This Week in SABR: May 3, 2019

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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 May 3, 2019:

SABR seeks candidates to fill vacant Board of Directors seat

All interested candidates for the vacant seat on the SABR Board of Directors should send an email to board2019@sabr.org expressing interest in the position no later than Wednesday, May 8.

Any SABR member who is interested in filling the rest of that seat’s term — which begins at the conclusion of the Annual Business Meeting at SABR 49 in June and runs until 2021 — should fill out the candidate statement form and send an email to board2019@sabr.org. The deadline for statement submissions is Wednesday, May 15. The Board will appoint a candidate in June to fill the vacant seat.

Last week, SABR members elected Mark Armour as President and Bill Nowlin and Allison Levin as Directors. For more information on the 2019 Board of Directors election, click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

3 days left to register early for SABR 49 in San Diego!

We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a spectacular SABR 49 convention this summer in San Diego. Conference and hotel registration is now available at SABR.org/convention. Reminder: the Early-Bird Registration and All-Inclusive Package both expire on Monday, May 6, so sign up today!

Click here for more information on the SABR 49 All-Inclusive Package, Early-Bird Registration, and optional sessions. Click here to register for SABR 49.

  • Registration: Click here for complete information on the SABR 49 All-Inclusive Package, Early-Bird Registration, and optional sessions. Or click here to register for SABR 49! We’re again offering a special All-Inclusive Package for the annual SABR convention. For the $369 all-inclusive rate, SABR members can get:
    — Full registration to SABR 49 in San Diego (early-bird: $289; regular rate: $319)
    — 1 ticket in the Upper Infield Reserved (1B) section to the Padres vs. Cardinals game on Friday, June 28 at Petco Park ($24 value)
    — 1 ticket to the Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 28 ($70 value)
    — 1 exclusive SABR 49 convention logo lapel pin
    — 2 complimentary Continental breakfasts on Thursday and Friday mornings*
    *The Continental breakfast benefit is only available when you register for the All-Inclusive Package.
    Non-members can pay $399 for the All-Inclusive Package; the deadline to register is Monday, May 6, 2019.
  • Hotel: The special SABR group rate at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego of $224/night (single rate) or $254/night (double rate) is only available to registered convention attendees. After you register for the SABR 49 convention, you will receive an e-mail confirmation with details on how to book your hotel room at the SABR group rate. If you do not receive your confirmation email after registering, please contact Deb Jayne at djayne@sabr.org. There are a limited number of rooms in our group block, so be sure to register for SABR 49 early!
  • Awards Luncheon: SABR will host a special Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 28 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. The Awards Luncheon, which includes a meal, will feature the announcement of SABR’s annual awards — including the Bob Davids Award, our highest honor. One ticket to the Awards Luncheon is included in the all-inclusive package or guest tickets are available for $70 when you register for SABR 49.
  • Special film screening of Moe Berg documentary: We are pleased to host a special screening of the new documentary film, Moe Berg: The Spy Behind Home Plate, on Thursday, June 27 during SABR 49 in San Diego with filmmaker Aviva Kempner. The event will be open to all SABR convention attendees. In this first ever feature-length documentary about the enigmatic Berg, Kempner focuses her camera on a little-known Jewish hero. learn more about the film or to view a trailer, visit spybehindhomeplate.org.
  • Speakers: Click here to learn more about our featured speakers and panelists at SABR 49.
  • Research presentations: Click here to view the full list of research presentations at SABR 49.

Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more or to register for the SABR 49 convention.

SABR 49: Announcing new speakers and panelists

We’re excited to announce more of our featured speakers and panelists for SABR 49, which will be held June 26-30, 2019, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego.

All baseball fans are welcome to attend SABR 49. Early registration is available until May 6; click here to register.

  • Del Matthews, Vice President of Baseball Development at Major League Baseball
  • Ballard Smith, President of the San Diego Padres from 1979 to 1987

They will join our featured speakers at SABR 49, which include NL Cy Young Award winner and Padres Hall of Famer Randy Jones, fan favorite and 1984 World Series hero Kurt Bevacqua, MLB umpires Gerry Davis and Greg Gibson, MLB Official Historian John Thorn, Padres broadcasters Bob Chandler, Mark Sweeney, and Carlos Hernández, Los Angeles Dodgers VP and ballpark architect Janet Marie Smith, Baseball For All founder Justine Siegal, professional umpire Perry Barber, authors Ron Rapoport and Jean Ardell, filmmaker Jewel Greenberg, Henry Chadwick Award winners Sean Forman and David W. Smith, and The Baseball Encyclopedia editor David S. Neft. Click here to learn more about our featured speakers and panelists.

Stay tuned for more announcements about SABR 49 soon!

SABR 49: Hotel room block almost sold out

Our SABR 49 room block at the Manchester Grand Hyatt is almost sold out! If you have trouble booking your room online, please contact Deb Jayne at djayne@sabr.org to be placed on a waiting list in case any rooms become available.

The special SABR group rate of $224/night (single rate) or $254/night (double rate) is only available to registered convention attendees for the nights of Wednesday, June 26 through Saturday, June 29. After you register for SABR 49, you will receive an email with instructions on how to book your room at the convention hotel.

The Manchester Grand Hyatt is conveniently located within walking distance from Petco Park; our host hotel, a frequent host of baseball’s Winter Meetings, features a spectacular waterfront resort-like setting with shopping, dining, and entertainment venues in abundance at the nearby Gaslamp Quarter. The San Diego Central Library’s Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center, just a few blocks away, is home to the spectacular SABR Collection curated by our host chapter, the San Diego Ted Williams Chapter.

Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more or to register for SABR 49.

Become a SABR Publications Patron

Become a SABR Publications Patron and support our efforts to preserve and share baseball history by reading and donating our publications. Your gift will help grow and transform the future of SABR publications which will include SABR’s traditional books and research journals, the expansion and improvement of SABR.org, and the launch of SABRcast with Rob Neyer. Each patron level includes a donation of SABR books to a library; you may also elect to have all of your books donated instead of having some delivered to your door.

All donations, up to $25,000, will be matched dollar-for-dollar through the generosity of SABR Director Bill Nowlin.

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

Subscribe to SABRcast with Rob Neyer on your favorite podcast networks

Listen to a new episode of SABRcast with Rob Neyer, a new weekly podcast hosted by award-winning author and longtime SABR member Rob Neyer — which is now available on your favorite podcast networks! Subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play, and listen to each episode as soon as it’s released on Mondays.

Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to Episode #5, which features an interview with SABR President-elect Mark Armour, who is the founder of the Baseball Biography Project, co-chair of the SABR Baseball Cards Committee, and the author of several baseball books, including most recently In Pursuit of Pennants: Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball (with Dan Levitt.)

Every week, SABRcast will feature insights and analysis of what’s happening in modern baseball on and off the field, plus compelling interviews with figures from around the game — and music from The Baseball Project.

To learn more, visit SABR.org/sabrcast.

Announcing finalists for 2019 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award

We are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award , presented by SABR’s Women in Baseball Committee. Each of these finalists has made important contributions promoting the participation of women in baseball, on the field and off.

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. Here are the finalists for the 2019 award:

  • Justine Siegal, founder of Baseball For All and first female coach in major-league history
  • Ila Borders, first woman to pitch in the minor leagues
  • Rachel Robinson, founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation and widow of the Hall of Fame pioneer
  • Janet Marie Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Senior Vice President of Planning and Development

Eligible candidates for the Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award include any person with a sustained involvement in women’s baseball or any woman with a longtime involvement in baseball in any fashion — player, umpire, writer, executive, team owner, scout, etc.

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

SABR Digital Library: Wrigley Field: The Friendly Confines at Clark and Addison

Take a stroll through Wrigleyville with a copy of our newest book from the SABR Digital Library:

Wrigley Field: The Friendly Confines at Clark and Addison
Edited by Gregory H. Wolf
Associate Editors: Len Levin, Bill Nowlin, and Carl Riechers 
ISBN (paperback: 978-1-9701-5901-1, $21.95
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-9701-5901-1, $9.99
350 pages, 8.5″ x 11″

Wrigley Field evokes a feeling of perpetual summer, youth, and dreams. Any mention of the ballpark at the intersection of Clark and Addison in Chicago conjures up images of the ivy on the outfield walls, the hand-operated scoreboard, Cubbie blue, and the park’s vibrant neighborhood. Wrigley transcends time and transports its guests to a green oasis in the midst of a bustling city. Built less than 50 years after the Civil War, it was inaugurated when Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States, and a century later it remains a testimony to the enduring power of our national pastime. 

This book is an ode to that storied ballpark, evoking its history through detailed retellings of 100 games played there, including not only historic triumphs and defeats of the Chicago Cubs (and the Federal League Whales), but also Negro Leagues matchups, youth championships, and even games by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Including the talents of over 50 members of SABR, the book also includes many historic photographs.

Contributors include: Matt Albertson, John Bauer, Nathan Bierma, Thomas J. Brown Jr., Frederick “Rick” Bush, Alan Cohen, Rory Costello, Richard Cuicchi, John DiFonzo, Greg Erion, Doug Feldmann, Scott Ferkovich, Merrie Fidler, Dan Fields, James Forr, Brian Frank, Gordon J. Gattie, Paul Geisler, Ed Gruver, Tom Hawthorn, Paul Hofmann, Mike Huber, Norm King, Russ Lake, Bob LeMoine, Len Levin, Mike Lynch, Mike Mattsey, Seth Moland-Kovash, Jim Nitz, Bill Nowlin, Tom Pardo, J.G. Preston, Chris Rainey, Tim Rask, Alan Reifman, Stephen V. Rice, Carl Riechers, C. Paul Rogers III, Gary Sarnoff, Rick Schabowski, Ryan Schuring, Joe Schuster, Richard A. Smiley, Glen Sparks, Mark S. Sternman, Gregory H. Wolf, Brian Wright, and Don Zminda.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

To see all titles in the SABR Digital Library, visit SABR.org/ebooks.

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.

Check out photos and highlights from the 2019 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference in Cooperstown

The 11th annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference was held April 26-27, 2019, at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The 2019 conference was highlighted by a keynote address from baseball historian Joanne Hulbert, along with a panel discussion on “The Birth of Baseball Cards” with John Thorn, Peter Devereaux, Tom Shieber, and Jeff Katz; a special presentation by Richard Hershberger on “The Evolution of Baseball Rules”; a Member Spotlight interview of Priscilla Astifan by Bob Bailey; plus book signings, and a welcome dinner.

Research presentations were delivered by Dennis Thiessen, Jarred “J.W.” Stewart, Tom Gilbert, Chris Jones, Don Jensen, Chip Martin, Jon Popovich, David Block, Robert Bauer, Bob Tholkes, James Forr, Jerry Casway and Bill Lamb, Katie Neipris, Gary Gaskell, and Bob Tiemann.

To view more photos and highlights, visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c.

Read all articles from Spring 2019 Baseball Research Journal online at SABR.org

Good news! The Spring 2019 edition of the Baseball Research Journal has been mailed out to all SABR members.

Those of you who receive the print edition should find your BRJ arriving in the next two to four weeks. For digital subscribers, the e-book edition was delivered on Wednesday, April 10. 

To learn more about contributing to a future SABR publication, click here.

We hope you enjoy reading the Spring 2019 Baseball Research Journal!

New SABR Oral History Collection interview: Andre Thornton

One new interview was posted this week at the SABR Oral History Collection website. Here is the new interview:

  • Andre Thornton, All-Star first baseman with Indians, Cubs, and Expos from 1973-87
    Recorded April 26, 2019, by John McMurray

The SABR Oral History Collection, which launched in 2018 at oralhistory.sabr.org, includes hundreds of interviews conducted with ballplayers (Major Leagues, Minor Leagues, Negro Leagues, AAGBBL), executives, scouts, authors, writers, broadcasters, and other figures of historical baseball significance. These interviews, some of which date back more than 50 years, were conducted by members of SABR’s Oral History Research Committee and were digitized through a collaboration with the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

To listen to more interviews from the SABR Oral History Collection, visit oralhistory.sabr.org.

3 new SABR biographies published

Three new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 4,851 published biographies. Here are the new bios published this week:

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

7 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

Seven 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/recent. Find all published Games Project articles 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.
  • Read all game stories from our new Colorado Rockies book at the SABR Games Project: In Major League Baseball A Mile High: The First Quarter Century of the Colorado Rockies, published by SABR in 2018 and edited by Bill Nowlin and Paul T. Parker, we told the story of the first 25 years of the major-league baseball team in Denver. All game stories that appeared in the Colorado Rockies book can now be read online at the SABR Games Project. All of the biographies in Major League Baseball A Mile High are also available to be read online at the SABR BioProject. Click here to download a free e-book edition or get 50% off the paperback edition of Major League Baseball A Mile High.

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

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro, will air in May at a new time. Listen in from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 4 on MLB Network Radio.

This week’s guests are Jon Tayler of Sports Illustrated and Luis Torres of Beyond the Box Score.

You can also listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App. Click here to learn more.

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.

In Memoriam: Bill McCurdy

  • SABR member William O. “Bill” McCurdy III, 81, of Houston, Texas, died on April 27, 2019. He joined SABR in 1988 and was active for years in the Larry Dierker Chapter, helping to organize the 2014 SABR convention in Houston and contributing to SABR’s Houston Baseball: The Early Years – 1861-1961. In addition to writing thousands of baseball articles for his popular Pecan Park Eagle website, Astros Daily, and many other sites, he also co-authored Toy Cannon, an autobiography with Houston Astros star Jimmy Wynn, and The Kid From St. Louis, an autobiography with St. Louis Browns infielder Jerry Witte. Bill was president of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame for many years and he also led the formation of the Houston Babies vintage baseball team in recent years. A native of Houston, Bill was a lifelong fan of the Houston Buffaloes, Colt .45s, and Astros who embarked on a long career as a respected mental health specialist and therapist. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, a master’s degree from Tulane University, and a Ph.D in public health from the University of Texas. He served on the faculty at Tulane and later worked at the Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences. He is survived by his wife Norma and son Casey. Visitation will take place from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 5 in the Colonial Chapel at Forest Park Lawndale, 6900 Lawndale Avenue in Houston. A funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 6 at the same location.

ICYMI: Highlights from last week’s This Week in SABR

We’ve heard your feedback: Some of you have said you look forward to “This Week in SABR” every Friday, but sometimes there are just too many compelling articles and announcements to read every week. We’re not complaining — hey, keep up the great work! — but we know the feeling. So in an effort to make the length of this newsletter more manageable to read, we’ll summarize some of the repeating/recurring announcements in a special “In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)” section of “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: https://sabr.org/content/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 (SABR.org/directory).

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Tom Bergstrom Denver, CO     Stephen Loughman Scotia, NY
Bobby Borges Parrish, FL     James Mahoney Oakland, CA
Craig Cheslog Walnut Creek, CA     Mark Morowczynski Seattle, WA
Mark Del Franco Orange, CT     Laura Nole Tacoma, WA
Skip Desjardin West Hartford, CT     W. Prichard Spring, TX
Kimi Ego Mission Viejo, CA     Brent Sirvio Appleton, WI
Michael Eshleman Lewisberry, PA     Robert Tannenbaum Lexington, KY
Craig Garretson Randolph, NJ     Bruce Thompson Golden, CO
Gary Gorlewski Franklin, WI     Joshua Tolbert Vevay, IN
James Grube Leawood, KS     Rich Volz Princeton, NJ
Erik Halterman Chicago, IL     David Weller Milwaukee, WI
Simon Laflamme Montreal, QC     Jim Windolf New York, NY
Joe Liss Metairie, LA        

 

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

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

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

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

SABR Events Calendar

Here is a list of upcoming events on the SABR calendar:

All SABR meetings and events are open to the public. Feel free to bring a baseball-loving friend … and make many new ones! Check out the SABR Events Calendar at SABR.org/events.

Around the Web

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

Read these articles and more at SABR.org/latest.

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.

Have trouble reading this e-mail? Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web.

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Originally published: May 3, 2019. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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