This Week in SABR: March 8, 2024
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, March 8, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
SABR Analytics Conference is now under way
SABR 52: Last call for presentation abstracts
Steve Gietschier to receive Seymour Medal at NINE Conference
Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal
Live Oral History interview with Mike Hargrove
Call for nominations: Board of Directors election
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2024 SABR Analytics Conference is under way!
The 13th annual SABR Analytics Conference kicked off this weekend and will continue through Sunday, March 10. With an attendance of more than 750 combined in-person and virtual student registrants for this event at the Beus Center for Law and Society in Phoenix, Arizona, we’re bringing together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate, and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball.
Click here to download our Analytics Conference digital program to learn more about our featured panelists and presenters.
- Digital Program: Click here to download the digital program (PDF)
- Speakers: Click here to learn more about our Featured Speakers.
- Schedule: Click here to view the full conference schedule.
- Research Presentations: Click here for Research Presentation abstracts and bios.
- Diamond Dollars Case Competition: Check out the winners in the 2024 Diamond Dollars Case Competition.
To learn more about the SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.
2024 Diamond Dollars Case Competition winners announced
The 2024 Diamond Dollars Case Competition winners were announced Friday, March 8 during the SABR Analytics Conference.
The winning teams selected were from Syracuse University, Rice University, and The Branson School.
The Syracuse University team — which was picked to deliver an encore presentation in front of the full SABR Analytics Conference on Saturday — included Danny Baris, Caitlin Kohlmeier, Alex Oppel, Aaron Rofe, and Jonah Soos.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Early registration is open for SABR 52 in Minneapolis
Join us in Minneapolis for SABR’s 52nd annual convention! Conference and hotel registration for SABR 52 on August 7-11, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, is now available at SABR.org/convention.
- Click here for complete details on SABR 52 Early-Bird Registration and optional sessions, including a Minnesota Twins game, St. Paul Saints game, and Target Field ballpark tour.
SABR 52 will be distinct from its predecessors, as it will feature a Hall of Fame speaker lineup we know you’ll love — including Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Bert Blyleven, and Jim Kaat — and will be the most accessible and social experience we’ve ever organized as we emphasize SABR’s ability to unite all of us in baseball fellowship. This year’s streamlined registration options will provide for a consistent and accessible experience for all attendees and the lowest registration price since 2018. We hope you’ll join us this summer in Minneapolis!
Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more.
SABR 52: Last call for presentation abstracts
SABR invites all members to present their research findings to their colleagues attending SABR 52, the 2024 annual convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Click here to submit presentation abstracts for SABR 52. The submission deadline for SABR 52 abstracts is Sunday, March 10.
In addition, we seek volunteers who wish to participate in the blind review process (beginning in March) and/or on-site judging (at the convention in Minneapolis.) Those volunteers can apply by sending an email to sabr2024presentations@gmail.com.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Steve Gietschier to receive SABR Seymour Medal at NINE Conference
Steven P. Gietschier, author of Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years, will receive his 2024 SABR Seymour Medal award during the 31st annual NINE Spring Training Conference on Saturday, March 9 in Tempe, Arizona. To register for the NINE conference, visit nineconference.com.
The Dr. Harold and Dorothy Seymour Medal honors the best book of baseball history or biography published during the preceding calendar year.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Dick Perez selected as winner of 2024 Jefferson Burdick Award
Acclaimed artist Dick Perez, who may be most familiar to baseball fans for his work on Donruss Diamond Kings cards, was selected as the winner of the 2024 Jefferson Burdick Award, which honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the baseball card hobby, by SABR’s Baseball Cards Research Committee.
Perez plans to accept his award during the SABR Baseball Cards meeting this summer at SABR 52 in Minneapolis. The meeting will include a special screening of The Diamond King, a new documentary from award-winning filmmaker Marq Evans.
Click here to read more about Dick Perez at the SABR Baseball Cards Blog.
Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2024
Beginning in 2024, all SABR members will exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically. A majority of SABR members already receive the BRJ electronically and will not be affected by this change.
For any members who are interested in a hard copy of the publication for their personal library, we are rolling out a new subscription option at a significantly discounted rate: $7 per issue for members, compared to $19.95 at retail. (International members will pay $11 per issue.)
- Visit SABR.org/subscribe to receive future printed editions of the BRJ in the mail. Or click here if you’d like a tutorial on how to subscribe.
As with any change, we understand that you may have questions or concerns that you would like to share. Please feel free to reach out to any SABR staff member.
SABR Live Oral History: Mike Hargrove
Baseball fans, join us for a special virtual event at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, March 14: a live SABR Oral History interview with former All-Star first baseman and pennant-winning manager Mike Hargrove.
All fans are invited to attend this interview session on Zoom, which will be conducted by Oral History Committee chair John McMurray. The interview will be recorded and added to SABR’s Oral History Collection archive afterward.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Register now for the 2024 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in Cooperstown
Early registration is now open for SABR’s annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, which will be held on June 6-9, 2024, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. Full and single-day registration is available for a discounted rate before May 24, along with a new virtual registration option.
In-person attendees will also have an opportunity to view the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s new exhibit, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball.
- Schedule: Click here to view the 2024 Malloy Conference schedule.
- Information Packet: Click here to download the conference information packet (PDF)
- Yoseloff Scholarship: Students, learn more or apply for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2024 Malloy Conference. Deadline: April 5, 2024.
Visit SABR.org/malloy to learn more or to register.
Call for nominations: 2024 SABR Board of Directors election
The SABR Nominating Committee is now seeking nominations for candidates for the 2024 Board of Directors elections. To be eligible for the Board of Directors, candidates must have been members of the Society for at least the preceding four years. Any candidate for an officer position must have at least one year of prior service on the Board during the preceding five-year period. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2024. The offices to be filled are:
- Vice President (2-year term)
- Secretary (3-year term)
- Director (3-year term)
- Director (3-year term)
Self-nominations are welcome. If you would like to nominate yourself or another candidate or suggest a question for the candidates, contact Nominating Committee chair Stew Thornley.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Deadline to submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board is 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, 2024 (for publication in late 2025 or 2026)
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.
Register now for the 2024 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference
Registration is now open for the 15th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference, which will be held on April 19-20, 2024, at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to register for this special event.
The 2024 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from author Michael Haupert, along with a panel discussion on the Knickerbocker club with Bruce Allardice, Thomas Gilbert, Bob Tholkes, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a 19th-century artifact session with Robert Mayer, Gary Passamonte, and Jonathan Popovich; a Member Spotlight interview of Thomas Gilbert by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations.
Visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c to learn more or to register.
Writing opportunities for SABR members
We are seeking contributing authors for an upcoming SABR book project on found poetry of historic baseball announcers. The project is inspired by Tom Peyer and Hart Seely’s O Holy Cow: The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto. Our hope is to include representation of all teams, with the final product consisting of about 200 poems.
Your task, in many ways, is simple: take a portion of a play-by-play broadcast and refashion the words, using line breaks, punctuation, capitalization, etc., into a poem. There are few hard and fast rules to found poetry; please feel free to bring your individual creativity to the table.
If you are interested in helping out, please contact book editor Eric Poulin. All SABR members are eligible to contribute to any upcoming SABR projects.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
New Oral History interview: Dickie Thon
- Dickie Thon, former Houston Astros All-Star shortstop
Recorded February 28, 2024, by John McMurray
Visit SABR.org/oralhistory to find more interviews from the SABR Oral History Collection.
5 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- August 12, 1890: Farmer Weaver strokes 6 hits and hits for cycle as Louisville clobbers Syracuse, by Mike Huber
- June 14, 1952: Braves’ Warren Spahn strikes out 18 Cubs in 15-inning loss, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
- June 2, 1971: Sore-armed Jon Warden’s last gasp helps Elmira Royals beat major-league parent, by Kurt Blumenau
- June 6, 1975: Aaron, Brewers spoil Nolan Ryan’s bid for double no-hit history, by Andrew Harner
- September 25, 2013: Todd Helton hits final home run as Middlebrooks, Red Sox rout Rockies, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
One-Win Wonders
Edited by 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:
- 2024 Henry Chadwick Award recipients announced
- Check out SABR Day highlights, photos, and videos
- SABR’s Ballpark Figures to feature Stories of the Negro Leagues in 2024
- SABR announces partnership with Alzheimer’s Association
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
- SABR member Joe Castiglione honored with 2024 Ford C. Frick Award
- Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
- SABR forms new Special Negro Leagues and Teams Committee
- SABR Landmarks Committee unveils new Baseball Grave Map
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Arnold | Corona, CA | Joel Hurtado | Orlando, FL | ||
| Lokesh Arora | Mohali, IND | Soojin Kim | Houston, TX | ||
| Ryan Baxley | Newport News, VA | Jack Lacouture | Dover, NH | ||
| Derrick Beckner | State College, PA | Scott Lehrfeld | Washington, DC | ||
| Evan Bogar | Dallas, TX | Aidan Lippencott | South Orange, NJ | ||
| Bryan Boyett | Wasilla, AK | Griffin McMullen | Tucson, AZ | ||
| Jude Butler | Lawrence, KS | Hughston Preston | San Diego, CA | ||
| Tyler Castriotta | Milford, MA | Josh Richards | Madison, WI | ||
| Lily Chiu | Toronto, ON | Jake Rinloan | Chico, CA | ||
| Irina Clements | Falls Church, VA | John Rogowski | Buffalo, NY | ||
| Louis Despres | Ware, MA | Takaaki Sato | Tokyo, JPN | ||
| Will Dodge | Eugene, OR | Craig Scarborough | Winter Springs, FL | ||
| Carter Doney | Provo, UT | Nickoles Silverman | Carlstadt, NJ | ||
| Raquel Farfan | San Diego, CA | Jess Stiles | Rutherford, NJ | ||
| David Garcia | Oshawa, ON | Hunter Street | Athens, GA | ||
| Azriele Garcia | San Diego, CA | Donald Stricklin | Evanston, IL | ||
| Ty Gibson | Toms River, NJ | Anna Takegawa | Waterloo, ON | ||
| DJ Hagins | Rock Hill, SC | Alexander Terrazas | Phoenix, AZ | ||
| Lou Hebert | Newton, KS | Danny Thompson | Hoffman Estates, IL | ||
| James Henderson | Phelpston, ON | Stefi Vidaurri | San Diego, CA | ||
| Jason Hoffmann | Ballwin, MO | Anzhuo Wang | Boston, MA |
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from authors Eric Vickrey (Runnin’ Redbirds) and J. Thomas Hetrick (Baseball Stats and Stories), and Jason Schwartz on “Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Baseball Record Collectibles.” Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- March 8-10: SABR Analytics Conference
- March 9: Bob Davids (DC) Chapter: Talkin’ Baseball with Keith O’Brien (9:00 a.m. EST)
- March 11: Deadball Era Book Talk: Dennis Snelling (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 12: Northern New England Chapter meeting with Gary Sarnoff (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 12: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter meeting with Paul Allen (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 12: 19th Century Speaker Series: Paul Browne (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 14: SABR Live Oral History: Mike Hargrove (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 16: Hank Gowdy Columbus (OH) Chapter meeting (9:30 a.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- March 8-9: NINE Spring Training Conference (Tempe, AZ)
- March 9: Halsey Hall Chapter Hot Stove Saturday Morning (Minneapolis, MN)
- March 9: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter Book Series (Baltimore, MD)
- March 14: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
- March 16: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
- March 16: Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter lunch (Chicago, IL)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Baseball Landmarks: With the 2024 baseball season quickly approaching, it is time to make sure the active ballpark sites on the SABR Baseball Map have been updated. We are seeking volunteers to help make changes, additions, or corrections; click here to sign up and help.
- Nineteenth Century: All committee members are eligible to vote in the primary election for the 2024 Overlooked 19th Century Legend of the Year. Votes are due by March 18, 2024. To join the committee, click here.
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter: March 2024 newsletter (Milwaukee, WI)
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:
- Patrick Saunders: Tommy John surgery at 50: Rockies hope to add to list of success stories (Denver Post)
- Matthew Kassel: All about Eve, the Orioles front-office trailblazer (Jewish Insider)
- Travis Sawchik: How to find a ballplayer: Lessons from two of the best scouts of all time (The Score)
- Tyler Kepner: How catcher Gabriel Moreno became a ‘difference maker’ for the Diamondbacks (The Athletic)
- Stephanie Apstein: Ohtani, Yamamato Bring Enough Spotlight for Other Dodgers to Shine Overseas (Sports Illustrated)
- Jayson Stark: Can Jackson Holliday and the Orioles make Rookie of the Year history? (The Athletic)
- Michael Eisen: The First Run Isn’t the Most Important (Baseball Prospectus)
- Ben Clemens: Why Are This Year’s Worst Teams So Bad? (FanGraphs)
- Will Sammon/Eno Sarris: Mets’ Pete Alonso wants to improve chase rate. Is there a relationship with platform years? (The Athletic)
- Derrick Goold: Cardinals groundball guru Stubby Clapp tired of traditional fungo bat. So he reimagined it. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Davy Andrews: Please Tread on Me: The Story of Cleat Cleaners (FanGraphs)
- Patrick Dubuque: Taking the Long Count (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jesús Cano: In 2016, I snagged a Stephen Vogt homer. In 2024, I asked him about it. (MLB.com)
- Grant Brisbee: Why Matt Chapman is such a good fit for the Giants (The Athletic)
- Manny Randhawa: With velocity up and a new pitch, Kyle Freeland finds success (MLB.com)
- Matt Weyrich: How projection systems explain the Orioles’ 2023 breakout (Baltimore Sun)
- Rob Mains: Atlanta Braves Holdings Reports Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings (Baseball Prospectus)
- Mark Simon: Who are the Top 5 Defensive Center Fielders entering 2024? (ACTA Sports)
- Jay Jaffe: Accounting for Free Agency’s Biggest Gainers and Losers (FanGraphs)
- Daniel R. Epstein: To Catch a Split (Baseball Prospectus)
- Russell A. Carleton: The Shuttle Program (Baseball Prospectus)
- David Laurila: Daulton Varsho Goes Pull-Side, Thinks Low and Hard (FanGraphs)
- Creg Stephenson: Walt Dropo, Hank Sauer, Reggie Jackson among Rickwood Field’s legendary home run hitters (Birmingham News)
- Roy Carlson: Mistaken Identities: The Sporting News 1969 Topps All-Stars (Sports Collectors Daily)
- Ken Romanowski: First Job/Final Season (City Key Magazine)
- Ryan Woodward: Great Ball Games and Better Memories at Indiana’s League Stadiums (SABR Landmarks)
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 8, 2024. Last Updated: March 8, 2024.