This Week in SABR: July 30, 2021

July 30, 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 30, 2021:

Howard Bryant, 50th anniversary panel to highlight Summer of SABR in August

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

Join us again on August 10, 13-14 for a series of presentations, chats, and panel discussions with author Howard Bryant; SABR founding member Tom Hufford with Pete Palmer, Tom Shieber, Anthony Salazar, Emily Hawks, and Donna Muscarella; a 2021 CBA update with Anthony Gonella and Glenn Wong; a discussion on Curt Flood with Lee Lowenfish, Ed Edmonds, Nathaniel Grow, and Daniel R. Levitt; a Negro Leagues panel with Phil S. Dixon, Ted Knorr, and John Odell; a panel on SABR’s 1921 Century Project with Donna L. Halper, Steve Steinberg, John Fredland, and Sharon Hamilton; and a panel on the Black Sox Scandal trial with Don Zminda, Bill Lamb, Bruce Allardice, and Jacob Pomrenke.

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 or July, 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 Summer of SABR sessions in August.

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

SABR 50 convention in Baltimore rescheduled for August 17-21, 2022

The SABR 50 convention in Baltimore, Maryland, has been rescheduled for August 17-21, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor. While Major League Baseball’s schedule is not yet official, we understand the Baltimore Orioles are tentatively scheduled to be home that weekend, leading to a change in SABR’s planned convention dates by one week.

The Hyatt Regency hotel sits on the waterfront at the majestic Inner Harbor and is conveniently located within walking distance from Camden Yards. Our host hotel is also close to many area museums, historic landmarks, and other attractions like the National Aquarium.

Registration and hotel information will be available at SABR.org/convention in early 2022.

Member Benefit Spotlight: BioProject and Games Project

As a SABR member, you have vast resources and benefits at your disposal. With so much information at your fingertips, we realize it can be overwhelming to absorb it all! To highlight key benefits, read on for this month’s SABR Member Benefit Spotlight, a new email series that identifies and explains some of the most valuable features of your membership. We hope this allows you to take full advantage of all SABR has to offer.

This month’s issue highlights the Biography Project and Games Project, two expansive and ongoing research efforts that provide comprehensive accounts of people and events from all corners of the baseball universe. In addition to being incredibly deep resources, both projects offer introductory opportunities for SABR members to get involved in their own baseball research.

Click here to watch a short video on how to search the BioProject and Games Projects, and how you can get involved.

You can view previous Member Benefit Spotlight videos on this page.

— Scott Carter

Read articles from The National Pastime: The Future According to Baseball online

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.

You can read all of the articles from this journal online now at SABR.org or download the e-book edition for free!

Read online: Click here to read articles from The National Pastime online at SABR.org.
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.

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.

Watch an inspiring short film about SABR’s Baseball Memories program

SABR is excited to invite you to learn more about and engage with our Baseball Memories chartered community. Since 2015, this group of SABR volunteers has been enhancing the quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as those in social isolation or living with chronic health issues.

These programs have been so successful and joyful that we want to take this moment to invite more chapters and members to get involved and grow SABR’s Baseball Memories program across the country.

Video: Click here to watch a special 3-minute film about the SABR Baseball Memories program

SABR is proud of the many members who facilitate and volunteer to fuel this program that enhances the quality of life for people in memory care, their care partners, and our veterans. We’d like to see their ranks grow and invite our members to get involved in this most rewarding effort.

To contact key SABR volunteers on how you can get involved, visit the SABR Baseball Memories website at sabrbaseballmemories.org.

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.

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

Coming soon: SABR Century Committee’s 1921 Year in Review

One hundred years ago, the 1921 season was a pivotal one in baseball history. Led by Babe Ruth’s record-setting 59 home runs, the New York Yankees began establishing a dynasty that would span most of the twentieth century by winning their first American League pennant, setting up an all-New York City matchup in the World Series with the rival Giants of John McGraw. The Negro National League celebrated its second season of play in 1921, led by stars like Triple Crown winner Oscar Charleston and two-way phenom Bullet Rogan. And baseball at all levels saw a growing trend toward home run-happy offenses as the game entered the Lively Ball Era.

The sport also became more widely accessible in the early 1920s to fans who were able to follow along from their homes by tuning in to games on the radio. Finally, American culture still reverberates with the ruling made by baseball’s newly hired commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banning eight disgraced Black Sox players for life after they were caught fixing the 1919 World Series.

Stay tuned next week as we launch the SABR Century: 1921 Year in Review project at SABR.org!

Historic Hamtramck Stadium in Detroit approved for $850,000 grant to restore Negro Leagues ballpark

The Wayne County (Michigan) Commission approved an $850,000 grant proposal from Executive Warren C. Evans to fund the renovation of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, once the home of the Negro National League’s Detroit Stars.

In addition to Wayne County’s grant, the $2.6 million restoration project is being funded by the Detroit Tigers Foundation (an affiliate of Ilitch Charities), Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, Michigan Municipal League Foundation, the Hamtramck Parks Conservancy and through an African American Civil Rights grant as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior. Work is expected to begin later this summer with an anticipated completion by the end of 2021 and is led by Detroit-based contractor DMC Consultants.

“The history of Hamtramck Stadium and the Negro Leagues is an integral part of the history of both Detroit and Hamtramck, and the rehabilitation of the grandstand will make that history accessible,” said SABR member Gary Gillette, Founder and Chair of the Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium.

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

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 Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter will hold a virtual Zoom meeting from 7:00-9:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 4. All SABR members are invited to attend. Our guest speaker will be Shawn Herne, Executive Director of the Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation. Click here to register in advance for this meeting and receive the Zoom details.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from Sherry Davis, former San Francisco Giants public address announcer from 1993 to 1999; professional umpire Perry Barber, author Anika Orrock, and baseball card artist Adam Korengold. 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 31: Jack Graney (OH) Chapter book club meeting (9:00 a.m. EDT)
August 4: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting with Shawn Herne (7:00 p.m. EDT)
August 7: Talkin’ Baseball: Stephen Bratkovich (9:00 a.m. EDT)

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

August 4: Hank Gowdy (OH) Chapter ballgame/meetup (Columbus, OH)
August 7: Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter book club meeting (St. Paul, MN)
August 7: Rogers Hornsby (TX) Chapter meetup/ballgame (Round Rock, TX)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.

SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with graphic designer Todd Radom

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 #121 on Monday, July 26 featured Todd Radom, an independent graphic designer who has created logos for professional sports franchises and events for the past two decades. He has written about the history of the Cleveland Indians logo and brand identity before the team’s recent change to the Guardians. Todd’s work includes the official logos for Super Bowl XXXVIII and the 2009 NBA All Star Game, the graphic identities for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels, and the SABR 49 and SABR 50 convention logos, among many others. He is the author of Winning Ugly: A Visual History of the Most Bizarre Baseball Uniforms Ever Worn and, most recently, Fabric of the Game, on the NHL’s team names, logos, and uniforms. He was a guest on SABRcast episode #48 in February 2020.

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.

4 new SABR biographies published

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

Charlie Beamon, by Malcolm Allen
Eddie Brown, by Monty Nielsen
Enrique “Hank” Izquierdo, by Joel Rippel
Johnny Podgajny, by Gregory H. Wolf

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.

12 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

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

August 5, 1921: KDKA’s Harold Arlin broadcasts first baseball game over commercial radio as Pirates rally to beat Phillies, by John Fredland
August 30, 1921: George Sisler’s five hits lift St. Louis Browns into third place, by Gregory H. Wolf
September 5, 1921: Hilldale’s Phil Cockrell tosses no-hitter against Detroit Stars, by Gregory H. Wolf
September 5, 1921: Cleveland’s Elmer Smith sets record with seven consecutive extra-base hits over three games, by Ray Danner
September 24, 1921: Tigers’ Ty Cobb brawls with umpire Billy Evans after game in Washington, by Gary Sarnoff
September 27, 1921: Urban Shocker’s late-season gem trims Yankee lead, by Jack Zerby
August 5, 1932: Tigers’ Tommy Bridges loses perfect game in the 9th, by David Krell
July 25, 1941: Lefty Grove records 300th and final career win, by Gordon Gattie
June 10, 1955: Ted Williams hits one home run to get things started and one to win the game, by Bill Nowlin
May 13, 1970: Gary Gentry throws a one-hitter for Mets to beat the Cubs, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
August 31, 1982: Holyoke’s minor-league dream ends with a win, by Kurt Blumenau
March 4, 1994: Michael Jordan makes his baseball debut with Chicago White Sox in spring training, by Andrew Harner

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
Kenneth Barnhart	Mogadore, OH	John Powers	Troy, MI
John Castleberry	Cumming, GA	Sean Powers	Troy, MI
Walter Chadwick	Cold Spring, NY	Chad Scarsbrook	Winnipeg, MB
Gregory Christainsen	Palo Alto, CA	John Tenney	Mesa, AZ
Michael Dougherty	Baltimore, MD	Alex Weaver	Orlando, FL
Ken Goldman	Englewood, CO	John Whitty	Des Moines, IA
Carter Nies	Washington, DC

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

Ballparks: June 2021 newsletter

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:

Halsey Hall Chapter: August 2021 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
Hemond AZ Chapter: A history of the Hemond AZ Chapter, by Charlie Vascellaro (AZSABR.org)
Larry Dierker Chapter: July 26 meeting recap (Houston, TX)

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:

Jayson Stark: MLB execs explain life on the buy/sell trade deadline tightrope (The Athletic)
Michael Baumann: The Winners and Losers of the Wildest MLB Trade Deadline in Memory (The Ringer)
Tyler Kepner: With Blockbuster Trades, the Yankees Embrace the Moment (New York Times)
Ben Lindbergh: The Dodgers Just Had the Biggest Trading Day Ever. Now They Have to Win the NL West. (The Ringer)
Emma Baccellieri: Dodgers Swing All-Time Deadline Triumph With Scherzer-Turner Trade (Sports Illustrated)
Grant Brisbee: Dodgers trade is sure not great for the Giants (The Athletic)
Mark Simon: Joey Gallo’s Value (ACTA Sports)
Jon Caroulis: Baseball in the Books with SABR CEO Scott Bush (Minnesota Alumni)
Jay Jaffe: The Weekend in No-Hit Bids and the Effect of the Sticky-Stuff Crackdown (FanGraphs)
Rob Arthur: Shohei Ohtani Might Be The Most Two-Way Player Ever (Baseball Prospectus)
Sarah Langs: Is Zack Wheeler the frontrunner for NL Cy Young? (MLB.com)
Hannah Keyser: Why one Olympic pitcher thinks he just found a solution to MLB’s sticky stuff problem (Yahoo! Sports)
Stephen J. Nesbitt: Jerry Meals and the ‘worst call ever,’ 10 years later (The Athletic)
PBS NewsHour: How Latinos changed baseball in America (PBS.org)
Vanessa Ivy Rose: Detroit Tigers’ Negro Leagues Weekend is a ‘major’ celebration (Metro Times)
Russell A. Carleton: Guardians of My Youth (Baseball Prospectus)
Vince Guerrieri: The Rise of the Cleveland Guardians (Belt Magazine)
Gary Cieradkowski: Pat Scott: Act like a lady, throw like a man (Studio Gary C)
David Laurila: Connor Brogdon, Garrett Whitlock, and Cade Cavalli on Learning and Developing Their Changeups (FanGraphs)
Michael Clair: Baseball’s first agent was also its best legend maker (MLB.com)
Eric Nusbaum/Adam Villacin: The King and His Court (Sports Stories)
Tom Ruane: Retro-review of the 1913 season (Retrosheet.org)
Randy S. Robbins: Cardboard Typos and Gripe-o’s (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Andrew Forbes: On the alluring promise of an unopened pack (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Jason Schwartz: A closer look at the 1936 Diamond Stars release (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.

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