This Week in SABR: December 7, 2018

/in /by

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 7, 2018:

Are you going to 2018 Baseball Winter Meetings? Let us know!

SABR will have a booth at the 118th annual Baseball Winter Meetings, December 9-13, 2018, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stop by our booth, #1323, and say hello!

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

*****

Please consider joining SABR member Tyrone Brooks and the Baseball Industry Network at the annual Baseball Industry Network Baseball Winter Meetings Morning Meet-Up from 8:00-10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 11 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The exact location will be e-mailed to all registered attendees. Come on out, grab a coffee and mingle with fellow members of the Baseball Industry Network. As in past years, representatives from various major-league and minor league organizations will also be in attendance to network and screen potential candidates for various openings (full-time, internships, etc.) If you are someone looking for that big break, definitely be sure to stop through.

For convenience and because space is limited, please click here to RSVP by Friday, December 7.

Click here for more details at SABR.org.

SABR Digital Library: Base Ball’s 19th Century “Winter” Meetings, 1857-1900

The hot stove is heating up, so settle in and add this new baseball book from the SABR Digital Library to your collection:

Base Ball’s 19th Century “Winter” Meetings, 1857-1900
Edited by Jeremy K. Hodges and Bill Nowlin
Associate Editors: Len Levin, Robert Tholkes, Jim Frutchey, William J. Ryczek, Clifford Blau, and Maurice Bouchard
Foreword by John Thorn 
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9438-1691-0, $29.95
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-9438-1690-3, $9.99
384 pages, 8.5″ x 11″

Base Ball’s 19th Century “Winter” Meetings looks at the business meetings of base ball’s earliest days (not all of which were in the winter). As John Thorn writes in his Foreword, “This monumental volume traces the development of the game from its birth as an organized institution to its very near suicide at the dawn of the next century.”

Base Ball’s 19th Century “Winter” Meetings is one of three volumes — totaling more than 1,500 pages — devoted to the study of the business of baseball. Published previously were Baseball’s Business: The Winter Meetings: 1901-1957 (published in December 2016) and Baseball’s Business: The Winter Meetings: 1958-2016 (published in December 2017.) This volume looks at the years from 1857 through 1900, thus completing SABR’s study of the business meetings for a period spanning 161 years. 

Twenty-nine members of the Society for American Baseball Research collaborated on this book. In his foreword, MLB Official Historian John Thorn offers by way of conclusion: “SABR’s essayists in this volume (as in the two that follow chronologically, although they were published first) clearly have advanced our knowledge of the period. This will become the great sourcebook for all future efforts to describe how the game grew, flourished, fought, nearly succumbed, and survived.”

Contributors include: Matt Albertson, John Bauer, Clifford Blau, Richard Bogovich, Maurice Bouchard, Marcus W. Dickson, Jim Frutchey, Michael Haupert, Richard Hershberger, Jeremy Hodges, Julia Hodges, Bill Johnson, Jeffrey Koslowski, Bob LeMoine, Len Levin, Mike Lynch, Mike McAvoy, Eric Miklich, Bill Nowlin, Dennis Pajot, Mark Pestana, Joel Rippel, Jamie Talbot, Barney Terrell, Dennis Thiessen, Robert Tholkes, John Thorn, and John Zinn.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE:

Having trouble downloading our e-books? To view PDF files on your computer, click here to download the free Adobe Reader software. Having trouble downloading e-books to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.

Find all past SABR Digital Library titles at SABR.org/ebooks.

SABR Digital Library: Time for Expansion Baseball

Add a brand-new baseball book from the SABR Digital Library to your collection this season:

Time for Expansion Baseball
Edited by Maxwell Kates and Bill Nowlin
Associate Editors: Len Levin and Carl Riechers
ISBN (paperback): 978-4-2940-9768-7, $24.95
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-9438-1688-0, $9.99
429 pages, 8.5″ x 11″

The Los Angeles Angels and the “new” Washington Senators ushered in baseball’s expansion in 1961, followed quickly by the Houston Colt .45s and the New York Mets. By 1998, ten additional franchises had been awarded with the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Pilots, Toronto Blue Jays, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays coming into the American League, and the Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, and Arizona Diamondbacks to the National League.

Since then, some of those teams have relocated or changed names, but Time for Expansion Baseball tells the story of how each franchise was formed, built its team, and began play. Biographies of key players from each team’s early years are also included, from early Angels like Eli Grba and Duke Maas to Senator Tom Sturdivant, from Seattle Pilots Tommy Harper and Lou Piniella to Seattle Mariners Julio Cruz and Rick Jones. Featuring a foreword by Tal Smith, who has done three separate stints in the Houston front office, and the contributions of 54 SABR members, Time for Expansion Baseball also includes dozens of photos from team historical archives.

Contributors include: Mark Armour, John Bauer, Richard Bogovich, Stephen D. Boren, Thomas J. Brown Jr., Alan Cohen, Warren Corbett, Rory Costello, Tom Cuggino, John DiFonzo, Jeff Findley, Adam Foldes, Steve Friedman, Danny Gallagher, Paul Geisler, Brian Geller, Peter M. Gordon, Tom Hawthorn, Leslie Heaphy, Paul Hofmann, Chuck Johnson, Chris Jones, Maxwell Kates, Stephen Keeney, Roger Kinney, Paul Ladewski, Bob LeMoine, Len Levin, Max Mannis, Mel Marmer, Michael Marsh, Andy McCue, Bill Mullins, Rob Neyer, Bill Nowlin, Carl Riechers, Joel Rippel, John T. Saccoman, Rick Schabowski, Steven D. Schmitt, Andrew Sharp, David E. Skelton, Tal Smith, Glen Sparks, Mark S. Sternman, Jeb Stewart, John Struth, Dan Taylor, Eric Thompson, Joseph Thompson, Clayton Trutor, Dale Voiss, Mark Wernick, and Gregory H. Wolf.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE:

Call for papers: The National Pastime in 2019

The 2019 SABR national convention will take place in San Diego from June 26-30. To coincide with the convention, the summer 2019 issue of The National Pastime will focus on baseball in the San Diego/Mexicali region, giving us a chance to expand research topics internationally. Research articles may be historical, biographical, or analytical (stats welcome), but please avoid personal narrative. 

This issue of The National Pastime will be edited by publications director Cecilia Tan. She will be taking queries and abstracts until December 15, 2018, and will make assignments no later than January 1, 2019. First drafts of articles will be due no later than March 1 and rewrites (if needed) will be due by April 15.

To query, email to ctan@sabr.org with the subject line “TNP Query:” and a key word or two on your subject. For example: “TNP Query: The Western Metal Supply Company.”

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

Give the gift of SABR this holiday season

Looking to purchase SABR-logo apparel and a gift for yourself or the baseball fan in your life this holiday season? Check out the SABR Store @ CafePress:

http://www.cafepress.com/sabrstore

Items will feature the full-color SABR logo and will be available for purchase throughout the year. Shirts are available in men’s and women’s sizes in a variety of colors and styles. Mugs, stickers, and other collector’s items are also on sale now. Check out the SABR Store today!

A SABR membership also makes a great gift for the baseball fan in your life! All baseball fans are welcome to join SABR. Gift memberships are $65/year (with discounts available to anyone under 30 or over 65), and members receive all the benefits of a standard membership.

Click here to learn more about a gift membership to SABR.

One week left to submit presentation abstracts for 2019 SABR Analytics Conference

SABR and Baseball Info Solutions are excited to announce the call for presentations for the eighth annual SABR Analytics Conference, scheduled for Friday, March 8 to Sunday, March 10, 2019, at the Hyatt Phoenix Downtown.

Abstracts of proposed research presentations should be no more than 500 words in length, and must include the abstract’s title, review of previous work on the subject, a summary of the research methodology and anticipated results, and the expected contribution to the field of baseball analytics offered by this work. Please send all abstracts to this e-mail address: analytics@baseballinfosolutions.com. The submission deadline for 2019 SABR Analytics Conference presentation abstracts is 11:59 p.m. MST, Friday, December 14, 2018.

Click here for complete details at SABR.org.

To register for the conference, or for more information, visit SABR.org/analytics.

Students: Apply for a Spring 2019 internship with SABR

SABR is seeking Spring 2019 interns to work in our office in Phoenix, Arizona.

The internship is an educational opportunity that may count toward college credit, covering 15-20 hours per week (flexible schedule), at the SABR office in Phoenix, Arizona. The internship will be for a fixed period of time and is designed to provide the intern with skills and training that may be applicable to working in a nonprofit research environment or in other research-based organizations. No housing assistance will be provided.

Please send a resume and cover letter in PDF form to jpomrenke@sabr.org by January 4, 2019.

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

Read SABR biographies of 2019 Hall of Fame ballot candidates

The full 2019 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was released last month, and you can find all published SABR biographies of 2019 HOF candidates (including Today’s Game Era finalists) at the SABR BioProject. Visit the link below to read bios on Hall of Fame candidates Edgar Martinez, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, Todd Helton, and more:

http://sabr.org/category/demographic/2019-hall-fame-ballot

As part of our BioProject Hall of Fame Ballot initiative, we are still seeking authors for the following players: Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Lance Berkman, and others. Ideally, we would like to have the bios written, edited, and fact-checked by January 2019 so we can post them on the BioProject website and on social media before the election announcements. Please contact Emily Hawks at emilyhawks@gmail.com if you are interested in writing about one of these players.

Find more SABR biographies at SABR.org/BioProject.

2019 SABR Analytics Conference early registration is now open

Join us for the eighth annual SABR Analytics Conference on Friday, March 8 to Sunday, March 10, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, where 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. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. The early-bird registration discount ends on Monday, January 14, 2019, so register today to join us!

The Analytics Conference schedule consists 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.

For more information on the 2019 SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.

Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2019 SABR Analytics Conference

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 2019 SABR Analytics Conference. This scholarship will pay for registration, air transportation and lodging up to a total value of $1,250.

All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Leslie Heaphy at Lheaphy@kent.edu no later than December 31, 2018.

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 download the 2019 Yoseloff Scholarship application.

It’s time to renew your membership for 2019

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!

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 conferences, chapter meetings, and events — 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.

  • Pay online: Click here to renew your SABR membership for 2019!
  • 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.
  • Pay by phone: To process your credit-card payment over the phone, please call the SABR office at (602) 496-1463 during regular business hours. (We accept Visa, Mastercard, or Discover Card.)

Dues are the same as they have been in recent years: $65 for one year or $175 for three years, with discounts available to anyone under 30 or over the age of 65. Please note: If you have had trouble logging in to the SABR website, please try resetting your password using this reset link. Then try logging in to renew at the link above.

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

Help us reach our 2018 donation-drive goal

This has been another outstanding year for SABR, with an entertaining, informative SABR 48 convention in Pittsburgh and a special day at the ballpark at PNC Park, innovative research and publishing projects, and outstanding involvement from volunteers. Your year-end charitable gift will help us close out 2018 and enable us to make 2019 even more successful.

Please help us reach this year’s giving goal! 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. By doing so you help SABR fulfill its mission and increase the impact of our baseball analysis and historical study.

All of us at SABR appreciate your support of our great organization and the game we love. If you have questions regarding your gift, feel free to e-mail SABR CEO Scott Bush at sbush@sabr.org.

Seeking nominations for the 2019 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

What are the best baseball analytics articles you’ve read in 2018?

The 2019 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year. Click here to learn more or to submit a nomination.

Voting for the winners will be conducted online in January-February 2019 at SABR.org, BaseballProspectus.com, FanGraphs.com, HardballTimes.com and BeyondtheBoxScore.com, with results weighted equally at 20%. Results will be announced and presented at the eighth annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 8-10, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix in Arizona.

Join us for SABR Day on January 26, 2019

The 10th annual SABR Day will be held Saturday, January 26, 2019. We’re starting to compile details now on 2019 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. Chapter leaders, please be sure to send any details on your SABR meeting to Jacob Pomrenke at jpomrenke@sabr.org so we can update our SABR Day map.

For a complete recap of 2018 SABR Day activities, visit SABR.org/sabrday/2018.

Save the date! SABR 49 will be in San Diego in 2019

Save the date! SABR will be returning to San Diego for our 49th national convention on June 26-30, 2019, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, California. Registration information and our special hotel room block will be available at SABR.org/convention in early 2019. The Padres are scheduled to play at home against the St. Louis Cardinals that weekend.

The Manchester Grand Hyatt is conveniently located within walking distance from Petco Park; our host hotel, a frequent host of baseball’s Winter Meetings, features a spectacular waterfront resort-like setting with shopping, dining, and entertainment venues in abundance at the nearby Gaslamp Quarter. The San Diego Central Library’s Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center, just a few blocks away, is home to the spectacular SABR Collection curated by our host chapter, the San Diego Ted Williams Chapter.

For more information on the SABR convention, visit SABR.org/convention.

Read all 1950 Phillies biographies at the SABR BioProject

In The Whiz Kids Take the Pennant: The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies (SABR, 2018), edited by C. Paul Rogers III and Bill Nowlin, we told the story of a memorable National League championship team from the City of Brotherly Love.

The Whiz Kids were a team with one of the most memorable nicknames in baseball history. Not only does this book recap how their run to the flag was marked by clutch hitting and pitching in close games, it contains biographies of every player who appeared, including Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones, and Eddie Waitkus.

Click here to read all biographies of the 1950 Phillies at the SABR BioProject.

To download a free e-book edition or get 50% off the paperback edition of The Whiz Kids Take the Pennant, click here.

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:

New Games Project stories can be found at SABR.org/gamesproject/recent. Find all published Games Project articles 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.

Read all stories from Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis at the SABR Games Project

In Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis: Home of the Browns and Cardinals at Grand and Dodier, edited by Gregory H. Wolf and published by SABR in 2017, we shared stories of 100 memorable games at the venerable ballpark which played host to the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns from 1909 through 1966.

From Babe Ruth’s 3-homer World Series day to one-armed outfielder Pete Gray’s major-league debut to Eddie Gaedel’s pinch-hitting appearance to Bob Gibson’s Game 7 heroics, you can now find all game stories from the Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis book online at the SABR Games Project:

https://sabr.org/gamesproj_browse?booksproject=347

Click here to download a free e-book copy or get 50% off the paperback edition of Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

To find more titles from the SABR Digital Library, visit SABR.org/ebooks.

Writing opportunities for SABR members

Looking ahead to SABR’s 50th annual convention in 2020, we want to create a book which will contain Games Project writeups of each of the games SABR members have attended as part of the SABR convention experience.

You need not have been at the game to write about it for SABR’s 50th anniversary book. Our list includes all the major-league games and 18 minor-league games that were part of the SABR convention schedule that year.

If you are interested in contributing, please contact Bill Nowlin at bill.nowlin@rounder.com.

For a list of all upcoming SABR book projects, click here.

Listen to archives of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro, is back for the Hot Stove League offseason at a new time, 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET on Sundays, on MLB Network Radio.

There will be no show this week because of the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, but you can listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App. Click here to learn more.

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.

Deadlines approaching for SABR award nominations

  • Seymour Medal, due 12/31/2018: 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 2018 publication date, contact Leslie Heaphy at Lheaphy@kent.edu by December 31, 2018.
  • Larry Ritter Award, due 12/31/2018: 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 2018 publication date, contact Doug Skipper at theskippers1@hotmail.com by December 31, 2018.
  • Ron Gabriel Award, due 12/31/2018: 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 2019 awards, please send a copy of your work to Gary Sarnoff at runtowin89@hotmail.com by December 31, 2018.
  • SABR Baseball Research Award, due 1/31/2019: 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 2019 awards, please contact Bill Felber at bfelber@att.net.
  • McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, due 2/15/2019: 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 2019 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.

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: 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 (SABR.org/directory).

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
James Barber Walnut Creek, CA     Sean McCue Brooklyn, NY
James Barry Kingwood, TX     Jackson Nielsen Houston, TX
Matt Christian Rochester, NY     Bill Pimtzner Tacoma, WA
Rob Daugherty Jay, OK     John Power Staten Island, NY
Michael Gelsomino Wauwatosa, WI     Samuel Redden Louisville, KY
Joe Glynn Louisville, KY     Michael Trzinski Port Edwards, WI
Jonathan Lemanski Philadelphia, PA     Thomas Valente Farmville, VA
Brian Lynch Maplewood, NJ     Kyle Wood Mendota, IL
Manny Maldonado San Juan, PRI        

 

Research Committee news

Here are the new 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 events on the SABR calendar:

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.

Are you receiving our e-mails? “This Week in SABR” goes out by e-mail to all members on Friday afternoons. If they’re not showing up, try adding “sabr.notes@sabr.org” to your contact list to ensure they show up in your inbox (and not the spam folder.)

 

Follow us:

Contact us:

More info:

 


Originally published: December 7, 2018. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

Support SABR today!

Donate Join

Cronkite School at ASU
555 N. Central Ave. #406-C
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-496-1460

About

History

Meet the Staff

Board of Directors

Annual Reports

Diversity Statement

Contact SABR

DONATE

© SABR. All Rights Reserved