This Week in SABR: February 1, 2013

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Welcome to “This Week in SABR”! Here’s what we’ve been up to as of February 1, 2013:

31 meetings held for SABR Day 2013

Hundreds of SABR members and guests turned out for the fourth annual SABR Day on Saturday, January 26. There were 31 Hot Stove meetings held around the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, giving baseball fans everywhere a chance to catch up with old friends, preview the upcoming season and learn more about the national pastime.

We’re collecting recaps and photos of SABR Day 2013 at SABR.org/sabrday. Here are some highlights:

In Albuquerque, we heard from the man who retrieved Hank Aaron’s 755th home run ball; in Boston, the Hot Stove talk warmed us up on a day with an 11-degree wind chill; we counted Hall of Fame votes in Columbus, Des Moines, Los Angeles and elsewhere; we also met to talk baseball in Austin, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock and Victoria, B.C.; in Cooperstown, we busted enduring myths about Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig; in Denver, we heard from major league umpires and played catch in the Coors Field parking lot; in Fort Lauderdale, we saw the final Joe DiMaggio Memorial Classic with a cast of characters that included Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, Bill “Spaceman” Lee and John “Blue Moon” Odom; in Houston, we saw a preview of the Astros’ colorful new duds for 2013; in Kenosha, we discussed five decades of love and frustration for Cubs fans and learned more than we ever wanted to know about John Axford’s mesmerizing mustache; in Louisville, we heard from one of the top college baseball coaches in the nation, Dan McDonnell of the Baseball America-ranked No. 4 Louisville Cardinals; in Montpelier, the Buster Olney Junior Kids Chapter met their group’s namesake, ESPN’s Buster Olney, at the Vermont Mountaineers banquet; in Oakland, we heard presentations on subjects as varied as baseball’s early origins to the 1948 Oakland Oaks; in Phoenix, we learned more about Bisbee’s 104-years-old-and-counting Warren Ballpark and the “best musician in pro baseball,” Tony Antista; in St. Louis, we remembered the greatness of the late Stan Musial and heard stories from former ballplayers Frank Baumann and Brian Boehringer; in Seattle, the Mariners sent GM Jack Zduriencik, manager Eric Wedge and other front office executives to talk about the upcoming season; and in Toledo, four SABR chapters combined for a joint meeting to hear former major league catcher Brian Johnson, now a scout for the San Francisco Giants.

Check out the full recaps and photos at SABR.org/sabrday.

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

  • Minneapolis, MN (Halsey Hall Chapter)
  • San Diego, CA (Ted Williams Chapter)
  • Washington, DC (Bob Davids Chapter)

We’ll post more recaps and photos as soon as we get them. Chapter leaders, please send your recaps and photos to jpomrenke@sabr.org.

Vote now for winners of 2013 SABR Analytics Research Awards

Here’s your chance to vote for the winners of the 2013 SABR Analytics Research Awards, which recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year in three categories of analysis or commentary.

To read any of the finalists, click on the link below. Scroll down to cast your vote.

Historical Analysis/Commentary

Contemporary Baseball Commentary

Contemporary Baseball Analysis

Voting will be open through 12 a.m. PST on Thursday, February 21, 2013. Details and criteria for each category can be found here. Only one work per author was considered as a finalist.

Results will be announced and presented at the second annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 7-9, 2013, at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more or register for the conference at SABR.org/analytics.

Overflow hotel set up for 2013 SABR Analytics Conference

Our room block at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown is going fast for the second annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 7-9, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona. If you haven’t booked your room, click here to make your reservation online at the special rate of $149/night (plus tax) or call (602) 262-2500 and tell them you’re registering for the SABR Analytics Conference. Please note: The group rate is only available on the nights of March 6 through March 9 (checking out on March 10); the hotel is completely sold out prior to March 6.

SABR has also set up a special rate of $149/night (plus tax) at the nearby Renaissance Phoenix Downtown, 50 East Adams Street in Phoenix. Click here to book your room at our overflow hotel or call (602) 333-0000 and tell them you’re registering for the SABR Analytics Conference.

Featured speakers expected for the 2013 Analytics Conference are: Stan Kasten, President/CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers; Bill James, Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox; Jed Hoyer, Executive VP/General Manager of the Chicago Cubs; Rick Hahn, Senior VP/General Manager of the Chicago White Sox; Jon Daniels, General Manager of the Texas Rangers; Joe Posnanski, Senior Writer for Sports on Earth; and Brian Kenny, MLB Network host. More speakers, panelists and presenters 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

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.

  • Register for SABR Analytics: Click here to register for the conference at the SABR Store. The conference is open to all baseball fans. 
  • Book your room: Click here to book your room online at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown or call (602) 262-2500 and tell them you’re registering for the SABR Analytics Conference. Our room block is going fast, so book your room today before it’s too late!
  • Overflow hotel: Our room block at the Sheraton is almost sold out, so SABR has set up a special rate of $149/night (plus tax) at the nearby Renaissance Phoenix Downtown, 50 East Adams Street in Phoenix. Click here to book your room at our overflow hotel or call (602) 333-0000 and tell them you’re registering for the SABR Analytics Conference. The rooms at the Renaissance are only available for the nights of March 6 through March 9 (checking out on March 10), or until the block is sold out.

To learn more about the 2013 SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.

SABR Bulletin archives now online

Thanks to Trent McCotter (with assistance from Pete Palmer and Mike Dempsey), you can now view nearly all past editions of the SABR Bulletin online:

http://sabr.org/about/sabr-bulletins

The SABR Bulletin was established as SABR’s quarterly newsletter in 1971. Its purpose was to facilitate the exchange of baseball research and information — the first publication of its kind. Text-searchable PDFs of the SABR Bulletin from 1971 to 2011 can be found on the page above. Previously, only the 2008-2011 Bulletins were available in digital format. This week, we added all the Bulletins from 1971-2006 in PDF format. (If you have any 2007 Bulletins scanned in, please send them to jpomrenke@sabr.org.)

The Bulletin archives — which include more than 3,000 pages of first-hand SABR history, including convention recaps, regional chapter meeting updates, research committee projects, election guides, book announcements, news releases and obituaries — are also available on our Research Resources page.

In 2011, with the relaunch of its website, SABR instituted “This Week in SABR” — which you’re reading right now — a weekly e-newsletter sent out to all members via e-mail on Fridays with more timely updates and announcements. “This Week in SABR” archives can be found here.

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 2,225 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.

Have you renewed your SABR membership for 2013?

Thanks to all of you who have already renewed your SABR membership for 2013. We wouldn’t be here without you, and we appreciate your support.

For those of you who haven’t renewed, please send in your dues by February 28, 2013, in order to continue receiving the many benefits of SABR membership all year long.

Note: If you have already renewed for 2013 or just recently sent in your dues, please disregard this notice … and thank you again! If you don’t know when your membership expires, click here.

Please take a minute to 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.

We’ve got a lot of exciting benefits in store for 2013 and we’re glad you’re along for the ride! Dues are the same as they have been in recent years: all members in good standing will receive the Baseball Research Journal (spring and fall) and The National Pastime; free and discounted books 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 ( July 31-August 4 in Philadelphia), the spring SABR Analytics Conference (March 7-9 in Phoenix), the summer Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference (TBA in Newark, N.J.) and the Arizona Fall League Conference; access to our SABR-L research listserv and lending library; all 27 research committees, 60+ regional chapters; and more.

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

  • Donate to SABR: If you support SABR and all the groundbreaking research our members have and will produce, please also consider donating online at SABR.org/donate or via mail. No amount is too big or too small, and as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donation to SABR is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you have given in the past, we remain grateful and hope you will consider giving again. If you are a first-time donor, welcome aboard!

In Memoriam

  • Harry Davis, 83, of Brighton, Michigan, died on Sunday, January 27, 2013, at Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital near Ann Arbor. He had been hospitalized for pneumonia. A SABR member since 1992 and active in the Don Lund Chapter, Davis was a longtime fan of the Detroit Tigers and once directed a community theatre play called “Cobb,” based on the life of Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. Davis practiced as a dentist until the age of 80 and worked tirelessly with VINA, a low-cost dental clinic in Brighton that he helped found in 2008, even volunteering there while he was using an oxygen tank. He also served on the Brighton Area Schools Board of Education. He was married 25 years to Carol Davis, and they had a blended family of five children, six grandchildren and one great-grandson. SABR member Art Neff, a good friend of Harry’s, said Harry requested that “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” be played at the end of the funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to First United Methodist Church, 400 E. Grand River Ave. in Brighton.
  • Richard Freimark, 65, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, died on Saturday, January 12, 2013. He was a SABR member and active in the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter since 1994. His wife Judy said, “Thank you and your fellow SABR-ites for giving Rich so many years of interest and pleasure.” He was a retiree after 30-plus years with the Social Security Administration. He and Judy were married for 41 years; they raised eight children of their own and happily spoiled 16 grandchildren. A funeral Mass was held on January 16 at St. Matthew Catholic Church, with a private inurnment at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery.
  • Chuck Hinton, 78, died on Sunday, January 27, 2013, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was a featured speaker at SABR’s second annual convention in 1972, despite massive flooding in Washington, D.C., that weekend from Hurricane Agnes. Recently retired after an 11-year major league career as an outfielder with the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and California Angels, he spoke to SABR members about his new job as Howard University baseball coach and hitting a home run off knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. He was the last Washington Senator to hit over .300, topping out at .310 in 1962. He was Howard University’s baseball coach for 28 seasons and led the Bison to their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in 1972. Ten years later, he founded the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, which has raised millions of dollars for charity, youth educational causes and to assist former major leaguers in need. Read SABR member Bruce Markusen’s tribute to Chuck Hinton at The Hardball Times.

Call for SABR award nominations

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:

Of course, 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.

Here is a list of new members:

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Michael Akers Woodstock, GA     Matt Garcia The Woodlands, TX
Kevin Albertina Collinsville, IL     Tom Gettings Lake Forest, IL
Joseph Ammirati Blacksburg, VA     Marty Harkins Philadelphia, PA
Edward Bailey Mtn. View, CA     James Hentges Eden Prairie, MN
Sebastian Bellitto Kent, OH     Barry Kahn Austin, TX
Josh Bendickson Baton Rouge, LA     Sheldon Kasdan Los Angeles, CA
Dale Brauner Bristol, CT     Greg Mazzella Fairfield, CT
Rose Brittain Redmond, WA     Jennifer McGovern Philadephia, PA
Rick Clifton Coatesville, PA     Charles McGuire Pittsburgh, PA
Cian Craddock Dublin, IRE     Ben Pawlowski Las Vegas, NV
Chris Crocker Columbus, OH     David Perek San Diego, CA
Kevin Ebert Baltimore, MD     Sriram Satish New York, NY
Bob Feiner Austin, TX     Ed Sherman Highland Park, IL
John P. Gallo Minneapolis, MN     Bob Zuhlke Mont. Village, MD
Dan Gallo Los Angeles, 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/sabrday for recaps and photos of all 31 SABR Day events held around the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

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: February 1, 2013. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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