This Week in SABR: December 18, 2020

December 18, 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 18, 2020:

SABR establishes task force to consider Negro Leagues as major leagues

SABR has established a task force to evaluate how to better integrate Negro Leagues records, stats, and stories into SABR’s publications, databases, and future research projects.

On Wednesday, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that Major League Baseball is officially recognizing the major-league status of the Negro Leagues.

“We are thrilled that Major League Baseball has taken this step,” SABR Chief Executive Officer Scott Bush said. “This acknowledgment is consistent with the tremendous work done by many researchers who have championed the study of Black baseball and helped shine a light on these deserving players and teams from the Negro Leagues.”

The task force is chaired by Mark Armour, president of SABR’s Board of Directors, and includes representatives from SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee, Baseball Records Committee, Biographical Research Committee, and other influential members of the baseball research community. Before Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, no Black players had played in the National League or other major leagues since white baseball officials established a racial color barrier in 1887.

Click here to learn more about SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee, which dates back to the organization’s founding in 1971.

It’s time to renew your membership for 2021

While most of you are now enrolled in our automatic renewal program, for anyone whose SABR memberships expire by December 31 — you can check your current membership status here — it’s time for you to renew!

From the Baseball Research Journal and the SABR Digital Library to “This Week in SABR” and our extensive list of research resources — and, of course, all the memorable virtual chapter and committee meetings — we hope you enjoyed the many benefits of SABR membership this past year.

We hope you please continue your support by renewing your SABR membership today at SABR.org/renew.

Pay online: Click here to renew your SABR membership for 2021!
Pay by phone: To process your credit-card payment over the phone, please call the SABR office at (602) 496-1460 during regular business hours. (We accept Visa, Mastercard, or Discover Card.)
Renew by mail: To pay by check or money order, mail this downloadable PDF form and your payment to the office at SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Thank you for your support of SABR as we continue to strive to make SABR membership a great experience and a great value!

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.

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 Sean Gibson of the Josh Gibson Foundation and a panel on baseball’s new Pioneer League with Chris Phillips, Ryan Spillborghs, Chris Moyer, and Dan Evans.

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

December 19: Hank Gowdy (Ohio) Chapter meeting (9:30 a.m. EST)
December 19: Bud Metheny (Va.) Chapter book club meeting with Rob Fitts (10:00 a.m. EST)
December 19: Ken Keltner (Wis.) Chapter holiday party (6:00 p.m. CST)
December 22: Goose Goslin (N.J.) Chapter meeting with Sean Gibson (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 28: Elysian Fields (N.J.) Chapter meeting with Anne R. Keene (9:00 p.m. EST)

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 SABR CEO Scott Bush

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 #90 on Monday, December 14 featured Scott Bush, SABR’s Chief Executive Officer, who spoke with Rob to break down the realignment of the minor leagues. Scott formerly served as Senior Vice President for Business Development with the Goldklang Group and worked for five years as Assistant General Manager for the St. Paul Saints, where he played a key role in establishing CHS Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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:

Harold Baines, by Tim Deale and Malcolm Allen
Dusty Baker, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
Louis Drucke, by Bill Lamb
Dave Stewart, by Bryan Lake
Andy Oyler, by Stew Thornley
Ed Sukla, by Eric Vickrey

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.

Read all stories from The Babe online at the SABR Games Project

In 2019, The Babe, edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks, was published by the SABR Digital Library. Articles on 50 notable games from Babe Ruth’s larger-than-life career were included in the book.

All of the game stories from The Babe can now be read online at the SABR Games Project. These new stories from the book were posted online this week:

September 24, 1920: Babe Ruth becomes first player to hit 50 home runs in a season, by Paul Hofmann
September 24, 1920: Babe Ruth hits 51st homer just hours after reaching milestone, by Paul Hofmann
September 29, 1920: Babe Ruth hits 54th home run to cap off first season with Yankees, by James Forr
June 13, 1921: Ruth’s Yankees knock out Cobb’s Tigers as Babe reaches Polo Grounds bleachers, by T.S. Flynn
July 15, 1921: Babe Ruth’s 138th career home run ties Roger Connor’s big-league record, by Gregory H. Wolf
September 15, 1921: Babe Ruth again breaks his own home run record with #55 at Polo Grounds, by Paul E. Doutrich
May 25, 1922: Babe Ruth’s ejection costs him Yankees captaincy, by Mike Lynch
April 18, 1923: Babe Ruth homers in Yankee Stadium’s grand opening, hinting at franchise’s dynastic future, by Frederick “Rick” Bush
June 1, 1925: Babe Ruth returns from ‘Bellyache Heard ‘Round the World’, by Josh Berk
August 16, 1927: Babe Ruth’s homer reaches the roof at Comiskey Park in Chicago, by John Gabcik
September 29, 1927: Babe Ruth hits grand slam in second consecutive game for No. 59, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.

Click here to download the e-book edition of The Babe for free or get 50% off the paperback edition.

5 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

Five new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories:

October 1, 1884: Rookie Pretzels Getzien twists opponents in rain-shortened no-hitter, by Gregory H. Wolf
August 14, 1915: Babe Ruth wins first start against Walter Johnson, by Kevin Larkin
September 29, 1923: Red Sox wrap up 5-4 win against Yankees in just over one hour, by Bill Nowlin
August 22, 1970: White Sox’s Bart Johnson wins one for teammate’s ill child, by Kurt Blumenau
June 16, 2019: Nationals’ Aníbal Sánchez earns his 100th win, by Laura H. Peebles

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
Gary Ashman	Las Vegas, NV	Adam Lazarus	Dunwoody, GA
Tom Balsamo	Glen Burnie, MD	Michael Lewis	Portland, ME
Tami Bell	Richmond, CA	Terry McGee	Centreville, AL
Chris Derrick	Media, PA	Matthew McLawhorn	Hometown, IL
Bryan Dietzler	Oxford, IA	Bob Messner	Brookhaven, GA
AJ DiFillipo	Peabody, MA	Joseph Miller	Herndon, VA
Bob Ecklund	Lake Villa, IL	Robert Pusateri	Williamsville
Thompson Ford	Lake Forest, IL	Jessica Quiroli	Philadelphia, PA
Jeremy Gibbs	St. Peters, MO	Thomas Renyak	Bellerose, NY
Mike Grisz	Herndon, VA	Mike Risley	Louisville, KY
Charles Harm	Franklin, TN	Joel Rohan	Atlanta, GA
Mace Hibbard	Snellville, GA	Scott Simkus	Carol Stream, IL
Todd Hoppe	Portland, OR	Erik Sjogren	Elk River, MN
William Hutton	Kansas City, KS	Nelson Tishcoff	Mississauga, ON
Jeffrey Kraus	Staten Island, NY	William Wormsley	Pittsburgh, PA
Yanick Letourneau	Quebec City, QC

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

Baseball Records: December 2020 newsletter
BioProject: Please give a warm welcome to Alan Cohen as the new Chief Fact-Checker for the BioProject editing team. We are seeking additional volunteers to serve as fact-checkers for future BioProject submissions. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact Alan.
Business of Baseball: Fall 2020 newsletter

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)
Hemond-Delhi Arizona Chapter: December 2020 newsletter (Phoenix, AZ)
Juan Marichal Chapter: December 14 meeting recap (Santo Domingo, DOM)
Larry Dierker Chapter: December 14 meeting recap (Houston, TX)

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:

Tyler Kepner: Baseball Rights a Wrong by Adding Negro Leagues to Official Records (New York Times)
Ben Lindbergh: MLB Finally Recognizes the Negro Leagues as the Major Leagues They Were (The Ringer)
Gare Joyce: Larry Lester: MLB’s recognition of Negro Leagues should generate excitement (Sportsnet.ca)
Clinton Yates: MLB elevating the status of Negro Leagues is the problem, not the solution (The Undefeated)
Howard Bryant: MLB can add Negro Leagues to official records but can never change what it did to Black players (ESPN.com)
John Shea: As Willie Mays’ career stats grow, he’s just happy for his Negro League teammates (San Francisco Chronicle)
Jay Jaffe: Wrestling With MLB’s Move To Designate Negro Leagues as Majors (FanGraphs)
Steve Goldstein: How Reclassifying Negro Leagues As Part Of MLB Acknowledges Suppressed Past (KJZZ.org)
Thomas Boswell: Baseball’s record book is beloved, but not sacred. Including Negro Leaguers is long overdue. (Washington Post)
Joe Posnanski: MLB recognition of Negro Leagues a first step (The Athletic)
Hannah Keyser: The Indians are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, and they’re not even doing it right now (Yahoo! Sports)
Anthony Castrovince: Pete Dowling got his no-hitter, 119 years after throwing it (MLB.com)
Rob Arthur: The Hot Stove Has Never Been Colder (Baseball Prospectus)
Rob Mains: Is MLB’s Foot-Dragging on the DH Hurting the National League? (Baseball Prospectus)
Jayson Stark: Inside the Phillies’ search and the hire of Dave Dombrowski (The Athletic)
Russell Carleton: Did Analytics Ruin Baseball? (Baseball Prospectus)
Craig Edwards: Two Easy Ways To Make Baseball a Better Game (FanGraphs)
Derrick Goold: Cardinals’ history began with Cleveland’s heartbreak (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Lucius Riccio: Call ‘em the Cleveland Sockos: What the Indians’ renaming misses (New York Daily News)
Michael Clair: Eddie Robinson looks back at his career as he turns 100 (MLB.com)
Howard Megdal: At 100, Eddie Robinson Links the Game’s Past, Present, and Future (Baseball Prospectus)
Nick Diunte: At 100, Eddie Robinson Has One Unlikely Frontier Left He Wants To Conquer: Podcasting (Forbes.com)
Emma Baccellieri: The Juggler: The Story Behind the Iconic Dick Allen Cover of 1972 (Sports Illustrated)
Bill Francis: Charley Pride was a star on the field and at the mic (BaseballHall.org)
Gary Cieradkowski: Joe DiMaggio: Deadpan Joe from the Coast (Studio Gary C)
Rich Westcott: Dick Allen: An unforgettable Phillie, on and off the field (Delaware County Times)
Jonathan Eig: The Lou Gehrig revealed through letters to his doctor (Chicago Tribune)
Roger Cormier: Minor League Baseball 20.21: Like It or Lump It (Baseball Prospectus)
Sam Gazdziak: 2020 was as bad as you thought it was (RIP Baseball)
Steven Goldleaf: An Interview with Mitch Nathanson, Jim Bouton’s (and Dick Allen’s) Biographer (Bill James Online)
Nick Vossbrink: Use vs Abuse (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Ira Levington: Eddie Robinson Turns 100 (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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