This Week in SABR: September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

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 September 23, 2022:

Check out highlights from the 2022 SABR/IWBC Virtual Women in Baseball Conference

The fourth annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference, co-sponsored by SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center and hosted by Rockford University, took place virtually on September 16-18, 2022.

Watch: We invite you to visit SABR.org/women-in-baseball-conference to watch video replays from the conference on YouTube

The conference was highlighted by a keynote panel discussion with Justine Siegal, Maybelle Blair and Sarah Domin; a Baseball Journalism panel with Claire Smith, Shakeia Taylor, Jen McCaffrey, and Melissa Isaacson; an Umpires Panel with Perry Barber, Alessia Cicconi, and Sophiyah Liu; a 21st Century Research panel with Allison R. Levin, Roberta J. Newman, Laura Furman, and Catherine Forslund; research presentations; a pylon unveiling; and the announcement of the Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award.

This year’s conference theme was “Title IX and Women’s Baseball: Where We’ve Been and Where We are Headed.”

Visit SABR.org/women-in-baseball-conference to learn more.

Justine Siegal selected as 2022 SABR Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award winner

Justine Siegal, the founder of Baseball for All, was honored on Saturday, September 17 with the Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award during the SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference.

SABR’s Women in Baseball Committee established the Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award — “The Dorothy” — named in honor of Dorothy Seymour Mills and her lifetime of contributions to promoting women’s baseball.

In addition to Siegal, the other finalists for the 2022 award were Penny Marshall, director of the 1992 film A League of Their Own; Janet Marie Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Executive Vice President of Planning and Development and acclaimed ballpark design director; Toni Stone, one of only three women to play in the Negro Leagues; and Suzyn Waldman, New York Yankees broadcaster for the past 35 years and the first woman to serve as a full-time MLB announcer.

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

Join us on October 23 for Kelly Field historical marker dedication ceremony

With the support of the City of Daytona Beach and the Volusia County-Daytona Beach Branch of the NAACP, SABR’s Central Florida Chapter will install a commemorative marker at the site of Kelly Field, where Jackie Robinson and John Wright integrated spring training with the Montreal Royals in 1946, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Kelly Field’s role in the integration of baseball has long been overlooked and ignored. Located in the midst of one of the two predominantly African American sections of Daytona Beach, Kelly Field was the centerpiece of the Black community. Now an empty lot encompassing a retention pond, the site where the Royals practiced and an entire community gathered to watch and play baseball is currently unmarked and nearly lost to history.

Thanks to a Local Grant from SABR, the plaque will be unveiled for the first time as part of a ceremony on October 23 honoring the event.

2:00 p.m., Sunday, October 23, 2022
Midtown Cultural Center
925 George W. Engram Blvd
Daytona Beach, FL

All baseball fans are invited to attend. There will be some great presentations and SABR CEO Scott Bush will join us.

For more information about the historical marker, contact Jim Bard.

Read more: Andreas Butler: Historical marker will be located at site where Jackie Robinson practiced (Daytona Times)

Read articles from SABR 50 at 50 anthology book online at SABR.org

Baseball has seen many changes in the last 50 years, and SABR’s 50th anniversary provides an opportunity to highlight the most memorable players, teams, and events from the game’s glorious past.

SABR 50 at 50: The Society for American Baseball Research’s Fifty Most Essential Contributions to the Game, edited by Bill Nowlin and published in 2020 by the University of Nebraska Press, celebrates SABR’s wide-ranging contributions to baseball history.

Click here to read all of the articles from SABR 50 at 50, now available online at SABR.org

The diversity of SABR members’ interests is reflected in this fiftieth-anniversary volume — from baseball and the arts to statistical analysis to the Deadball Era to women in baseball. SABR 50 at 50 includes the most important and influential research published by members across a multitude of topics, including the sabermetric work of Dick Cramer, Pete Palmer, and Bill James, along with Jerry Malloy on the Negro Leagues, Keith Olbermann on why the shortstop position is number 6, John Thorn and Jules Tygiel on the untold story behind Jackie Robinson’s signing with the Dodgers, and Gai Berlage on the Colorado Silver Bullets women’s team in the 1990s.

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

Sign up now for SABR Analytics Certification online course

It’s time to get SABR Certified! The first course in the new SABR Analytics Certification program — Conversational Analytics and Critical Thinking in Baseball — is available online now.

The SABR Analytics Certification program is an online, on-demand curriculum offering professional development and learning opportunities for those interested in elevating their skills and knowledge relating to baseball analytics. The curriculum was developed by current baseball professionals, including employees of Major League Baseball and its clubs.

SABR members get a significant discount on this Analytics Certification course registration, saving $55 off the regular price.

Visit SABR.org/analytics/certification to sign up today or learn more.

Pre-register for SABR’s Ballpark Figures on October 6 with umpire and author Perry Barber

Join us each month for SABR’s Ballpark Figures, a new interview series hosted by Shakeia Taylor. The virtual Zoom event is free and open to all active SABR members.

On Thursday, October 6, our guest will be Perry Barber, a longtime professional umpire, author, and promoter of women in baseball.

Click here to pre-register for Ballpark Figures on October 6 with Perry Barber

Barber was the inaugural winner of the SABR Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and was recently inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame. She has umpired at all levels of the game, including Major League Baseball’s spring training and around the world to places such as Japan, Guam, Hong Kong, and the Caribbean. She is also a Jeopardy! champion, accomplished musician, and author. She also conducts umpire clinics, speaks about umpiring and women’s baseball, and serves as a board member for the International Women’s Baseball Center and an advisor for Baseball for All.

Visit SABR.org/ballpark-figures to learn more or watch replays from previous events.

SABR Digital Library: We Are, We Can, We Will: The 1992 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays

Add a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:

We Are, We Can, We Will: The 1992 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays
Edited by Adrian Fung and Bill Nowlin
Associate Editors: Len Levin and Carl Riechers
Forewords by Buck Martinez and Dave Winfield
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-970159-83-7, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-970159-84-4, $34.95 US / $41.95 CDN
8.5″ x 11″, 394 pages

Click here to read the full description of this book at SABR.org.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

E-book: Click here to download the e-book version of We Are, We Can, We Will for FREE from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, MOBI, EPUB/Kindle formats.
Paperback: Get a 50% discount on the We Are, We Can, We Will paperback edition from the SABR Store ($17.95 includes shipping/tax; delivery via Kindle Direct Publishing can take up to 4-6 weeks.)

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.

Note for Kindle users: Beginning in August 2022, Amazon will no longer allow Kindle users to send new MOBI files to their Kindle library. EPUB files are now a compatible format for your Kindle library. Click here to learn more.

SABR’s The Baseball Index introduces faster, more flexible searches

SABR’s The Baseball Index now enables faster and more flexible searching to start your baseball research.

TBI, which can be accessed at BaseballIndex.org, is an ongoing SABR project to catalog the entirety of baseball literature, from the earliest references to the present day. The index is designed to help baseball researchers find materials that advance their work. The new search features allow simultaneous searches of multiple fields, including names, topics, publishing dates, and authors for nearly 270,000 total sources in the TBI database — including books, articles, and many other research materials. The number of entries with URLs has also increased substantially.

If you have questions or would like to help with this project, contact tbi@sabr.org.

Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

SABR 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: The organizers of the NINE Spring Training Conference announce the inaugural 9 ONLINE Virtual Baseball Conference on September 29-30, 2022. Like our annual spring meeting, this interdisciplinary conference will feature presentations on a wide range of baseball topics, conveniently brought to you online. This conference is an opportunity for researchers, especially graduate students, to present and receive feedback on works-in-progress. We hope you join us! Registration is $40; student registration is $25. Visit nineconference.com/9-online to learn more or to register.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from Andy McCue (“The First Ball Four Saga: The Seattle Pilots’ Journey to Bankruptcy”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

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

September 25: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting with Sam Zygner (7:00 p.m. EDT)
September 29-30: 9 Online Virtual Conference
October 1: Talkin’ Baseball: Michael Ortman (9:00 a.m. EDT)
October 2: South Florida Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)

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

September 24: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter Research Conference (Webster Groves, MO)
September 24: Rogers Hornsby Chapter meeting (Round Rock, TX)
September 27: Goose Goslin Chapter meeting (Cherry Hill, NJ)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.

3 new biographies posted at SABR BioProject

Three new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project:

Eleanor Callow, by Gary Belleville
Junior Félix, by Malcolm Allen
Sonny Senerchia, by Paul Proia

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

Find any SABR biography: You can visit sabr.org/bioproject to search for any player — or manager, executive, scout, spouse, broadcaster, or umpire — who appears in the SABR BioProject. In addition, we have pages for Ballparks, Broadcasters, Executives, Games, Managers, Scouts, Spouses, Umpires, Writers, people who were Famous Outside Baseball, and a lot more.

7 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

Seven new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project:

April 26, 1902: Addie Joss dodges a Toledo sheriff, then stifles the Browns for a one-hit shutout in his debut, by Larry DeFilipo
September 26, 1914: Braves’ Rabbit Maranville hits the first grand slam at Fenway Park, by Bill Nowlin
September 27, 1914: Cleveland’s Napoleon Lajoie joins the 3,000-hit club, by Douglas Jordan
September 20, 1922: Cleveland pitcher Phil Bedgood throws complete game to win big-league debut, by Kurt Blumenau
July 18, 1923: Phillies outlast Cubs but lose ‘landmark’ decision to 11-year-old over a foul ball, by Larry DeFilipo
May 7, 1951: Cleveland Indians nearly overcome Johnny Vander Meer’s career-ending clunker, by Andrew Harner
June 17, 1962: Adair, Wilhelm power Orioles’ sweep of Senators, by Alan Stowell

New Games Project stories can be found at SABR.org/gamesproject.

Read game stories from Baltimore Baseball: In 2021, Baltimore Baseball, edited by Bill Nowlin, was published at the SABR Digital Library. The book focused on the rich history of baseball in the Baltimore area, through recounts of 84 games from the major-league Orioles to the minor-league Orioles to the Negro Leagues. Click here to read all game stories from Baltimore Baseball online at the SABR Games Project.
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.

SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with Rob Nelson

Baseball 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 #180 on Monday, September 19 featured Rob Nelson, a baseball original. He is most famous for co-inventing Big League Chew bubble gum with Jim Bouton when they were teammates with the minor-league Portland Mavericks (of Battered Bastards of Baseball fame) in the 1970s. Nelson is a graduate of Cornell University, where he pitched for the varsity baseball team and majored in philosophy. He spent parts of three seasons pitching — “briefly and ineffectively,” he says — for the Mavericks before turning his attention to bubble gum. He still travels the world promoting his timeless invention. He was a guest on SABRcast #49 in March 2020.

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.

Listen to a new episode of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on Saturdays

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, is back at a new time for the regular season. Listen to new episodes at 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET on Saturdays on MLB Network Radio.

You can also listen to archives of recent episodes 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.

Save the date! SABR 51 will be in Chicago in 2023

Save the date! SABR will be returning to Chicago for our 51st annual convention on July 5-9, 2023, at the Palmer House Hilton hotel in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Registration information for SABR 51 and our special hotel room block will be available at SABR.org/convention in early 2023.

This will be SABR’s fifth convention held in the Windy City, and the first since SABR 45 in 2015.

Learn more about SABR’s convention history by clicking here.

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
Danny Barrera	Englewood, CO	Michael Moore	Charlotte, NC
Ben Bartram	Barberton, OH	Joseph Natalicchio	Silver Spring, MD
John Haynes II	Irvine, KY	Matt Overton	Fulshear, TX
Robyn Jensen	Indian Head, SK	James Remkus	Shavano Park, TX
Andrew Lipsett	Woburn, MA	Peter Schilling	Ann Arbor, MI
Justin Loy	Hopkinton, MA

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

Nineteenth Century: Fall 2022 newsletter
Women in Baseball: Check out highlights from the 2022 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference

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:

Halsey Hall Chapter: October 2022 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
Sweet Lou Johnson Lexington Chapter: September 17 meeting recap (Lexington, KY)

Click here for more information on SABR regional chapters. Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.

Around the Web

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

Tyler Kepner: Aaron Judge Joins a Pinstriped-Only Party of Three (New York Times)
Alex Speier: Red-hot Xander Bogaerts may be all that stands between Aaron Judge and a second pursuit of history (Boston Globe)
Jayson Stark: Judge’s legendary season is stirring the ghosts of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams (The Athletic)
Grant Brisbee: Aaron Judge, Barry Bonds and the definition of ‘greatest season ever’ (The Athletic)
Dayn Perry: Why Aaron Judge’s home run-filled 2022 season is even more impressive than it seems (CBS Sports)
Mark Simon: What’s Aaron Judge Crushing? (ACTA Sports)
Emma Baccellieri: Inside the Drive: The Minor Leaguers Who Sprung a Union on MLB (Sports Illustrated)
Sarah Wexler: Jill Gearin debuts as D-backs’ first female broadcaster (MLB.com)
Michael Baumann: The Mets Are Sick and Tired of Being Hit by Baseballs (FanGraphs)
Derrick Goold: Superb starter or subpar at-bats? Cardinals zero-in on reasons for shutouts slump (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Ryan Fagan: Albert Pujols’ chase for 700 filled with important homers in key moments of Cardinals’ playoff push (The Sporting News)
Jay Jaffe: Spencer Strider Continues to Dominate, and Reaches a Milestone (FanGraphs)
Rob Mains: What Limiting the Size of Pitching Staffs Could Bring (Baseball Prospectus)
Eno Sarris: Which players will be helped (or hurt) the most by baseball’s new rules? (The Athletic)
Russell A. Carleton: Why Do They Take The Pitcher Out? (Baseball Prospectus)
Jim Margalus: White Sox’s fixation on marginal wins resulted in marginal team (Sox Machine)
John Thorn: One Man Baseball, Rediscovered (Our Game)
Ben Zimmer: ‘Balk’: A Pitcher’s Feint, a Hindrance or a Hesitation (Wall Street Journal)
Michael Clair: Great Britain makes stunning comeback to qualify for 1st World Baseball Classic (MLB.com)
Ryan Whirty: Rev. Bill Greason recalls his Rochester days (Home Plate Don’t Move)
David Laurila: Dave Raymond Has a Good Willie Mays Story (FanGraphs)
Ralph Berrier Jr.: Norton writer Lynn Sutter finds a diamond among coalfield baseball history (Cardinal News)
Katie Lauer: Unusual chapter in California men’s life lands them in a Canadian hall of fame (East Bay Times)
Albuquerque Isotopes Make Grand Slam History in 12-9 Loss to Dodgers (MiLB.com)
M. Shawn Hennessy: Pitching Machinist, Jack Ryan (Chevrons and Diamonds)

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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