This Week in SABR: December 4, 2015

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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 4, 2015:

Are you going to the 2015 Baseball Winter Meetings? Let us know

SABR will have a booth at the 114th annual Baseball Winter Meetings, December 6-10, 2015, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Stop by Booth #1146 and say hello to our interns, A.J. Taylor and Michael Martell!

Are you a SABR member who is planning to attend the Winter Meetings? Let us know at jpomrenke@sabr.org.

For more information on the Winter Meetings, visit http://www.milb.com/milb/events/wintermeetings.jsp

  • Many SABR members are scheduled to speak at the Sports Management Worldwide Baseball Career Conference, held December 6-7 in conjunction with the Winter Meetings, at the nearby Inn at Opryland. Click here to learn more.
  • Please also consider joining SABR member Tyrone Brooks and the Baseball Industry Network at the annual Baseball Industry Network Baseball Winter Meetings Morning Meet-Up on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, from 7:00-9:00 a.m. in the main lobby of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Click here to learn more.

It’s time to renew your SABR membership

For those of you whose SABR memberships expire by December 31 — you can check your current membership status here — it’s time for you to renew! We’re excited about the upcoming year ahead of us and we hope you’ll take advantage of all the great membership benefits offered to SABR members in 2016. Here’s a short list:

http://sabr.org/member-benefits

You can renew your membership for 1 year or 3 years online at the SABR Store; by phone at (602) 496-1460; or by mailing this downloadable PDF form and your payment to the office at: SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Dues are the same as they have been in recent years: for this, you get two editions of the Baseball Research Journal, the expanded e-book edition of The National Pastime; 8-10 free e-books published by the SABR Digital Library; “This Week in SABR” every Friday; access to research resources such as Paper of Record (with complete archives of The Sporting News); discounts to all SABR conferences such as the National Convention (Miami 2016), the SABR Analytics Conference, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, and the Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference; discounts to MLB.TV; and much, much more.

We believe SABR has something for everyone, from the active researcher to someone passionate about baseball. We hope you’ll invite your friends, colleagues and family members to join at store.sabr.org.

  • Add a family member for $15: Any SABR member can add a family member in the same household for $15 per year; they will receive all electronic member benefits and access to the website, but no printed publications. To add a new family member, please contact Membership Director Deb Jayne. Note: In order to renew your existing family membership, you must log in to the SABR website under the family member’s username/e-mail address, not your own.

Please make a contribution to SABR’s 2015 donation drive

This has been a banner year for SABR, and you can help us bring 2015 to an even more successful close by making a charitable contribution to our year-end donation drive.

If you’ve already made a contribution to SABR this year, we are grateful for your generous donation.

SABR depends upon the volunteer work of members to mount our exciting events like the SABR Convention, the Analytics Conference, and the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference; to produce groundbreaking research through the SABR Digital Library e-book program, the Baseball Research Journal, and The National Pastime; and to expand the online resources of the research committees, regional chapters, the BioProject, the Games Project, and much more. SABR continues to offer unparalleled opportunities for involvement and benefits for members around the world.

As a 501(c)3 organization, tax-deductible donations allow SABR to expand member opportunities and to become an even larger voice in the baseball community. Many members have already become donors, and you can join them right now by making your gift online at SABR.org/donate. Please help us reach our donation drive goal!

You can also send your donation by check to: SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

All of us at SABR appreciate your support of our great organization and the game we love.

To learn more, visit SABR.org/donate.

Fast Times at SABR High: Meet SABR’s two new high school student groups

From Joe DeLessio at Sports on Earth on Wednesday, December 2:

While his classmates at New York’s Heschel School take part in extracurricular activities like the school newspaper or model U.N., Max Melamed and his friends gather for nobler pursuits, like debating whether Miguel Cabrera deserved to be named MVP over Mike Trout in 2012.

Heschel is one of two U.S. high schools with official chapters of the Society for American Baseball Research, or SABR. In recent years, the organization has made a push to recruit college students through its affiliate membership program, and it has plans to do the same with high schoolers who have an interest not just in baseball, but in the historical and statistical aspects of the game. “One of the things we’ve been trying to do is, sort of like Major League Baseball, get younger fans involved in the game,” says Marc Appleman, SABR’s chief executive officer.

But even before SABR begins to actively reach out to secondary schools, two have already formed chapters, which have taken on very different forms: Heschel, on New York’s Upper West Side, and Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. The students at those schools, though, aren’t just preparing to be the smartest fans in any room they enter; they’re getting involved in an academic setting thanks to their enthusiasm for the game. In the case of the kids at Heschel, they’re also working together to contribute original research that adds to the existing body of statistical analysis. And if it helps them one day land a job with a Major League team? Well that’s all the better.

Read the full article here: http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/158606524/sabr-chapters-high-school-heschel-tabor

Read all articles from Fall 2015 Baseball Research Journal online

Good news! The Fall 2015 edition of the Baseball Research Journal has been mailed out to all SABR members.

Those of you who receive the print edition should find your BRJ arriving in the next two to four weeks, although we hear many have already arrived. For digital subscribers, the e-book edition was delivered to your inboxes on November 4.

As editor Cecilia M. Tan writes, this issue of the BRJ has our usual mix of history and statistics, including a group of several that are that SABR staple: articles which combine both. Whether analyzing unlikely pitching gems (J.G. Preston), trends in play like stolen bases (John McMurray), switch-hit homers (Cort Vitty), and postseason success (Stuart Shapiro), or records well known and obscure (Douglas Jordan), these authors are in relentless pursuit of understanding what has happened on the field.

The second group of articles all deal with baseball and its effects off the field. Baseball as a cultural force has been part of the history of television (Robert D. Warrington), popular culture (TV, movies, and music à la David Krell), and courtroom law (William Lamb). The author team of Warneke, Ogden, and Shorey return to the pages of the BRJ with a social psychology study about youth ballplayers and their choice of heroes among big league players. And Matthew Clifford tracks down a case of mistaken identity that persists in the baseball memorabilia biz.

Lastly we have some good old-fashioned history, telling the stories of memorable fans (Hilda Chester by Rob Edelman), performances (Brian Marshall), personalities (Colonel Ruppert and Miller Huggins by Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg), icons (Babe Ruth from two angles, by John McMurray and Michael Haupert, Connie Mack by Norman Macht), and seasons (1951 Hazard, Kentucky, by Sam Zygner).

To learn more about contributing to a future SABR publication, click here.

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.

We hope you enjoy reading the Fall 2015 Baseball Research Journal!

Early registration now open for 2016 SABR Analytics Conference

SABR has a long and storied history with baseball statistical analysis, evidenced by the link between our name and sabermetrics. While SABR is a multi-faceted organization involved in virtually every aspect of baseball, we continue to build on our legacy by producing and hosting the fifth annual SABR Analytics Conference.

Once again, we’re bringing together the top minds of the baseball analytic community under one roof to discuss, debate and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball.

The schedule will consist of a combination of Guest Speakers, Panels and Research Presentations — plus the unique Diamond Dollars Case Competition, in which undergraduate, graduate, and law school students from across the country analyze and present a real baseball operations decision.

  • Conference registration is available now at the SABR Store. Click here to register! The conference is open to all baseball fans. The early registration rate is $395 for SABR members and $495 for nonmembers, or $350 for currently enrolled high school or college students (includes one-year membership to SABR).
  • Book your hotel room: The 2016 SABR Analytics Conference will be held Thursday, March 10 through Saturday, March 12 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, 122 N. 2nd St., Phoenix, AZ 85004. Click here to book your hotel room at the special SABR group rate of $179/night (plus tax) for double occupancy. Or call (602) 252-1234 and mention that you’re with the SABR Analytics Conference.

Check back soon at SABR.org/analytics as we announce some of our featured speakers, panels and presentations for the 2016 SABR Analytics Conference!

Related links:

Students: One month left to apply for a 2016 SABR Analytics Yoseloff Scholarship

With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the 2016 SABR Analytics Conference on March 10-12, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona. This scholarship will pay for registration, air transportation and lodging up to a total value of $1,250.

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. The Yoseloff scholarship is to assist young researchers who want to attend SABR’s Analytics Conference and to introduce them to fellow SABR members and professionals within the baseball community. Through this fund, SABR hopes to inspire future baseball research, expose students to high-quality research and build the research capability of interested students.

Students must be currently enrolled in a high school, college undergraduate or graduate program, and be between 18 and 29 years of age at the time of the conference. Some form of age verification (photocopy of driver’s license, passport, etc.) must be attached to your application. All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Jeff Schatzki at jschatzki@sabr.org no later than December 31, 2015.

Click here for complete details on eligibility requirements and submission details. Or Click here to download the PDF application.

Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2016 Pre-Integration Era vote to be unveiled next week

Six former big league players, three executives and one of the game’s earliest organizers comprise the 10-name Pre-Integration Era ballot to be reviewed and voted upon December 7 at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.

Doc Adams, Sam Breadon, Bill Dahlen, Wes Ferrell, Garry Herrmann, Marty Marion, Frank McCormick, Harry Stovey, Chris von der Ahe, and Bucky Walters are the candidates for Pre-Integration Era Committee consideration for Hall of Fame election for the Class of 2016. Dahlen, Ferrell, Marion, McCormick, Stovey and Walters are included for their contributions as players, while the other four are inclusions for their off-field careers. All candidates are deceased.

Click on the links above to read SABR bios for the candidates, where available.

Any candidate to receive votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Pre-Integration Era Committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 24, 2016, along with any electees who emerge from the 2016 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, to be announced on January 6, 2016.

Doc Adams was voted as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend for 2014; Bill Dahlen was selected as the Overlooked Legend in 2012 and Harry Stovey in 2011. SABR’s Overlooked Legend in 2010, Deacon White, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2013 by the Pre-Integration Era Committee.

Seeking donations for new SABR book on Deadball Era World Series

Under the auspices of SABR’s Deadball Era Committee, Steve Steinberg and Tom Simon are editing a book on the World Series of the Deadball Era. The drama of the national pastime during that bygone time is captured through the photographs and words of the men who reported the drama for the nation’s newspapers, when they were the only medium around. Sportswriters of the time wrote with a lyrical prose, more descriptive than newspaper accounts of the past 50 years.

Never before has the story of the early World Series been told in their words, accompanied by terrific visual images — many of them rare and not seen for years — in this book. Together through the lens and pens of yesteryear, the reader gets an intimate view of baseball’s championships of the early 20th century.

This book will be published in the spring of 2017 by St. Johann Press, a small, quality New Jersey publisher that has done a number of niche sports books. Members of the Deadball Era Committee have served as editors of individual World Series chapters; they have chosen vivid accounts that take the reader back in time. Around 200 evocative high-quality photos, drawn from public archives and private collectors, will accompany the text.

Because the approval of this book predates the establishment of the SABR Digital Library publishing program, and because it will include so many high-quality photos from different sources, we are seeking contributions to help cover the excess cost over a typical SABR team book.

If you want to help: Checks can be made out to SABR and mailed to Steve Steinberg at the address below:

Steve Steinberg
Orcas Business Park
5700 Sixth Ave. South #214
Seattle, WA 98108

SABR is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Please consider making a donation before December 31; we would like to have the fundraising completed by March 31, 2016.

If you donate $100 or more, you will get a free copy of the book, and if you are a major contributor of $200 or more, your name will be mentioned in the book as a Deadball Era Defender. All donations, no matter how small, will make a difference and be greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, please contact Steve at ssteinberg@trinorth.com. Thank you.

— John McMurray
Chair, SABR Deadball Era Committee

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM returns on Sunday

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a new radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro, returns this Sunday night on MLB Network Radio. Please note the show will air at its original timeslot of 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET this week. 

This week’s guests are Jim Duquette, MLB Network Radio host and former major-league executive, and Scott Miller, baseball columnist for Bleacher Report.

Baseball SABR Style 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.

For more information, click here.

Save the date! SABR Day is coming up on January 30, 2016

Just a reminder to all that the seventh annual SABR Day will be held Saturday, January 30, 2016. We’re starting to compile details now on 2016 SABR Day chapter meetings around the country. We’ll post them as soon as we get them at SABR.org/sabrday.

Regional SABR meetings are open to all baseball fans and are usually free to attend, so bring a friend! Guest speakers often include current and former baseball players, managers, umpires, executives, scouts, writers and authors.

Check back soon at SABR.org/sabrday for more information on a SABR Day meeting close to you.

For a complete recap of 2015 SABR Day activities, visit SABR.org/sabrday.

10 new biographies posted at SABR BioProject

Ten new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 3,514 published biographies. Here are the new bios:

All new biographies can be found here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/recent

  • Help us write 2016 Hall of Fame biographies: SABR Director Emily Hawks has launched a new BioProject initiative for biographies of players who are on the 2016 Hall of Fame ballot later this year, and a few players still need biographers. If you are interested in writing a SABR biography for one of these players, please contact Emily Hawks at emilyhawks@gmail.com: Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Jeff Kent, Jason Kendall, Jim Edmonds.
  • 1957 Milwaukee Braves bios posted online: In Thar’s Joy in Braveland! The 1957 Milwaukee Braves, edited by Gregory H. Wolf and published by SABR in 2014, we celebrated the Milwaukee Braves’ historic 1957 World Series championship season. The SABR BioProject biographies that appeared in that book can now be read online. Click here to read all 1957 Braves bios.

Hear Jesse Goldberg-Strassler call a modern re-created baseball game

A couple weeks ago, SABRMedia.org published an article discussing the aesthetics and significance of re-created baseball broadcasting, written for a journal of baseball essays by Media Committee member Bob Barrier. It received a lot of attention, including from a SABR member named Jesse Goldberg-Strassler who, among other things, broadcasts games for the Lansing Lugnuts of the Class A Midwest League.

Goldberg-Strassler does something that no other broadcaster we know of: every season, he re-creates one game out of the 140-game Lugnuts season, as an homage to the great baseball broadcasters of yore who had to deliver re-created broadcasts on a routine basis. Goldberg-Strassler doesn’t have to do this. It is something he chooses to do, and his excellent article below explains why he does and part of how he does it.

Click here to read the full article: http://sabrmedia.org/2015/12/03/hear-jesse-goldberg-strassler-a-modern-day-re-creator-call-a-game/

— Chuck Hildebrandt

MLB.com seeking stats stringers for 2016 season

MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball, is seeking stats stringers to cover these clubs in 2016 and beyond:

  • Atlanta
  • Baltimore/Washington DC
  • Boston
  • Houston
  • Los Angeles (both clubs)
  • Miami
  • Oakland/San Francisco
  • Pittsburgh
  • Texas
  • Toronto

Stats stringers are responsible for digitally scoring games from the MLB ballparks, which provides the data used in the live content applications on MLB.com, including At-Bat, Gameday and MLB.TV, real-time highlights and text alerts, and by our business partners. This is a perfect part-time job for a responsible, computer-savvy person who happens to be a big baseball fan.

Those interested in applying should apply online, here: http://mlb.theresumator.com/apply/oHAhlE/Stats-Stringers. ONLY those who apply online will be considered, and due to volume, we may be unable to respond to all applicants.

For more information on qualifications and responsibilities, click here.

Call for SABR award nominations

  • Seymour Medal, due 12/31/2015: The Dr. Harold and Dorothy Seymour Medal honors the best book of baseball history or biography published during the preceding calendar year. The award is presented during the Seymour Medal Banquet at the NINE Spring Training Conference every March. If you have a book to nominate with a 2015 publication date, contact Michael Haupert at mhaupert@uwlax.edu by December 31, 2015.
  • Larry Ritter Award, due 12/31/2015: Each year, SABR’s Deadball Era Committee presents the Larry Ritter Book Award to recognize the best new book primarily set in the Deadball Era that was published during the previous calendar year. The award is presented during the committee’s meeting at the annual SABR convention. If you have a book to nominate with a 2015 publication date, contact Doug Skipper at theskippers1@hotmail.com by December 31, 2015.
  • Ron Gabriel Award, due 12/31/2015: The Ron Gabriel Award annually honors the author(s) of the best research, published or unpublished, on the subject of the Brooklyn Dodgers completed during the preceding calendar year. To submit a nomination for the 2016 awards, please send a copy of your work to Gary Sarnoff at runtowin89@hotmail.com by December 31, 2015.
  • SABR Baseball Research Award, due 1/31/2016: The SABR Baseball Research Award (formerly the Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award) honors those whose outstanding research projects completed during the preceding calendar year have significantly expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball. To submit a nomination for the 2016 awards, please contact Bill Felber at bfelber@att.net.
  • McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, due 2/15/2016: The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the authors of the best articles on baseball history or biography completed or published during the preceding calendar year. To submit a nomination for the 2016 awards, please contact Len Levin at lenlevin5@hotmail.com.

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.

In Memoriam

  • David Mofenson, 72, of Waban, Massachusetts, died on August 2, 2015. A SABR member since 1973 and active in the Lajoie-Start Southern New England Chapter, he was an attorney and a former state representative. He is survived by his beloved wife, Caryn (Goldberg) Mofenson; sons Jay Mofenson (Amy Belkin Mofenson) and Dana Mofenson (Lisa Kuchta); mother Ruth Mofenson Dimond; and sister Joan Friedman (Alan). Services were held on August 4 at Levine Chapels in Brookline, with burial at Beit Olam East Cemetery in Wayland, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern New England.

ICYMI: Highlights from last week’s This Week in SABR

We’ve heard your feedback: Some of you have said you look forward to “This Week in SABR” every Friday, but sometimes there are just too many compelling articles and announcements to read every week. We’re not complaining — hey, keep up the great work! — but we know the feeling. So in an effort to make the length of this newsletter more manageable to read, we’ll summarize some of the repeating/recurring announcements in a special “In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)” section of “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: http://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 New Member 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 (SABR.org/directory).

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
William Bacon Decatur, GA     Dave Huners Herndon, VA
Jeff Barron Reynoldsburg, OH     Curran McCauley Stockton, CA
Megan Churchwell Seattle, WA     Brian Mills Gainesville, FL
Matt Clairmont New Minas, NS     Carol Montgomery Jacksonville, FL
John Coventry Houston, TX     Satoshi Mori Suita, JPN
Stephen Dickey New Orleans, LA     Teddy Morris Upton, MA
Stephen Dickey Jr. New Orleans, LA     Michael Murphy Bethel, CT
Jimmy Farino Oakdale, NY     Greg Perry Henderson, NV
Russell Frank State College, PA     David Potter Newberry, FL
Ryan Gantner Rochester, NY     Ryan Sofranko Kapolei, HI

 

Research Committee news

Here are the new SABR research committee updates this week:

Find all SABR research committee newsletters at SABR.org/research.

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

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

SABR Events Calendar

Here is a list of upcoming SABR events:

All SABR meetings and events are open to the public. Feel free to bring a baseball-loving friend … and make many new ones! Check out the SABR Events Calendar at SABR.org/events.

Around the Web

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

Read these articles and more at SABR.org/latest.

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: December 4, 2015. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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