This Week in SABR: March 15, 2019

March 15, 2019/in This Week in SABR /by Jason Best

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 March 15, 2019:

Check out highlights and photos from the 2019 SABR Analytics Conference

Couldn’t make it to Arizona for the eighth annual SABR Analytics Conference, presented by MLB and KinaTrax? Visit SABR.org/analytics for full coverage of this exciting event that brought together the top minds in the baseball analytics community in 2019. You’ll feel like you were wandering through the Hyatt Regency Phoenix with stories and multimedia clips from the great panel discussions and research presentations on our schedule, photo galleries, and much more.

Click on a link below for multimedia highlights from the 2019 SABR Analytics Conference:

Friday, March 8

Saturday, March 9

Sunday, March 10

Listen to highlights from the Use of Analytics in Broadcast Media panel with Eduardo Perez, Mike Petriello, and Mike Ferrin (audio)
Lindbergh, Ring, Baseball Prospectus team win 2019 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards
Check out a photo gallery from Day 3 at the 2019 SABR Analytics Conference
Max Mannis: Game Within a Game panel focuses on data-driven decisions
Alex Vigderman: 2019 SABR Analytics Conference recap (Baseball Info Solutions)
J.P. Hoornstra: In the war between science and aesthetics, trying to save baseball teams from themselves (L.A. Daily News)
Stay tuned for more highlights and stories to be posted soon!

Visit SABR.org/analytics for more coverage of the 2019 SABR Analytics Conference.

Dick Cramer honored with 2019 SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award

Sabermetric pioneer Dick Cramer was honored with the SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, March 9 in Phoenix, Arizona.

John Thorn, Major League Baseball’s Official Historian, presented Cramer with his award during the eighth annual SABR Analytics Conference.

“It’s certainly a wonderful occasion to be here; I very much appreciate this award and all of you for being here,” Cramer said. “For a long time, the sabermetric field was just me and Pete Palmer writing letters back and forth. It’s nice to see how much things have changed.”

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

Lindbergh, Ring, Baseball Prospectus team win 2019 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

Ben Lindbergh, Sheryl Ring, and a team from Baseball Prospectus were announced as the winners of 2019 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards on Sunday, March 10 at the eighth annual SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lindbergh was voted as the winner of the Historical Baseball Analysis/Commentary Award for his article “The Sabermetric Movement’s Forgotten Foremother,” published by The Ringer on February 20, 2018.
Ring was voted as the winner of the Contemporary Baseball Commentary Award for her article “The Human Side of the Cubs’ Addison Russell Decision,” published by FanGraphs on December 6, 2018.
Wayne Boyle, Sean O’Rourke, Jeff Long, and Harry Pavlidis were voted as the winners of the Contemporary Baseball Analysis Award for their article “Robo Strike Zone: It’s Not as Simple as You Think,” published by Baseball Prospectus on January 29, 2018.

The SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year.

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

2019 Diamond Dollars Case Competition winners announced

The 2019 Diamond Dollars Case Competition winners were announced Friday, March 8 during the SABR Analytics Conference at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.

The winning teams selected were from Washington University in St. Louis, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, and Syracuse University.

The Washington University team — which was picked to deliver an encore presentation in front of the full SABR Analytics Conference on Saturday — included Noah Kastelman, Sam Linker, Aaron Margulis, Devlin Sullivan, and Johnnie Teng.

In this year’s case, students were asked to prepare a comprehensive strategy on the optimal use of pitching for an MLB team to follow over the course of the 2018 regular season.

More than 70 alumni from the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Diamond Dollars Case Competitions have secured internships or permanent positions within the baseball industry.

Visit SABR.org/analytics/case to learn more.

Jane Leavy receives 2019 Seymour Medal at NINE Conference banquet

Jane Leavy, author of The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created, received the 2019 SABR Seymour Medal at the banquet of the 26th annual NINE Spring Training Conference on Saturday, March 9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Tempe, Arizona.

The banquet included the Seymour Medal ceremony, dinner, and the NINE keynote address by SABR member Curt Smith, the author of many baseball books, including most recently The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House, and a former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. Leavy was presented with her medal at Saturday evening’s banquet by SABR’s Jacob Pomrenke.

“It was not hard to embrace this boy, little George, who grew up to become the ‘Big Fella’,” Leavy said. “He was left alone by himself … banished by his family at age 7, never visited by his father, not an orphan, not incorrigible, just a kid who was thoroughly unwanted by his family … he was left alone to create a life and, as imperfect as it was, he did it. … Boy, am I glad to know him and, boy, am I glad to receive this honor.”

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

Save the date! 2019 SABR Minneapolis 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium

Save the date! The SABR Minneapolis 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2019, at the Minneapolis Public Library, 300 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The day-long Saturday symposium will be devoted to 19th-century baseball as it was played and evolved in Minnesota and the greater Midwest region. The event is a joint project of the SABR Nineteenth Century Committee, SABR’s Halsey Hall Chapter, and the Hennepin County Library.

More details on registration and the event schedule will be available at SABR.org this summer.

Guest speakers are expected to include John Thorn, MLB’s Official Historian; Larry Millett, longtime St. Paul Pioneer Press architecture critic and author of more than 10 books, including The Curve of the Arch and Lost Twin Cities; Stew Thornley, author of Baseball in Minnesota: A Definitive History and other books; Dan Levitt, author of Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way and other books; Mike Haupert, Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; Kristin Anderson, art and architecture professor and author of an upcoming book on the history of sports facilities in the Twin Cities; and more.

Click here for more information at SABR.org.

SABR Digital Library: The Team that Couldn’t Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers

Add a brand-new baseball book from the SABR Digital Library to your collection this season:

The Team that Couldn’t Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers
Edited by Steve West and Bill Nowlin
Associate editors: Len Levin and Carl Riechers
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9438-1693-4, $29.95
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-9438-1692-7, $9.99
414 pages, 8.5″ x 11″

Click here to read the full description of this book at SABR.org.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

E-book: Click here to download the e-book version of The Team That Couldn’t Hit for FREE from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, Kindle/MOBI and EPUB formats.
Paperback: Get a 50% discount on the The Team That Couldn’t Hit paperback edition from the SABR Store ($15.99 includes shipping/tax; delivery via Kindle Direct Publishing can take up to 4-6 weeks.)

Having trouble downloading our e-books? To view PDF files on your computer, click here to download the free Adobe Reader software. Having trouble downloading e-books to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.

Early registration is now open for SABR 49 in San Diego

We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a spectacular SABR 49 convention this summer in San Diego. Conference and hotel registration is now available at SABR.org/convention.

Click here for more information on the SABR 49 All-Inclusive Package, Early-Bird Registration, and optional sessions. Click here to register for SABR 49.

Registration: Click here for complete information on the SABR 49 All-Inclusive Package, Early-Bird Registration, and optional sessions. Or click here to register for SABR 49! We’re again offering a special All-Inclusive Package for the annual SABR convention. For the $369 all-inclusive rate, SABR members can get:
— Full registration to SABR 49 in San Diego (early-bird: $289; regular rate: $319)
— 1 ticket in the Upper Infield Reserved (1B) section to the Padres vs. Cardinals game on Friday, June 28 at Petco Park ($24 value)
— 1 ticket to the Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 28 ($70 value)
— 1 exclusive SABR 49 convention logo lapel pin
— 2 complimentary Continental breakfasts on Thursday and Friday mornings*
*The Continental breakfast benefit is only available when you register for the All-Inclusive Package.
Non-members can pay $399 for the All-Inclusive Package; the deadline to register is Monday, May 6, 2019.
Hotel: The special SABR group rate at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego of $224/night (single rate) or $254/night (double rate) is only available to registered convention attendees. After you register for the SABR 49 convention, you will receive an e-mail confirmation with details on how to book your hotel room at the SABR group rate. If you do not receive your confirmation email after registering, please contact Deb Jayne at djayne@sabr.org. There are a limited number of rooms in our group block, so be sure to register for SABR 49 early!
Awards Luncheon: SABR will host a special Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 28 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. The Awards Luncheon, which includes a meal, will feature the announcement of SABR’s annual awards — including the Bob Davids Award, our highest honor. One ticket to the Awards Luncheon is included in the all-inclusive package or guest tickets are available for $70 when you register for SABR 49.
Research presentations: SABR invites all members to present their research findings to their colleagues attending SABR 49. The deadline to submit your abstract was Sunday, February 24, 2019. Click here for complete details and application form.
Yoseloff Scholarship: Students, click here to learn more about a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend SABR 49 in San Diego. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 29, 2019.

Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more or to register for the SABR 49 convention.

Students, two weeks left to apply for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend SABR 49 in San Diego

With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four scholarships to high school or college students to attend SABR 49 on June 26-30, 2019, in San Diego. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250.

The objective of this scholarship fund is to encourage high school and college-level student engagement with baseball research and to engender an active interest in baseball and SABR.

Download an application form: Click here to download a Yoseloff Scholarship form to attend SABR 49 in San Diego

All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Jeff Schatzki at jschatzki@sabr.org no later than Friday, March 29, 2019.

Click here for complete details and submission criteria.

SABR to launch new baseball podcast in 2019: SABRcast with Rob Neyer

Baseball fans, tune in this season to SABRcast with Rob Neyer, a new weekly podcast hosted by award-winning author and longtime SABR member Rob Neyer.

SABRcast, which will launch around Opening Day in the spring of 2019, will feature insights and analysis of what’s happening in modern baseball on and off the field, plus compelling interviews with figures from around the game — and music from The Baseball Project.

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

2 new SABR biographies published

Two new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 4,839 published biographies. Here are the new bios published this week:

Charlie Hautz, by Brian Flaspohler
Sprague Field (Bloomfield, NJ), by Bill Lamb

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

Search for any SABR biography: You can now visit sabr.org/bioproj_search to search for any player — or manager, executive, scout, spouse, broadcaster, or umpire — who appears in the SABR BioProject. You can also browse all of these BioProject categories and a lot more, including 300-game winners, Hall of Famers, 1960s All-Stars, or Negro Leaguers, at our Browse page: sabr.org/bioproj/browse.
Read all bios from From Spring Training to Screen Test book online: In From Spring Training to Screen Test: Baseball Players Turned Actors, published by SABR in 2018 and edited by Rob Edelman and Bill Nowlin, we told the stories of the stars and supporting players on baseball diamonds who also became stars and supporting players in the movies, on Broadway, in vaudeville and, eventually, on television and in concert halls. All of the biographies in From Spring Training to Screen Test are now available to be read online at the SABR BioProject. Click here to download a free e-book edition or get 50% off the paperback edition of From Spring Training to Screen Test.

New workflow process for SABR BioProject submissions

Effective this month, the BioProject Committee has changed how SABR’s biography submissions are handled. As part of the ongoing effort to maintain the high standard of quality, there will be an initial vetting of each draft immediately after it is submitted by the author. Accepted submissions proceed to the fact-checking stage, which will be moved ahead of the copy-editing stage from now on. The process overall follows that of SABR’s books that collect biographies on notable teams or themes. After fact-checking, a different reviewer will do the copy editing, per the existing process.

For details, please see “What happens next?” in the updated BioProject FAQs at SABR.org/content/bioproject-FAQs.

Please continue to send initial submissions to Rory Costello, Chief Editor, at roryscostello@gmail.com. Rory can also field any questions about this process.

2 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

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

May 16, 1965: Orioles rookie Jim Palmer hits first career homer and earns first career win, by Mike Huber
August 5, 2001: Cleveland overcomes 12-run deficit to beat Mariners, by Joseph Wancho

New Games Project stories can be found at SABR.org/gamesproject/recent. Find all published Games Project articles 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.
Read all stories from the Pittsburgh Pirates greatest games book at the SABR Games Project: In Moments of Joy and Heartbreak: 66 Significant Episodes in the History of the Pittsburgh Pirates, published by SABR in 2018 and edited by Jorge Iber and Bill Nowlin, we explored some of the most memorable games in Bucs history. All of the stories from Moments of Joy and Heartbreak can now be found online at the SABR Games Project. Click here to read all of the game stories from this book. To download your free e-book copy or order the paperback edition with a 50% discount, click here.

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

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro, is back for the Hot Stove League offseason at a new time, 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET on Sundays, on MLB Network Radio.

This week’s guests are Neil Paine of FiveThirtyEight and Ron Rapoport, author of Let’s Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks.

You can also listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App. Click here to learn more.

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.

January 30 Board minutes posted

Minutes from the Board of Directors conference call on January 30, 2019, have now been posted on the SABR website.

You can view all past minutes of SABR Board meetings by going to the page below:

http://sabr.org/content/sabr-board-minutes

Or you can go to the Members’ Info page and click on “Org. files”, then “Board Minutes” to view the minutes.

ICYMI: Highlights from last week’s This Week in SABR

We’ve heard your feedback: Some of you have said you look forward to “This Week in SABR” every Friday, but sometimes there are just too many compelling articles and announcements to read every week. We’re not complaining — hey, keep up the great work! — but we know the feeling. So in an effort to make the length of this newsletter more manageable to read, we’ll summarize some of the repeating/recurring announcements in a special “In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)” section of “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: https://sabr.org/content/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 (SABR.org/directory).

Name	Hometown	Name	Hometown
Jonathan Greenberg	Bronx, NY	Kevin Mix	Chicago, IL
Ken Hogarty	Canyon, CA	Bob Rambo	York, PA
Marty Kohler	Orchard Park, NY	Joseph Rodriguez	Moorpark, CA
Tim Kraska	Sammamish, WA	Philip Serafini	West Seneca, NY
Paul Linet	New Gloucester, ME	Matt Smith	Norwich, ENG
Steven Lockhart	Seattle, WA

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

Biographical Research: February 2019 newsletter
BioProject: Click here to learn more about the new submission/workflow process for BioProject writers and editors
Negro Leagues: March 2019 newsletter
Women in Baseball: Announcing nominees for 2019 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award

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

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

Bresnahan-Mud Hens Chapter: February 26 book club meeting recap (Toledo, OH)
Halsey Hall Chapter: Spring 2019 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
Hemond-Delhi Arizona Chapter: March 2019 newsletter (Phoenix, AZ)

Visit SABR.org/chapters for more information on SABR regional chapters.

SABR Events Calendar

Here is a list of upcoming events on the SABR calendar:

March 16: Dusty Baker-Sacramento Chapter monthly lunch (Folsom, CA)
March 16: Sweet Lou Johnson Lexington Chapter meeting (Lexington, KY)
March 17: Cory Ritterbusch: “Baseball History in the Tri-State Area” (Galena, IL)
March 18: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter monthly meeting (St. Louis, MO)
March 18: Larry Dierker Chapter monthly meeting (Houston, TX)
March 19: Bob Davids Chapter Maryland Hot Stove Dinner (Silver Spring, MD)
March 19: Bergino: “After the Miracle: The Lasting Brotherhood of the ’69 Mets” (New York, NY)
March 20: Seymour-Mills Chapter meeting (Naples, FL)
March 20: Rocky Mountain Chapter monthly lunch (Denver, CO)
March 20: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter “Called Shot” monthly meeting (Baltimore, MD)
March 20: Bill Staples Jr.: “Baseball Behind Barbed Wire” (Phoenix, AZ)
March 21: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” monthly meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
March 23: Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter meeting and Black Sox Scandal panel (Middletown, CT)
March 23: Rogers Hornsby Chapter monthly lunch meeting (Austin, TX)
March 26: Jack Graney Chapter meeting (Akron, OH)
March 27: Banks-Bragan DFW Chapter spring meeting (Arlington, TX)
March 27: Magnolia Chapter “Fourth Wednesday” monthly meeting (Tucker, GA)
March 28: Gardner-Waterman Vermont Chapter Opening Day meet-up (Burlington, VT)
March 30: “Boys of Summer” historic cemetery baseball tour (Atlanta, GA)
March 30: Jim Tootle: “We Shall Remember Them: Hank Gowdy” presentation (Columbus, OH)
March 30: Hanlan’s Point Chapter spring meeting (London, ON)
March 31: South Florida Chapter meeting (Coral Gables, FL)
March 31: Gardner-Waterman Vermont Chapter spring meeting (Burlington, VT)

All SABR meetings and events are open to the public. Feel free to bring a baseball-loving friend … and make many new ones! Check out the SABR Events Calendar at SABR.org/events.

Around the Web

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

Emily C. Waldon: Minor-league ballplayers open up about the realities of their pay, and its impact on their lives (The Athletic)
Ben Lindbergh: The new MLB rule changes aren’t big—but they could be the start of something huge (The Ringer)
Rob Arthur: Moving the mound will change everything (Baseball Prospectus)
Jayson Stark: Everybody’s out to get 30-something baseball players these days (The Athletic)
Paul Lukas: Uni Watch, down to the last thread (ESPN.com)
Eno Sarris: Joey Votto on hitting strategy and what he’s lost (The Athletic)
David Laurila: Q&A with the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado on hitting (FanGraphs)
Gerald Schifman: The rise of MLB’s minimum earners (Baseball Prospectus)
Richard Goldstein: Julia Ruth Stevens, Babe Ruth’s daughter, dies at 102 (New York Times)
Sheryl Ring: MLB’s lineup decision kicks off new era in baseball betting (FanGraphs)
Chris Bouton: Finding the game with the fewest three true outcomes (The Hardball Times)
Rob Mains: Is a team’s record in one-run games and blowouts indicative of quality? (Baseball Prospectus)
Ginny Searle: Traded to be hated (Baseball Prospectus)
Jay Jaffe: Sorting out the Mets’ first base logjam (FanGraphs)
Justin Klugh: Bubble wrapping history: The search for a new South Jersey baseball hall of fame (The Hardball Times)
Tom Shieber: Frank Owen can’t catch a break (Baseball Researcher)
Zach Crizer: The infielders are not what they seem (Baseball Prospectus)
Frank Jackson: Hod Lisenbee’s longest day (The Hardball Times)
Michael Anthony: Minnesota Opera’s ‘The Fix’ recounts 1919 World Series scandal (Minnesota Post)
Ray Carbone: New Hampshire’s role in creating baseball (New Hampshire Magazine)
Ronald Auther: The Oakland Giants of Grove Street Park (Shadow Ball Express)
Tim Jenkins: Charlie Chan(t) in Tucson (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Jeff Katz: Uninspired and Uninspiring: Topps Heritage set (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Jason Schwartz: Fathers and sons (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Tim Jenkins: Six Degrees of Smoky Burgess (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)

Read these articles and more at SABR.org/latest.

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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