This Week in SABR: September 2, 2011
Here’s what we’ve been up to as of September 2, 2011:
Register now for SABR Arizona Fall League Conference
After the World Series ends, you won’t have to wait until next season to get your baseball fix. SABR will hold its third annual Arizona Fall League Conference on November 3-5, 2011, at the Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa.
The schedule is expected to include:
- Four AFL games, including the premier Rising Stars Game on November 5 in Surprise and games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and Hohokam Park in Mesa.
- Major League Alumni Awards Dinner: MLB Vice President of Western Operations Laurel Prieb will be the keynote speaker and Roland Hemond will receive the AZMLA Legacy Award
- A tour of the “Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience” museum exhibit at the Arizona Historical Society in Tempe
- A tour of Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Research presentations and guest speakers
Two of baseball’s top prospects, Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Mike Trout of the Angels, reportedly will play in the same outfield for the 2011 Scottsdale Scorpions.
Registration for the conference is available now at the SABR Store: $125 for SABR members and guests, or $159 for nonmembers. The conference is open to all baseball fans.
The Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa is at 1011 West Holmes Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210. SABR has reserved a block of rooms for $99/night (plus tax) for the nights of November 3-5. Click here to book your room online or call (800) 544-5866 and tell them you’re registering for the SABR Arizona Fall League Conference. Conference attendees will receive complimentary parking, complimentary breakfast buffet (for up to two people per room) and complimentary wireless high-speed Internet in guest rooms. Please book your room by October 18 to guarantee a spot.
Introducing the new SABR Bookstore
We’d like to introduce the new and improved SABR Bookstore, powered by Amazon.com. The SABR Bookstore now features the following books for purchase:
- Every winner of the Seymour Medal
- Every winner of The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award
- Every winner of the Larry Ritter Book Award (Deadball Era)
- Team books produced by the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Most issues of the Baseball Research Journal, SABR’s flagship publication
- Most issues of The National Pastime, SABR’s convention publication
- All recent entries from The SABR Bookshelf
In addition, we also offer special books produced by SABR and its research committees and chapters.
A portion of each sale goes back to SABR in order to help us continue fulfilling our mission in the future: to facilitate the dissemination and preservation of baseball research. We hope you enjoy our selection and choose to add some of these great titles to your baseball library.
Ward Miller monument dedicated in Dixon, Illinois
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, August 21, 2011, on the grounds of the Lee County Courthouse in Dixon, Illinois, a monument dedication was held for former resident and baseball player Ward Miller.
Mark Stach, a SABR member and Dixon resident, addressed the crowd wearing a Chicago Cubs replica jersey — similar to the one Ward Miller worn in 1912. Stach began by thanking all those who made the monument and event possible. He let the good-sized crowd know that the monument was part of The Deadball Era Memorial Series, and Miller was the 11th player honored thus far.
Stach and David Stalker helped donate the monument.
Four new biographies posted at SABR BioProject
Four new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, bringing us to a total of 1,660 published biographies:
- Altoona Unions, by James Forr
- Pedro Ramos, by Peter C. Bjarkman
- Flint Rhem, by Nancy Snell Griffith
- Cesar Tovar, by Rory Costello
On a related note, project director Mark Armour reports that Ramos’ biography was the 300th article edited by Len Levin for the Biography Project. (This does not count articles he may have edited as part of book projects.) “This is an amazing feat of volunteerism, and both our project and SABR are lucky to have Len’s outstanding and tireless dedication,” Armour said.
All new biographies can be found here: http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=n&m=61
Writing a biography for the BioProject is an easy way to get involved as a SABR member. Find out how by visiting our BioProject Resources page or reading the FAQs section.
2012 NINE Spring Training Conference call for papers
The 19th Annual NINE Spring Training Conference invites original, unpublished papers that study all aspects of baseball, with particular emphasis on history and social policy implications. Abstracts only, not to exceed 300 words, should be submitted by December 2, 2011, to tstrecker@bsu.edu. Authors will be notified as quickly as possible whether their papers have been accepted. Authors are required to register for the conference and present their work in person.
The 2012 NINE Spring Training Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, March 7-Saturday, March 10, 2012, at the Fiesta Resort Conference Center in Tempe, Arizona.
For more details, visit http://nine.iweb.bsu.edu.
Sign up for 2012 Cubaball tour
Kit Krieger’s Cubaball will conduct its 10th annual baseball tour of Cuba from January 18-26, 2012.
SABR members are the target group for the program that includes attendance at five or six games of the 51st Cuban National Series, visits to historic sites related to the rich history of baseball on the island (Tropical Stadium and the baseball monuments at Havana’s Cristobal Colon cemetery), and opportunities to meet with Cuban stars and league officials.
The highlight of each tour is our visit to the home of Conrado “Connie” Marrero, who became baseball’s oldest living major leaguer during the 2011 tour. We also meet with veterans of the fabled Havana Sugar Kings and pre-revolutionary Cuban winter league. The 2012 tour will include games in Havana and Cuba’s western provinces.
The tour is limited to 25 persons and places are quickly filled. Visit www.cubaballtours.com for more information, photos and links to the registration form.
- Related link: Connie Marrero may finally get the pension he’s owed, reports SABR member Bill Madden in the New York Daily News
SABR Donor Program
SABR’s mission is to facilitate the dissemination and preservation of baseball research. In order to fulfill this mission, we rely not only on member dues but also donations. Our organization wouldn’t exist without all the time, effort and financial support provided to SABR by our members and nonmembers alike.
If you support SABR and all the groundbreaking research our members have and will produce, please consider donating via our online options below. No amount is too big or too small. Every dollar goes toward helping all baseball fans learn more about the National Pastime and enjoy the game we love. All donations to SABR are tax-deductible.
Visit http://sabr.org/donate to learn more. We thank you for your continued support.
Upcoming SABR events:
- September 10: Talkin’ Baseball: Ted Leavengood (Columbia, MD)
- September 10: South Florida Chapter meeting (Tamarac, FL)
- September 10: Rocky Mountain Chapter game of the month (Denver, CO). Note: Deadline for tickets is 9/7.
- September 17: Rocky Mountain Chapter book discussion group (Denver, CO)
- September 18: Detroit Chapter meeting (Detroit, MI)
- September 20: Larry Dierker Chapter meeting (Houston, TX)
In other recent SABR news:
- David Laurila compiles wonderful recollections from players and writers on playing catch and the “Rhythm of the Universee” (FanGraphs)
- Peter J. Nash reports on a stolen New York Public Library photo of Al Reach that appeared on eBay (Hauls of Shame)
- 40 years ago Thursday, the Pirates broke ground with baseball’s first all-minority lineup (MLB.com)
- The Smithsonian uses a lot of SABR research in “The Knife in Ty Cobb’s Back” (SmithsonianMag.com)
- Geoff Young looks at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ historic attendance woes (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jayson Stark with a compelling look at how the Information Age is changing how baseball is played (ESPN.com)
- Brian McKenna tells of an 1890 nail-biter between Amos Rusie and Kid Nichols (Glimpses Into Baseball History)
- Christina Kahrl wonders which major league catcher today has the Golden Gun (ESPN.com)
- Chris Jaffe offers 10 things you didn’t know about managerial matchups (The Hardball Times)
- Joe Guzzardi relates an anecdote about “Big Poison” Paul Waner’s 3,000th hit (Baseball Past and Present)
- Paul Lukas investigates the history of batting helmet ear flaps (Uni Watch)
- George A. Thompson digs into reports of baseball in New York in 1823 (MLB.com)
- Lee Lowenfish details the annual Branch Rickey Day celebrated in Portsmouth, Ohio (MLB.com)
All previous editions of This Week in SABR can be found here.
Find more information about SABR and SABR.org at the Members’ Info page here: http://sabr.org/about/members-info
Originally published: September 2, 2011. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.