This Week in SABR: September 13, 2024
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, September 13, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Two weeks left to register for 2024 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
New SABR Digital Library book: Sandy Koufax
Subscribe to the Fall 2024 print edition of the Baseball Research Journal
Join us on September 18 for Oral History interview with Ken Singleton
Check out the new SABR MLB Team Employee Database
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Two weeks left to sign up for 2024 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
Celebrated baseball author and photographer Jean Fruth will be the keynote speaker for the sixth annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference, which will be held virtually on September 20-22, 2024. Fruth is a co-founder of Grassroots Baseball, an organization that celebrates the amateur game around the world and encourages kids to play ball, and the author of three books, including the upcoming See Her Be Her.
- Register: Click here to register for the 2024 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
- Schedule: Click here for the full schedule of panels and presentations
This year’s conference — co-sponsored by SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center and hosted by Rockford University — is a virtual Zoom event. The conference will feature research presentations, panels, pylon unveiling, and presentation of the Dorothy Award.
Visit SABR.org/women-in-baseball-conference for complete details.
SABR Digital Library: Sandy Koufax
Add a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library: Sandy Koufax, edited by Marc Z. Aaron, Bill Nowlin, and Glen Sparks, explores what made the Los Angeles Dodger legend so special in baseball and American society through 17 insightful essays and recaps of 36 key games in his career.
Touching on subjects from Koufax’s potential basketball career, his relationship with manager Walt Alston, celebrity culture in LA, and his effect on the hurlers who came after him, to analyses of Koufax’s stats and records, Sandy Koufax takes a deep dive into one of baseball’s true greats.
Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the ebook edition for free or save 50% off the purchase of the paperback edition.
Subscribe to the Fall 2024 print edition of the Baseball Research Journal
Beginning in 2024, all SABR members exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically twice a year. The Fall 2024 issue will be sent out in early November. However, if you are interested in a paperback copy of BRJ for your personal library, we have rolled out a subscription option at a significantly discounted rate: $7 per issue for members, compared to $19.95 at retail.
- To subscribe and receive a printed edition of BRJ, visit SABR.org/subscribe
(If you have any questions about your subscription, please email brjsubscribe@sabr.org.)
Click here for a short video on how to subscribe to printed copies of BRJ.
SABR Live Oral History Interview: Ken Singleton
Baseball fans, join us for a special virtual event at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, September 18: a live SABR Oral History interview with former All-Star outfielder and longtime New York Yankees broadcaster Ken Singleton.
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 learn more or to register for the Zoom event at SABR.org.
Check out the new SABR MLB Team Employee Database
A historical database of Major League Baseball team employees — covering more than 40,000 people dating back to the late 19th century — is now available online through SABR’s Business of Baseball Committee. The SABR MLB Team Employee Database offers a new lens into major-league front and back offices, from team owners to ticket sales.
The MLB Team Employee Database is available for viewing to all SABR members on the Research Resources page. Browse or search by person, team, or season to learn more about the scope of baseball and business operations.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Call for papers: 2025 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
All SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a Research Presentation Proposal Abstract on any topic of 19th-century baseball for the 2025 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 16th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 25-26, 2025. The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2024.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board by November 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: November 1, 2024 (for publication in early 2026 or 2027)
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.
Call for papers: Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts
With the recent release of Volume 4 of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of the Baseball Arts, SABR’s Baseball and the Arts Committee now turns its sights to submissions for Volume 5. All SABR members are encouraged to send along your submission, or your questions, to editors Joanne Hulbert or Jay Hurd before June 1, 2025. We are looking for poetry, memoir, artwork, humor, short fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, and parody.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
7 new stories published at SABR BioProject
- Eddie Ainsmith, by Mark S. Sternman
- Johnny Grabowski, by Larry DeFillipo
- Bill Grevell, by Kurt Blumenau
- Bob Kipper, by Thomas Kern
- Masanori Murakami, by Will MacLean (first-time author)
- Jim Ollom, by Joel Rippel
- Clint Thomas, by Abigail Miskowiec
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR Biography Project or to get involved.
7 new stories published at SABR Games Project
- September 15, 1932: Cardinals’ Ray Starr shuts out Brooklyn in his first major-league start, by Thomas E. Merrick
- September 21, 1949: Red Sox win 19th consecutive game at Fenway Park, by Bill Nowlin
- June 23, 1963: Jim Piersall celebrates 100th career home run with backward trot around the bases, by Steve Ginader
- September 14, 1976: Cowboy Joe’s first ride: West umpires first of record-setting 5,460 games, by Kurt Blumenau
- June 12, 1983: After feeling ‘lower than dirt,’ Glenn Abbott returns to majors for first time in 20 months, by Andrew Harner
- June 11, 1991: At age 44, Nolan Ryan blanks White Sox for his final career shutout, by Madison McEntire
- May 21, 2021: Stephen Strasburg returns to Nationals for first win since World Series run, by Steven C. Weiner
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts, Volume 4
Edited by Joanne Hulbert and Jay Hurd
Visit SABR.org 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:
- Check out highlights, photos, and recordings from the SABR 52 convention in Minneapolis
- D. Bruce Brown selected as 2024 Bob Davids Award winner
- SABR Defensive Index rankings released through August 11
- SABR to celebrate Founders’ Day beginning in 2025
- Save the date! SABR 53 will be in Dallas/Fort Worth in 2025
- SABR special committee: 1949-50 Negro American League, independent Black teams are major-league caliber
- Check out highlights from the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
- SABR Digital Library: Dodger Stadium: Blue Heaven on Earth
- Learn more about recipients of SABR Local Grants in 2024
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
- Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Dale | Little Falls, NJ | Mackenzie Longpre | Toronto, ON | ||
| Luke Dzielak | Wilmington, DE | Jonah O’Callaghan | Gig Harbor, WA | ||
| Cesar Gonzalez-Gomez | Reynosa, MEX | Yadira Puga | Lewisville, TX | ||
| Peter Hovis | San Tan Valley, AZ | Luis Rondon | Caracas, VEN | ||
| Joseph Koch | Kansas City, MO | Jake Sherwindt | Pittsburgh, PA |
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from former Chicago Cubs media relations director Sharon Pannozzo; authors David Ostrowsky (Roberto Alomar) and J.B. Manheim and Lawrence Knorr (What’s in Ted’s Wallet?); Steven Greenes (“Negro League Baseball Cards and Memorabilia”); and Bill Felber (“Characters of 1897”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- September 16: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Frank Harte (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- September 16: Larry Dierker (TX) Chapter meeting with Jimmy Price (7:00 p.m. CDT)
- September 17: Deadball Era Book Talk: John Zinn (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- September 18: Celebrating Hank Greenberg’s Legacy 90 Years after his Yom Kippur Stand (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- September 18: Joint SABR chapter meeting: Stephen Dittmore (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- September 18: SABR Live Oral History: Ken Singleton (7:30 p.m. EDT)
- September 19: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter board meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- September 19: 19th Century Baseball Book Club (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- September 19: Ken Keltner (WI) Badger State Chapter meeting with Vince Guerrieri (7:00 p.m. CDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- September 14: Rabbit Maranville Chapter meeting (Springfield, MA)
- September 14: Halsey Hall Chapter Hot Stove Saturday Morning (Minneapolis, MN)
- September 14: Williamsport Sebring-Stovey Chapter meeting (Williamsport, PA)
- September 14: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter: Book Series with Gary Sarnoff (Baltimore, MD)
- September 14: Rogers Hornsby Chapter meeting (Round Rock, TX)
- September 17: Rocky Mountain Chapter monthly lunch (Denver, CO)
- September 17: Bob Davids Chapter Hot Stove Dinner (Silver Spring, MD)
- September 19: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
- September 20: Baseball Heritage Museum: A Tribute to the 1945 Cleveland Buckeyes (Cleveland, OH)
- September 21: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
- September 21: Marty Appel: “Slide, Kelly, Slide” (Paterson, NJ)
- September 22: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Baltimore, MD)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Biographical Research: August 2024 newsletter
- Deadball Era: August 2024 newsletter
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Hanlan’s Point Chapter: Fall 2024 newsletter (Toronto, ON)
- Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter: September 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:
- Spencer Nusbaum: What MLB pitchers watch for when a hitter in the batter’s box (Washington Post)
- Lindsey Adler: Shohei Ohtani Seeks Admission to the 50-50 Club. He’ll Be the Only Member. (Wall Street Journal)
- R.J. Anderson: Shohei Ohtani’s stolen-base surge: How baseball’s best player added another elite skill to his arsenal (CBS Sports)
- Tyler Kepner: For relievers, how tough is the switch from setup man to closer? (The Athletic)
- Sarah Langs: Everything you need to know about no-hitters (MLB.com)
- Jay Jaffe: Seth Lugo’s Kitchen Sink Approach Has Worked Brilliantly (FanGraphs)
- Mark Simon: Potential Playoff Teams Ranking Worst in Defensive Runs Saved (Sports Info Solutions)
- Alex Speier: Once again, a broken pitching pipeline appears to be dooming the Red Sox (Boston Globe)
- David Laurila: Davis Martin and Matt Bowman Break Down the Kick Change (FanGraphs)
- Jayson Stark: How Joey Votto knew it was time — ‘I’m expired’ — and what he thinks could be next (The Athletic)
- Derrick Goold: Cardinals’ stingy, sturdy bullpen has been aces in relief. Can they keep it together? (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Sam Blum/Eno Sarris: Michael Kopech has an elite fastball; his Dodgers success comes from throwing it less often (The Athletic)
- Russell A. Carleton: The Case for Clase (Baseball Prospectus)
- Dan Szymborski: Sophomore Slumps Aren’t a Thing (FanGraphs)
- Grant Brisbee: A revenue windfall could be in Giants’ future. Money alone won’t guarantee success (The Athletic)
- Jimmy Parker: Remembering James Earl Jones and Mr. Mertle’s Man Cave (Uni Watch)
- Maggie Roth: Nationals Celebrate Washington’s 1924 World Series Win with Themed Weekend (Northern Virginia Magazine)
- John Thorn: Baseball Pioneers: David Neft (Our Game)
- Patrick Dubuque: The Parable of the Prodigal Card (Baseball Prospectus)
- Davy Andrews: Luis Arraez Has Stopped Striking Out (FanGraphs)
- Sam Eifling: What It’s Like to Circle the Earth Twice for Your Son’s College Baseball Games (Thrillist)
- Amanda Lane Cumming: When the Mariners Owned the Padres … Almost Literally (NW Baseball History)
- Joe Williams: My Baseball Journey and Support of Doc Adams’ Hall of Fame Election (Doc Adams Baseball)
- Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with author Steve Steinberg (Baseball and BBQ)
- Jason Schwartz: Are My Old Baseball Cards Worth Anything? (Sports Illustrated Collectibles)
- Adam J. Ulrey: Grave Hunting Adventure in Oregon (with an Unexpected Surprise) (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: September 13, 2024. Last Updated: September 13, 2024.