This Week in SABR: March 31, 2023
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, March 31, 2023.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Join us next week for Ballpark Figures with ESPN’s Clinton Yates
Member Benefit Spotlight: Register for SABR 51 in Chicago
SABR Digital Library: Yankee Stadium 1923-2008
The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2023
SABR Editorial Board proposal deadline is April 1
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Join us on April 6 for Ballpark Figures with ESPN’s Clinton Yates
SABR’s Ballpark Figures is a monthly interview series hosted by award-winning writer Shakeia Taylor. On Thursday, April 6, our guest speaker is SABR member Clinton Yates, a columnist, TV commentator, and host for ESPN since 2016. He helped launch The Undefeated and writes regularly for Andscape.
To learn more, visit SABR.org/ballpark-figures.
Member Benefit Spotlight: Register for SABR 51 in Chicago
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, an 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.
With registration now open for SABR 51 in Chicago, this month’s issue shows you how to register for our annual summer convention, scheduled for July 5-9, 2023, at the Palmer House Hilton.
Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more.
SABR Digital Library: Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America’s First Modern Ballpark
Add a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library! Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America’s First Modern Ballpark, edited by Tara Krieger and Bill Nowlin, represents a 100th anniversary celebration of the original Yankee Stadium. The work is the combined effort of 79 SABR members.
Intended as a multipurpose venue from the outset, the Stadium is seen through 40 essays covering memorable football games, boxing matches, soccer seasons, track and field meets, and more. Baseball was always central, though, and the book includes accounts of 50 of the most notable games in the history of “The House that Ruth Built.”
Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the purchase of a paperback edition.
The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2023
Periodically throughout the year, SABR.org publishes The SABR Bookshelf, a listing of new books that are received at the SABR office.
Click here for more detailed information on dozens of new baseball books published in Spring 2023.
To view previous listings in The SABR Bookshelf, click here.
Early registration now open for Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in Detroit
Early registration is now open for SABR’s annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, which will be held on July 20-23, 2023, at the St. Regis Hotel in Detroit, Michigan. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.
Registration and hotel information is available below.
- Registration: Click here to register online for the 2023 Malloy Conference.
- Information Packet: Click here to download a full information packet, including schedule and sponsor information, for the 2023 Malloy Conference.
- Contact: For questions, email Leslie Heaphy.
Visit SABR.org/malloy to learn more about our annual School Library Grants, High School Essay Contest, and Art Contest.
Last call: Submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board by April 1
SABR’s Editorial Board welcomes new project proposals from members to be considered for publication through the Digital Library, SABR.org, or any other multimedia formats. We strongly encourage new proposals that involve collaboration between SABR research committees and/or chapters, and web-based projects with an eye toward enhanced multimedia presentation.
- Click here to submit a SABR project proposal
Next deadline: April 1, 2023 (for publication in late 2024 or 2025)
SABR seeks to publish 2-4 web-based multimedia projects and 6-8 books per year. Book projects should be of a scope that can fit in a single volume, typically between 100,000 and 200,000 total words.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Deadlines approaching for SABR Convention, Negro Leagues student scholarships
With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the SABR 51 convention on July 5-9, 2023, in Chicago. This scholarship will pay for all registration fees and expenses associated with the conference. Deadline to apply: April 21, 2023. Click here to learn more.
SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee awards $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors in its annual Thomas R. Garrett Scholarship essay contest. Students must write a 1,200-word essay answering a question related to one of the Negro League figures who are the namesakes of the scholarships. Deadline to apply: April 15, 2023. Click here to learn more.
Visit SABR.org/scholarships to learn more about student scholarship opportunities.
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 #207 on Monday, March 27 featured Emma Baccellieri, a staff writer at Sports Illustrated since 2018 and a two-time recipient of the SABR Analytics Conference Research Award. 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.
Read all essays from Our Game, Too: Influential Figures and Milestones in Canadian Baseball
In 2022, SABR published Our Game, Too: Influential Figures and Milestones in Canadian Baseball, edited by Andrew North, which told the story of baseball’s development north of the border from the Vancouver Asahi to the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Montreal Royals.
All of the essays from Our Game, Too are now available to read online in the SABR Research Collection.
Click here to download your free e-book edition of Our Game, Too or save 50% off the paperback edition.
Games Project celebrates Opening Day with collection of new stories
As we celebrate the start of a new baseball season in 2023, the SABR Games Project has published a variety of new stories on memorable Opening Day games, including first steps in championship seasons, notable lineup and broadcasting debuts, the beginning of a farewell season, the equaling of one of the game’s most venerated records, and an independent Black team’s opener with a White team in 1925.
- April 17, 1923: Reformer, rogue meet before Giants’ win on Opening Day in Boston, by Kurt Blumenau
- April 12, 1925: Homestead Grays open season by defeating McConkey Macks, by Donna L. Halper
- April 17, 1929: Athletics open season by setting tone for dynasty to come, by Jake Bell
- April 16, 1935: Wes Ferrell two-hits ‘Ruth-less’ Yankees on Opening Day, wins on Gehrig error, by Thomas E. Merrick
- April 18, 1939: Red Barber graces the airwaves in first Brooklyn Dodgers radio broadcast, by Richard Cuicchi
- April 16, 1957: Gino Cimoli homers in 12th inning, Dodgers edge Phillies on Opening Day, by Steven C. Weiner
- April 19, 1960: Maris stars in Yankee debut; Williams passes Gehrig on all-time homer list, by Tim Otto
- April 4, 1974: Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s home run record as Braves lose to Reds, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
- April 6, 1979: Expos edge Pirates in 10-inning season opener, by John Fredland
- April 8, 1985: Detroit’s Chris Pittaro lives up to manager’s hype on celebratory Opening Day, by Chad Moody
- April 4, 1988: Dave Dravecky goes the distance in Giants’ Opening Day win over Dodgers, by Tom Schott
- April 1, 1996: Pat Hughes joins Cubs broadcast booth, Mark Grace wins opener in 10th, by Cory Ritterbusch
- April 1, 2013: Red Sox begin journey from worst to first with Opening Day win at Yankee Stadium, by Bill Nowlin
7 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- April 28, 1893: Beaneaters open season with rout of Giants, by Joel Rippel
- May 15, 1893: Beaneaters win home opener in front of star-studded crowd, by Jerrod Cotosman
- May 19, 1893: The home run that wasn’t, by John G. Zinn
- May 26, 1893: A barrage of batting for McCarthy, Beaneaters, by Mark Pestana
- August 19, 1893: Unsafe passage for Beaneaters on long road trip, by Andy Terrick
- September 20, 1893: Beaneaters clinch NL pennant, earn ‘proud emblem to wave here next year’, by Mark Souder
- September 3, 1896: Boston Beaneaters put their batting clothes on, by Richard Riis
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts (Vol. 3)
Edited by Joanne Hulbert and Jay Hurd
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:
- SABR members approve By-Laws changes in special election
- Andy Andres honored with 2023 SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award
- Baumann, Clemens, Petriello, Carleton win 2023 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards
- Steve Gietschier, Mark Rucker, Robert Whiting selected as 2023 Henry Chadwick Award recipients
- Submissions open for fourth edition of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts
- Learn more about the recipients of 2023 SABR Local Grants
- Check out SABR Day highlights, photos, and videos
- SABR donates archives of founder Bob Davids to Library of Congress
- New Spanish-language edition of Roberto Clemente book available
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Brick | Madison, WI | Quentin Phillips | Olympia, WA | ||
| Stephen Forsha | Hillsboro, OH | Ray Siere | Humboldt, IL | ||
| Sharon Herman | Dunedin, FL | Mike Walsh | Conshohocken, PA | ||
| Scott Morissey | Hamilton, ON | Irving Zaner | Garland, TX |
- Events Calendar: Find complete details of all SABR events
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from authors Andy McCue (Stumbling around the Bases) and David Krell (Do You Believe in Magic?). Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- April 1: Talkin’ Baseball: Barry Sparks (9:00 a.m. EDT)
- April 2: Joint “AL Central” SABR Chapter meeting (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- April 3: Northern New England Chapter meeting with Michael Ortman (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- April 3: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with Dan Taylor and Gary Mitchem (7:30 p.m. EDT)
- April 3: Roush-Lopez Gulf Coast Chapter meeting (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- April 5: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Bob LeMoine (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- April 6: Ballpark Figures with Shakeia Taylor and Clinton Yates (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- April 8: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter meeting (11:30 a.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- April 1: Halsey Hall Chapter book club meeting (Roseville, MN)
- April 1: Gardner-Waterman Chapter meeting (Burlington, VT)
- April 1: Maddux Bros.-Vegas Chapter meeting (Las Vegas, NV)
- April 5: Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter meeting (Tallahassee, FL)
- April 5: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter fellowship meeting (St. Louis, MO)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Nineteenth Century: Spring 2023 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter: March 1 meeting recap (Tallahassee, FL)
- Halsey Hall Chapter: April 2023 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:
- Mike Lynch: Updated Negro Leagues Data on Baseball Reference (Sports-Reference)
- Sarah Langs: Want to sound smart for Opening Day? Here’s 1 key stat per team (MLB.com)
- Stephen J. Nesbitt: MLB Opening Day: How some teachers let the games into their classrooms (The Athletic)
- Stephanie Apstein: Contract and Captaincy in Hand, Aaron Judge Isn’t Slowing Down Yet (Sports Illustrated)
- Tyler Kepner: Finding Common Ground With the Commissioner (New York Times)
- Emma Baccellieri: Beware, Catchers: The Robots Are Coming (Sports Illustrated)
- Ben Lindbergh: The Forgotten History of MLB’s Pitch Clock (The Ringer)
- Anthony Castrovince: Basepath measurements with new bigger bases (MLB.com)
- Jayson Stark: The Shift is dead in MLB. But is the ‘two-man outfield’ next? And will it work? (The Athletic)
- Jason Owens/Hannah Keyser: MLB, minor leaguers reach first ever collective bargaining agreement; deal includes pay raises (Yahoo! Sports)
- Marc Normandin: Minor League CBA Will Have Major Impact (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jen McCaffrey: Red Sox building up staff to compete in the next frontier of MLB’s arms race (The Athletic)
- Alex Speier: Red Sox take batting practice to a futuristic level with ‘robot pitcher’ replica of the opponent (Boston Globe)
- Dayn Perry: Old Yankee Stadium’s rise and fall: The complete story of ‘The House that Ruth Built’ 100 years after opening (CBS Sports)
- David Laurila: On KC’s Roster Bubble, Matt Duffy Ponders a Front Office Future (FanGraphs)
- Grant Brisbee: Five things Giants fans learned on Opening Day (The Athletic)
- Mike DiGiovanna: Rookie MLB umpire Malachi Moore knows about dealing with pressure (Los Angeles Times)
- Jay Jaffe: The Season Has Begun, but Verlander, Wainwright, Severino, and McKenzie Will Have to Wait (FanGraphs)
- Rob Mains: What The 2023 Forbes Data Tell Us (Baseball Prospectus)
- Russell A. Carleton: McKinsey League Baseball (Baseball Prospectus)
- Mary Whitfill: Pioneering DJ and SABR member Donna Halper to be inducted into Broadcasters Hall of Fame (Quincy Patriot Ledger)
- Scott Jagow: New Browns exhibit transports baseball fans back in time (KMOX Radio)
- Emil Moffatt/Freddy Monares: A childhood fascination with baseball uniforms inspired Seattle’s Ebbets Field Flannels (KNKX.org)
- Vince Guerrieri: How The Cardinals Nearly Lost The War For St. Louis (Defector.com)
- Ajah Polk: Hall of Famer recalls her time in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (Daily Herald)
- M. Shawn Hennessy: 1942 U.S. Service All-Stars Treasured Ink (Chevrons and Diamonds)
- Dan Schlossberg: Remembering First DH Ron Blomberg On 50th Anniversary Of His Famous Feat (IBWAA)
- Richard Cuicchi: Yankees vs New Orleans Pelicans, 1948 (Start Spreading the News)
- Lisa Amaral: Tigers strive for relaxing environment at Lakeland spring home (Toronto Observer)
- Jeff Cohen: Baseball and BBQ: Interview with Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch (Baseball and BBQ)
- Bruce Markusen: Remembering George Scott’s Bizarre Card From 50 Years Ago (SABR Baseball Cards Committee)
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: March 31, 2023. Last Updated: March 31, 2023.