This Week in SABR: December 7, 2012

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Welcome to This Week in SABR! Here’s what we’ve been up to as of December 7, 2012:

Cubs GM Jed Hoyer added to 2013 SABR Analytics Conference lineup

We’re happy to announce that Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer will be a featured speaker at the upcoming SABR Analytics Conference, March 7-9, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Hoyer joined the Cubs as Executive Vice President/General Manager in November 2011 after serving two seasons in the same position with the San Diego Padres. He worked in the Boston Red Sox front office with Theo Epstein from 2002-09, helping guide the club to two world championships in 2004 and 2007. His 2010 Padres team finished 90-72 despite the lowest payroll in baseball and the organization’s farm system was ranked the best in baseball by ESPN.com the following year.

Other featured speakers expected for the 2013 Analytics Conference are: Stan Kasten, President/CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers; Derrick Hall, President/CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks; Joe Posnanski, Senior Writer for Sports on Earth; and Brian Kenny, MLB Network host. More speakers will be announced soon!

Once again, SABR is 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 for the second annual:

SABR Analytics Conference
presented by Major League Baseball and Bloomberg Sports
March 7-9, 2013
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
Phoenix, Arizona

SABR has secured a special conference rate of $149/night (plus tax) from March 6-10, 2013, at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, 340 North 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004 — just blocks away from Chase Field. Please note: The group rate is available until February 13, 2013, or until our room block runs out so book your reservation today! Due to the popularity of spring training in Arizona, rooms may not be available at the Sheraton prior to March 6.

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.

The World Baseball Classic will also be held in the Phoenix area that weekend, with first-round games scheduled at Chase Field and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. We plan to talk more about global baseball issues at the 2013 SABR Analytics Conference.

Some of the other topics we are planning to cover include:

  • General Managers Panel on how analytics shapes front-office decisions
  • Measuring Player Performance
  • New innovations in baseball analytics
  • Player Agents — their view of analytics
  • Advances in medical information and its impact on decisions
  • New applications of PITCHf/x data
  • The use of analytics in scouting
  • Player panel — the impact of data and information on performance
  • The International Game — the next hot spot for talent development

The inaugural SABR Analytics Conference in 2012 was an enormous success. For complete coverage of the 2012 SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics/2012.

Deadline is Dec. 31 for Yoseloff Scholarship applications to attend 2013 SABR Analytics Conference

With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four scholarships to college students who wish to attend the 2013 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 7-9, 2013. This scholarship will pay for registration, 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.

All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Jeff Schatzki at jschatzki@sabr.org no later than December 31, 2012.

For details on the scholarship requirements or to download an application form, click here. 

Please note: Participants in the Diamond Dollars Case Competition are not eligible for the Yoseloff scholarship.

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.

Pre-Integration Era committee elects O’Day, Ruppert, White to Hall of Fame

Umpire Hank O’Day, New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and 19th-century catcher Deacon White were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Pre-Integration Era Committee this week.

The 16-member Pre-Integration Era Committee was comprised of SABR members Pat Gillick, Roland Hemond, Steve Hirdt, Peter Morris and Tom Simon, along with Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, Phil Niekro and Don Sutton; major league executives Bill DeWitt, Gary Hughes and Bob Watson; and veteran media members and historians Jim Henneman, Phil Pepe, Claire Smith, T.R. Sullivan and Mark Whicker.

O’Day and Ruppert each received 15 votes from the committee, while White received 14 votes — 12 votes (75%) were required for Hall of Fame induction. Bill Dahlen, the National League’s premier shortstop at the turn of the 20th century, finished fourth with 10 votes (62.5%).

Hank O’Day was a National League umpire from 1895 to 1927. He called 10 World Series, but he is most famous for his decision to end the famous Merkle Game in a tie on September 23, 1908. Read his SABR biography, written by David Anderson: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/94b47a84

Jacob Ruppert became co-owner of the Yankees in 1915 and quickly helped changed the team’s fortunes by purchasing Babe Ruth from the Red Sox and building Yankee Stadium. While Ruppert owned the Yankees, New York won 10 American League pennants and seven World Series titles. Read more about him in this article by SABR member Craig Muder: http://baseballhall.org/news/personality/yankee-commander

Deacon White, who hit .312 in a 20-year major league career between 1871 and 1890, was selected by SABR’s Nineteenth Century Research Committee as its Overlooked Base Ball Legend of 2010. Read more about him in this article by SABR member Joe Williams: http://sabr.org/research/deacon-white-overlooked-19th-century-legend

Related links:

6 new events added to SABR Day 2013 page

The fourth annual SABR Day is coming up sooner than you think: January 26, 2013. We’re starting to compile details now on 2013 SABR Day chapter meetings around the country. We’ll post them as soon as we get them at SABR.org/sabrday.

So far, we have SABR Day events on the schedule in these cities:

  • Columbus, OH (Hank Gowdy Chapter)
  • Cooperstown, NY (Cliff Kachline Chapter)
  • Fort Lauderdale, FL (South Florida Chapter)
  • Kenosha, WI (co-organized by Emil Rothe and Ken Keltner Badger State chapters)
  • Los Angeles, CA (Allan Roth Chapter)
  • Louisville, KY (Pee Wee Reese Chapter)
  • New Orleans, LA (Schott-Pelican Chapter)
  • New York, NY (Casey Stengel Chapter)
  • Oakland, CA (Lefty O’Doul Chapter)
  • Philadelphia, PA (Connie Mack Chapter)

In addition, these chapters will be holding their SABR Day meetings on Saturday, February 2 due to scheduling conflicts with the popular team FanFests on January 26:

  • Minneapolis, MN (Halsey Hall Chapter)
  • Washington, DC (Bob Davids Chapter)

Chapter leaders, please send your SABR Day plans to Jacob Pomrenke at jpomrenke@sabr.org.

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.

To view event details for a SABR Day meeting near you, check out our SABR Day map at SABR.org/sabrday for more information.

Thanks to all of you who voted in the GIBBYs!

Last month, SABR members had the opportunity to play a key role in selecting the winners of the GIBBYs — the Greatness in Baseball Yearly awards at MLB.com. The votes from SABR members were equal to each of the other four groups:

  • SABR members (20%)
  • MLB.com fans (20%)
  • Front office personnel (20%)
  • Retired players (20%)
  • Media (20%)

The winners were announced at a reception at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee.

Yadier Molina added another defensive honor to his trophy case Tuesday by virtue of his selection as Defensive Player of the Year in the 2012 GIBBYs. Molina was one of 15 players from both leagues announced last month as a finalist for the top defensive honor, and he ended up beating out, among others, three 2012 Gold Glove winners to capture the title. The 15 finalists were selected by SABR.

Along with the GIBBY, Molina earned his fifth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award, the National League’s Platinum Glove Award, a Fielding Bible Award and the Wilson Sporting Goods defensive award to his collection this year. You can read more about Molina’s GIBBY selection here.

Miguel Cabrera and the World Series champion San Francisco Giants were also big winners at the 2012 GIBBY Awards.

You can watch video highlights of the GIBBY winners on MLB.com here.

Thanks again to all of you who participated in the GIBBY voting!

6 new biographies published by the SABR BioProject

Six new biographies were posted as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 2,137 published biographies.

Here are the new bios:

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

You can find the SABR BioProject at SABR.org/BioProject.

Bios on more than just ballplayers: The ambitious goal of the SABR Baseball Biography Project is to publish a full-life biography of every major league player in history. But SABR members write about a lot more than just ballplayers. In addition, we have pages for Ballparks, Broadcasters, Executives, Managers, Scouts, Spouses, Umpires and a lot more on the BioProject website. You can browse all of these categories at http://sabr.org/bioproj/browse. So if you’ve ever thought, “Hey, that person (or ballpark) should get the full BioProject treatment” — write the story and we’ll publish it!

Get involved! If you’d like to help contribute to the SABR BioProject, visit our BioProject Resources page or read the FAQs section to get started. We’re also looking to expand the BioProject to include all “encyclopedic” articles on baseball-related subjects from past SABR publications or committee newsletters. If you come across an article you think should be included in the SABR “baseball repository” at the BioProject, send a copy or link to markarmour04@gmail.com or jpomrenke@sabr.org.

Walter Johnson, Negro Leaguer?

Here’s a must-read story from SABR member Gary Ashwill at his Agate Type blog:

A few weeks ago [SABR member] Bill Staples flagged a fascinating passage from Edwin B. Henderson’s classic, The Negro in Sport (1939), about Walter Johnson and black baseball.  It was actually quoted from a Shirley Povich column in the Washington Post, originally published on April 7, 1939, in which Povich talked to Walter Johnson about the Negro Leagues.  The column contains Johnson’s oft-quoted endorsement of Josh Gibson, saying that “any big league club would like to buy” Gibson for $200,000.  “He can do everything.  He hits that ball a mile. And he catches so easy he might just as well be in a rocking chair. Throws like a rifle. Bill Dickey isn’t as good a catcher. Too bad this Gibson is a colored fellow.”

But the column goes on to tell this somewhat less well-known story. …

“Walter Johnson, on a barnstorming trip in 1909 went to Harlem to pitch for a colored team against the Lincoln Giants. ‘I didn’t know it was to be a colored team,’ Johnson was saying, ‘but they were paying me $600 for the day’s work and that was big money. I went up there with my catcher, Gabby Street. Gabby was from Huntsville, Ala., and he didn’t like the idea of playing colored baseball, but the $300 he got was too much to overlook. It was the only time in my life that I was ever 2-to-1 to lose. Those were the odds they were offering against me.’ “

The idea of Walter Johnson being hired to pitch for a “colored team” (which, by the way, he doesn’t name) is fascinating. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a similar situation—a famous white major league pitcher being picked up for a game by an otherwise all-black team, and to pitch against another black team. I really can’t think of one.  This would amount to Walter Johnson (and his catcher, Gabby Street) “playing colored baseball,” as he put it to Povich. 

Read the full article here: http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2012/12/walter-johnson-negro-leaguer.html

MLB.com seeking stats stringers for 2013 season

MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball, is seeking stats stringers to cover these clubs in 2013 and beyond:
 
Baltimore/DC (both clubs)
Houston
Kansas City
Oakland/SF (both clubs)
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
San Diego
Seattle
Texas (Arlington)
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 Gameday and MLB.TV, real-time highlights and text alerts, and by our business partners. This is a perfect part-time job for a diligent, responsible employee who happens to be a big baseball fan.

For more details on the responsibilities required and the desired qualifications, click here.

Those interested in applying should send a resume and cover later, addressing the above-listed qualifications, to stats@website.mlb.com. ONLY those who reply to this e-mail address will be considered, and due to volume, we may be unable to respond to all applicants.

Thanks and good luck!

Call for SABR award nominations

  • Larry Ritter Award, due 12/31/2012: 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 2012 publication date, contact Gail Rowe at growes36@comcast.net by December 31, 2012. Deadline for receipt of nominated books by the committee is January 16, 2013. 
  • SABR Baseball Research Award, due 1/31/2013: 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 2012 awards, please contact Steve Gietschier at sgietsch@gmail.com.
  • McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, due 2/15/2013: 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 2012 awards, please contact Len Levin at lenlevin5@hotmail.com.

2013 The National Pastime: Call for Papers

The 2013 issue of The National Pastime, our annual convention journal, will be published at SABR 43 in Philadelphia next summer.

Our theme will be baseball in the Philadelphia area (the Tri-State area of Southeast Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware.) We are looking for submissions dealing with various levels of baseball from Little League and sandlot ball to all levels of professional leagues. Philly has a rich tradition of baseball from its early beginnings in the 1830s, to the National League and American Association Athletics, to Connie Mack’s A’s, the Hilldale Daisies, the Philadelphia Bobbies, the Philadelphia Stars and, of course, the Phillies. We are looking to provide a broad perspective of Philadelphia baseball from its early years to the present day.

If you are interested in submitting an article, please send an abstract to Morris Levin. Please include not only your topic, but why it interests you, and how you are qualified to research it. What sources do you plan to use? A typical article in The National Pastime runs 2,000 to 5,000 words. Upon receipt of your abstract, we will forward a copy of the SABR guidelines for submission of papers.

All interested authors should make sure their SABR membership is up to date. It is longstanding SABR policy that only the work of SABR members is published in our journals. You can renew your membership online at members.sabr.org before you submit your paper.

To read articles from this year’s The National Pastime, focusing on baseball in Minnesota, click here. The TNP archives can be found here.

You can also follow the SABR Connie Mack Chapter on its new Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/SabrConnieMackChapter

It’s time to renew your SABR membership

As you probably know by now, we switched to the “rolling calendar” membership system last year. Anyone who joined SABR before then — which is most of you — should renew your SABR membership before December 31 as you’ve done in the past. Thanks again for all your support.

You can renew your membership for 1 year or 3 years online at the SABR Store; by phone at (602) 343-6450; or by mailing this downloadable PDF form and your payment to the SABR office at 4455 E. Camelback Road, Ste. D-140, Phoenix, AZ 85018.

Dues are the same as they have been in recent years: for this, you get three high-quality research publications (two issues of the Baseball Research Journal and one issue of The National Pastime); deep discounts to all publications in the SABR Digital Library; access to research resources such as Paper of Record (with complete archives of The Sporting News); discounts to SABR conferences such as the national convention (Philadelphia 2013), the SABR Analytics Conference, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, and the Arizona Fall League Conference; access to a growing network of SABR baseball community, including our 27 research committees and 60+ regional chapters.

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 http://store.sabr.org.

Give the gift of SABR this holiday season

Do you know a baseball-loving friend or family member who talks and reads about his or her favorite sport all the time? Give the gift of a SABR membership this holiday season, and help foster a lifelong love of baseball research.

SABR gift memberships are available at the SABR Store starting at $45 annually for 1 or 3 years. Just click here to sign them up:

http://profile.sabr.org/general/register_member_type.asp

(Please note: If you are already logged in to the SABR website, you’ll have to log out first in order to purchase a gift membership.) If you have any questions, call Membership Director Deb Jayne at (602) 343-6455.

All new SABR members receive three high-quality research publications (two issues of the Baseball Research Journal and one issue of The National Pastime); deep discounts to all publications in the SABR Digital Library; access to research resources such as Paper of Record (with complete archives of The Sporting News); discounts to SABR conferences such as the national convention (Philadelphia 2013), the SABR Analytics Conference, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, and the Arizona Fall League Conference; access to a growing network of SABR baseball community, including our 27 research committees and 60+ regional chapters.

Donate to SABR and support the future of baseball research

This has probably been SABR’s most active year since our founding in 1971. We held our first Analytics Conference in March and are busily planning for the next one in March of 2013. Our deal with Major League Baseball Advanced Media provides a far-reaching outlet for our research. SABR 42 in Minneapolis was a tremendous success, and we are looking forward to SABR 43 in Philadelphia. On top of that we published three research journals, the Emerald Guide, and several e-books, continued to build our digital content, and held conferences covering the Negro Leagues, the Arizona Fall League, and 19th Century Baseball.

In the coming year we plan to do all of the above, plus publish a major book on the history of baseball broadcasting, continue to expand the BioProject, and create more team biography books. All of this is made possible by our strong professional staff in Phoenix and our all-star team of volunteer members around the world.

Of course, accomplishing all of this requires funding beyond the annual dues we all pay. The dues allow SABR to survive; it is donations from people like you that help us thrive. Since 2004 we have asked for, and have been fortunate to receive, additional funding from members who believe in what SABR does and can afford to give something extra. Also since 2004, we continue to say thank you to our donors by offering them small gifts to show the appreciation felt by all of our members who care about what we do in support of the greatest game on earth.

SABR is a 501(c)3 organization, which means your donation is tax deductible in the U.S. to the fullest extent of the law.

THE DONOR PROGRAM*

  • $25-$99: receive a “Donor” convention badge ribbon entitling early entry into the SABR Convention Awards Banquet
  • $100-$249: receive the above benefit plus a ticket to the SABR Convention Donor Breakfast that features a “State of SABR” presentation by our executive leadership
  • $250-$499: receive all of the above benefits plus the new SABR Lapel Pin
  • $500-$1,499: receive all of the above benefits plus a SABR MVP Polo Shirt
  • $1,500-$2,499: receive all of the above benefits plus a junior suite upgrade at the SABR Convention hotel
  • $2,500 and up: receive all of the above plus an executive level room upgrade at the SABR Convention hotel.

*convention-related premiums assume payment of registration fees and attendance

Please join me in supporting SABR and send your donation to the address above, or by visiting SABR.org and pressing the convenient DONATE button. By doing so you help SABR fulfill its mission and increase the impact of our baseball analysis and historical study.

— Paul Hirsch

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.

Here is a list of new members:

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Rick Anderson Ormond Beach, FL     Bill Matthews Shelbyville, KY
Stephen Best Bridgeport, CT     Anthony McCarron New York, NY
William Blewett Bel Air, MD     Thomas McKernan Philadelphia, PA
Bill Bluestone Metuchen, NJ     Bob Morris Lakehurst, NJ
Conrad Bradburn Jr. Phoenix, AZ     Greg Pachman Roswell, GA
Joseph Dorinson Brooklyn, NY     Dan Raley Issaquah, WA
Ralph Drake Anniston, AL     Frank Reinstein West Bloomfield, MI
Eugenio Draschner Burke, VA     Jon Roegele Vancouver, BC
Ken Francese Bonita Springs, FL     Craig Rosenbaum Chicago, IL
Ray Genco Boston, MA     Art Stewart Lees Summit, MO
Kasey Inglis Menlo Park, CA     Ronnie Tellalian Streetsboro, OH
Todd Johnson Saint Paul, MN     Christopher True St. Paul, MN
Ron Keurajian Shelbyville, KY     James Vogel Brunswick, GA
Dan Lane Palatine, IL     Harold Whitney Villa Rica, GA
Steve Lipe Pensacola, FL     Evan Zepfel Newport Beach, CA

 

Research committee newsletters

Here are the new SABR research committee newsletters published this week:

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

Chapter meeting recaps

Here are the chapter meeting recaps published 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.

All previous editions of This Week in SABR can be found here: http://sabr.org/content/this-week-in-sabr-archives. If you would like us to include an upcoming event, article or any other information in “This Week in SABR”, e-mail Jacob Pomrenke at jpomrenke@sabr.org.

Find exclusive Members’ Only resources and information here: http://members.sabr.org

Did you know you can renew your membership at any time? 1- and 3-year SABR memberships are available by clicking “Renew” at http://members.sabr.org. Please also consider a donation to SABR to support baseball research at SABR.org/donate.

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Replying to this e-mail goes to an undeliverable address. If you would like to contact the SABR office, please visit: http://sabr.org/about/contact-sabr


Originally published: December 7, 2012. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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