This Week in SABR: December 11, 2020

December 11, 2020/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

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 December 11, 2020:

SABR 50 at 50: Baseball Cards

As part of the SABR 50 at 50 project to commemorate the organization’s fiftieth anniversary, the SABR Baseball Cards Committee offers 50 cards for the past 50 years.

This isn’t a ranking or even a list of the “best” card for each year but rather a look at the hobby as it has changed over the past five decades and the way the history of baseball has been reflected in cards over that same time.

Visit SABR.org/50at50/cards to read the list and the short description for each of the cards. Click on the title to read stories from the SABR Baseball Cards Blog, the SABR BioProject, or other baseball authors about these cards or the players pictured in them. Click on the card image itself to show front and back sides of each card.

— Nick Vossbrink and Jason Schwartz

‘Lost’ no-hitter by Cleveland’s Pete Dowling in 1901 now recognized as first in American League history

Baseball records are not chiseled in stone. Our knowledge changes over time as new information comes to light. This week, SABR published a new Games Project article by Gary Belleville to explain how a long-lost no-hitter by Cleveland’s Pete Dowling in 1901 has been recognized by the baseball research community as the first no-hitter in Indians franchise history — and the first one thrown in the American League’s inaugural season as a major league, too.

Dowling’s feat on June 30, 1901, against the Milwaukee Brewers has been obscured for more than a century because of an official scoring decision that was made too late to prevent an erroneous wire-service report from being sent out across the country. Recently, after an extensive review of newspaper accounts and evidence collected from many sources, Retrosheet.org and Baseball-Reference.com added box scores from the 1901 season to their online databases, confirming Dowling’s performance to be a 9-inning no-hitter in the Cleveland Blues’ 7-0 win at Milwaukee.

Visit the SABR Games Project to read the full article.

Register now to join us for a virtual SABR Day event on January 30

SABR commemorates its 50th anniversary in 2021 and will launch its year-long celebration with SABR Day on Saturday, January 30. SABR Day will be hosted virtually around the globe for the first time, giving baseball fans a chance to come together — wherever they live — to share their love of the game.

The program will include conversations with broadcasting legend Bob Costas of MLB Network and National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President Tim Mead.

“We are honored and thrilled to have Bob Costas and Tim Mead join us for the first-ever virtual SABR Day,” SABR CEO Scott Bush said. “There is not a better way to lead off our Golden Anniversary and we excitedly look forward to sharing SABR with the entire baseball community.”

SABR Day registration will be free for SABR members. A $10 donation will be requested of non-members. Click here to register online. The virtual SABR Day program will run from 2:00-4:00 p.m. EST on January 30.

Say goodbye to 2020 with 20% off SABR Gift Memberships

2020 has been a tough year for everyone, but it’s not all bad news to close out the calendar. Now you can share your love of baseball with a great deal on SABR Gift Memberships!

Give the baseball fan in your life the holiday gift of SABR and you’ll get 20% off their new membership, just in time to say goodbye (and good riddance) to 2020.

For fans who can’t get enough baseball, especially when visiting a ballpark isn’t an option, a SABR membership offers unparalleled access to the game’s most important research and histories within a like-minded community of fellow enthusiasts.

Click here to purchase a gift membership and enter the promotional code GOODBYE2020 (case sensitive) on the final billing page. Click “Apply Code” to receive the 20% discount on your gift membership dues.

Visit SABR.org/goodbye-2020 to learn more about registering for someone else and how to keep your gift a surprise.

Early registration now open for 2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference

Early registration is now open for the SABR Virtual Analytics Conference, which will be held over four days in online sessions from March 11-14, 2021. We’ll bring together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate, and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. Register today to join us!

Programming will run on Thursday and Friday evening from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Eastern, all day Saturday from 12:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern, and Sunday afternoon from 1:00-5:00 p.m. EDT.

Registration: Click here to register for the 2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference. Early-bird registration is $75 for SABR members, $100 for non-members, and $50 for currently enrolled high school or college students (includes one-year SABR membership). Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive the discounted registration link.
Yoseloff Scholarship: Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference. Deadline: December 31, 2020.
Research Awards: We’re seeking nominations for the 2021 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards. Deadline: December 31, 2020.

Stay tuned for more details on guest speakers, panelists, and presenters! Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more.

Join SABR’s Golden Lineup to help us celebrate our 50th Anniversary!

With the holiday season upon us and our Golden Anniversary around the corner, we want to thank you for your continuing support of SABR. Gifts from members like you make it possible to sustain and grow SABR into the future.

All donors joining SABR’s Golden Lineup with a $100 gift or more will receive a copy of From Rube to Robinson, our anthology of research celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues. Donors supporting SABR with a gift of $500 or more will also receive a miniature Rawlings Gold Glove Award replica and be entered to win the SABR Golden Ticket. The winner of the SABR Golden Ticket will receive:

Lifetime membership to SABR
All expenses paid to a SABR conference of their choice
Attend the 2021 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Banquet in New York City

To learn more, or to join SABR’s Golden Lineup, visit SABR.org/donate/2020.

Apply now to participate in the 2021 Diamond Dollars Virtual Case Competition

The 2021 Diamond Dollars Virtual Case Competition will be held online from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. EST on Friday, March 12, 2021, as part of the SABR Virtual Analytics Conference.

Register: Click here to register your team for the 2021 Diamond Dollars Virtual Case Competition. Registration is $995 per team, which includes admission to all SABR Virtual Analytics Conference sessions and a one-year SABR membership for each participants. Please include your school name, along with names and contact information for up to 5 participants.
Questions: Please contact Vince Gennaro with any questions about participating.

Visit SABR.org/analytics/case to learn more.

Students, two weeks left to apply for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference

With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to eight scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the SABR Virtual Analytics Conference on March 11-14, 2021. This scholarship will pay for all registration fees and expenses associated with the conference.

Download an application form: Click here to apply for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference

The deadline to apply is December 31, 2020. The objective of this scholarship fund is to encourage student engagement with baseball analytics, and to engender an active interest in baseball research and SABR.

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

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.

This week, we heard from authors Jane Leavy (The Big Fella), Marshall Garvey (The Hidden History of Sacramento Baseball), Bill Nowlin (Baseball’s Biggest Blowout Games), and Thomas Gilbert (How Baseball Happened), along with Bill Humber as part of SABR’s monthly 19th Century Speaker Series.

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

Saturday, December 12

Jack Graney (Ohio) Chapter meeting with Sean Gibson (10:00 a.m. EST)
Pee Wee Reese (Kentucky) Chapter meeting with Greg Galiette (10:00 a.m. EST)
Halsey Hall (Minnesota) Chapter book club meeting (9:30 a.m. CST)
Baseball Reminiscence meeting (4:00 p.m. EST)

Sunday, December 13

Rogers Hornsby (Texas) Chapter meeting (1:00 p.m. CST)

Monday, December 14

Rocky Mountain Chapter meeting with Chris Phillips, Ryan Spillborghs, Chris Moyer, and Dan Evans (12:00 p.m. MST)
Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter meeting with Jeremy Beer (6:30 p.m. CST)
Luke Easter (N.Y.) Chapter meeting with Randy Mobley, Kevin Reichard, and Josh Whetzel (7:30 p.m. EST)
Gardner-Waterman (Vermont) Chapter meeting (7:30 p.m. EST)
Juan Marichal (D.R.) Chapter meeting with Luis Rojas (7:30 p.m. EST)
Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter research committee meeting (7:00 p.m. CST)
Larry Dierker (Texas) Chapter meeting with Jerry Amernic (7:00 p.m. CST)
Elysian Fields (N.J.) Chapter meeting with Gabrielle Starr (9:00 p.m. EST)

Wednesday, December 16

Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting (12:00 p.m. EST)

Thursday, December 17

Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter meeting (6:30 p.m. EST)
Larry Doby (S.C.) Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EST)
Magnolia (Georgia) Chapter meeting (7:30 p.m. EST)

Saturday, December 19

Hank Gowdy (Ohio) Chapter meeting (9:30 a.m. EST)
Bud Metheny (Va.) Chapter book club meeting with Rob Fitts (10:00 a.m. EST)
Ken Keltner (Wis.) Chapter holiday party (6:00 p.m. CST)

Find more upcoming virtual meetings on our SABR Events Calendar page.

Click here to view replays of any SABR virtual event in 2020.

SABR Women in Baseball Committee seeking volunteers for new timeline project

The SABR Women in Baseball Committee would like to create a comprehensive timeline that includes all aspects of women playing, working in, or being involved in baseball. No event or person is too small to include.

Please click here to submit an entry for the timeline with as much or as little detail as you have.

For example, you could an entry as simple as “1883: Dolly Vardens played” or something more specific such as “September 11, 1875: game in Springfield, IL between the blondes and brunettes.”

Click here to learn more about SABR’s Women in Baseball Committee.

— Leslie Heaphy

SABR office continuing to work remotely

The SABR office, housed at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix, Arizona, has been closed indefinitely due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Staff members will work remotely until it is advisable to resume normal operations on-site.

Please contact a member of the SABR staff by email or phone with any questions.

SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with ESPN broadcaster Dan Shulman

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 #89 on Monday, December 7 featured Dan Shulman, a popular baseball broadcaster for ESPN and the Toronto Blue Jays, and the 2020 Jack Graney Award recipient from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Shulman was the voice of ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” from 2011 to 2017 and continues to call baseball and men’s college basketball games on TV and radio for the network. Since 2016, he has also served as the Blue Jays’ TV play-by-play commentator; he is in his second stint with the team after working in the same role from 1995 to 2001. He also hosts the “A Swing and a Belt” podcast for Sportsnet in Canada.

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

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

6 new SABR biographies published

Six new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project. Here are the new bios published this week:

George Brunet, by Andrew Sharp
Ed Fitz Gerald, by Paul Hofmann
Tookie Gilbert, by Richard Cuicchi
Ken R. Hunt, by Tim Otto
Tito Landrum, by Malcolm Allen
Jakie May, by Darren Gibson

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

Find any SABR biography: You can visit sabr.org/bioproject to search for any player — or manager, executive, scout, spouse, broadcaster, or umpire — who appears in the SABR BioProject. In addition, we have pages for Ballparks, Broadcasters, Executives, Games, Managers, Scouts, Spouses, Umpires, Writers, people who were Famous Outside Baseball, and a lot more.
Seeking authors for 2021 Hall of Fame candidates: As part of our BioProject Hall of Fame Ballot initiative, we are still seeking authors for all of the first-time players on this year’s ballot, including Tim Hudson, A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher, and Shane Victorino. Please contact bioassign@sabr.org if you are interested in writing about one of these players.
Sign up to view Trello submission pipeline: Chief Editor Rory Costello has made the BioProject submission pipeline visible to project contributors using the signboard app Trello. If you would like to see the pipeline — to know where your story stands in the review process or how many articles we have in the system — e-mail Rory for an invitation to become an observer.

10 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

Ten new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories — which are part of our First Games Back project:

May 31, 1884: Mountain Citys fall in final major-league game played in Altoona, by Tim Hagerty
May 8, 1901: Boston wins first home game in Red Sox franchise history, by Bill Nowlin
June 30, 1901: Cleveland’s Pete Dowling tosses the American League’s first no-hitter — or does he?, by Gary Belleville
July 21, 1925: Red Sox rookie Roy Carlyle completes cycle against Chief Bender, by Mike Huber
September 7, 1952: Hartford goes out a winner before 64-year break from Organized Baseball, by Kurt Blumenau
May 29, 1955: Roberto Clemente’s five hits lead Pirates to curfew-interrupted win over Phillies, by John Fredland
June 26, 1960: Ron Santo makes auspicious debut for last-place Cubs, by Steve Dunn
May 6, 1975: David Clyde sent down to minors, throws shutout for Pittsfield outside the spotlight, by Kurt Blumenau
May 8, 2012: Rangers’ Josh Hamilton hits four homers in one game, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
May 24, 2019: Washington Nationals begin their improbable comeback with four-homer game, by Laura H. Peebles

In addition, new stories were posted this week from The Babe (SABR, 2019), edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks:

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 Comiskey Park greatest games book: Click here to read all stories from The Base Ball Palace of the World: Comiskey Park (SABR, 2019), edited by Gregory H. Wolf, online at the SABR Games Project.

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

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, is back at a new time. Listen to new episodes at 4:00-5:00 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.

Call for SABR award nominations

Seymour Medal (history/biography books; deadline: 12/31/2020)
SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards (baseball analytics research; deadline: 12/31/2020)
Larry Ritter Book Award (Deadball Era books; deadline: 12/31/2020)
Ron Gabriel Award (Brooklyn Dodgers research; deadline: 12/31/2020)
Russell Gabay Award (New Jersey baseball; deadline: 12/31/2020)
SABR Baseball Research Award (outstanding research articles/projects: deadline: 1/31/2021)
McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award (best history/biography articles; deadline: 2/15/2021)

Please note: Only ONE entry per nomination will be considered (do not submit multiple nominations for the same award). For more information on SABR Awards, click here.

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: https://sabr.org/content/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
Jean Bergesen	London, ENG	JJ Jones	Overland Park, KS
Jeff Bergesen	Providence, RI	Michael Klingensmith	Minneapolis, MN
George Bromley	Falls Church, VA	Shane Montgomery	Hillsboro, OH
Bill Burke	Paramus, NJ	Monty Nielsen	Manhattan, KS
Joey Covolo	Scottsdale, AZ	Clinton Riddle	Lexington, KY
Russell Frackman	Los Angeles, CA	Chris Rogers	Bethesda, MD
Christopher Grey	Cleveland, OH	Michael Sandler	Boynton Beach, FL
Andrew Harner	Sandusky, OH	Jim Williams	Franklin, IN
Gil Hatfield	Sacramento, CA

Research Committee news

There were no 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 updates this week:

Boston Chapter: Read a new “Dispatches From the Mudville Bureau,” by Joanne Hulbert (Boston, MA)
Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter: December 2020 newsletter (Milwaukee, WI)
Lajoie-Start Southern New England Chapter: December 2020 newsletter (Providence, RI)

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:

Al Michaels selected as 2021 Ford C. Frick Award Winner (BaseballHall.org)
Dick Kaegel named 72nd winner of Spink Award (BaseballHall.org)
Jay Jaffe: Reckoning with Dick Allen (1942–2020) (FanGraphs)
Richard Goldstein: Dick Allen, 78, Dies; Baseball Slugger Withstood Bigotry (New York Times)
Jayson Stark: Remembering the greatness of Dick Allen, and what might have been (The Athletic)
Steven Goldman: Dick Allen is Not in the Hall of Fame (Baseball Prospectus)
Mitch Nathanson: The Last Betrayal of Dick Allen (Sports Talk Philly)
J.J. Cooper: MLB Invites 120 Teams To Join Minor Leagues In 2021 (Baseball America)
Evan Drellich: Angry minor league owners weigh fight with MLB (The Athletic)
Britt Ghiroli: ‘Everyone lost’: The minor league’s canceled season will reverberate for years (The Athletic)
Jeff Zimmerman: Hurt Hitters are Outperforming Healthy Ones. Why? (FanGraphs)
Rob Arthur: MLB Might Have Lost About As Much Money As They Make In A Typical Year (Baseball Prospectus)
Rob Mains: Long Odds for MLB’s Insurance Claim (Baseball Prospectus)
Sports Info Solutions: 2020 NPB & KBO Fielding Bible Awards (ACTA Sports)
Jay Jaffe: JAWS and the 2021 Hall of Fame Ballot: Torii Hunter (FanGraphs)
Sarah Langs: The rare history of players batting Nos. 1-9 (MLB.com)
Michael Clair: Eddie Robinson, baseball’s oldest living player, is turning 100 (MLB.com)
Paul Lukas: History Lesson: ‘Black Sports’ and ‘Our Sports’ Magazines (Uni Watch)
Jim Overfield updates father’s classic book on Buffalo Bisons baseball (WNYpapers.com)
Gary Cieradkowski: Hack Wilson: When 1938 was 1930 for a day (Studio Gary C)
Roger Cormier: Introducing Nona Rhea Howard Seeds (Baseball Prospectus)
Austin Danforth: Burlington’s long, strange — and relatively brief — history with professional baseball (Burlington Free Press)
Ralph Carhart: The Beatles and Baseball (The Hall Ball Blog)
Ichiro Suzuki breaks new ground as high school coach (Japan Times)
David Laurila: Dave Magadan Chased a Batting Title With the Mets (FanGraphs)
Amanda Lane: Tino Martinez and the Last Heartbreak of the 1995 Seattle Mariners (Lookout Landing)
Al Yellon: In appreciation of Len Kasper (Bleed Cubbie Blue)
Don Zminda: Dick Allen: A Chicagoan Remembers (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
SABR 50 at 50 (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Jason Schwartz: Overanalyzing 1933 Goudey, part five (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)

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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