This Week in SABR: August 18, 2023
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, August 18, 2023.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Save the date! SABR 52 will be in Minneapolis in 2024
SABR forms new Special Negro Leagues and Teams Committee
SABR Defensive Index rankings released through August 13
Cleveland chapter to commemorate 1948 World Series champs
Join us on August 31 for a SABR x Baseball Connect live Q&A
Students, apply for a Fall 2023 internship with SABR
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Save the date! SABR 52 will be in Minneapolis in 2024
Save the date! SABR will be heading to the Twin Cities for our 52nd annual convention on August 7-11, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis hotel in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Registration information for SABR 52 and our special hotel room block will be available at SABR.org/convention in early 2024.
The Hyatt Regency Minneapolis is conveniently located at 1300 Nicollet Mall in the heart of downtown Minneapolis’s core shopping, restaurant, and entertainment district. Target Field will host a weekend series between the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians during SABR 52. The SABR 52 convention logo was created by acclaimed sports graphic designer Todd Radom.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
SABR forms new Special Negro Leagues and Teams Committee
Following up on the work of SABR’s Negro League Task Force, which recommended the recognition of seven Negro Leagues as major leagues, a new Special Negro Leagues and Teams Committee has been convened to study other leagues and teams from Black baseball history. The full group includes more than 30 esteemed researchers and historians who have actively contributed to the literature and statistical record of the Negro Leagues.
The new committee will be co-chaired by award-winning authors James Brunson III and Todd Peterson, along with SABR Board President Mark Armour and historian Gary Gillette. The group plans to create three sub-committees to study pre-1920 teams and leagues, independent teams from 1920 to 1948, and the post-1948 Negro American League.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
SABR Defensive Index rankings released through August 13
San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. leads the major leagues in the updated SABR Defensive Index™ rankings through MLB games of Sunday, August 13. The SABR Defensive Index is used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR.
The final SDI results will be released following the conclusion of the 2023 season at SABR.org/SDI.
Cleveland chapter to commemorate 1948 World Series champs this weekend
SABR’s Jack Graney Chapter in Cleveland invites all baseball fans to join us for a special event commemorating the 1948 World Series champions from 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 19 at the Carl Stokes wing of the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library (525 Superior Ave.), prior to the Guardians’ Hall of Fame inductions and game that evening against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field.
We’ll hear from Luke Epplin, author of Our Team; Ike Brooks, who will talk about the historic seasons by Black baseball pioneers Larry Doby and Satchel Paige; Cleveland State professor emeritus David Goldberg, who will talk about life in Cleveland during the late 1940s; and Steve Dittmore, who will talk about Dale Mitchell, an All-Star outfielder who will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame that day. The event is co-hosted by the Jack Graney Chapter, the Cleveland Public Library, and the Cleveland Guardians.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Join us on August 31 for a SABR x Baseball Connect live Q&A
Baseball fans, join us on Thursday, August 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET for a SABR x Baseball Connect Live Q&A on Twitter Spaces!
Featuring Dan Kaplan and Mike Tampellini from Baseball Connect as well as SABR’s Rob Arthur, the SABR-hosted event will give attendees insight into both the Baseball Connect platform and SABR’s Analytics Certification program and how each can help expand knowledge of the game while developing professional skills and a portfolio for a career in baseball.
Follow @SABR on Twitter for details and the link to the Twitter Spaces session on August 31.
Call for papers: 2024 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
All SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a Research Presentation Proposal Abstract on any topic of 19th-century baseball for the 2024 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 15th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 19-20, 2024.
The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2023. Your abstract must be between 200-400 words for a 20- to 25-minute presentation. Please include name, title, and contact information and send your proposal as a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment to Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
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.
Students, apply for a Fall 2023 internship with SABR
The Society for American Baseball Research is seeking student interns to work during the Fall 2023 semester. The remote internship is an educational opportunity that may count toward college credit, covering 15-20 hours per week with a flexible schedule. The internship will be for a fixed period of time and is designed to provide the intern with skills and training that may be applicable to working in a nonprofit research environment or in other research-based organizations.
Please send a resume and cover letter in PDF form to jpomrenke@sabr.org by 5:00 p.m. MST on August 28, 2023.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Member Benefit Spotlight: Research Resources
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 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.
This issue shows you how to take advantage of three major research resources that are included with your SABR membership, including the Historical Black Newspapers Collection archives at ProQuest.
Click here to watch the full video at SABR.org.
Landmarks Committee votes to add three sites to SABR Baseball Map
The SABR Baseball Landmarks Committee held its inaugural election in 2023 to select three new sites to be added to the interactive SABR Baseball Map. SABR members nominated over 30 sites that were not otherwise eligible for the Map. Seventy votes were cast and the top three vote-getters were:
- West Field in Munhall, PA (Homestead Grays home field in the 1930s-40s)
- Shoeless Joe Jackson’s grave in Greenville, SC
- Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe’s grave in Chicago, IL
The remainder of the top ten candidates will be included on the 2024 ballot. Click here to view the SABR Baseball Map, which includes the most complete list of baseball-related sites across North America.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABRLandmarks.com.
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 #227 on Monday, August 13 featured Steve Gietschier, a 2023 Henry Chadwick Award recipient and author of Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years. 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.
9 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- August 8, 1877: Brown Stockings’ Mike Dorgan becomes first major leaguer to adopt a catcher’s mask, by Larry DeFillipo
- May 5, 1933: With ‘Four Dashes of Pepper,’ Cardinals’ Martin hits for the cycle, by Mike Huber
- July 5, 1940: Surging Reds score 3 in the ninth to sweep Pirates, by Thomas E. Merrick
- September 26-October 5, 1948: Homestead Grays capture final Negro League World Series in five games, by Rich Puerzer
- July 22, 1978: Nestor Chylak’s Hall of Fame umpiring career ends quietly, by Kurt Blumenau
- August 23, 1986: Untimely errors play crucial role in Padres’ win over Phillies, by Steve Ginader
- May 20, 1993: Blue Jays say ‘Cheers’ to the Red Sox at Fenway, by Christopher D. Chavis
- June 24, 2000: 37-year-old rookie Joe Strong records first major-league win, by Joe Schuster
- June 14, 2016: Evan Longoria’s homer lifts Rays to comeback victory; Ryan Garton earns only big-league win, by Bill Hickman
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Read articles from 2001 to 2005 Baseball Research Journals online
As part of our ongoing effort to enhance the SABR Research Collection, articles from five classic Baseball Research Journals have now been posted online.
Click here to find stories from the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 editions of the Baseball Research Journal at SABR.org.
Nearly 80 percent of all BRJ articles published since 1972 are now available online. Every issue of SABR’s flagship publication is also available as a downloadable PDF file on the BRJ Archives page.
The National Pastime: Heart of the Midwest
Edited by Cecilia M. Tan
Visit SABR.org to download the free e-book edition of The National Pastime or read articles online.
Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:
- Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
- Neal Traven selected as 2023 Bob Davids Award recipient
- Highlights from the 2023 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
- SABR Landmarks Committee unveils new Baseball Grave Map
- SABR Defensive Index rankings released through July 9
- SABR Local Grants update: Black Baseball exhibit opens in Philadelphia
- Read articles from new Spring 2023 Baseball Research Journal online
- Download the 2023 SABR Annual Report
- 10,000 images from SABR-Rucker Archive added to Research Collection
- Watch video highlights from 2023 SABR Analytics Conference
- Learn more about the recipients of 2023 SABR Local Grants
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Abernethy | Pittsburgh, PA | Jim Jaworski | Daytona Beach, FL | ||
| Skip Crooker | Henderson, NV | Larry Kitner | Landisburg, PA | ||
| Ricardo Da Cruz | Fairhaven, MA | Jackson McDonald | Parkville, MO | ||
| Wayne Edwards | Canyon Country, CA | Joshua Salce | La Verne, CA | ||
| Roger Gelman | Plainview, NY | Jacob Sayward | Minneapolis, MN | ||
| Lucy Gibbs | Boston, MA | Barrett Snyder | West Chester, PA | ||
| Kevin Handerhan | Jackson Heights, NY | Sam Walsh | San Leandro, CA | ||
| Steve Hopkins | Delaware, OH | Bill Whitcher | Rockford, IL | ||
| David Hugoson | Karlskoga, SWE | Garrett York | New Castle, IN |
- Events Calendar: Find complete details of all SABR events
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from former Chicago White Sox pitcher Wayne Edwards and author Jack Pelikan (Vintage Baseball’s Enduring Legacy). Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- August 19: Hank Gowdy Columbus (OH) Chapter book club meeting (9:00 a.m. EDT)
- August 21: Bob Broeg St. Louis (MO) Chapter meeting with Robert Sampson (6:00 p.m. CDT)
- August 21: Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter research committee meeting (7:00 p.m. CDT)
- August 23: Casey Stengel NYC Chapter meeting with Marty Appel (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- August 23: New SABR Member Experience Meeting (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- August 24: 19th Century Baseball Book Club (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- August 26: Oklahoma Chapter meeting with Jesse Asbury and Fred Worth (2:00 p.m. CDT)
- August 27: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Mark Millikin (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- August 27: Rocky Mountain (CO) Chapter meeting with Joe Posnanski (6:00 p.m. MDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- August 19: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
- August 19: Jack Graney Chapter meeting (Cleveland, OH)
- August 19: Dusty Baker-Sacramento Chapter meeting (Sacramento, CA)
- August 19: Bob Davids Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Frederick, MD)
- August 20: Quebec Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Trois-Rivières, QC)
- August 21: Rocky Mountain Chapter meeting (Denver, CO)
- August 25: Hack Wilson historical marker dedication ceremony (Ellwood City, PA)
- August 26: Ted Williams Chapter meeting (San Diego, CA)
- August 26: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Baltimore, MD)
- August 26: Mathewson-Plank Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Harrisburg, PA)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Baseball Landmarks: Landmarks Committee Votes to Add Sites to SABR Baseball Map
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Halsey Hall Chapter: September 2023 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
- Larry Dierker Chapter: Summer 2023 newsletter (Houston, 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:
- Jay Jaffe: The Dodgers Finally Call Fernando Valenzuela’s Number (FanGraphs)
- Emma Baccellieri: In an Era of Caution, Logan Webb Is an Old-School Workhorse Pitcher (Sports Illustrated)
- Lindsey Adler: Jordan Lyles Eats Innings, Surrenders Runs and Loses Games—Which Makes Him Very Valuable (Wall Street Journal)
- Mark Simon: The Surprise Defensive Runs Saved Leader (ACTA Sports)
- Sarah Langs: Historic homers, massive comebacks among 10 wild stats from the week (MLB.com)
- Ben Lindbergh: Why Did Scouts Whiff on Luis Arraez? (The Ringer)
- Zack Meisel: A former MLB player who once struggled with Tourette syndrome finds peace helping others (The Athletic)
- Hannah Keyser: Can the Angels miss the postseason for the ninth year in a row and still keep Shohei Ohtani? (Yahoo! Sports)
- Derrick Goold: ‘Back to who I am’: How Nolan Arenado got his golden groove back at third base for Cardinals (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Esteban Rivera: Let’s Talk About Freddie Freeman, Baserunner Extraordinaire (FanGraphs)
- Alex Speier: Rafael Devers, a decade into his Red Sox career, continues to adjust to his place at the center of the franchise (Boston Globe)
- Ryan Fagan: Struggling Adam Wainwright faces what might be the final challenge of his Cardinals career (Sporting News)
- Craig Brown: Why did Charles Radbourn flip us the finger on Opening Day 1886? (Threads of Our Game)
- Zack Moser: Dominican Baseball for Dominicans: A History of MLB, Imperialism, and the Dominican Republic (Baseball Prospectus)
- Davy Andrews: Juan Soto’s Brief Walkless Run (FanGraphs)
- John Thorn: Baseball Pioneers: Benjamin K. Edwards (Our Game)
- Justin Klugh: Scorekeeping Is Storytelling (Baseball Prospectus)
- David Laurila: Teacherman-Taught, Kerry Carpenter Is Schooling Pitchers in Motown (FanGraphs)
- Amanda Lane: Mark Langston, the Pitching Star Who Wanted to be a Rock Star (NW Baseball History)
- Pennsylvania Historical Society Sponsors Hack Wilson Celebration, Marker To Be Unveiled (EllwoodCity.org)
- Michael Clair: Genevieve Beacom could be Australia ‘female Ohtani’ (MLB.com)
- Marty Lurie: Interview with Bob LeMoine on “When the Babe Went Back to Boston” (KNBR Radio)
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: August 18, 2023. Last Updated: August 18, 2023.