This Week in SABR: July 5, 2024
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, July 5, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
SABR 52: Single-day registration is now on sale
Last call for SABR 52 hotel room, merch, game tickets
SABR Digital Library: Dodger Stadium: Blue Heaven on Earth
In Memoriam: Orlando Cepeda
Call for papers: 19th Century Conference in Cooperstown
Download the 2024 Annual Report
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SABR 52: Single-day registration is now on sale
Single-day registration for SABR 52 on August 7-11, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is now available at SABR.org/convention. Full or single-day registration can be purchased online in advance or on-site during convention registration hours beginning on Wednesday, August 7 at the Hyatt Regency hotel. Click here for complete details on SABR 52 registration rates.
The full schedule for SABR 52 is now available online, and each day is full of terrific panels, presentations, and committee meetings that we’re sure you’ll enjoy.
- Register now: Click here for complete details on SABR 52 registration and optional sessions, including a Minnesota Twins game, St. Paul Saints game, and Target Field ballpark tour.
- Schedule: Click here to view the complete SABR 52 schedule.
- Featured Speakers: Click here to learn more about our Featured Speakers.
- Research Presentations: Click here to view the full list of Research Presentations.
- Poster Presentations: Click here to view the full list of Poster Presentations.
- Committee Meetings: Click here to view the schedule of Committee Meetings.
Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more.
Last chance for SABR 52 hotel rooms, convention merch
There are a few important deadlines coming up tonight on Friday, July 5:
- The special SABR group rate at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis of $219/night plus tax (single/double occupancy) is only available to registered convention attendees. Please note: The cut-off date to book your room at the SABR group rate is Friday, July 5.
- Avoid the rush at registration, and pre-order your SABR 52 convention logo polo shirt, T-shirt, baseball cap, or lapel pin online! Deadline to pre-order is also Friday, July 5.
- And tickets for our optional events — the Target Field ballpark tour on Thursday evening and the Minnesota Twins game on Friday evening — must be purchased by Friday, July 5.
Visit SABR.org/convention for more details.
St. Paul Saints tickets are now sold out
Please note: Our block of tickets for the St. Paul Saints game on Thursday, August 8 is now sold out! You can still purchase game tickets on your own at MiLB.com, but you will be responsible for your own transportation. Look for seats near Section 117, where the SABR block is located.
Thursday’s game between the St. Paul Saints and Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate) will begin at 7:07 p.m. at CHS Field in St. Paul. A SABR game ticket also includes roundtrip bus transportation from the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis hotel.
This optional event is happening at the same time as the Target Field ballpark tour on Thursday evening. The deadline to purchase Target Field tour tickets at SABR.org/convention is Friday, July 5.
Member Benefit Spotlight: What to Expect at SABR 52 in Minneapolis
With just over a month until our annual convention, some of our friends in Minnesota give you an idea of what to expect at SABR 52.
Click here for a short video featuring a few of our hosts with the Halsey Hall Chapter sharing their favorite reasons to attend this summer’s SABR 52 convention in their hometown.
SABR Digital Library: Dodger Stadium: Blue Heaven on Earth
Add a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:
Dodger Stadium: Blue Heaven on Earth
Edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks
Associate editors: Len Levin and Carl Riechers
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-960819-20-8, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-960819-21-5, $29.95
8.5″ x 11″, 259 pages
With contributions from 49 SABR members, Dodger Stadium: Blue Heaven on Earth features dozens of game stories that highlight the rich history of Dodger Stadium. You’ll read about Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, Don Drysdale’s scoreless-inning streak, Dusty Baker’s historic 30th home run in 1977, Clayton Kershaw’s great no-hitter, Kirk Gibson’s improbable home run, and much more. Besides innumerable baseball games, Dodger Stadium has hosted rock concerts, religious events, boxing and soccer matches, and even an ice-hockey game in front of more than 54,000 not-so-chilly fans. Located so close to Hollywood, the park has been a filming location for many movies and TV shows.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
In Memoriam: Orlando Cepeda
When Orlando Cepeda stood on the podium in Cooperstown, New York, for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, “It is likely that no man had followed a more difficult path, or that any man was any happier to attain the honor,” as Mark Armour wrote in his SABR biography. “Cepeda escaped the slums of Puerto Rico to attain stardom at a very young age, and he overcame numerous injuries during his career, and even worse personal difficulties after leaving baseball. Although he had two remarkable comeback seasons in his baseball career, he had his biggest and most impressive comeback years later, when after a decade of humiliation he again stood on a ball field and listened to the roar of a crowd.”
Known as the “Baby Bull,” Cepeda starred for 17 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and four other teams, winning National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1958 and a unanimous Most Valuable Player Award and World Series championship in 1967. He died at the age of 86 on Friday, June 28.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Vote now for 2024 SABR Overlooked 19th Century Legend of the Year
Each year, SABR’s Nineteenth Century Research Committee selects its Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend — a 19th century player, manager, executive or other baseball personality not yet inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
- Finalist bios: Click here to view the finalists’ bios, compiled by project co-chairs Adam Darowski and Joe Williams
- Vote now: Click here to access the 2024 Overlooked 19th Century Legend ballot
All SABR members are eligible to cast a vote for the winner. The winner will be announced during the Nineteenth Century Committee’s business meeting at SABR 52 in Minneapolis.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Call for papers: 2025 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 2025 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 16th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 25-26, 2025. The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2024.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Allan Simpson’s Baseball America’s Ultimate Draft Book available in special e-book edition
Allan Simpson, founding editor of Baseball America, has made available to SABR members a special e-book edition of Baseball America’s Ultimate Draft Book, his comprehensive guide covering the first 50 years of the amateur draft.
The free PDF e-book edition is available for download to all SABR members on the Research Resources page.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Download the 2024 SABR Annual Report
SABR’s 2024 Annual Report was posted on the website this week and can be downloaded below:
On the Annual Reports page, you can download a copy of 2024 Chapter Reports, Committee Reports, and Chartered Community Reports in the Appendix files on that page. All previous SABR Annual Reports can also be found on the Annual Reports page.
Writing Opportunities: Cape Cod League book project
SABR is looking for contributors for a forthcoming book on the Cape Cod Baseball League. We are particularly looking this summer for members who might be able to visit during Cape Cod League games and connect with some of the personalities associated with the games, or write about aspects of the league that the editors have perhaps not yet imagined.
A list of possible topics is available on request, including wooden bats, host families, scouts, broadcasters, and more. Please contact Bill Nowlin if you are interested in contributing to this project.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
6 new stories published at SABR Games Project
- July 10, 1945: Red Sox beat Braves in Boston’s ‘All-Star Replacement Game’ in 1945, by Bill Nowlin
- July 5, 1961: 700 nuns but only 2 runs equal loss for Red Sox, by Kurt Blumenau
- July 4, 1984: Jim Rice’s walk-off grand slam in 10th beats Athletics, by Bill Nowlin
- May 15, 1989: Brewers’ Terry Francona pitches perfect inning of relief in blowout loss to A’s, by Gary Belleville
- September 24, 2010: Reds’ Aroldis Chapman tops 105 mph for fastest pitch ever recorded, by Larry DeFillipo
- April 8, 2022: Rachel Balkovec guides Tampa Tarpons to win as first woman to manage affiliated minor-league team, by Barrett Snyder
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
The 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants
Edited by Frederick C. Bush, Thomas Kern, and Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/ebooks 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:
- SABR special committee: 1949-50 Negro American League, independent Black teams are major-league caliber
- Check out photos and highlights from the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
- SABR Defensive Index rankings released through June 9
- In Memoriam: Willie Mays
- Read articles online from Spring 2024 Baseball Research Journal
- Check out highlights, photos, and stories from the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference
- 2024 Henry Chadwick Award recipients announced
- SABR Digital Library: 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants
- Learn more about recipients of SABR Local Grants in 2024
- SABR announces partnership with Alzheimer’s Association
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Benton | Dallas, TX | Gary Koupal | Oceanside, CA | ||
| Payton Craig | Jacksonville, FL | David Langston | Stamford, CT | ||
| Matthew Dunn | Ipswich, MA | Phil Lindsey | Bluffton, SC | ||
| Jimmy Duval | Laguna Beach, CA | Jun Ogawa | Yokohama, JPN | ||
| Adam Evans | Washington, DC | Andrew Paczkowski | Claremont, NH | ||
| Christian Franco | Fairfield, CA | Matt Petersen | Blackwood, NJ | ||
| Mitchell Gumbko | Ada, MI | Craig Sarson | Milton, ON | ||
| Sophia Izokun | Jamaica, NY | Payton Smith | Falmouth, ME | ||
| Joey Jakob | Toronto, ON | Josh Turnes | Henderson, NV | ||
| Dave Jordan | Imperial Beach, CA | Zachary Wilson | Tempe, AZ |
Here is a list of SABR supporters for the month of June 2024.
| NAME | NAME | |
|---|---|---|
| John Alcamo | Henry Levy | |
| Jake Bell | Claudia Majetich | |
| Barry Bengtsson | Peter Mancuso | |
| John Beyers | Peter Marcus | |
| William Bordonaro | Bruce McClure | |
| Jack Braun | Lawrence McGill | |
| D. Bruce Brown | Donald Meyer | |
| Ralph Caola | Marilyn Miller | |
| Ken Carrano | Jack Minnis | |
| Karl Cicitto | John Mitchell | |
| Vincent Comparato | Mark Morowczynski | |
| Jim Cox | Robert Morris | |
| Deb Dagavarian-Bonar | Christopher Moyer | |
| Chris Dial | John Munns | |
| Bob Dorrill | Donna Muscarella | |
| Mark Dugo | Jim Myers | |
| Ed Edmonds | Thomas Nester | |
| Helen Edwards | Linda Nichols | |
| Steven Elsberry | Bill Nowlin | |
| David Firstman | Jon Ohman | |
| Adam Foldes | Ralph Olliges Jr | |
| Andrew France | Tim Otto | |
| Michael Gibbons | Michael Pagano | |
| Judith Gordon | Mel Poplock | |
| Fred Grandchamp | John Rall | |
| David Gunzerath | Steven Roscoe | |
| David Guslani | Michael Rosenwasser | |
| Robert Hagerman | Charles Roussel | |
| John Hancock | Larry Rowe | |
| Leslie Heaphy | Bob Russon | |
| Peter Henrici | Neal Sarswat | |
| Tim Herlich | Jason Scheller | |
| Lon Hildreth | Douglas Schoppert | |
| Rockwell Hoffman | Rob Sheinkopf | |
| David Hughes | Thomas Stone | |
| Barry Hyman | Wesley Story | |
| Rob Janes | Joseph Thompson | |
| Donald Jensen | Don Thompson | |
| Scott Johnson | Thomas Tomsick | |
| Douglas Jordan | Neal Traven | |
| Harry Keller | Marlene Vogelsang | |
| Robert Komoroski | Thomas Watson | |
| William Larson | Steve West | |
| Thomas Lee | Philip Williams | |
| Leonard Levin | Beach Wires | |
| Michael Levine | Jeffrey Wood | |
| Daniel Levitt | Don Zminda |
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 authors Don Zminda (Equality Batted Last) and Stephen W. Dittmore (Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger), and the 19th Century Book Club (Two in the Field). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- July 8: Bob Broeg St. Louis (MO) Chapter meeting (6:00 p.m. CDT)
- July 10: Jack Graney (OH) Chapter meeting with Keith O’Brien and Jacob Pomrenke (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 11: Mathewson-Plank (Central PA) Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 11: Bob Davids Chapter Board Meeting (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 13: Bob Davids Talkin’ Baseball: Mitchell Nathanson (9:00 a.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- July 8: Dayton Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Springfield, OH)
- July 10: Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter meeting (Tallahassee, FL)
- July 10: Pacific NW Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Albany, OR)
- July 13: Central Illinois Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Normal, IL)
- July 13: Rocky Mountain Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Boulder, CO)
- July 14: Bud Metheny Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Richmond, VA)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Biographical Research: June 2024 newsletter
- Black Sox Scandal: June 2024 newsletter
- Nineteenth Century: Summer 2024 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Casey Stengel Chapter: June 2024 newsletter (New York, NY)
- Hanlan’s Point Chapter: Summer 2024 newsletter (Toronto, ON)
- Rocky Mountain Chapter: July 2024 newsletter (Denver, CO)
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 Orlando Cepeda (1937–2024), Who Made Music in the Majors (FanGraphs)
- Jayson Stark: Baseball Hall of Fame tiers: Which active players are on course for Cooperstown? (The Athletic)
- Sarah Langs: The last time reigning champs hosted All-Star Game? Go back to 1939 (MLB.com)
- Mike Petriello: Why is Aaron Judge seeing strikes? Don’t look behind him (MLB.com)
- Evan Drellich: MLB stopped letting players see the ‘strike zone box’ in the dugout. Now it’s back. (The Athletic)
- Patrick Dubuque: Ascent Into Madness: You Can’t Make This Up (Baseball Prospectus)
- John Sharp: Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige come home: A first look at new statues in Mobile (AL.com)
- Daniel R. Epstein: In the Dirt: The Worst Pitch (Baseball Prospectus)
- Davy Andrews: What Do We See When We Watch Baseball? (FanGraphs)
- Ryan Fagan: ‘We needed it’: Gordon Graceffo saves bullpen in MLB debut (MLB.com)
- Mark Simon: For Jacob Young, Great Catches Start With Great Jumps (Sports Info Solutions)
- David Laurila: Yusei Kikuchi Feels Takeya Nakamura Deserves More Respect (FanGraphs)
- Dan Cichalski: OMG! Mets celebrate a win with a postgame concert by one of their players (MLB.com)
- Alex Speier: Padres’ Matt Waldron brings knuckleball, thoughts of Tim Wakefield into Fenway Park start (Boston Globe)
- Manny Randhawa: Get to know College World Series star and top prospect Christian Moore (MLB.com)
- Ryan Whirty: Malloy Conference goes to baseball’s home (Home Plate Don’t Move)
- Grant Brisbee: Where the 2024 San Francisco Giants are statistically first (or last) (The Athletic)
- Gary Cieradkowski: Frankie Zak: This is where it started (Infinite Baseball Card Set)
- Pegeen Hopkins: Baseball by the Numbers with John Saccoman (Seton Hall Magazine)
- Bruce Allardice: A Page Out of History: Downers Grove’s Baseball History (Downers Grove Magazine)
- John Thorn: A Game of Ball, by Robert W. Creamer (Our Game)
- Amanda Lane Cumming: Before the 4th of July Fire That Started It All (NW Baseball History)
- Jason Schwartz: Ten baseball card mysteries explained … by Chat GPT (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
- Derek Bain: Hardball Retro Replays – 1970-1974 “Originals” (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 5, 2024. Last Updated: July 5, 2024.