This Week in SABR: July 7, 2023
Live from SABR 51 in Chicago, welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, July 7, 2023.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Early highlights from SABR 51
New exhibit on Black baseball in Philadelphia opens
Bobby Mathews selected as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend
Read All-Star Game stories from the SABR Games Project
Second course in SABR Analytics Certification program now available
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View early photo galleries from SABR 51
Can’t make it to Chicago for SABR 51? Check out more coverage of our 2023 convention from the Palmer House Hilton online:
For more coverage of SABR 51, visit SABR.org/convention.
Listen to highlights from Chase Carpenter’s opening remarks
At SABR 51 on Thursday, July 6 in Chicago, Cubs Senior Director of Strategy & Analytics Chase Carpenter delivered the opening remarks.
Carpenter leads the organization’s predictive analytics efforts, focusing on ticket pricing, food, beverage and event operations, and guest experience. Prior to joining the Cubs, he worked at RSG, a consulting company focused on product development and pricing strategy.
Click here to listen to highlights from this session at SABR.org.
Single-day registration still available on-site in Chicago
Single-day registration for SABR 51 can still be purchased on-site during convention registration hours. The single-day rate is:
- Saturday, July 8: $135 for SABR members; $165 for non-members
The single-day registration includes admission to all convention panels, research presentations, and committee meetings at the Palmer House Hilton on Saturday. It can be purchased on-site via cash, check, or credit card (sorry, no American Express accepted.) Please note: Admission to the Friends of SABR Breakfast is not included.
SABR Local Grants update: Black Baseball exhibit opens in Philadelphia
A League Apart, a new exhibit on Black baseball in Philadelphia that was funded in part through the SABR Local Grants program, is now open to the public at the Cherry Street Pier, a popular local destination on the Delaware River waterfront.
The exhibit focuses on four Barrier Breakers in particular: Octavius Catto, Ed Bolden, Dick Allen, and Mo’ne Davis. The exhibit runs until August 24, 2023. Visit aleagueapart.org to learn more or to donate and help the exhibit expand and travel. SABR’s Connie Mack-Dick Allen Chapter is planning an event at the exhibit in August; more details will be shared on the SABR Events Calendar soon.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Bobby Mathews selected as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend
Bobby Mathews, winner of 297 games and a pioneer pitcher in the development of the spitball and the curveball, has been selected as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend for 2023. The announcement was made on Thursday, July 6 at SABR 51 in Chicago.
This spring, 201 SABR members submitted their votes for the 2023 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.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Second course in SABR Analytics Certification program now available
In 2022, we launched the SABR Analytics Certification program, an online, on-demand curriculum offering professional development and learning opportunities for those interested in elevating their skills and knowledge relating to baseball analytics.
The second course in the program, Level Two – Advanced Analytics in Baseball, is now available!
SABR members save $55 on both available courses (and future courses), so we hope you’ll check out these exciting opportunities at sabr.org/analytics/certification.
View the full schedule for the 2023 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
Early registration is now open for SABR’s annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, which will be held on July 20-23, 2023, in Detroit, Michigan. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. Click here to register online for the 2023 Malloy Conference.
Visit SABR.org/malloy to learn more or to register for the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference.
Retrosheet announces Summer 2023 updates
Retrosheet is pleased to announce its semi-annual update for Summer 2023 at Retrosheet.org.
New updates include event files for the 1919-20 AL/NL seasons and 1940-41 Negro League seasons. In addition, improvements have been made to the game accounts of more than 400 games which were previously released through the discovery of new scorecards, new newspaper sources, and a growing number of radio and television accounts that are being made available online.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Early registration now open for Saberseminar in Chicago
Sabermetrics, Scouting, and the Science of Baseball, which donates 100% of ticket proceeds to the Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformation, is having its first-ever event in Chicago on August 12-13, 2023.
Come listen to over twenty baseball research presentations from researchers, MLB insiders, and leading technology companies on statistics, roster building, and the science behind the game. Early ticket prices are in effect until July 1. Visit saberseminar.com for details.
Seeking editors and fact-checkers for new Minor Leagues book project
SABR’s Minor Leagues Committee is seeking more volunteers to serve as editors and fact checkers for its upcoming book project on the minor leagues in the mid-20th century. If you are interested in contributing to this book, please contact editor George Pawlush.
The focus of the book is on minor league baseball between 1946 and 1963, a period when minor-league baseball experienced its highest highs and its lowest lows.
If you are new to SABR or have never participated in a group research project, this is a great opportunity to become involved. Click here to learn more about other upcoming book and web projects.
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 #221 on Monday, July 3 featured Russell A. Carleton, author of The New Ballgame and a contributing writer at Baseball Prospectus. Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to the full episode or subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
Find All-Star Game stories online in SABR Research Collection
Next week, Major League Baseball holds its 93rd All-Star Game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. It will be the third time Seattle has hosted the Midsummer Classic. The SABR Games Project has published new articles on the two previous All-Star Games played in Seattle: Larry DeFillipo on the 1979 game and Gary Belleville on the 2001 game.
Celebrate the All-Star Game by visiting the Games Project’s collection of articles on past Midsummer Classics. Articles on games reaching noteworthy anniversaries in 2023 include the NL-AL and East-West Negro Leagues games played 75 years ago in 1948, the 1973 All-Star Game played in Kansas City, and the 1998 game at Denver’s Coors Field.
— John Fredland
3 new stories published at the SABR BioProject
- Greg Blosser, by Bill Nowlin
- Carl Boles, by Dan Taylor
- Sammy Samuels, by Justin Mckinney
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR BioProject or to get involved.
5 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- September 20, 1902: Ike Butler earns only major-league win for Orioles, by Paul Proia
- July 3, 1956: ‘Best batting-practice pitcher’ Johnny O’Brien saves Bucs, by Tim Herlich
- September 14, 1957: ‘Startling performance’ earns lone victory for Pirates’ Eddie O’Brien, by Tim Herlich
- May 8, 1963: Willie Stargell hits first career home run, but Cubs win after 4-run rally, by John Fredland
- May 28, 2004: David Ortiz hits 100th career home run as Red Sox beat Mariners, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Read all game stories from SABR’s Shibe Park book
SABR’s From Shibe Park to Connie Mack Stadium, edited by Gregory H. Wolf, celebrates baseball’s first steel-and-concrete ballpark, which hosted Philadelphia’s A’s and Phillies for 62 seasons from 1909 to 1970.
All of the game stories from the Shibe Park book can now be found online at the SABR Games Project. Here are the new Games Project stories published this week:
- September 10, 1964: Phillies get the best of Cardinals on a September afternoon with so much at stake, by John Bauer
- September 27, 1964: The Phold: Phillies’ seventh straight loss drops them out of first place, by John J. Burbridge Jr.
- June 7, 1966: Jim Bunning wins eighth straight with 14-strikeout, 3-hit gem, by Gregory H. Wolf
- May 21, 1967: Don Lock’s walk-off home run ends 18-inning marathon, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
- September 20, 1967: Steve Carlton’s 16 strikeouts not enough in classic duel with Chris Short, by Doug Feldmann
- July 29, 1968: 27 outs, 7 baserunners, and 1 run: George Culver labors through no-hitter, by Gregory H. Wolf
- August 3, 1969: The birth of the Big Red Machine, by Rich D’Ambrosio
- April 7, 1970: Opening Day swan song for Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium, by Matt Albertson
- May 23, 1970: Bob Gibson fans 16 in Hall of Fame matchup with Jim Bunning, by Doug Feldmann
- October 1, 1970: Wrecking ball for Connie Mack Stadium as Phillies play final game, by Ken Carrano
Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download a free e-book edition or purchase the paperback edition of From Shibe Park to Connie Mack Stadium.
Willie Mays: Five Tools
Edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks
Visit SABR.org to download any SABR Digital Library e-book for free or save 50% off the paperback edition.
Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:
- Read articles from new Spring 2023 Baseball Research Journal online
- Download the 2023 SABR Annual Report
- SABR Defensive Index rankings released through June 4
- Armour, Levitt, Williams, Evans, Shieber elected to SABR Board of Directors
- 10,000 images from SABR-Rucker Archive added to Research Collection
- Watch video highlights from 2023 SABR Analytics Conference
- The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2023
- Submissions open for fourth edition of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts
- Learn more about the recipients of 2023 SABR Local Grants
- Watch a preview of the Landmarks Committee’s new SABR Baseball Map
- Get a gift for baseball fan in your life with the SABR Store @ CafePress
- All e-books in SABR Digital Library available for free to members
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Bunch | Redondo Beach, CA | Carol Riddle | Dallas, TX | ||
| James D Caudill | Fredericksburg, VA | Weston Rodgers | Somerset, KY | ||
| Stephen Ceccoli | Cordova, TN | Joshua Rosenheck | New York, NY | ||
| Ryan Edwards | Cookstown, ON | Ken Sajdak | Waukesha, WI | ||
| David Goldberg | Cleveland, OH | Nathan Sarro | Dover, MA | ||
| Elena Lopez | Fort Collins, CO | Shyar Shah | Saratoga, CA | ||
| Eric Luesebrink | Chicago, IL | Carl Smth | Council Bluffs, IA | ||
| Colleen Machado | Jensen Beach, FL | Eric Strauss | Ventura, CA | ||
| Nicholas Mainieri | Mishawaka, IN | Rick Thorp | Shadyside, OH | ||
| Jim McGrail | Dedham, MA | Bill Ward | Ogden, UT | ||
| Michael Oxley | Mooresville, IN | Noah Warren | Miami, FL | ||
| Robert Redd | Edgewater, FL | Joseph Weyres | Clearwater, FL |
Here is a list of SABR supporters for the month of June 2023.
| NAME | NAME | |
|---|---|---|
| Jake Bell | Allison Levin | |
| Dan Bergman | Daniel Levitt | |
| Chris Betsch | Henry Levy | |
| Kurt Blumenau | Peter Mancuso | |
| Robert Bluthardt | Peter Marcus | |
| David Bohmer | Andrew Marrinson | |
| Mark Bonino | Bruce McClure | |
| Gary Brooks | Marilyn Miller | |
| D. Bruce Brown | Anthony Morante | |
| Thomas Byker | Irv Mouallem | |
| Ralph Caola | Patrick Namanny | |
| Ken Carrano | Rod Nelson | |
| Karl Cicitto | Rob Neyer | |
| Vincent Comparato | Andrew North | |
| Daniel Cooley | Bill Nowlin | |
| Dean Coughenour Trust | Ralph Olliges Jr | |
| Jim Cox | Terry Phelps | |
| William Cummings | John Rall | |
| Paul DeRosa | Anthony Reid | |
| Gordon Edes | Robert Rives | |
| Helen Edwards | Michael Rosenwasser | |
| Steven Elsberry | Charles Roussel | |
| Vern Engbar | Bob Russon | |
| Daniel Evans | Jason Scheller | |
| David Firstman | Douglas Schoppert | |
| Robert Fleishman | Jeff Self | |
| Adam Foldes | Rob Sheinkopf | |
| Edward Fong | Mikel Smith | |
| Gene Gomes | George Sommerfeld | |
| Robert Hagerman | Mike Sparks | |
| Frank Hart | Thomas Stone | |
| Francis Harte | Wesley Story | |
| Leslie Heaphy | Rick Swift | |
| Joseph Helyar | Don Thompson | |
| Tim Herlich | Joseph Thompson | |
| Lon Hildreth | Neal Traven | |
| Aaron Hill | Jay Virshbo | |
| Rockwell Hoffman | Jeffrey Watson | |
| David Hughes | Steve West | |
| Alma Ivor-Campbell | John Williams | |
| Donald Jensen | Beach Wires | |
| Chad Kahl | Michael Wolff | |
| Thomas Kern | Jeffrey Wood | |
| Joe Leisek | Don Zminda | |
| Allison Levin |
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 complete details of all SABR events
- Video Replays: Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- July 9: Sharon Hamilton: “Hemingway and Baseball” (3:30 p.m. CDT)
- July 10: Central Florida Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 12: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Steve Gietschier (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 12: 19th Century Baseball Book Club with Jack Bales (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 12: Roush-Lopez Gulf Coast (FL) Chapter meeting with Rick Vaughn (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- July 12: New SABR Member Experience meeting (8:00 p.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- July 7-9: SABR 51 convention (Chicago, IL)
- July 8: Maddux Bros.-Las Vegas Chapter meeting (Las Vegas, NV)
- July 8: Sam Zygner: “Miami Baseball History” (Pinecrest, FL)
- July 11: Juan Marichal Chapter meeting (Santo Domingo, DOM)
- July 12: Rocky Mountain Chapter monthly luncheon (Denver, CO)
- July 15: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Minor Leagues: Sign up now for the new Minor Leagues Box Scores Project email discussion group
- Scouts: Summer 2023 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter: June 2023 newsletter (Chicago, IL)
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:
- Justice B. Hill: Satchel Paige’s MLB debut 75 years ago changed baseball forever (Andscape)
- Andrew Lawrence: ‘A story that didn’t used to be told’: The rise and fall of baseball’s Negro Leagues (The Guardian)
- Vahe Gregorian: Some 75 years after Satchel Paige debut, salute to ‘Black Aces’ asks what might’ve been (Kansas City Star)
- Terry Pluto: The inside story of how Larry Doby broke the American League’s color line (Cleveland.com)
- Ben Lindbergh: Money Isn’t Winning in MLB This Season. Is That Good or Bad for Baseball? (The Ringer)
- Emma Baccellieri: The Reds Are Letting the Kids Play—and It’s Working (Sports Illustrated)
- Alex Speier: With the Red Sox’ patchwork pitching staff admirably scraping by, the bats have let them down instead (Boston Globe)
- Jay Jaffe: Patrick Bailey is Suddenly the Giants’ Catcher of the Future — and the Present (FanGraphs)
- Matt Monagan: How Griffey’s warehouse HR ended up at a house party (MLB.com)
- Russell A. Carleton: Let’s Ban the Home Run (Baseball Prospectus)
- David Laurila: Ahead of His Yankees Debut, Carlos Rodón Talks About His Signature Slider (FanGraphs)
- Tyler Kepner: MLB Draft Trades Magic for Efficiency (New York Times)
- Clinton Yates: Dwayne Hosey is an all-star in Omaha (Andscape)
- Steven Goldman: Checking in on 100 (Baseball Prospectus)
- Michael Baumann: Enrique Bradfield Jr. Is Running Down a Dream (FanGraphs)
- Benjamin Hoffman: John Montgomery Ward Was More Than a Name on a List of Perfect Games (New York Times)
- Gary Cieradkowski: Stan Musial: Stan The Sailor Man (Studio Gary C)
- Kevin Glew: New Jack Graney mural unveiled in his Ontario hometown (Cooperstowners in Canada)
- Ryan Whirty: The Negro Leagues and American education (The Negro Leagues Up Close)
- Jeff Cohen: Baseball and BBQ interview with John Gibbons (Baseball and BBQ)
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 7, 2023. Last Updated: July 14, 2023.