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This Week in SABR: January 22, 2021

This Week in SABR: January 22, 2021

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 January 22, 2021:


In Memoriam: Henry Aaron

Henry Aaron (NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME LIBRARY)It’s nearly impossible to overstate Henry Aaron’s greatness on and off the baseball field. His record of 755 home runs, shattering Babe Ruth’s iconic career mark while enduring relentless racist threats in the segregated Jim Crow South, transcended the game.

His quiet brilliance and proud spirit displayed over a 23-year Hall of Fame career with the Braves — who moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta, the heart and headquarters of the Civil Rights Movement, in the mid-1960s — made him one of the most visible Black men in American society, an idol to millions of fans and generations of ballplayers before his death at the age of 86 on Friday, January 22.

On the field, Aaron set all-time records for home runs (since broken by Barry Bonds), RBIs (2,297), and total bases (6,856) as one of the most complete all-around players baseball has ever seen. He had power, speed, smarts, and durability, hitting more than 20 home runs in every season between 1955 and 1974 — the year he surpassed Ruth with his 715th home run. But if you took away all of Aaron’s 755 home runs, he still would have recorded more than 3,000 career hits.

Off the field, Henry Louis Aaron was born on February 5, 1934, and grew up as the son of sharecropper parents in Mobile, Alabama, a hotbed of Black baseball talent despite the indignities of the Jim Crow era. Five years after Jackie Robinson integrated the all-white major leagues, Aaron began his professional career in the Negro American League as a cross-handed-hitting teenager with the Indianapolis Clowns, hitting .366 in 26 games before he signed with the then-Boston Braves. The Braves sent him to spring training in Waycross, Georgia, and later to integrate the Southern Atlantic League as its first Black player at age 19.

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


Submit your questions for Bob Costas, Tim Mead for virtual SABR Day event on January 30

2021 SABR Day speakers: Bob Costas, Tim MeadSABR commemorates its 50th anniversary in 2021 and will launch its year-long celebration with SABR Day on Saturday, January 30. SABR Day will be hosted virtually around the globe for the first time, giving baseball fans a chance to come together — wherever they live — to share their love of the game.

The program will include conversations with broadcasting legend Bob Costas of MLB Network, with moderator Marty Appel, and National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President Tim Mead, with moderator Bruce Markusen.

  • Q&A: Visit SABR.org/sabrday to submit your questions of Bob and Tim in advance, and we will make every effort to have them answer as many as possible during their SABR Day sessions.

“We are honored and thrilled to have Bob Costas and Tim Mead join us for the first-ever virtual SABR Day,” SABR CEO Scott Bush said. “There is not a better way to lead off our Golden Anniversary and we excitedly look forward to sharing SABR with the entire baseball community.”

SABR Day registration is free for all SABR members. A $10 donation will be requested of non-members. Click here to register online. The virtual SABR Day program will run from 2:00-4:00 p.m. EST on January 30.


Early registration discount expires January 31 for 2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference

SABR Virtual Analytics ConferenceEarly registration is open only through January 31 for the SABR Virtual Analytics Conference, which will be held over four days in online sessions from March 11-14, 2021. 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!

Programming will run on Thursday and Friday evening from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Eastern, all day Saturday from 12:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern, and Sunday afternoon from 1:00-5:00 p.m. EDT.

Stay tuned for more details on guest speakers, panelists, and presenters! Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more.


Deadline extended! Call for papers: 2021 The National Pastime

The National Pastime is SABR’s annual summer journal, which since 2009 has been themed to the location of the SABR national convention. Last year’s theme was Baltimore, but the 2020 convention was pushed forward to 2021 due to the global pandemic — meaning that in 2021 we were free to explore a new thematic direction. We are taking advantage of this unique opportunity to expand and challenge our thinking and become Baseball Futurists.

The 2021 issue of The National Pastime will focus on the future through the lens of baseball. Just as baseball and its history is a reflection of the culture and society of the past and present, it can also serve as input, context, and/or predictor of plausible futures for sports in the United States and other countries. Tentatively subtitled The Future According to Baseball, this issue of The National Pastime will collect thought-provoking articles from a variety of disciplines.

This issue of The National Pastime will be co-edited by Marty Resnick and Cecilia Tan. Marty will be taking queries and abstracts until February 1, 2021. First drafts of articles will be due no later than March 8 and rewrites (if needed) will be due by April 15. To query, send an email to marty@teamresnick.com with the subject line “TNP Query” and a key word or two on your subject.

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


Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

Eddie Robinson (THE TOPPS COMPANY)SABR chapters and committees are encouraged to set up virtual meetings to stay engaged with our members throughout the world at SABR.org, as part of our Stay Home With SABR initiative to assist in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Here are some more upcoming virtual events you can attend online; check the Events Calendar for complete details:

  • January 23: NW Ohio Chapter meeting (9:00 a.m. EST)
  • January 23: Bob Davids Chapter meeting with Eddie Robinson, Bob Carpenter, Fred Valentine, Brad Snyder, and Jerry Brewer (9:30 a.m. EST)
  • January 23: Josh Gibson Foundation speaker series with Ted Knorr (10:00 a.m. EST)
  • January 23: Schott-Pelican (New Orleans) Chapter meeting (10:00 a.m. CST)
  • January 23: Carolina Chapter meeting with Ralph Carhart (1:30 p.m. EST)
  • January 23: Baseball Reminiscence meeting (4:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 25: Elysian Fields (N.J.) Chapter meeting with Ron Schweiger (9:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 26: Luke Easter (N.Y.) Chapter meeting with Luke Erickson, Britt Ghiroli, and Byron Kerr (7:30 p.m. EST)
  • January 26: Gardner-Waterman Vermont Chapter meeting with Carl Backman (7:30 p.m. EST)
  • January 28: Oscar Charleston (Indiana) Chapter meeting with Howard Kellman, Kimberly Parkhurst, and Andrew Heckroth (6:30 p.m. EST)
  • January 28: Larry Doby (S.C.) Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 30: Elysian Fields (N.J.) Chapter meeting with Matt Silverman, Bill Nowlin, Jim Gates, Lyle Spatz, Peter Golenbock, Ouisie Shapiro, and John Florio (9:00 a.m. EST)
  • January 30: Southern Michigan Chapter meeting with Gary Gillette, Chuck Klonke, Larry Paladino, Roger Castillo, Jason Beck, and Evan Woodberry (11:00 a.m. EST)
  • January 30: Rogers Hornsby (Texas) Chapter meeting (11:00 a.m. CST)
  • January 30: National SABR Day with Bob Costas and Tim Mead (2:00 p.m. EST)

Find more upcoming virtual meetings on our SABR Events Calendar page.

Click here to view replays of hundreds of recorded SABR virtual events.


In Memoriam: Don Sutton

Don Sutton“I never wanted to be a superstar, or the highest paid player,” Don Sutton said. “[A]ll I wanted was to be appreciated for the fact that I was consistent, dependable, and you could count on me.”1 By that measure, Sutton achieved his goal and more, as few pitchers in baseball history were as reliable, and as healthy, for as long as the right-hander.

During his 23-year major-league career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and four other teams from 1966 to 1988, Sutton logged at least 200 innings in 20 of his first 21 seasons, a remarkable stretch interrupted only by the strike-shortened campaign of 1981; and struck out at least 100 batters in 21 straight seasons, a feat subsequently duplicated only by Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddux, and Roger Clemens.

Sutton’s 324 wins, 58 shutouts, 3,574 strikeouts, and 5,000-plus innings pitched secured his enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. The outspoken, cerebral competitor spent the rest of his life as a respected baseball broadcaster, calling games mostly for the Atlanta Braves for nearly three decades until his death at the age of 75 on January 18, 2021.

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

Related links:


Call for papers: Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts

Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts, Volume 2 (2020)SABR’s Baseball and the Arts Committee looks forward to presenting the third edition of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts, an offering of baseball art and literature. The deadline for submissions for Volume 3 is April 1, 2021. Please submit your baseball masterpiece to the Turnstyle editors, Jay Hurd or Joanne Hulbert.

We will consider the following: essays, short fiction, memoirs, creative nonfiction, poetry, original illustrations, photographs that enhance a storyline, and other creative expressions of the art of baseball. We did not suggest a theme for our previous editions. However, given the challenging nature of 2020, perhaps you feel inspired to share thoughts about life and baseball during a year of pandemic and politics — what would you like to pass along to baseball fans in the future?

Click on a link below to download your free e-book edition or get 50% off the paperback edition:


Students, apply now for a remote Spring 2021 internship with SABR

The Society for American Baseball Research is seeking remote interns to work during the Spring 2021 semester. An internship with SABR will involve responsibilities across a variety of disciplines, possibly including:

  • Working with the Director of Editorial Content or Publications Director to help publish and/or produce content for our website at SABR.org
  • Working during an online SABR event, such as the SABR Virtual Analytics Conference
  • Working with other SABR staff members on organizational duties, membership renewal drives, customer service

Interested candidates should be able to demonstrate basic office-related computer skills and have a reliable Internet connection for remote working. Experience with WordPress (or other content management systems) and Zoom (or other virtual-conference platforms) is a plus. A working knowledge of baseball — and an awareness of the game’s general history and basic statistics — is required. The internship is an educational opportunity that may count toward college credit, covering 15-20 hours per week with a flexible schedule.

Please send a resume and cover letter in PDF form to jpomrenke@sabr.org by 5:00 p.m. MST Monday, February 1, 2021.


Submit nominations for the 2021 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award

Dorothy Seymour MillsNominations are now open for the 2021 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award — “The Dorothy” — named in honor of Dorothy Seymour Mills and her lifetime of contributions to promoting women’s baseball.

Eligible candidates include any person with a sustained involvement in women’s baseball or any woman with a longtime involvement in baseball in any fashion — player, umpire, writer, executive, team owner, scout, etc. Candidates do not have to be living; it can be awarded posthumously. Self-nominations are accepted. The winner will be selected by the Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award Committee.

Send nominations by May 31, 2021, to Dr. Leslie Heaphy by e-mail at lheaphy@kent.edu or by mail at Dr. Leslie Heaphy, KSU at Stark, 6000 Frank Ave., North Canton, OH 44720.

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


Register now for the virtual SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference in 2021

SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference (ERIC MIKLICH)Registration is now open for the 11th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference, which will be held virtually on April 22-24, 2021. All baseball fans are welcome to register for this special online event.

The 2021 virtual conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from Major League Baseball’s Official Historian John Thorn, along with a panel discussion on National League president William Hulbert with Jack Bales, Richard Hershberger, Bill Lamb, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a special presentation by Jim Gates on the “Penny Marshall Sheet Music Collection” at the Baseball Hall of Fame; a Member Spotlight interview of Tom Gilbert by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations.

For questions, please contact Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net.

To learn more about the conference, visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c.


Read articles from the Fall 2020 Baseball Research Journal online

Baseball Research Journal, Fall 2020Good news! The Fall 2020 edition of the Baseball Research Journal was recently mailed out to all SABR members. This issue includes a special illustrated cover of Hall of Fame catcher and Negro Leagues legend Josh Gibson by SABR member Gary Cieradkowski. Click here to learn more about Gary’s design for the new BRJ cover.

Those of you who receive the print edition should find your BRJ arriving in the next two to four weeks. For digital subscribers, the e-book edition was delivered on December 21.

We hope you enjoy reading the Fall 2020 Baseball Research Journal!


SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh

SABRcast #94: Chris WelshBaseball fans, tune in this season to SABRcast with Rob Neyer, a weekly podcast hosted by award-winning author and longtime SABR member Rob Neyer.

Episode #94 on Monday, January 18 featured Chris Welsh, Cincinnati Reds broadcaster and former major-league pitcher. He spent parts of five seasons from 1981 to 1986 in the big leagues with the San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, and the Reds. He moved into the broadcast booth in 1993 and has been calling Reds games on TV for the past quarter-century. He is also the founder and owner of Baseball Rules Academy, an interactive online forum to teach the rules of baseball.

Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to the full episode.

Subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, and listen to each episode as soon as it’s released on Mondays. To learn more, visit SABR.org/sabrcast.


9 new SABR biographies published

Alvin Davis (THE TOPPS COMPANY)Nine new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project. Here are the new bios published this week:

All new biographies can be found here: SABR.org/bioproject


7 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

Bruce Springsteen, 1975 (EXIT MAGAZINE)Seven 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.

  • 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.
  • Social media: Follow the SABR Games Project on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with new stories and updates.
  • Read all stories from Babe Ruth greatest games book: Click here to read all stories from The Babe (SABR, 2019), edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks, online at the SABR Games Project.

Listen to a new episode of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on Saturdays

Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM with Vince GennaroBehind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, is back at a new time. Listen to new episodes at 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET on Saturdays on MLB Network Radio.

You can also listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio app.

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.


Call for SABR award nominations

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

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.

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
John Alcamo Roselle, NJ     Brian Hall Fairfax, VA
Don Allison Horseheads, NY     Asim Handy Bloomfield Hills, MI
Marty Bender Flushing, NY     Matt Hudson Tallahassee, FL
George Bovenizer Los Angeles, CA     Scott Hughes Montclair, NJ
Elliott Brandon Sycamore, IL     Stephen Johnson Corinna, ME
Robert Busch Mesa, AZ     James Jordan Louisville, KY
Kenneth Colburn Wickliffe, OH     Greg McMorrow Walpole, MA
Stephen Cooper North Salem, NY     Scott McNatt Decatur, AL
Joseph Costa Mt. Airy, MD     Robert Pyle Boulder, CO
Anthony DiCola Wesley Chapel, FL     Gary Scamehorn Melbourne, FL
Aaron Drake Santa Barbara, CA     Jackson Scofield Downers Grove, IL
Gregory Emmons Scottsdale, AZ     Michael Simon North Caldwell, NJ
Noah Gill Beach City, OH     Jim Vnenchak Bethlehem, PA
Cole Greenberg Sandy Springs, GA     Sarah Walsh Charlottesville, VA
Jason Greenfield Xenia, OH        

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

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


Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

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


Around the Web

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

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.

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Originally published: January 22, 2021. Last Updated: January 23, 2021.