This Week in SABR: July 23, 2021

July 23, 2021/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

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 July 23, 2021:

Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference begins tonight as part of Summer of SABR

As part of SABR’s 50th anniversary in 2021, all baseball fans are invited to join us online this weekend for the Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series, presented by Major League Baseball and Baseball-Reference.com.

The Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference makes its virtual return as part of the Summer of SABR series, beginning at 7:00 p.m. EDT tonight on Friday, July 23. Since 1998, the Malloy Conference has been the only symposium dedicated exclusively to the examination and promotion of Black baseball history.

Join us all weekend for a series of presentations, chats, and panel discussions featuring a special “Black Baseball Before 1920” panel discussion with Negro Leagues historians James Brunson III, Todd Peterson, John Thorn, and Larry Lester; video highlights narrated by acclaimed musician Chuck D; along with presentations by Mark Aubrey, Milbert Brown, Brunson, Eric Chalek, Steve Dittmore, James Forr, Harriet Hamilton-Kimbo, Leslie Heaphy, Katie Krall, Rodney Page, Peterson, Bill Plott, Rich Puerzer, Emily Rutter, and Jeb Stewart.

Registration: Click here to register for the Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series. Registration is $35 for SABR members and $50 for non-members. Note: If you already registered in June, there is no need to register again. The single registration fee will provide access to the entirety of the Summer of SABR: Golden Celebration Series, including every session on June 25-27, July 23-25, and August 10, 13-14. That’s NINE incredible virtual sessions, including the full Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, for just one registration price.
Contact: Please e-mail Scott Carter with any other questions about your registration.
Schedule: Click here for more details on the panels and presentations to be delivered at the 2021 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference.

Visit SABR.org/summer to register today or for more information.

Download your free e-book edition of The National Pastime: The Future According to Baseball

At the 2003 SABR national convention, SABR launched a survey about the future of baseball. SABR members as well as members of the general public were invited to respond. The instructions given to the respondents read as follows: “Answer the questions in light of what you believe will be true in 2020, not what you wish would be true, except where noted.” The questions were mostly focused on Major League Baseball and included topics like new franchises, Hall of Fame inductees, and who would still be playing in 2020.

Inspired by the survey, for this year’s issue of The National Pastime we decided to run a similar survey and ask SABR members once again to look two decades into the future. As we turn the clock ahead to 2040, baseball will continue to reflect what’s happening in the world around it. We hope you enjoy this tour of the future and take comfort in knowing that through all the many disruptions that will come over the next 20 years, we project that the game we know and love will prevail.

Download the e-book: Click here to download a free e-book edition of The National Pastime at the SABR Store.
Purchase the print edition: Click here to order the print edition of The National Pastime from Amazon.com.
Note: All articles from The National Pastime: The Future According to Baseball will be available to read online at SABR.org soon.

Having trouble downloading our e-books? Having trouble downloading SABR e-books or transferring them to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.

F.X. Flinn to step down as SABR Treasurer; Board seeking nominations for vacant Director’s seat

F.X. Flinn, who has served as the Treasurer of SABR’s Board of Directors since 2001, has resigned his position, which creates an opening for a new Director who will be appointed by the remaining Board members. Flinn is the longest tenured Board member in SABR’s history, working with four Executive Directors and 27 other Board members over the past two decades.

“I am quite satisfied with where SABR is these days,” Flinn said. “Many of the problems that I joined the Board to focus on — especially its financial health and its website — are in a much better place, and I have taken on non-SABR commitments that have made my time more difficult to spare. All in all, it seems this is a good time for me to call it a day.”

The SABR Board has decided to shift Dan Levitt, currently serving as a Director, to Flinn’s vacated Treasurer post. This creates an opening to fill the remaining two years of Levitt’s seat. In accordance with the SABR By-Laws, the Board plans to fill this open position in the next few weeks.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please contact Allison Levin (allison.levin@gmail.com) by Monday, July 26.

New grave marker dedicated for Latin American baseball pioneer Luis Castro in New York

SABR’s 19th Century Baseball Grave Marker Project Committee dedicated a grave monument on the previously unmarked grave of Luis “Jud” Castro on Tuesday, July 20 at Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Flushing, New York 11365.

Castro was a semi-pro standout during the final years of the 19th century. He was born in Medellin, Colombia, and has the distinction of being the first Latino to play in the Major Leagues (NL or AL) when he made his debut for the Philadelphia Athletics on April 23, 1902. His arrival was a portent of the future of professional baseball. Today roughly 30% of Major League rosters are made up of Latino players. Castro is also the namesake of SABR’s Latin American chapter, which serves Spanish-speaking members in Central and South America. Click here to read Luis Castro’s full SABR biography, by Brian McKenna.

John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball, and State Senator Jessica Ramos, New York’s first Colombian-American Senator, spoke at the ceremony, along with SABR 19th Century Grave Marker Project director Ralph Carhart. July 20 was Colombian Independence Day (1810).

To learn more about the SABR 19th Century Baseball Grave Marker Project, or to make a tax-deductible donation in support, click here.

Call for papers: Spring 2022 Baseball Research Journal

In 2022, the United States will mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the groundbreaking civil rights legislation that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions receiving federal funds. Although the law was not specifically aimed at athletics, it had wide-reaching effects in sports for women and girls, particularly in increasing opportunities and participation. In the past few years, women in baseball have seen big leaps forward, but in addition to the milestones of the current moment, there is still much to uncover about the history of women and girls participating in the game, not just in the US but worldwide.

To mark the anniversary of Title IX, the Spring 2022 issue of SABR’s Baseball Research Journal is seeking research articles on women and girls in baseball. All topics and eras are welcome, from 19th-century Bloomer Girls teams through statistical analysis of 21st-century collegiate women. A specific tie to Title IX is not necessary.

Please pitch abstracts or synopses to Publications Director Cecilia Tan at ctan@sabr.org before August 15, 2021.

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

Retrosheet announces Summer 2021 updates

Retrosheet has announced its Summer 2021 update to the Retrosheet.org website. Deduced files have now been completed for 1927 and 1926 and are now available online. We now have play-by-play accounts for all American League and National League games from 1926-2020, meaning the last 95 seasons, at retrosheet.org/game.htm.

We have also completed the proofing of games for the 1915 season, but without deductions. This includes the 1915 Federal League, which we present for the first time. Jim Herdman has almost singlehandedly processed these games and we have play-by-play for 420 of the 619 Federal League games available for download (68%). For the three major leagues in 1915, we have accounts for 1,261 of the 1,864 games played (67%).

Updates continue to be made in time of game and attendance data, along with ejections. We are adding a new file for download with this release. It is an extremely comprehensive listing of over two dozen items for each player, manager, umpire and coach in Major League history. At this point, Negro League personnel are not yet included.

At this point we now have play-by-play for a few hundred Negro League games on our site, including East-West all-star games, postseason and World Series games, and interracial exhibition games. Please read the overview page for more details.

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

— David W. Smith

Registration now open for 2021 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference

SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center have opened registration for the third annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference on September 10-12, 2021, at Rockford University in Rockford, Illinois.

This year’s conference theme is “Breaking Barriers: Women in Baseball Around the World.”

Register: Click here to register online. The conference is open to all baseball fans.
Cost: In-person attendance is $100 per person, and includes access to all panels and presentations, social hour, reception/luncheon, pylon unveiling, goody bag, program, and 1 raffle ticket. Virtual attendance is $75 per person, and includes access to all panels and presentations, program, and 1 raffle ticket. 1 ticket to reception/luncheon only is $30 per person. Additional raffle tickets are $5 apiece. Deadline to register: September 3, 2021.
Schedule: Stay tuned for more details on panels and presentations.
Contact: For questions, please contact Leslie Heaphy or Kat Williams.

For coverage of the 2020 virtual conference, visit SABR.org/women-in-baseball-conference/2020.

Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2021 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference

Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

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.

Can’t-Miss Event: SABR’s Lefty O’Doul/Bay Area Chapter and Dusty Baker-Sacramento Chapter will hold a virtual Zoom meeting at 7:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, July 27. All baseball fans are invited to attend. The topic will be “Women in Baseball.” We are excited to welcome Sherry Davis, San Francisco Giants public address announcer from 1993 to 1999; Perry Barber, professional umpire; and Anika Orrock, author and illustrator. Please contact Zak Ford to RSVP for the Zoom meeting.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from Bowie Baysox broadcaster Adam Pohl. Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.

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

July 23: Summer of SABR: Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference (7:00 p.m. EDT)
July 24: Summer of SABR: Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference (11:00 a.m. EDT)
July 24: Sweet Lou Johnson Lexington (KY) Chapter meeting (1:00 p.m. EDT)
July 25: Summer of SABR: Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference (1:30 p.m. EDT)
July 25: Field of Dreams (IA) Chapter meeting with John Liepa (3:30 p.m. CDT)
July 26: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with Dan Taylor (8:30 p.m. EDT)
July 27: Sacramento/Bay Area (CA) Chapter joint meeting with Sherry Davis, Perry Barber, and Anika Orrock (7:00 p.m. PDT)
July 28: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter meeting with Adam Korengold (7:30 p.m. EDT)

In addition, the following events will be held in person:

July 24: Schott-Pelican (LA) Chapter meeting (Metairie, LA)
July 24: Ken Keltner (WI) Chapter social gathering (Milwaukee, WI)
July 24: Oscar Charleston (IN) Chapter ballgame/meeting (Indianapolis, IN)
July 25: Cliff Kachline (NY) Chapter meeting (Cooperstown, NY)
July 26: Larry Dierker (TX) Chapter meeting (Houston, TX)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.

SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with author Steve Rushin

Baseball 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 #120 on Monday, July 19 featured Steve Rushin, award-winning special contributor for Sports Illustrated and author of six books, including The 34-Ton Bat; Road Swing; and most recently Nights in White Castle. For SI, he has recently written on the cultural clout of Willie Mays and a “character study” of the asterisk in sports. He lives with his wife, Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo, and children in Connecticut.

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

Nine new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project. Here are the new bios published this week:

Jesse Barfield, by Malcolm Allen
Cardell Camper, by Malcolm Allen
Vince Coleman, by Zac Petrillo
Miguel “Mike” de la Hoz, by Jose I. Ramírez and Rory Costello
Burt Hooton, by Bob Trostler
George Mogridge, by Russ Walsh
Ossie Orwoll, by Bill Lamb
Ron Theobald, by Graham Womack
Bill Yerrick, by Bill Nowlin

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

Find any SABR biography: You can visit sabr.org/bioproject to search for any player — or manager, executive, scout, spouse, broadcaster, or umpire — who appears in the SABR BioProject. In addition, we have pages for Ballparks, Broadcasters, Executives, Games, Managers, Scouts, Spouses, Umpires, Writers, people who were Famous Outside Baseball, and a lot more.
Read all SABR bios from 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords book: In Pride of Smoketown: The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords, edited by Frederick C. Bush and Bill Nowlin and published in 2020, we told the story of one of the Negro Leagues’ most dominant teams, which boasted four Hall of Fame players. All of the biographies from Pride of Smoketown are now available to read online at the SABR BioProject. Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback.

16 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

Sixteen new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories:

June 30, 1913: Ad Brennan knocks out John McGraw after Giants wrestle first place from Phillies, by Thomas E. Merrick
July 25, 1921: Monarchs’ Bullet Rogan hits 2-run homer in 9th-inning comeback over Detroit Stars, by Aaron Tallent (first-time author)
July 26, 1921: Brooklyn’s Burleigh Grimes wins an ‘Old Time Pitchers’ Duel’ against Cubs’ Alexander, by John G. Zinn
July 26, 1921: Ross Youngs rallies Giants past Pirates in showdown of league leaders, by John Fredland
August 9, 1921: Whistling Dixie in the nation’s capital: Browns’ Davis goes all 19 innings for ironman victory, by Gregory H. Wolf
August 11, 1921: Giants win a ‘humdinger’ over Brooklyn with two late comebacks and 13th-inning rally, by John G. Zinn
August 22, 1921: Cy Williams’s Baker Bowl blast breaks up pitchers’ duel in 12th inning, by Russ Walsh
September 5, 1921: Reds’ Eppa Rixey tosses 13-inning, complete-game victory over faltering Pirates, by Gary Belleville
September 7, 1921: Teams split four hits in Dakota League action, by Kurt Blumenau
September 12, 1921: Al Nixon’s ‘Rule of Three’ Game, by Bob Brady
September 16, 1921: Goose Goslin makes his major-league debut; Cleveland returns to first place, by Gary Sarnoff
October 6, 1921: Waite Hoyt lifts Yankees to 2-0 lead over Giants in World Series, by Kevin Larkin
August 6, 1954: Did heckling Ted Williams cost the Orioles a game in the 10th inning?, by Bill Nowlin
August 18, 1986: Tom Seaver strikes out 7 in his last major-league win, by David Krell
July 26, 1998: Nomar Garciaparra’s only inside-the-park home run helps Pedro Martinez beat Toronto, by Madison McEntire
September 9, 2020: Atlanta Braves set modern-era NL record by scoring 29 runs, by Laura H. Peebles

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.

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

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, is back at a new time for the regular season. Listen to new episodes at 8:00-9:00 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.

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: SABR.org/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
Rob Bishop	Ormond Beach, FL	Patrick Shepherd	Lancaster, CA
David Borden	Knoxville, TN	Steve Skipwith	Greenville, SC
Sean Floersch	Eagan, MN	Gary Williams	Three Lakes, WI
Tanner Immel	Cleveland, OH	Ryan Woodward	Pittsburgh, PA
Chris Lucas	Canton, OH	Bernie Wyatt	Oakvile, ON
Jerome Mannix	Hummelstown, PA

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

Baseball Cards: Watch the Jefferson Burdick Award Ceremony with Doug McWilliams (YouTube)

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

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter and chartered community updates this week:

Boston Chapter: July 17 meeting recap (Worcester, MA)
Connie Mack-Dick Allen Chapter: Check out the chapter’s fundraising initiative to place a historical marker for the 1871 Philadelphia Athletics

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:

Anthony Castrovince: What’s in a name? Introducing the Cleveland Guardians (MLB.com)
James David Dickson: Wayne County grants $850K to renovate Negro League ballpark in Hamtramck (Detroit News)
Richard Sandomir: Marjorie Adams, Who Went to Bat for a Baseball Pioneer, Dies at 72 (New York Times)
Julia Moro: Queens senator honors first Latino MLB player on Colombian Independence Day (QNS.com)
Ralph Carhart: Luis Castro: Tribute to a Pioneer (The Hall Ball)
Payton Titus: All-female Rays-Orioles broadcast crew makes history, looks optimistically to future (Tampa Bay Times)
Josh Levin, Evan Chung, Madeline Ducharme: Mary Shane’s Rookie Season as a Baseball Broadaster (Slate.com)
Ben Lindbergh: Is the MLB Sticky-Stuff Ban Actually Making a Difference? (The Ringer)
Eno Sarris/Katie Woo: Is baseball’s sticky stuff crackdown leading to more pitcher injuries? (The Athletic)
Stephen J. Nesbitt: What players, managers and data say about MLB’s extra-inning rule (The Athletic)
Jason Mackey: Jacob Stallings considered midseason favorite for the NL Gold Glove (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Sean Kirst: A Buffalo farewell, two seasons later, to a great major league surprise (Buffalo News)
Jake Crouse: Josh Gibson’s legacy honored in Monessen (MLB.com)
Steven Goldman: Welcome to America, Shohei Ohtani (Baseball Prospectus)
Kazuto Yamazaki: The Pre-MLB Moments that Explain Shohei Ohtani (Baseball Prospectus)
Russell A. Carleton: The WAR Over Ohtani’s Value (Baseball Prospectus)
Rob Mains: The Greatest Two-Way Players of All Time (Baseball Prospectus)
Hannah Keyser: Softball needs the Olympics. And it needs baseball to care. (Yahoo! Sports)
Tess Taruskin: What to Watch For at the Tokyo Games (FanGraphs)
Alex Coffey: Who is John Fisher? Billionaire A’s owner won’t talk, so we spoke to over 20 people in his orbit (San Francisco Chronicle)
Alex Speier: Within Chaim Bloom’s first two years, there’s hope in both the Red Sox present and future (Boston Globe)
Emma Baccellieri: A Taxonomy of Bad Days at Work (Sports Illustrated)
Amanda Lane: The 1976 Mariners and the Building of a Team (Lookout Landing)
Mark Gray: Negro League Legends Honored With One-of-a-Kind Baseball Cards (Newsweek)
Chad Jennings: In 1999, baseball imagined the world of 2021, and it looked weird. The ‘Turn Ahead the Clock’ promo, revisited (The Athletic)
Jay Jaffe: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Is Soaring to New Heights (FanGraphs)
Mark Simon: MLB Trade Market Is Rich In Shortstops (ACTA Sports)
Michael Clair: Why is the Cape Cod League so special? (MLB.com)
Rob Arthur: The Best Pitchers Can Boost Attendance By 3,000 Fans Per Game (Baseball Prospectus)
Tom Ruane: Retro-review of the 1912 season (Retrosheet.org)
Ralph Jimenez: Uncovering legacy of William Penn Thompson, baseball pioneer who broke racial barriers (Concord Monitor)
David Laurila: Damon Jones, Zach McCambley, and Josh Staumont, on Crafting Their Curveballs and Sliders (FanGraphs)
Jason Schwartz: A closer look at the 1935 Diamond Stars release (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Adam Korengold: Cards in the Time of COVID (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)

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.

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: