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This Week in SABR: January 14, 2022

This Week in SABR: January 14, 2022

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 January 14, 2022:


Watch a preview of new SABR Analytics Certification program

Watch on YouTube: SABR Analytics Certification previewWe’re excited to announce that in the coming weeks, we will launch the SABR Analytics Certification. This 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.

Whether you are a student or professional looking to set yourself apart as you break into the ultra-competitive baseball industry, or a broadcaster, coach, scout, or fan interested in gaining a better understanding of the present state and future of the game, the SABR Analytics Certification was created with you in mind.

The first course — Conversational Analytics and Critical Thinking in Baseball — will be available online in the coming weeks at SABR.org/analytics/certification. This introductory exploration of baseball data and analytics will include examination of historical eras of analytics, descriptive vs. predictive data, metrics vs. statistics, key hitting, pitching, and fielding terms as well as practical applications of each, and player comparisons.


SABR, Sports Reference team up for The Negro Leagues are Major Leagues book

The Negro Leagues Are Major Leagues book coverWe hope you enjoy this significant collection of essays on the Negro Leagues, produced by SABR and Sports Reference:

The Negro Leagues are Major Leagues: Essays and Research for Overdue Recognition
Edited by Sean Forman and Cecilia M. Tan
Associate Editors: Scott Bush, Adam Darowski, Caitlin Moyer, Jacob Pomrenke
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-970159-62-2, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-970159-63-9, $19.99
8.5″ x 11″, 176 pages

The Negro Leagues are Major Leagues is a unique introduction to the history of the segregation of professional baseball, telling the story of the Negro Leagues while simultaneously recounting how researchers, statisticians, and historians rebuilt and rediscovered the history of Black baseball that was pushed into obscurity in the wake of Jackie Robinson and integration.

Recent examinations of the partially rebuilt statistical record led scholars, notably Todd Peterson, to call for the Negro Leagues to be recognized as major leagues, alongside other historical professional major leagues such as the Federal League and the Union Association. In December 2020, Major League Baseball itself declared its recognition of the Negro Leagues as major leagues, and the work to integrate the statistics compiled by Gary Ashwill and the Seamheads Negro Leagues Database into stats site Baseball-Reference.com began.

To accompany the launch of the newly revamped, integrated site, Baseball Reference commissioned a set of articles to introduce Negro League history and the effort to rebuild the fragmented record of that history to a new audience. Supplemented here with additional articles on Black baseball from the SABR archives, the articles in this book represent multiple groups of pioneers.

The contributors include descendants of Negro Leaguers, a major leaguer, and past and present giants in the field of Negro Leagues research. Larry Lester sits alongside 14-year major league veteran Adam Jones, Sean Gibson — the great-grandson of Josh Gibson and director of the Gibson Foundation — joins Vanessa Ivy Rose, the grandaughter of Turkey Stearnes, and Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Jules Tygiel and Jerry Malloy share pages with Todd Peterson, Gary Ashwill, Leslie Heaphy, Adrian Burgos Jr., and many more.

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.


Join us on February 3 for the debut of Ballpark Figures with Shakeia Taylor

Ballpark Figures with Shakeia TaylorSABR is excited to announce the launch of a new virtual event, Ballpark Figures, a monthly interview series hosted by award-winning writer Shakeia Taylor. The first live Zoom show — free for all baseball fans to attend — kicks off SABR Day festivities at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 3.

Taylor is a Chicago-based baseball historian and freelance writer whose work has appeared at SB Nation, FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, Yahoo! Sports, and other outlets. She was a recipient of the 2021 SABR Analytics Conference Research Award for historical baseball analysis/commentary.

The first guest on Ballpark Figures is Roger Cador, who won more than 900 games and two HBCU national championships as the baseball coach for 33 years at Southern University. He was inducted in 2021 to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and in 2019 to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Ballpark Figures will be held on the first Thursday of each month; beginning in March, registration will be free and open to any active SABR member.


Save the date! SABR Day is Saturday, February 5

SABR Day 2022Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 5, 2022, when we will hold our annual SABR Day celebration! SABR Day is a way for all baseball fans to come together, regardless of where they live, and talk about the game we all love.

Regional chapters are also encouraged to plan their own SABR Day events (virtually or in person, where it’s safe to do so) throughout the months of January or February to celebrate the start of a new baseball season.

We now have SABR Day events scheduled on February 5 for the following chapters:

  • Cleveland, OH (Jack Graney Chapter)
  • Columbus, OH (Hank Gowdy Chapter)
  • Denver, CO (Rocky Mountain Chapter)
  • Harrisburg, PA (Mathewson-Plank Chapter)
  • Jersey City, NJ (Elysian Fields, NJ)
  • Los Angeles, CA (Allan Roth, CA)
  • Minneapolis, MN (Halsey Hall Chapter)
  • Tallahassee, FL (Buck O’Neil Chapter)

Visit the SABR Events Calendar for complete details on all of these SABR Day meetings.

Chapter leaders, please email Jacob Pomrenke as you finalize your SABR Day plans so we can update our schedule of events.


Students, apply for a Spring 2022 internship with SABR

The Society for American Baseball Research is seeking remote interns to work during the Spring 2022 semester. An internship with SABR will involve responsibilities across a variety of disciplines, possibly including:

  • Working with the Director of Editorial Content or Publications Director to help publish and/or produce content for our website at SABR.org
  • Working during an online SABR event
  • Working with other SABR staff members on organizational duties, membership renewal drives, customer service

The internship is an educational opportunity that may count toward college credit, covering 15-20 hours per week with a flexible schedule. The internship will be for a fixed period of time and is designed to provide the intern with skills and training that may be applicable to working in a nonprofit research environment or in other research-based organizations.

Please send a resume and cover letter in PDF form to jpomrenke@sabr.org by 5:00 p.m. MST Monday, January 31, 2022.

Visit SABR.org/internships to learn more.


Register now for the 2022 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference

SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference (ERIC MIKLICH)Registration is now open for the 13th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference, which will be held on April 29-30, 2022, at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to register for this special event.

The 2022 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from author Thomas Gilbert, along with a panel discussion on owner Chris Von Der Ahe with John Thorn, Tom Hetrick, Dennis Thiessen, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a special presentation by Jonathan Popovich on “A Game of Ball: Reconstructing The Elysian Fields, 1845-1865”; a Member Spotlight interview of Dixie Tourangeau by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations.

To learn more about the conference, visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c


Early registration now open for 2022 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference

SABR Virtual Analytics ConferenceEarly registration is now open for the SABR Virtual Analytics Conference, which will be held over four days in online sessions from March 17-20, 2022. We’ll bring together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate, and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. Register today to join us!

The Virtual Analytics Conference schedule consists of research presentations and guest speakers from throughout the baseball analytics community, career development sessions led by experienced sports professionals, and industry networking opportunities — all available online for any aspiring front office executive or baseball fan to attend from the comfort of home. Students will have opportunities for skill acquisition and development, including sessions on how to work with baseball-related data sets as well as databasing and SQL.

  • Registration: Click here to register for the 2022 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference. Early-bird registration is $75 for SABR members, $100 for non-members, and $50 for currently enrolled high school or college students (includes one-year SABR membership).
  • Student Registration: Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive a special link to register at a discounted rate.

Stay tuned for more information on speakers, panelists, and presenters soon! Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more.


2 weeks left to apply for a SABR Local Grant in 2022

While 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. 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. In total, $10,000 in SABR Local Grants will be awarded in 2022!

All SABR chapters, chartered communities, and research committees are now eligible to apply, until January 30, 2022. 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.


Join us for more Stay Home With SABR virtual events

Robert Ford (HOUSTON ASTROS)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: SABR’s Larry Dierker Chapter in Houston will hold its next hybrid meeting at 7:00 p.m. CST on Monday, January 17. For Zoom details, please contact Joe Thompson. The in-person meeting will be held at the Spaghetti Western restaurant, 1608 Shepherd Drive in Houston. All baseball fans are invited to attend. Our keynote speaker will be Houston Astros radio broadcaster Robert Ford. We’ll also hear from Bill Brown, Mike Acosta, and Phil Boudreaux about their new book, Houston Astros’ Golden Era: The Houston Astros 60-Year History Through 2021. Chris Chestnut will present an analysis of large player contracts. Joe Thompson will present a book review on Dalko: The Untold Story of Baseball’s Fastest Pitcher. Tony Cavender will present this month’s trivia contest.
  • Video Replays: This week, we heard from longtime Milwaukee Brewers bullpen coach Marcus Hanel, author Alan Cohen (“Never on a Sunday: Baseball’s Battles with the Blue Laws”), and the Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter held its monthly 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:

  • January 15: Jack Graney (OH) Chapter book club meeting (9:00 a.m. EST)
  • January 15: Ted Knorr: “The Greatest Outfielders of the Negro Leagues” (12:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 15: Sweet Lou Johnson Lexington (KY) Chapter meeting with Clayton Trutor (1:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 15: SABR Baseball Memories meeting (4:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 17: Gardner-Waterman (VT) Chapter meeting with Clayton Trutor (7:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 17: Larry Dierker (TX) Chapter meeting with Robert Ford (7:00 p.m. CST)
  • January 18: Rocky Mountain (CO) Chapter meeting with Jay Jaffe (7:00 p.m. MST)
  • January 19: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting with Kelly Park (12:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 19: New SABR Member Experience meeting with Scott Carter (8:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 20: Larry Doby (SC) Chapter meeting with Tina Whitlock (7:00 p.m. EST)
  • January 20: Magnolia (GA) Chapter meeting (7:30 p.m. EST)
  • January 20: Sacramento/Bay Area Chapter joint meeting with Janet Marie Smith (7:00 p.m. PST)
  • January 22: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter meeting (11:00 a.m. EST)
  • January 22: Schott-Pelican (LA) Chapter meeting (10:00 a.m. CST)
  • January 24: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with Mark Macrae and Andy McCue (7:30 p.m. EST)

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

  • January 15: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
  • January 22: Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter lunch meeting (Elmhurst, IL)
  • January 22: “39 Seconds” John Donaldson film screening (Minneapolis, MN)

Find more upcoming SABR meetings on our Events Calendar page.


SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with writer Eno Sarris

SABRcast #144: Eno SarrisBaseball 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 #144 on Monday, January 10 featured Eno Sarris, a staff writer for The Athletic, where he specializes in pitching analytics. He takes the best public analytics findings to the players in the clubhouse to get their reactions. He has written recently on the most effective pitches in baseball, the collective bargaining agreement, and the evolution of the “Dodgers Slider.” He has also been a contributor to FanGraphs, ESPN, MLB.com, Fox Sports, SB Nation, The Hardball Times, and others.

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.


Read articles from Jackie: Perspectives on 42 online in the SABR Research Collection

Jackie: Perspectives on 42In 2021, the SABR Digital Library published Jackie: Perspectives on 42, edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks, a collection of stories that focus on Jackie Robinson’s legacy on and off the baseball field. The essays in this book look beyond the oft-told tale of Robinson’s historic debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, and examine many facets of Robinson’s life and career, including his military service, role in the civil rights movement, and his post-baseball career moves.

These essays from Jackie: Perspectives on 42 are now collected online and have been posted in the SABR Research Collection. Click here to read them at SABR.org.

SABR members can download the e-book for free or get a 50% discount off the paperback edition from the SABR Digital Library. Visit SABR.org/ebooks to learn more.


9 new biographies posted at SABR BioProject

Tom House (THE TOPPS COMPANY)Nine 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


9 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

Gene Baker (THE TOPPS COMPANY)Nine new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. 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.
  • Read more from Baseball’s Biggest Blowout Games online: In 2020, the SABR Digital Library published Baseball’s Biggest Blowout Games, edited by Bill Nowlin, with more than 125 accounts of the most lopsided games in major-league baseball history, including postseason games and the top four for all 30 MLB franchises. All of the stories from the Blowouts book can now be found online as part of the SABR Games Project.

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

Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM with Vince GennaroBehind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, is back at a new time. Listen to new episodes at 4:00-5:00 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.


Writing opportunities for SABR members

  • A new SABR book project, Native American Ballplayers, co-edited by Rob Daugherty and Bill Nowlin, is seeking articles and essays on various aspects of Native American and Indigenous Peoples experience with baseball. We already have a full complement of player biographies, either previously written or currently under way. We welcome new essay ideas, such as one for Baseball and the Arts regarding the imagery used to depict Native Americans in baseball over the years, from logos to mascots and more. We are also looking for articles about boarding schools such as Haskell and Carlisle. This book will look at all of baseball history, from the 19th century to the present. To get involved or learn more, please contact Bill Nowlin.
  • We are seeking a new author for a planned essay on The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson film for an upcoming SABR publication on Jackie Robinson’s portrayals in pop culture. If you are interested in contributing — or if you have an extra copy of the film that you might be willing to lend to another SABR member — please contact Ralph Carhart.

November 6 Board minutes posted

Minutes from the Board of Directors meeting on November 6-7, 2021, in Phoenix, Arizona, have now been posted on the SABR website.

You can view all past minutes of SABR Board meetings by clicking on the link below:

https://profile.sabr.org/board-minutes

Or you can go to the Members’ Info page and click on “Org. files”, then “Board Minutes” to view the minutes.


SABR award nominations

Please note: Only ONE entry per nomination will be considered (do not submit multiple nominations for the same award). For more information on SABR Awards, click 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
Rick Beam Huxley, IA     Joseph Lombardo Montclair, NJ
Jeffrey Beck Palmyra, PA     Adam MacKinnon Wilmington, DE
Vito Calise Long Island, NY     Keith Mars Austin, TX
Matthew Carter Huntsville, AL     Steven Miller Rio Vista, CA
Chris Cooney Burlington, ON     Bryan Peabody Louisville, KY
Paul Craig Madison, AL     Peter Riehl Colorado Springs, CO
Michaael Dauphinais W. Melbourne, FL     Mike Ryan Lakewood, CO
Jason Douglas Calgary, AB     Benjamin Spotswood Mobile, AL
Karl Gierach Macomb, MI     Katie Tripp Bedford, NH
Jackie Haley Cary, NC     Wayne Tuckson Louisville, KY
Larry Harris Northville, MI     Peter VanBenthuysen Denver, CO
Se Hyeon Heo Yongin-si, KOR     Dan Visser Holland, MI
Mike Hoben Gulfport, FL     Chloe Walker McHenry, IL
Steve Klein Fontana, CA     Jacob Weber Niskayuna, NY
PK Komar Spring Lake, MI     John Webster St. Louis, MO
John Koziol Boston, MA     Albert Yang Davis, CA
Chris Leupold Gibsonville, NC        

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: January 14, 2022. Last Updated: January 14, 2022.