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This Week in SABR: October 22, 2021

This Week in SABR: October 22, 2021

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 October 22, 2021:


Introducing the new SABR Local Grants program

SABR logoWhile we continue to celebrate SABR’s 50th anniversary this year, we are keeping a keen eye on our organization’s future and have so many exciting projects on deck. Today, we would like to share details of one of the most noteworthy programs on the horizon.

In 2022, we will deliver the SABR Local Grants program. This initiative will provide an opportunity for chapters, research committees, and chartered communities to apply for funding for their projects under SABR’s Four Pillars: Research, Scholarship, Preservation, and Future of the Game.

The Local Grants program will provide a defined mechanism for the SABR national office to assist regional and group leaders in the pursuit of passion projects. It will also allow us to see our donors’ incredible generosity at work at the local level in addition to general organizational efforts. In total, $10,000 in SABR Local Grants will be awarded in 2022!

All SABR chapters, chartered communities, and research committees are eligible to apply. Individual SABR members and non-SABR groups are not eligible, so if you have an individual idea for a program grant, please follow up with your local chapter leadership or appropriate research committee to discuss an application.

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


SABR Editorial Board seeks new project proposals by November 1

2019 SABR booksSABR’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 have no intention of being published as a book.

Proposals will be graded using the following criteria: Significance, Interest, Marketability, Intersectionality, Originality, and Likelihood of Completion.

SABR seeks to publish 2-4 web-based multimedia projects (click here for an example) 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.

Two sample project proposals can be downloaded by clicking here. Previously published web projects can be viewed at SABR.org/eight-myths-out or SABR.org/gamesproj/first-games-back.

Deadlines for review are April and October, with a likely publication timeline of about 18-24 months.


SABR Digital Library: One-Hit Wonders

One-Hit Wonders, edited by Bill NowlinAdd a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:

One-Hit Wonders
Edited by Bill Nowlin
Associate editors: Carl Riechers and Len Levin
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-9701-5956-1, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9701-5957-8, $32.95
8.5″ x 11″, 339 pages

Over the years, millions have dreamed of playing major-league baseball, but only around 20,000 players have put on a big-league uniform. Some had lengthy careers, some much briefer—including a surprising number who had just one base hit: close to 1,400 of them. Some of these “one-hit wonders” were pitchers, and not expected to hit—though right-hander Fred Gladding had 68 plate appearances with just one hit. Others simply had such short careers, they consisted of one game—or less.

More than 50 SABR researchers, authors, and editors contributed to this book and present brief biographies of 70 players, telling the stories of some who might otherwise be overlooked—but who made the grade and got exactly one hit in the majors. Center fielder Skeeter Skelton had 43 plate appearances but just one hit. Gene Woodburn had just one hit, but four career RBIs (and the hit was not a grand slam). Thirteen others have three RBIS apiece. There were 22 players whose one and only hit was a home run. There were 22 whose hit was a triple, and quite a number—179—whose only hit was a double.

For some, their only hit came on their first at-bat. Others had to wait a lot longer (Gladding’s hit came in his 50th plate appearance). Pitcher Arthur Rhodes played in exactly 900 big-league games (and 29 postseason games), with one base hit to his credit. Some stuck around the game, like Rod Dedeaux, who became one of the most celebrated amateur baseball coaches in history, coaching at USC for 45 years. Others, like a USC alum whom Dedeaux coached, Dan Ardell, would end up in other industries. When asked if he’d had two hits in the major leagues, instead of just one, if he thought his story wouldn’t have been as interesting, Ardell replied, “I think that’s exactly true.”

One-Hit Wonders presents a variety of life stories, and adds a few dozen more biographies to SABR’s BioProject, has published biographies of over 5,000 figures involved with baseball.

Contributors include: Niall Adler, Malcolm Allen, Jim Ball, Henry Berman, Charlie Bevis, Richard Bogovich, Ryan Brecker, Alan Cohen, Mike Cooney, Rory Costello, Richard Cuicchi, Tim Deale, Max Effgen, Brian Engelhardt, Jeff English, Brian Flaspohler, Steve Friedman, Darren Gibson, Tim Hagerty, Tom Hawthorn, John Heeg, Paul Hofmann, Mike Huber, Tara Krieger, Gerard Kwilecki, Bob LeMoine, Len Levin, Mitch Lutzke, Mike Mattsey, Chad Moody, Jack V. Morris, Bill Nowlin, Tony S. Oliver, Len Pasculli, Chris Rainey, Alan Raylesberg, Carl Riechers, Joel Rippel, Benjamin Sabin, Dan Schoenholz, Joe Schuster, Peter Seidel, Bill Staples Jr., Clayton Trutor, Eric Vickrey, Bob Webster, Phil Williams, Gregory H. Wolf, Jack Zerby, and Don Zminda.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

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.


Register now for SABR Brooklyn 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium

The virtual SABR Brooklyn 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium will take place on November 13-14, 2021.

The two-day online symposium, hosted by the SABR Nineteenth Century Committee, will be devoted to 19th-century baseball as it was played and evolved in Brooklyn.

Guest speakers are expected to include keynote speaker Dr. Thomas J. Campanella, Associate Professor of Urban Studies and City Planning at Cornell University and Historian-in-Residence of the New York City Parks Department; John Thorn, MLB’s Official Historian; a Panel Discussion on “Was Brooklyn the Actual Birthplace of Baseball?” featuring David Dyte, Tom Gilbert and Bill Ryczek; Research Presentations by Ralph Carhart, Brian Sheehy, Tom Gilbert, and Justin Mckinney; and a video tour of Brooklyn’s historic baseball places with Tom Gilbert.

The 2021 Brooklyn 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium will be the fifth in our city-specific series. It should be a day of learning and fun, and an opportunity to exchange questions and comments among both presenters and symposium attendees. Previous symposiums were held in New York City (2014), Philadelphia (2016), Cleveland (2018), and Minneapolis (2019).

For more information, contact Peter Mancuso.


Bring It Home in 2021 and support the future of SABR and baseball research

Bring It Home and support SABR today!SABR’s 50th year has been a historic one. We have commemorated our history and looked forward to our shared vision of the organization’s future. As 2021 comes to a close, we need your support to BRING IT HOME and ensure that vision turns into a reality.

Gifts from members like you are integral to SABR’s existence and we are hopeful you will consider a donation to sustain and grow our wonderful baseball community.

You can support SABR’s Bring it Home Campaign by making a gift of at least $100 by December 31, 2021. We will use your best gift of $100, $300, $500, or $1,000 to boost initiatives in several key areas of SABR’s mission:

  • Research: continued support for groundbreaking baseball-related research, books, articles, and new member resources
  • Scholarship: furthering the reach and impact of SABR’s world-class committees, chapters, and conferences
  • Preservation: committing to preserve, honor, and commemorate baseball history
  • Future of the Game: improving SABR’s ability to engage with a younger and more diverse constituency, including high school and college students, through baseball research

Visit SABR.org/donate/2021 to learn more.


One week left to submit abstracts for 2022 SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference

SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century ConferenceAll SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a Research Presentation Proposal Abstract on any topic of 19th-century baseball for the 2022 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 13th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 29-30, 2022.

The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2021. Your abstract must be between 200-400 words for a 20- to 25-minute presentation. Please include name, title, and contact information and send your proposal as a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment to Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net.

Anyone submitting an abstract will be informed individually by November 30 if their proposed presentation received enough of a collective ranking to be one of the presentations in 2022, and they will have until December 10 to confirm that they will register for the two-day 2022 Ivor-Campbell Conference and present their research topic.

For any questions, please contact Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net.


Seeking nominations for 2022 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

Nominate now for the 2022 SABR Analytics Conference Research AwardsWhat are the best baseball analytics articles you’ve read in 2021?

We’re seeking nominations for the 2022 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards, which recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year in the following categories:

  • Contemporary Baseball Analysis: Honoring the best analysis focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s).
  • Contemporary Baseball Commentary: Honoring the best commentary focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s).
  • Historical Baseball Analysis/Commentary: Honoring the best original analysis or commentary focusing on a subject related to a game(s), team(s) or player(s) throughout baseball history.

Please send all nominations via e-mail to this address: analytics-awards@sabr.org no later than December 31, 2021. Include author, title, date of publication and a URL link (if applicable).

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


Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

"The Captain and Me," by Ron Blomberg and Dan EpsteinSABR chapters and committees are encouraged to set up virtual meetings to stay engaged with our members throughout the world at SABR.org, as part of our Stay Home With SABR initiative to assist in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

  • Can’t-Miss Event: SABR’s Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter will hold a virtual Zoom meeting at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday, October 23. All baseball fans are invited to attend. Our guest speaker is Dan Epstein, author of a couple of great books on baseball in the 1970s. His most recent book is entitled The Captain and Me: On and Off the Field with Thurman Munson, co-authored with Ron Blomberg. Click here to register for the October 23 virtual meeting on Zoom.
  • Video Replays: This week, we heard from author Jack Bales (The Chicago Cub Shot For Love) and the Southern Michigan Chapter held a book club meeting. Click here to view more video replays of virtual SABR events.

Here are some more upcoming virtual events you can attend online; check the Events Calendar for complete details:

  • October 23: Mathewson-Plank (PA) Chapter meeting (3:00 p.m. EDT)
  • October 23: Emil Rothe Chicago (IL) Chapter meeting with Dan Epstein (2:00 p.m. CDT)
  • October 25: Roush-Lopez Gulf Coast (FL) Chapter meeting with Peter Golenbock (7:00 p.m. EDT)
  • October 31: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)

In addition, the following events will be held in person:

  • October 25: Larry Dierker Chapter meeting (Houston, TX)
  • October 30: Oscar Charleston Chapter meeting (Indianapolis, IN)
  • October 30: Sebring-Stovey Williamsport Chapter meeting (Williamsport, PA)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.


SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with broadcaster Rich Burk

SABRcast #133: Rich BurkBaseball 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 #133 on Monday, October 18 featured Rich Burk, a longtime broadcaster for the Pac-12 Network, NBC Sports ESPN, and, in recent years, the Hillsboro Hops minor-league team in Oregon. He has also filled in as an announcer for three major-league teams, the San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays. From 1995 until 2010, he was the primary radio and television play-by-play announcer for Portland’s professional baseball teams. He is a graduate of Pacific University and lives outside of Portland, Oregon.

Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to the full episode.

Subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or Stitcher, and listen to each episode as soon as it’s released on Mondays. To learn more, visit SABR.org/sabrcast.


New Team Ownership History: St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals owner August A. “Gussie” Busch Jr., right, with manager Red Schoendienst (ST. LOUIS CARDINALS)The SABR Team Ownership Histories Project is a joint effort of SABR’s Business of Baseball Committee and the BioProject. The intention is to keep its essays up-to-date and to provide as much detail as possible about the organization and composition of ownership groups, franchise sales, relocations, stadiums, and other issues that provide the financial context for team success on the field.

One new article was published this week:

Click here to read all published team ownership histories at SABR.org.

With 21 of the current 30 major-league franchises having at least some part of their ownership history published at SABR.org, this is a good opportunity to acknowledge the sterling work done by Len Levin, who has been invaluable in editing all of the essays published so far. Opportunities are still available for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, and all editions of the Athletics.

The project has also begun researching franchises of defunct National League franchises, the American Association, Union Association, Players League, Federal League, Negro Leagues, and the AAGPBL. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Andy McCue at amccue@sabr.org.


4 new biographies posted at SABR BioProject

Greg A. Harris (TRADING CARD DB)Four new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project. Here are the new bios published this week:

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


31 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

J.D. Martinez (THE TOPPS COMPANY)Thirty-one new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project, including articles from our Digital Library book, Baseball’s Biggest Blowout Games. Here are the new game stories:

New Games Project stories can be found 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.
  • Social media: Follow the SABR Games Project on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with new stories and updates.

Listen to archives of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM

Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM with Vince GennaroDuring the MLB postseason, you can listen to archives of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio app.

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.


ICYMI: Highlights from last week’s 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: SABR.org/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.

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Jason Albert St. Paul, MN     Daniel O’Connor Gouldsboro, PA
Robert Anderson Lovettsville, VA     Kevin O’Donnell N. Andover, MA
Ethan Aronoff Los Angeles, CA     Eric Phillips Bethesda, MD
Patrick Carroll Rocky River, OH     Glenn Russell Golden, CO
Andrew Craven St. Petersburg, FL     Michael Sain Shelby, NC
Matt Flesch Arlington Heights, IL     Stephen Stine Tyler, TX
Doug Gabrielson Cupertino, CA     Joseph Tonely Harpswell, ME
Kevin Hanlon Cranston, RI     Jaison Viglietta Pittsburgh, PA
Jeff Huelster Glendale, AZ     Shawn Woods Bartlesville, OK
Gary Lash Fredonia, NY        

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

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


Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter and chartered community updates this week:

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


Around the Web

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

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.

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Originally published: October 22, 2021. Last Updated: October 25, 2021.