Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award Recipients Chosen
CLEVELAND, OHIO — The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) proudly announces that William F. McNeil of Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Bill Felber of Manhattan, Kansas; and Paul Debono of Cincinnati, Ohio, are the recipients of the 2007 Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award.
McNeil is being recognized for the research he did to complete his book, Black Baseball Out of Season: Pay for Play Outside the Negro Leagues, published by McFarland.
CLEVELAND, OHIO — The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) proudly announces that William F. McNeil of Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Bill Felber of Manhattan, Kansas; and Paul Debono of Cincinnati, Ohio, are the recipients of the 2007 Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award.
McNeil is being recognized for the research he did to complete his book, Black Baseball Out of Season: Pay for Play Outside the Negro Leagues, published by McFarland. One member of the awards committee praised McNeil for his pursuit of a “very original, little-known subject” and for his “important discussions of excellent, but obscure, ballplayers.”
Felber is being honored for the research he did to complete his book, A Game of Brawl: The Orioles, the Beaneaters, and the Battle for the 1897 Pennant, published by the University of Nebraska Press. An awards committee member lauded Felber for his “excellent accounts of the aspects of the game (rough play, umpire-baiting, fan enthusiasm) that made the era distinctive.”
Debono is being recognized for the research he did to complete his book, The Chicago American Giants, published by McFarland. One member of the awards committee complimented DeBono for his “thorough, in-depth research, useful appendices, and good balance between business concerns and player information.”
The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award recognizes outstanding baseball research in areas other than history and biography and is designed to honor projects which do not fit the criteria for The Seymour Medal or the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award. The Sporting News sponsors the $200 cash awards that accompany the honor.
Committee members were Jean Ardell, Alex Skutt, and Rodney Johnson.
Originally published: May 13, 2008. Last Updated: May 13, 2008.