This Week in SABR: July 3, 2025
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Please note: The SABR office will be closed for the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 4. Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Tom Hufford honored as 2025 Bob Davids Award recipient
More highlights, photos from SABR 53 in Texas
Jason Schwartz, Ebenezer Olubayode win 2025 convention presentation awards
Lahman Database files now available for download
Call for papers: 2026 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
In Memoriam: Dave Parker
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Tom Hufford selected as 2025 Bob Davids Award winner
Tom Hufford, one of SABR’s original founding members, was announced as the winner of the Bob Davids Award during the SABR 53 Closing Ceremonies on Saturday, June 28 at the Westin DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas.
The award — which is the Society’s highest honor — honors SABR members whose contributions to SABR and baseball reflect the ingenuity, integrity, and self-sacrifice of the founder and past president of SABR, L. Robert “Bob” Davids.
Hufford was a 21-year-old student at Virginia Tech when he learned about Bob Davids’s proposal for “statistorians” to develop an organization devoted to baseball research in 1971. When he called to inquire about the event, Bob offered to drive him to Cooperstown if he could make his way from Blacksburg to Washington, DC. Hufford shared his memories of the first organizational SABR meeting in a recent article for the Magnolia/Georgia Chapter newsletter.
Click here to view the full announcement at SABR.org.
Check out highlights, photos from SABR 53
Couldn’t make it to Texas for SABR 53? Check out more coverage of our 2025 convention from the Westin DFW Airport online:
- Listen to highlights from Chris Young’s Welcome Remarks (audio)
- Listen to highlights from Bruce Bochy’s Roland Hemond Award presentation (audio)
- View photo galleries from each day at SABR 53
- Tom Hufford selected as 2025 Bob Davids Award winner
- Bruce Bochy honored with 2025 SABR Roland Hemond Award
- Jason A. Schwartz, Ebenezer Olubayode win 2025 convention presentation awards
- SABR chapters honored for exceptional performance in 2024-25
- Tom Zocco honored for attending 50 consecutive SABR Conventions
- Mark Simon is a ‘lucky’ winner for first time in individual Trivia Contest
- Al Reach selected as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend of 2025
- SABR and Abilene Christian University announce partnership to advance data literacy and leadership in sports
- Stay tuned for more highlights, photos, and clips soon!
For more coverage of SABR 53, visit SABR.org/convention.
Listen to highlights from Bruce Bochy’s Roland Hemond Award presentation
At SABR 53 on Thursday, June 26, Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was honored with the Roland Hemond Award, which recognizes a baseball executive who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to professional baseball scouts and scouting, and player development history. He was introduced by SABR Board President Dan Evans and Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young.
“SABR is baseball’s conscience and compass,” Bochy said. “To be among the people who love the game as much as I do, it really is an honor for me. I look back and see what you do to help shape it, to study it, to preserve it, thank you for that.”
Click here to listen to audio highlights or read a transcript of Bochy’s remarks at SABR.org.
Listen to highlights from Chris Young’s Welcome Remarks
At SABR 53 on Thursday, June 26, Chris Young of the Texas Rangers delivered the Welcome Remarks in Irving, Texas.
Young is the President of Baseball Operations for the Texas Rangers and in his third full season as the club’s top baseball decision-maker. He joined the organization as Executive Vice President and General Manager in December 2020 and, after luring manager Bruce Bochy out of retirement, the Rangers won the first World Series championship in franchise history in 2023. The session was moderated by author and podcast host Rob Neyer.
Click here to listen to audio highlights at SABR.org.
Schwartz, Olubayode win 2025 convention presentation awards
Jason A. Schwartz has won the 2025 Doug Pappas Award for the best oral research presentation and Ebenezer Olubayode has won the SABR Convention Poster Presentation Award for the best poster presentation at SABR 53 in Texas.
Schwartz, co-chair of the SABR Baseball Cards Research Committee, won the Pappas Award for his presentation, “The ‘Savior’ Does Not Answer Letters: Dave Hoskins and the Uneven, Unheralded, and Unfinished Integration of the Texas League.”
Olubayode, who teaches fitness courses at the University of Oklahoma and works with the Sooners softball team, won the SABR Convention Poster Presentation Award for his poster, “Real-Time Biomechanical Feedback for Injury Prevention in Baseball Pitching.”
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
SABR chapters honored for exceptional performance in 2024-25
At the SABR 53 Closing Ceremonies in Texas, SABR recognized 20 regional chapters whose performance in the past year exceeded SABR’s standards.
Under the guidance of SABR’s Jessica Smyth, our 85 chapters continued working to further improve their operations by prescribing guidelines for governance, recruitment, research projects, and more.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Read articles from The National Pastime: Baseball in Texas and Beyond
All articles from the new 2025 edition of The National Pastime can now be found online in the Research Collection at SABR.org.
All SABR 53 attendees received a souvenir print edition of The National Pastime, our annual convention journal, focusing on baseball in north Texas and the surrounding region. The e-book edition was sent out to all members last week.
- Download the e-book: Click here to download a free e-book edition of The National Pastime 2025.
- Buy the magazine: Purchase the print edition of The National Pastime 2025 from Amazon.com.
We hope you enjoy reading The National Pastime!
Early registration ends soon for Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
All baseball fans are welcome to attend the 2025 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference. Full and single-day registration is available for a discounted rate before July 7, 2025.
- Register: Click here to register online for the 2025 Malloy Conference. Full registration is $175 before July 7, $195 afterward. Students: $65 before July 7, $75 afterward. Single-day registration is also available for $70 for Friday or Saturday before July 7; $90 afterward. Extra tickets can be purchased for Thursday’s Education Forum at the Galt House, Thursday’s “meet and greet” reception at the Roots 101 African American Museum, Friday’s Louisville Bats baseball game at Slugger Field, or Saturday’s awards banquet at the Galt House. All of these sessions are included in the full registration package.
- Hotel: A special group rate at the Galt House Hotel of $159/night (plus tax) is available to registered convention attendees. To book your room, click here or call 502-589-5200. The Galt House Hotel is located at 140 N. 4th St., Louisville, KY 40202.
- Schedule: Click here to view the 2025 Malloy Conference schedule.
- Information Packet: Click here to download the Malloy Conference informational packet (PDF)
- Contact: For questions, email Leslie Heaphy at Lheaphy@kent.edu.
Visit SABR.org/malloy for more information or to register.
Call for papers: 2026 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
All SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a Research Presentation Proposal Abstract on any topic of 19th-century baseball for the 2026 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 17th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 24-25, 2026. The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2025.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
In Memoriam: Dave Parker
Dave Parker was one of the best players in the major leagues in the last half of the 1970s, a powerful slugger known as “The Cobra” whose cannon of an arm in right field might have been considered a more dangerous weapon than his bat.
Parker was a two-time batting champion, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, and the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1978 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1979, he won All-Star Game MVP honors — highlighted by two jaw-dropping assists from right field — and helped lead the Pirates to a World Series championship. He won another World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1989, recording 339 home runs during his 19-year career from 1973 to 1991.
After failing to reach 75 percent of the vote from the baseball writers and three different veterans committees, Parker was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Classic Era Committee in December 2024. But he died at the age of 74 on Saturday, June 28 — just one month before he was scheduled to be inducted in Cooperstown, New York.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
- Click here to read Dave Parker’s SABR biography, written by J.G. Preston
- Click here to listen to Dave Parker and David Jordan’s SABRcast interview with Rob Neyer (2021)
Join SABR on August 9 for Lefty O’Doul Monument Renovation and Celebration Event
Join us this summer for an unforgettable tribute to a San Francisco legend! SABR’s Lefty O’Doul Bay Area Chapter invites all baseball fans to a hometown hero celebration honoring Francis Joseph “Lefty” O’Doul, whose magnificent baseball grave monument has been fully restored at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in California.
- When: Saturday, August 9, 2025 at 9:30 a.m.
- Where: Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, 1370 El Camino Real, Colma, CA 94014
- Cost: Free and open to the public
Click here to watch a promo video, produced by filmmaker and SABR member Jon Leonoudakis.
The celebration will begin with the dramatic unveiling of Lefty’s newly restored monument — an impressive 6-foot, 5-inch tall tribute that truly captures the essence of this baseball icon. Afterward, the festivities move to nearby Molloy’s Tavern, where we’ll raise a glass to celebrate Lefty’s 128th birthday surrounded by fellowship, good cheer, and our shared passion for baseball—America’s beloved national pastime.
The renovation was possible thanks to funding from the SABR Local Grants Program and the San Francisco Giants.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Anson Whaley selected as winner of 2025 SABR Jefferson Burdick Award
Anson Whaley was selected as the winner of the 2025 Jefferson Burdick Award, which honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the baseball card hobby, by SABR’s Baseball Cards Research Committee.
Whaley’s websites on early baseball cards — first at prewarcards.com from 2016 until its sale in 2024 and now at prewarcollector.com — have become the go-to source for checklists and information about pre-World War II card sets of all types and a repository of knowledge worthy of recognition.
Click here to read the full announcement at the SABR Baseball Cards Blog.
Lahman Database files now available for download
The Lahman Baseball Database, created by SABR member Sean Lahman, contains complete batting and pitching statistics back to 1871, plus fielding statistics, standings, team stats, managerial records, postseason data, and more.
- The updated Lahman Database (released July 1, 2025) is now available for download at SABR.org/lahman-database.
Thanks to Bryan Walko for his efforts to produce this annual update. Lahman’s database allows baseball researchers to perform complex queries across the entire history of the game. This database contains complete batting and pitching statistics from 1871 to 2024, plus fielding statistics, standings, team stats, managerial records, postseason data, and more.
Visit SABR.org/lahman-database to learn more. Or click here to watch Sean Lahman’s presentation, “An Introduction to Baseball Databases,” for an overview of these files.
Tyrone Brooks appointed to SABR Board of Directors
The SABR Board of Directors has appointed Tyrone Brooks to fill the vacant Director’s seat following Dan Evans’s election as Board President this spring. The SABR By-Laws provide that an open Director’s seat may be filled by the remaining Board members within 60 days by a 2/3 majority vote or the Board must call a special election. Brooks’s term expires at the end of the Annual Business Meeting at the 2026 SABR convention.
Brooks, who previously served on the SABR Board from 2019 to 2021, is the Senior Director of MLB’s Front Office & Field Staff Diversity Pipeline Program.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
SABR and Abilene Christian University announce partnership
In a bold move to transform the future of sports leadership and analytics, SABR announced a strategic partnership with Abilene Christian University’s Center for Sports Leadership and Learning during the SABR 53 convention in Irving, Texas.
The announcement was shared during a special Q&A session featuring SABR Chief Executive Officer Scott Bush and Dr. George Saltsman, provost at ACU Dallas. The partnership unites two organizations deeply committed to excellence in research, education and the advancement of sport through scholarship and innovation.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Learn more about new SABR Institutional Memberships
A SABR Institutional Membership is the perfect way to connect your group with baseball’s rich history. Whether you are supporting historical or analytical researchers or engaging with baseball fans in your community, SABR provides the network, tools, and expertise to enhance your offerings.
A SABR Institutional Membership is ideal for libraries, museums, and historical societies; high schools; and higher education departments, especially History, American Studies, and Sports Analytics programs.
Institutional Members receive unlimited access to SABR’s extensive collection of digital publications; exclusive research resources, including access to historical newspaper databases; engagement opportunities with SABR experts and a network of baseball historians and analysts.
To learn more, contact Paul J. Zwirecki for details on membership options and enrollment.
Get involved: SABR BioProject seeks reviewers, editors
The SABR Biography Project needs your help! All baseball biographies submitted to the BioProject undergo rigorous editing, which includes initial vetting and editing, fact-checking, and copy editing. We are looking for volunteers for each of these stages.
These editors play an important role in the development of the bios and help ensure the high quality and critical acclaim of our research. While experience in editing and fact checking is helpful, it is not necessary. We encourage anyone interested to contact Rory Costello or Gregory H. Wolf for more details.
June Board minutes posted
Minutes from the Board of Directors conference call on June 11 and the Annual Business Meeting on June 26, 2025 have now been posted on the SABR website.
Click here to view all past minutes of SABR Board meetings.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
7 new stories published at SABR Games Project
- July 5, 1940: Ted Williams gets a grip and homers to beat the Nationals, by Bill Nowlin
- July 9, 1952: York White Roses shock St. Louis Browns in rainy exhibition game, by Kurt Blumenau
- June 20, 1975: Pirates’ John Candelaria bests Mets’ Tom Seaver for first major-league win, by John Fredland
- July 8, 1975: Giants hit Bob Gibson hard in final start of his career, by Stew Thornley
- June 12, 2005: Nationals edge Mariners 3-2 for 10-game winning streak, by Steven C. Weiner
- September 28, 2010: Price, Rays beat Orioles to clinch second playoff appearance in three seasons, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
- August 21, 2014: Nationals walk off Diamondbacks to extend winning streak to 10 games, by Steven C. Weiner
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Stan Musial
Edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks
Visit SABR.org to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback edition of all Digital Library books.
Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:
- Download the 2025 SABR Annual Report
- SABR Defensive Index rankings released through June 8
- Bruce Bochy honored with 2025 Roland Hemond Award
- Al Reach selected as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend
- Save the date: Join us for SABR Analytics Conference on Feb. 27-March 1, 2026
- View a collection of nearly 100,000 player surveys in the new Weiss Baseball Questionnaires collection
- Watch a video replay of SABR webinar on Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe, and the Hall of Fame
- Read articles from Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal
- SABR Digital Library: Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts
- Learn more about recipients of SABR Local Grants in 2025
- Hundreds of ProQuest US newspapers added to SABR Research Resources
- Browse the new, searchable SABR MLB Team Employee Database
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
- Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
- Get a gift for baseball fan in your life with the SABR Store @ CafePress
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Berinson | Cherry Hill, NJ | Philip Moscovitch | Glen Margaret, NS | ||
| Shayna Darwin | East Northport, NY | Joe Murphy | Marlton, NJ | ||
| Damien Edele | Manorville, NY | Dongjoon Park | Emeryville, CA | ||
| Sean Friedland | Basalt, CO | Daniel Raymond | Montesano, WA | ||
| Tim Garahan | Irving, TX | Tom Sperrazzo | Charlotte, NC | ||
| Mike Kennedy | Coeur d Alene, ID | John Yore | Olney, MD | ||
| Michael Landmann | Wilmington, DE | Mike Zarling | Minneapolis, MN | ||
| Chase Lau | West Windsor, NJ |
Here is a list of SABR supporters for the month of June 2025.
| NAME | NAME | |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Axelrod | Walter Long | |
| Jake Bell | Peter Mancuso | |
| Barry Bengtsson | Peter Marcus | |
| Maurice Bouchard | Justus Martin | |
| D. Bruce Brown | Daniel Massey | |
| Bruce Bumbalough | Bruce McClure | |
| Ralph Caola | Dennis McDonald | |
| Ken Carrano | Noel Milan | |
| A.A. Carrasco | Christopher Moyer | |
| Dan Cichalski | Jim Myers | |
| Karl Cicitto | Linda Nichols | |
| Vincent Comparato | Andrew North | |
| Peter Cottrell | Bill Nowlin | |
| Chris Dial | Jon Ohman | |
| Bob Dorrill | Michael Pagano | |
| Mark Drucker | John Rall | |
| Mark Dugo | Michael Rosenwasser | |
| Thomas Dunn | Charles Roussel | |
| Lisa Edmondson | Larry Rowe | |
| Helen Edwards | Bob Russon | |
| Jonathan Epstein | Edward Scahill | |
| Daniel Evans | Jason Scheller | |
| Rebecca Fields | Dan Schoenholz | |
| David Firstman | Douglas Schoppert | |
| Adam Foldes | Roger Selin | |
| Michael Gibbons | Mary Shea | |
| Robert Hamm | Rob Sheinkopf | |
| Frank Hart | Robert Shelton | |
| Leslie Heaphy | Blake Sherry | |
| Tim Herlich | Lynda Singer | |
| Rockwell Hoffman | Thomas Stone | |
| David Hughes | Wesley Story | |
| Kevin Hurd | Joseph Thompson | |
| Jeff Jaech | Neal Traven | |
| Rob Janes | Steve Weiss | |
| Donald Jensen | Steve West | |
| Mary Knox | Kat Williams | |
| Robert Komoroski | John Williams | |
| Thomas Larson | Beach Wires | |
| Leonard Levin | Jeffrey Wood | |
| Henry Levy | Don Zminda | |
| Timothy Liljeberg |
Want to become a Friend of SABR? Click here to make a recurring monthly contribution or click here to learn more about our Giving Circles to make a one-time contribution.
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from David Block (Baseball Before We Knew It) and Ken Clawson (“St. Petersburg Spring Training History”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- July 5: Women in Baseball Diamond Stories: Leslie Heaphy (10:00 a.m. EDT)
- July 5: Rice-Russell Nashville (TN) Chapter meeting with Alan Gaff and Stephen Dittmore (10:00 a.m. CDT)
- July 7: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Steve Rennie (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 7: Rocky Mountain Chapter meeting with Peter Myers (7:00 p.m. MDT)
- July 8: Games and Simulations Committee meeting with Dean Patino (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 9: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with Dan Schlossberg (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 10: Asian Baseball Committee meeting with Tony Barnette and Aaron Fischman (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 12: Roush-Lopez (FL) Gulf Coast Chapter meeting (3:00 p.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- July 5: Clyde Sukeforth Chapter meeting (Keene, NH)
- July 8: Bob Davids Chapter Virginia Hot Stove Dinner (Arlington, VA)
- July 12: Bob Davids Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Tysons, VA)
- July 12: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting (Baltimore, MD)
- July 12: Hanlan’s Point Chapter meeting (Toronto, ON)
- July 13: Jiggs Donahue grave marker dedication ceremony (Springfield, OH)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Black Sox Scandal: June 2025 newsletter
- Business of Baseball: Spring 2025 newsletter
- Nineteenth Century: Summer 2025 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Halsey Hall Chapter: July 2025 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
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:
- Jay Jaffe: Remembering “The Cobra,” Dave Parker (1951-2025) (FanGraphs)
- Joshua Rodrigues: How Swing Direction Shapes Batted Ball Outcomes (Baseball Prospectus)
- Rustin Dodd: Bruce Bochy found value in long walks. Research suggests it’s a ‘brain-changing power.’ (The Athletic)
- Sarah Langs: Here’s what it means to be in 1st place entering July (MLB.com)
- Patrick Dubuque: The Wheeler of Time (Baseball Prospectus)
- Eno Sarris: From strikeout No. 1 to his 3,000th: Why Clayton Kershaw’s slider became his foundation (The Athletic)
- Sarah Wexler: 10 moments that define Clayton Kershaw’s career (MLB.com)
- Chelsea Janes: How long will Max Scherzer continue to pitch? (Washington Post)
- Russell A. Carleton: Have We Reached Peak Pitcher? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Alex Speier: Through Kyle Harrison, a window into how the Red Sox rework the arsenals of pitchers they acquire (Boston Globe)
- Davy Andrews: So You’ve Intentionally Walked James Wood. What Now? (FanGraphs)
- Daniel Brown: ‘The original iPad’: Lou Gehrig’s replacement helped launch the video revolution (The Athletic)
- Zach Crizer: A Show of Sinister Force? Left-Handed Pitchers Are Dominating MLB Like Never Before (Opta Analyst)
- David Laurila: Armed With a Revamped Heater, Cade Cavalli Eyes a Healthy Return to DC (FanGraphs)
- Michael Clair: Shin-Soo Choo celebrates retirement with big league legends by his side (MLB.com)
- Stephanie Apstein: As He Finds His Stride in His Second Career, Jeff Francoeur Still Savors His Time as ‘The Natural’ (Sports Illustrated)
- Michael Baumann: If Junior Caminero Had Any More GDPs He’d Be Macroeconomics (FanGraphs)
- Carter Cromwell: Bianca Smith Realizes Dream of Coaching Baseball in Japan (JapanBall)
- Roy Carlson: Identities Revealed: Topps Vintage Cardboard Container Competitors on Display (Sports Collectors Daily)
- Michael Salfino: The baseball card so rare that it didn’t exist until collectors started asking questions (The Athletic)
- Amanda Lane Cumming: The International Match Games that Fueled Base Ball’s Grown in 1870s Cascadia (NW Baseball History)
- Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Ed Lynch (Baseball and BBQ)
- Patrick Bone: One Mighty Swing (SABR Baseball Cards)
- Derek Bain: APBA Major League Players Baseball tutorial (SABR Games and Simulations)
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.
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Originally published: July 3, 2025. Last Updated: July 3, 2025.