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This Week in SABR: August 6, 2021

This Week in SABR: August 6, 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 August 6, 2021:


Check out SABR Century Committee’s new 1921 Year in Review project

SABR Century 1921 ProjectThe 1921 season was a pivotal one in baseball history. SABR’s Century Committee invites you to join us on a journey back in time to learn more about baseball during the Jazz Age one hundred years ago with our 1921 Century Project, featuring stories, games, and highlights with contributions from more than 70 SABR members.

Led by Babe Ruth’s record-setting 59 home runs, the New York Yankees began establishing a dynasty that would span most of the twentieth century by winning their first American League pennant, setting up an epic all-New York City matchup in the World Series with the rival Giants of John McGraw. The Negro National League celebrated its second season of play in 1921, led by stars like Triple Crown winner Oscar Charleston and two-way phenom Bullet Rogan. And baseball at all levels saw a growing trend toward home run-happy offenses as the game entered the Lively Ball Era.

The sport also became more widely accessible in the early 1920s to fans who were able to follow along from their homes by tuning in to games on the radio. Finally, American culture still reverberates with the ruling made by baseball’s newly hired commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banning eight disgraced Black Sox players for life after they were caught fixing the 1919 World Series.


Howard Bryant, 50th anniversary panel to highlight Summer of SABR next week

Howard Bryant, 2019 (HOWARD BRYANT)As part of SABR’s 50th anniversary in 2021, all baseball fans are invited to join us online next month for the Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series, presented by Major League Baseball and Baseball-Reference.com.

Join us again on August 10, 13-14 for a series of presentations, chats, and panel discussions with author Howard Bryant; SABR founding member Tom Hufford with Pete Palmer, Tom Shieber, Anthony Salazar, Emily Hawks, and Donna Muscarella; a 2021 CBA update with Anthony Gonella and Glenn Wong; a discussion on Curt Flood with Lee Lowenfish, Ed Edmonds, Nathaniel Grow, and Daniel R. Levitt; a Negro Leagues panel with Phil S. Dixon, Ted Knorr, and John Odell; a panel on SABR’s 1921 Century Project with Donna L. Halper, Steve Steinberg, John Fredland, and Sharon Hamilton; and a panel on the Black Sox Scandal trial with Don Zminda, Bill Lamb, Bruce Allardice, and Jacob Pomrenke.

  • Registration: Click here to register for the Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series. Registration is $35 for SABR members and $50 for non-members. Note: If you already registered in June or July, there is no need to register again. The single registration fee will provide access to the entirety of the Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series, including every session on June 25-27, July 23-25, and August 10, 13-14. That’s NINE incredible virtual sessions, including the full Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, for just one registration price.
  • Contact: Please e-mail Scott Carter with any other questions about your registration.
  • Schedule: Click here for more details on the panels and presentations to be delivered at the Summer of SABR sessions in August.

Visit SABR.org/summer to register today or for more information.


Dan Evans appointed to SABR Board of Directors

Dan EvansThe SABR Board of Directors has appointed longtime major-league baseball executive Dan Evans to fill the vacant Director’s seat following F.X. Flinn’s resignation and Dan Levitt’s appointment as Treasurer last month.

The SABR By-Laws provide that an open Director’s seat may be filled by the remaining Board members within 60 days by a 2/3 majority vote (in this case, 5 of 7 votes), or the Board must call a special election. Evans’s term expires at the end of the Annual Business Meeting at the 2023 SABR convention.

“The SABR Board is very excited to have Dan join us,” said Mark Armour, President of the Board of Directors. “His experience throughout the game, his enthusiasm, his love of baseball and SABR, and his obvious talents will be invaluable. We look forward to working with Dan to make SABR an even better organization.

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


SABR Digital Library: When the Monarchs Reigned: Kansas City’s 1942 Negro League Champions

When the Monarchs Reigned: Kansas City's 1942 Negro League Champions Edited by Frederick C. Bush and Bill NowlinAdd a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:

When the Monarchs Reigned: Kansas City’s 1942 Negro League Champions
Edited by Frederick C. Bush and Bill Nowlin
Associate editors: Carl Riechers and Len Levin
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-9701-5952-3, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9701-5953-0, $29.95
8.5″ x 11″, 268 pages

The Kansas City Monarchs are arguably the best-known of all Negro League teams, thanks in part to the inimitable Satchel Paige’s association with the team and longtime Monarch Buck O’Neil’s role as an ambassador of Black baseball history.

The Monarchs won the first-ever Negro League World Series against the Hilldale club in 1924. Black World Series play went on a 15-year hiatus after 1927, but when it returned, so did the Monarchs. That time, 1942, the team faced the perennial Negro National League champions, the Homestead Grays. In the clash between the two powerhouse squads, the Kansas Citians made mincemeat of the mighty Grays and turned 1942 into the year When the Monarchs Reigned.

This book — the result of a collaborative effort by 32 SABR members — features biographies of Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and Willard Brown; stalwarts such as Newt Allen and Buck O’Neil; and many other players. Also included are biographies of principal owner and Hall of Famer J.L. Wilkinson and other front-office personnel, Ruppert Stadium (which was renamed several times over the course of its existence), and groundbreaking Kansas City Call reporter Willa Bea Harmon. Feature articles focus on topics such as the Call’s coverage of the Monarchs, Wilkinson’s role in helping to resuscitate Paige’s career, and the fate of the Monarchs during the World War II years. In addition to an extensive season timeline, game articles highlight a contest against Dizzy Dean’s All-Stars, Satchel Paige Day at Wrigley Field, the two East-West All-Star Games, and the grand finale to the season — the World Series triumph over the Homestead Grays.

Contributors include: Richard Bogovich, Dr. Milbert O. Brown Jr., Frederick C. Bush, Alan Cohen, Rory Costello, Charles F. Faber, Steven Greenes, Margaret M. “Peggy” Gripshover, Tim Hagerty, Donna L. Halper, Leslie Heaphy, Chris Hicks, Jay Hurd, Kirk C. Jenkins, William H. Johnson, Thomas E. Kern, Bill Lamberty, Bob LeMoine, Larry Lester, Len Levin, Bill Nowlin, Tony S. Oliver, Richard J. Puerzer, Carl Riechers, Glen Sparks, Mark S. Sternman, Jeb Stewart, Tim Tassler, Larry Tye, Bob Webster, Dave Wilkie, and William A. Young.

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 50 convention in Baltimore rescheduled for August 17-21, 2022

SABR 50 logoThe SABR 50 convention in Baltimore, Maryland, has been rescheduled for August 17-21, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor. The Baltimore Orioles are scheduled to be home against the Boston Red Sox that weekend, leading to a change in SABR’s planned convention dates by one week.

The Hyatt Regency hotel sits on the waterfront at the majestic Inner Harbor and is conveniently located within walking distance from Camden Yards. Our host hotel is also close to many area museums, historic landmarks, and other attractions like the National Aquarium.

Registration and hotel information will be available at SABR.org/convention in early 2022.


2021 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference moves to virtual event

SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference logoSABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center have opened registration for the third annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference, which will be held virtually on September 10-12, 2021.

This year’s conference theme is “Breaking Barriers: Women in Baseball Around the World.”

  • Register: Click here to register online. The conference is open to all baseball fans.
  • Cost: Virtual attendance is $50 per person, and includes access to all panels and presentations, pylon unveiling, a digital program, and 1 raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets are $5 apiece. Deadline to register: September 3, 2021.
  • Schedule: Stay tuned for more details on panels and presentations.
  • Contact: For questions, please contact Leslie Heaphy or Kat Williams.

For coverage of the 2020 virtual conference, visit SABR.org/women-in-baseball-conference/2020.


Read articles from The National Pastime: The Future According to Baseball online

The National Pastime: The Future According to Baseball (2021)At the 2003 SABR national convention, SABR launched a survey about the future of baseball. SABR members as well as members of the general public were invited to respond. The instructions given to the respondents read as follows: “Answer the questions in light of what you believe will be true in 2020, not what you wish would be true, except where noted.” The questions were mostly focused on Major League Baseball and included topics like new franchises, Hall of Fame inductees, and who would still be playing in 2020.

Inspired by the survey, for this year’s issue of The National Pastime we decided to run a similar survey and ask SABR members once again to look two decades into the future. As we turn the clock ahead to 2040, baseball will continue to reflect what’s happening in the world around it. We hope you enjoy this tour of the future and take comfort in knowing that through all the many disruptions that will come over the next 20 years, we project that the game we know and love will prevail.

You can read all of the articles from this journal online now at SABR.org or download the e-book edition for free!

Having trouble downloading our e-books? Having trouble downloading SABR e-books or transferring them to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.


Watch an inspiring short film about SABR’s Baseball Memories program

SABR Baseball Memories programSABR is excited to invite you to learn more about and engage with our Baseball Memories chartered community. Since 2015, this group of SABR volunteers has been enhancing the quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as those in social isolation or living with chronic health issues.

These programs have been so successful and joyful that we want to take this moment to invite more chapters and members to get involved and grow SABR’s Baseball Memories program across the country.

SABR is proud of the many members who facilitate and volunteer to fuel this program that enhances the quality of life for people in memory care, their care partners, and our veterans. We’d like to see their ranks grow and invite our members to get involved in this most rewarding effort.

To contact key SABR volunteers on how you can get involved, visit the SABR Baseball Memories website at sabrbaseballmemories.org.


Call for papers: Spring 2022 Baseball Research Journal

USA Women's National Baseball Team (USA BASEBALL)In 2022, the United States will mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the groundbreaking civil rights legislation that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions receiving federal funds. Although the law was not specifically aimed at athletics, it had wide-reaching effects in sports for women and girls, particularly in increasing opportunities and participation. In the past few years, women in baseball have seen big leaps forward, but in addition to the milestones of the current moment, there is still much to uncover about the history of women and girls participating in the game, not just in the US but worldwide.

To mark the anniversary of Title IX, the Spring 2022 issue of SABR’s Baseball Research Journal is seeking research articles on women and girls in baseball. All topics and eras are welcome, from 19th-century Bloomer Girls teams through statistical analysis of 21st-century collegiate women. A specific tie to Title IX is not necessary.

Please pitch abstracts or synopses to Publications Director Cecilia Tan at ctan@sabr.org before August 15, 2021.

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


Friends of SABR: July 2021

Here is a list of SABR supporters for the month of July 2021:

NAME   NAME
Andy Behrens   William Pearch
Chris Betsch   Gregg Pericich
D. Bruce Brown   John Rall
John Burbridge III   William Rhue
Brian Callaghan   James Rook
Ken Carrano   Michael Rosenwasser
Jim Cox   Charles Roussel
Jay Edwards   Bob Russon
Steven Elsberry   Jason Scheller
Dennis Fenner   Douglas Schoppert
Philip Fickling   Jeffrey Self
David Firstman   Mark Stangl
Adam Foldes   Thomas Stone
Leslie Heaphy   Wesley Story
Tim Herlich   Joseph Thompson
Rockwell Hoffman   John Thorn
David Hughes   Stew Thornley
Donald Jensen   Neal Traven
Henry Levy   Steve West
Peter Mancuso   Beach Wires
Roderic Nelson   Jeffrey Wood
Bill Nowlin   Don Zminda

Want to become a Friend of SABR? Click here to make a recurring monthly contribution or click here to learn more about our Giving Circles to make a one-time contribution.


Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

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.

  • Video Replays: This week, we heard from Mike Port, former MLB umpires supervisor and Boston Red Sox GM; Stealing Home author Eric Nusbaum; and Shawn Herne of the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. 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:

  • August 7: Talkin’ Baseball: Stephen Bratkovich (9:00 a.m. EDT)
  • August 10: Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series (7:00 p.m. EDT)
  • August 13: Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series (7:00 p.m. EDT)
  • August 14: Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series (3:00 p.m. EDT)

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

  • August 7: Halsey Hall Chapter book club meeting (St. Paul, MN)
  • August 7: Rogers Hornsby Chapter meetup/ballgame (Round Rock, TX)
  • August 14: Larry Dierker Chapter ballgame/meeting (Sugar Land, TX)
  • August 14: Dayton Chapter meeting (Dayton, OH)
  • August 14: Rice-Russell Nashville Chapter meeting (Nashville, TN)
  • August 14: Robinson-Kell Chapter meeting (Bryant, AR)
  • August 14: Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter book club meeting (Milwaukee, WI)
  • August 14: Central Florida Chapter: Jackie Robinson Ballpark and Museum event (Daytona Beach, FL)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.


SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with author David Nemec

SABRcast #122: David NemecBaseball 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 #122 on Monday, August 2 featured David Nemec, author of a newly updated edition of The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated and many other baseball books. He is a 2015 recipient of SABR’s Henry Chadwick Award, honoring baseball’s greatest researchers, and he is best known for his work in the field of 19th-century baseball history. His signature contributions are The Great Encyclopedia of Nineteenth Century Major League Baseball; The Beer and Whisky League; 20th Century Baseball Chronicles; Early Dreams; and Major League Baseball Profiles: 1871-1900. He has also won numerous SABR national baseball trivia contests. He was a guest on SABRcast episode #65 in June 2020.

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.


4 new SABR biographies published

Miles Wolff (COURTESY OF HOFFMAN WOLFF)Four 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


SABR Century: Yankees, Indians battle in 1921 AL pennant race at Games Project

Joe Sewell (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)From the middle of May 1921 onward, the defending world champion Cleveland Indians and challenger New York Yankees ran first and second in the American League. Cleveland’s lead waxed and waned at no more than four games, as the Yankees, led by record-smashing Babe Ruth and seeking their first-ever pennant, kept close.

On July 20, the Yankees drew even for the first time in over two months with a 7-1 win at Cleveland’s Dunn Field. But the Indians responded a day later, racking up 22 hits against New York starter Carl Mays and three relievers in a 17-8 win to regain sole possession of first place. Shortstop Joe Sewell, who had replaced Ray Chapman in Cleveland’s lineup after Chapman’s tragic death when hit by a Mays pitch in August 1920, led the Indians’ attack with five hits. The Indians-Yankees race would play out for two more months, with many more thrills to come.

The SABR Baseball Games Project, in support of SABR’s Century Committee’s celebration of the centennial of the 1921 baseball season, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Indians-Yankees battle with a new article by SABR member Vince Guerrieri.

Follow the Games Project and Century Committee throughout 2021 for coverage of the 1921 season. The Games Project has recently published 15 new articles on historically significant games from July 1921 involving American League, National League, and Negro National League teams.

Highlights of July 1921 include pennant race thrills in the National League and a controversial trade; Babe Ruth tying baseball’s all-time home run record and then breaking the record three days later; Bullet Rogan’s two-way excellence; a surprise summer surge in St. Louis; a Negro National League shocker in Columbus; Black baseball star power at Ebbets Field; and National League and Negro National League pitchers’ duels in Chicago.

— John Fredland


9 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

Ross Youngs (TRADING CARD DB)Nine 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.

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.


July 8 Board minutes posted

Minutes from the Board of Directors virtual meeting on July 8, 2021, have now been posted on the SABR website.

You can view all past minutes of SABR Board meetings by clicking on the link below:

https://profile.sabr.org/board-minutes

Or you can go to the Members’ Info page and click on “Org. files”, then “Board Minutes” to view the minutes.


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
Patrick Christle New Haven, IN     Kevin Lowell East Dundee, FL
Gail Fernley Stuart, FL     William Nixon Louisville, KY
Colin Hamilton Calgary, AB     David Peterson Maineville, OH
Michael Hogan Jersey City, NJ     Mike Szczepaniak Sharon Hill, PA
Paul Hunter Norwalk, CT     Keith Wood Millington, TN
Karen Johns Trussville, AL     Bruce Zimmerman Hagerstown, MD

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.

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Originally published: August 6, 2021. Last Updated: August 6, 2021.