This Week in SABR: January 10, 2025

January 10, 2025/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, January 10, 2025.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

SABR Digital Library: When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946-1963
Join us on February 10 for a SABR Scholar Session with Dan Evans
Register now for 2025 SABR Analytics Conference
Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2025
Apply for a Local Grant in 2025

SABR Digital Library: When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946-1963

Add a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:

When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946-1963
Edited by George Pawlush
Associate editors: Marshall Adesman, Mike Huber, Len Levin, and Bill Nowlin
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-960819-28-4, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-960819-29-1, $24.95
8.5″ x 11″, 165 pages

When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust is about the epic transformation the minor leagues underwent from the end of World War II to the onset of America’s space race with the Soviet Union. By 1949, the minors’ boom would reach its peak, with 59 leagues and 448 teams, but their downfall was just around the corner.

This book, three years in the making, with contributions from 39 SABR members, contains stories about minor-league teams, individuals, and leagues that thrived, struggled, and mostly went defunct, because of changing cultural and economic trends beyond their control from 1946 through 1963.

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

Join us on February 10 for a SABR Scholar Session with Dan Evans

All student and young professional members of SABR are invited to our next SABR Scholar Session, held virtually on Zoom at 8:00 p.m. EST on Monday, February 10.

Join host Tyrone Brooks, Senior Director, Front Office and Field Staff Diversity Pipeline Program at Major League Baseball, for our free quarterly virtual series created exclusively for SABR student and young professional members. This session’s guest will be Dan Evans, former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager and a member of SABR’s Board of Directors.

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

Early registration is now open for 2025 SABR Analytics Conference

Early registration is now open for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held in person from March 14-16, 2025, at the Beus Center for Law and Society on Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix Campus in Phoenix, Arizona.

We’ll bring together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate, and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. Register today to join us!

Registration: Click here to register for the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference. Early-bird registration is $395 for SABR members, $495 for non-members, and $150 for currently enrolled high school or college students. Student-only virtual registration is $50. Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive the discounted registration link.
Student Registration: Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive a special link to register at a discounted rate. Students have the option of choosing virtual ($50) or in-person ($150) registration. Both include access to General Session panels and presentations on Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, March 13. All student registrations also include a one-year SABR membership ($25 value) and a complimentary Rapsodo certification course ($395 value). SABR membership will be fulfilled after event sign-up and access to Rapsodo course will be delivered after the conference.
Diamond Dollars Case Competition: Click here to register your team for the 2025 Diamond Dollars Case Competition. Registration is $1,750 per team, which includes admission to all SABR Analytics Conference sessions and a one-year SABR membership for each participant.
Certification Courses: The first three courses in the online, on-demand SABR Analytics Certification program, including the newest offering Level Three – Introduction to Baseball Programming, are available now. Click here to learn more or to sign up.

Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2025

In 2025, all SABR members exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically twice a year. The Spring 2025 issue will be sent out in April. However, if you are interested in a paperback copy of BRJ for your personal library, we have rolled out a subscription option at a significantly discounted rate: $7 per issue for members, compared to $19.95 at retail.

To subscribe and receive a printed edition of BRJ, visit SABR.org/subscribe
(If you have any questions about your subscription, please email brjsubscribe@sabr.org.)

Click here for a short video on how to subscribe to printed copies of BRJ.

Register now for 2025 Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference

Registration is now open for the 16th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference, which will be held on April 25-26, 2025, at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to register for this special event.

Registration: Click here to register online.
Schedule: Click here to view the complete schedule for the 2025 Ivor-Campbell Conference.

The 2025 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from author Richard Hershberger, along with a panel discussion on the National Association with Alan Cohen, Bob Tiemann, Bob Tholkes, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a 19th-century artifact session with Robert Mayer, Gary Passamonte, and Jonathan Popovich; a Member Spotlight interview of Andrew North by Dave Newman; plus research presentations.

Visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c for more information.

Apply now for a SABR Local Grant in 2025

The SABR Local Grants program provides an opportunity for chapters, research committees, and chartered communities to apply for funding for their projects under SABR’s Four Pillars: Research, Scholarship, Preservation, and Future of the Game.

Applications are now open for a 2025 SABR Local Grant at SABR.org/local-grants. Submissions will be accepted until January 31, 2025. A Grants Review Board will review all submissions and respond with their final determination in February 2025.

Visit SABR.org/local-grants to learn more or to apply.

Save the date! SABR Day is on February 1

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 1, 2025, when we will hold our annual SABR Day celebration! SABR Day is a way for all baseball fans to come together, regardless of where they live, and talk about the game we all love. Regional chapters are also encouraged to plan their own SABR Day events (virtually or in person) throughout the months of January or February to celebrate the start of a new baseball season.

Visit SABR.org/sabrday for full details on all SABR Day events — including Atlanta, Austin, Cleveland, Harrisburg, Little Rock, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Tampa/St. Petersburg.

Chapter leaders, please email Jacob Pomrenke as you finalize your SABR Day plans so we can update our comprehensive schedule of events, which are posted online at SABR.org/sabrday.

Writing Opportunities: Korean Baseball

A new SABR book project about Korean baseball seeks authors for a few articles, including KBO game stories and biographies on former Dodgers All-Star Hyun-jin Ryu and Jong-beom Lee. If you are interested in contributing, please contact editor Zac Petrillo.

Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.

5 new stories published at SABR Biography Project

Joe Altobelli, by Joseph Wancho
Dan Brouthers, by Stephen V. Rice
Mike Ivie, by Donald R. Livingston (first-time author)
Heinie Peitz, by Malcolm Allen
Karl Schnell, by Brian Kopycinski

Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR BioProject or to get involved.

6 new stories published at SABR Games Project

April 21, 1875: Three’s a Crowd: Centennials become Philadelphia’s third National Association team, by Larry DeFillipo
June 21, 1916: Rube Foster throws first Red Sox no-hitter at Fenway Park, by Bill Nowlin
September 23, 1924: Brooklyn’s pennant hopes crushed by Gabby Hartnett’s 10th-inning ‘bounce’ homer, by Gary Belleville
September 16, 1972: Tom Seaver allows grand slam to opposing pitcher Burt Hooton as Cubs trounce Mets, by Laura H. Peebles
April 29, 1984: Phillies make six errors, lose game and series to Mets, by Steve Ginader
August 27, 1998: Two days after Orioles’ debut, Willis Otáñez’s season ends with fractured wrist, by Andrew Harner

Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.

Dazzling Debuts: First At-Bat Home Runs
Edited by Giselle Stancic, Bill Nowlin, and Jacob Pomrenke

Visit SABR.org/dazzling-debuts for exclusive highlights online or to download the free e-book edition.

Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:

Please give a warm welcome to all new SABR members who joined this week! View more Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org or click here to download the Membership Handbook. Find contact information for any SABR member in the online Membership Directory.

NAME	HOMETOWN	NAME	HOMETOWN
Kevin Barnes	Round Rock, TX	Ivy Maynard	Glastonbury, CT
Joe Berk	Columbus, OH	Finnegan Moriarty	Lafayette, CO
Leah Buhagiar	Cooperstown, NY	Aaron Nahoum	Brooklyn, NY
Matthew Burns	Gainesville, FL	Kyle Ozbun	Kansas City, MO
Paul Caulfield	Medford, MA	Justin Paolucci	Canyon, TX
Steven Clark	Hamburg, NY	Ethan Potash	Elon, NC
Jason Cleare	Newark, NJ	Robert Rishar	Coatesville, PA
Jack Cunningham	Ridgewood, NJ	Alexander Robbins	Holdingford, MN
Robert Darress	Cary, NC	Ari Rosenstein	New York, NY
Paul Dottle	Westfield, NJ	Bryan Ross	Columbia, MO
Kathleen Duffy	West Seneca, NY	Sean Smith	Elkridge, MD
Charles Fracchia	San Francisco, CA	Andrew Suarez	Davie, FL
Adrian Freeman	Chevy Chase, MD	Jack Vanderweyst	London, ON
Nicholas Halaby	Los Angeles, CA	Christopher Weir	Annapolis, MD
Marc Hooper	Memphis, TN	Bob Wells	Chantilly, VA
Dave Kaplan	West Orange, NJ	Noah Wleczyk	Chicago, IL
Barry Krissoff	Fairfax, VA	Seong Yoon	Madison, WI
Ilan Lindenfeld	New York, NY	Jacob Zuckerman	Philadelphia, PA

Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from John Burbridge Jr. (“The Northern League and the Rebirth of Independent Baseball”); Derek Bain and John Racanelli (Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Video Games and Electronic Handhelds); and Dan Cichalski (“Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days’: From Speedball to Spitball”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

January 11: Bob Davids (DC) Chapter: Talkin’ Baseball: Jay Jaffe (10:00 a.m. EST)
January 13: Central Florida Chapter meeting with Andy Freed (7:00 p.m. EST)
January 13: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Mark Panuthos (7:00 p.m. EST)
January 13: Baseball Cards Committee meeting with Brian Kappel and John Racanelli (8:00 p.m. EST)
January 14: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with Dan Evans (7:00 p.m. EST)
January 14: 19th Century Speaker Series: Jack Bales (8:00 p.m. EST)
January 15: New SABR Member Experience Meeting (8:00 p.m. EST)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

January 11: Halsey Hall Chapter Hot Stove Saturday Morning (Minneapolis, MN)
January 11: Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter lunch meeting (Arlington Heights, IL)
January 11: Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter meeting (Milwaukee, WI)
January 15: Rocky Mountain Chapter monthly lunch (Denver, CO)
January 16: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
January 18: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)

To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.

Biographical Research: December 2024 newsletter

Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.

Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter: January 2025 newsletter (Milwaukee, WI)
Rogers Hornsby Chapter: January 2025 newsletter (Austin, TX)

Sign up for SABR chapter announcements at SABR.org/chapters.

Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.

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

Matt Snyder: Baseball Hall of Fame myths: Vote totals can’t change, Cooperstown is too crowded and more false narratives (CBS Sports)
Jay Jaffe: JAWS and the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot: Troy Tulowitzki (FanGraphs)
Tyler Kepner: Why Félix Hernández fell just short on my Hall of Fame ballot — and why I’m grateful he’s still in play (The Athletic)
David Laurila: A Hall of Fame Ballot (With Noteworthy Changes) Explained (FanGraphs)
Rob Mains: Players in States with No State Income Taxes Still Pay a Lot of State Income Taxes (Baseball Prospectus)
Mike Petriello: The 40 likely Hall of Famers you’ll see in 2025 (MLB.com)
Davy Andrews: About Those Juan Soto Photos (FanGraphs)
Russell A. Carleton: The NFL is to CTE as MLB is to UCL (Baseball Prospectus)
Ben Clemens: The Rise of the Slider Might Be Over (FanGraphs)
Grant Brisbee: Why Justin Verlander struggled, and what the Giants can learn from that for 2025 (The Athletic)
Steven Goldman: The Butts of the Joke (Baseball Prospectus)
Sean Kane: Made Right Here: Turning baseball gloves into art (CTV News)
Kiri Oler: What the Upstart WPBL Should Learn From Other Women’s Sports Leagues (FanGraphs)
Gary Cieradkowski: Tomás Romañach: Afraid of being what the Americanos call “the lemon” (Infinite Baseball Card Set)
Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Scott Crawford (Baseball and BBQ)
Steve Shaw: Game Breakers – How the Best Ball Players Break Games With Records (SABR Games and Simulations)
Greg Phegley: My Visit to Gil Hodges’ Hometown of Petersburg, Indiana (and a side trip to Princeton) (SABR Landmarks)
Andrew C. Sharp: The uneven handling by Topps of a team’s name (SABR Baseball Cards)
Jeff Katz: Big Time Stuff (SABR Baseball Cards)
Jason Schwartz: Twin Pair o’ Docs? (SABR Baseball Cards)

Please note: Some articles may require a separate subscription to view online. SABR does not endorse, and is not responsible or liable for, any content that appears on a third-party website.

This Week in SABR is compiled by Jacob Pomrenke. If you would like us to include an upcoming event, article, or any other information in “This Week in SABR,” e-mail jpomrenke@sabr.org. To find past editions of TWIS, click here.

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.

Originally published: January 10, 2025. Last Updated: January 10, 2025.

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