munson, by Ron Blomberg and Dan Epstein
  • 1962: Baseball and America in the Time of JFK, by David Krell

Bolded names indicates that the author(s) is a SABR member. Click here for a list of publishers found in the SABR Bookshelf, along with their contact information.

To view previous listings in The SABR Bookshelf, click here.

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 2021:

  • Zack Wheat: The Life of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer, by Joe Niese (McFarland & Co.)
  • A History of Baseball in the Deadball Era: Volume One 1901 to 1905, by Mark Peavey (independently published)
  • War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War, by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith (Basic Books)

The winner will be announced in the coming weeks. For a list of past Ritter Award winners, click here.

Deadline to submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board is April 30

SABR’s Editorial Board — which includes Scott Bush, Christina Kahrl, Bill Nowlin, Jacob Pomrenke, Anthony Salazar, Cecilia Tan, and Sarah Wexler — was established in 2020 to evaluate proposals for publication. The Board welcomes new research project proposals from members to be considered for publication through the Digital Library, SABR.org, or any other multimedia formats.

We strongly encourage new proposals that involve collaboration between SABR research committees and/or chapters, and web-based projects with an eye toward enhanced multimedia presentation.

SABR seeks to publish 2-4 web-based multimedia projects and 6-8 books per year. Book projects should be of a scope that can fit in a single volume, typically between 100,000 and 200,000 total words.

Two sample project proposals can be downloaded by clicking here. Previously published web projects can be viewed at SABR.org/eight-myths-out or SABR.org/gamesproj/first-games-back.

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

Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

Jerry Reuss (TRADING CARD DB)SABR 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: On Monday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m. CDT, SABR’s Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter will hold a virtual Zoom meeting with former major-league pitcher Jerry Reuss, who won 220 games over a 22-year career with the Cardinals, Astros, Pirates, Dodgers, Reds, Angels, White Sox, and Brewers. He is also the author of Bring In The Righthander and a photography enthusiast. Please contact Allison Levin to RSVP for this Zoom meeting.
  • Video Replays: This week, we heard from Jason Schwartz of SABR Baseball Cards Committee; Red Barber biographers Judith Hiltner and Jim Walker; Marty Payne (“Negro Leagues on Maryland’s Eastern Shore”); and Donald Rice (“Dyckman Oval and the Negro Leagues”). 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:

  • April 10: Leslie Heaphy: The Martins and the Red Sox for the Title (12:00 p.m. EDT)
  • April 10: Baseball Reminiscence chapter meeting (4:00 p.m. EDT)
  • April 12: Bob Broeg St. Louis (MO) Chapter meeting with Jerry Reuss (6:30 p.m. CDT)
  • April 13: Ken Keltner (WI) Chapter meeting with Ron Rabinovitz (6:00 p.m. CDT)
  • April 13: 19th Century Speaker Series with Brian “Chip” Martin (8:00 p.m. EDT)
  • April 13: IBWAA: The Press Box: The Craft of Baseball Writing with John Supowitz (8:00 p.m. EDT)
  • April 14: Central Florida Chapter meeting with Robert H. Schaefer (7:00 p.m. EDT)
  • April 15: César Brioso: Havana Hardball: Spring Training, Jackie Robinson, and The Cuban League (6:30 p.m. EDT)
  • April 15: Casey Stengel (NYC) Chapter meeting with Joshua Casper (7:00 p.m. EDT)
  • April 15: New Member Experience with Chanel Zapata (8:00 p.m. EDT)
  • April 17: Pee Wee Reese (KY) Chapter meeting with Thomas Wolf (10:30 a.m. EDT)
  • April 17: Rogers Hornsby (TX) Chapter meeting with Tim Jackson (1:00 p.m. CDT)
  • April 18: Southern Michigan Chapter book club with Mitch Lutzke (7:00 p.m. EDT)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.

Two weeks left to register for the virtual SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference on April 22-24

SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference (ERIC MIKLICH)Registration is still open for the 11th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference, which will be held virtually on April 22-24, 2021. All baseball fans are welcome to register for this special online event.

The 2021 virtual conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from Major League Baseball’s Official Historian John Thorn, along with a panel discussion on National League president William Hulbert with Jack Bales, Richard Hershberger, Bill Lamb, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a special presentation by Jim Gates on the “Penny Marshall Sheet Music Collection” at the Baseball Hall of Fame; a Member Spotlight interview of Tom Gilbert by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations.

For questions, please contact Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net.

To learn more about the conference, visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c.

SABR Digital Library: Baseball’s Greatest Comeback Games

Baseball’s Greatest Comeback Games, edited by Bill NowlinAdd a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:

Baseball’s Greatest Comeback Games
Edited by Bill Nowlin
Associate editors Len Levin and Carl Riechers
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-9701-5946-2, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9701-5947-9, $29.95
8.5″ x 11″, 251 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.

SABR members can download all Digital Library e-book editions for free and save 50% on purchase of the paperback editions. Visit SABR.org/ebooks to find all past titles.

SABR welcomes new research committee: Baseball Iconography Project

Charles Conlon's iconic photograph of Ty Cobb sliding into third base (NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME LIBRARY)SABR’s Board of Directors has approved the formation of a new research committee: The Baseball Iconography Project, an ongoing effort to produce a history and catalog of artistic depictions of the game in a variety of forms: fine art, photography, sculpture, illustration, caricatures, engraving, lithography.

The committee leaders are Kevin Reichard, James E. Brunson III, and John Thorn. All SABR members are eligible to sign up for email announcements from this committee. Click here to visit the committee page and select “Join Group” to become a committee member.

SABR’s 33 research committees reflect the diverse interests of our members, with groups devoted to the study of a specific area related to the game — from Baseball and the Arts to Statistical Analysis to the Deadball Era to Women in Baseball. Click here to find the full list of SABR research committees and learn more about their work.

SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with filmmaker Lauren Meyer

SABRcast #105: Lauren MeyerBaseball 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 #105 on Monday, April 5 featured Lauren Meyer, Emmy Award-nominated director of The Other Boys of Summer, a film that explores civil rights and equality in America through the lives of Negro League baseball players. She was also a featured speaker at the 2020 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference. She grew up in New Jersey and attended Rutgers University. Her work has been seen on dozens of TV networks and digital platforms, including ABC, NBC, Nickelodeon, ESPN, HGTV, A&E, TLC, Discovery, Netflix, and Amazon.

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

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

9 new SABR biographies published

Mike Schmidt (MLB.COM)Nine new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project. Here are the new bios published this week:

All new biographies can be found here: SABR.org/bioproject

17 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

Scooter Gennett (TRADING CARD DB)Seventeen new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories:

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 game stories from Federal League book at the SABR Games Project

Whales, Terriers, and Terrapins: The Federal League 1914-15In SABR’s Whales, Terriers, and Terrapins: The Federal League 1914-15, edited by Steve West and Bill Nowlin and published in 2020, we told the story of an “outlaw” baseball league that challenged the American and National League for supremacy. The book included more than 50 accounts of some of the most interesting games during the league’s brief existence.

All of the game stories from SABR’s Federal League book are now available to read online at the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories posted this week:

Click here to download your free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback of SABR’s Federal League book.

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
Susana Aguirre Duncan Walla Walla, WA     Tom Marshalek Warren, OH
William Bergstrom The Villages, FL     Gary Miesle Toledo, OH
Sarmaria Brown Kansas City, MO     Ian Milsom Barry, WLS
Anne Chamberlain Brantford, ON     Macy Moon Walla Walla, WA
Blake Cheneweth Walla Walla, WA     Clinton Myers Nashville, TN
Vincent Ciaramella Bethel Park, PA     Pamela Norton Siloam Springs, AR
Craig Connell Walla Walla, WA     Lucas Perea La Mirada, CA
Stephane Cormier Memramcook, NB     Rowan Phillips Williamstown, MA
John Davina Tarpon Springs, FL     Steve Pona St. Louis, MO
Mike Davis Rockford, IL     Gianni Rocco Upper St. Clair, PA
Todd Denault Cobourg, ON     Jake Schmidt Walla Walla, WA
Vincent Gaitley New Smyrna Beach, FL     Nathan Skeoch Walla Walla, WA
Fred Goodman III Walla Walla, WA     Michael Snyder Mason, OH
John Heffner Parma, OH     Bryan St Amand Atlanta, GA
Jose Hernandez Walla Walla, WA     Paul Sternburgh West Olive, MI
Bill Horsey Novato, CA     Kristi Stiles Walla Walla, WA
Peter Howell Athens, PA     Joseph Stockmann Liberty, MO
Brandon James Kyle, TX     David Tauster Oceanside, NY
Harrison Jennings Walla Walla, WA     Jared Titus Walla Walla, WA
Maria Keur Prahran, AUS     Samantha Torgerson Walla Walla, WA
Charlie Kirchner Cleveland, OH     Andrew Woolley Benton Harbor, MI
Ethan Lewis Richmond, VA     Ivan Wu Walla Walla, WA
Don Mancini Ellwood City, PA     Brian Yu Jackson Heights, NY

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

Here are the new regional chapter and chartered community updates this week:

Visit SABR.org/chapters for more information on SABR regional chapters.

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.

Have trouble reading this e-mail? Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web.

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Originally published: April 9, 2021. Last Updated: April 9, 2021.

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