The Bulletin

The
Summer 2010
Vol. 40, No. 3
Bulletin
The Newsletter of the
Society for American Baseball Research
Executive Director Zajc
Leaving SABR
SABR 40 Awards Presentation
Preview
SABR Executive Director John Zajc has
announced that he is leaving SABR effective
September 30.
“I am privileged and honored to have served
the SABR membership for the past 20 years,” Zajc
said, “but it’s time for me to step aside and explore
new and different challenges and opportunities.
I believe a fresh perspective at SABR’s helm can
pay dividends for the Society. My experience
at SABR has enhanced my life both personally
and professionally. The friendships I have made
at SABR and the lessons I have learned here will
remain with me wherever my career path leads.”
“We will miss John,” said SABR president Andy
McCue. “His work as our executive director has
made SABR a better organization and his decision
to give us nearly six months notice reflects his
abiding concern for the Society. Along with the
Board, I know that everyone in the society who
has met, worked with or benefited from John’s
leadership joins me in wishing him the very best.”
“The Board and I are grateful that John has
agreed to continue working for SABR until the end
of September, concurrent with an executive search
and allowing the Board the time to re-evaluate the
direction we would like the Society to take.”
John began his SABR career in 1990 as a parttime clerical assistant hired by then executive
director Morris Eckhouse. His position eventually
evolved into the full-time Director of Membership
Services. He was twice interim executive director
before officially taking the position January 1,
2003. Under his leadership, the SABR Endowment
Fund has grown from $4,000 to over $112,000, and
SABR’s Reserve Fund has doubled. His stewardship
of the annual donor campaign has helped SABR
accomplish much in recent years, including a large
increase in SABR’s online resources.
John’s accomplishments also include the
creation of the Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research
grant program to help fund baseball research and
the Legacy program which recognizes members
and friends who have made a lasting commitment
to baseball research by including SABR in their
estate plans.
The search for a new Executive Director is
underway.
SABR’s awards program honors baseball research
and writing of all types. At SABR 40 in Atlanta, the
winners of the Sporting News and McFarland Awards
will be honored (the winners were announced in April
and June, respectively). In addition, this year, through
the Negro Leagues Committee, SABR gave out two
new awards in the form of scholarships to high school
seniors and library grants. We congratulate all of the
awardees and are grateful to the selection committees
who worked so diligently to sift through so many
worthy books, articles, essays, and proposals.
Sporting News-SABR Award
This year’s winners are (in alphabetical order):
Robert M. Gorman (Rock Hill, SC) and David
Weeks (Rock Hill, SC) for Death at the Ballpark: A
Comprehensive Study of Game-Related Fatalities, 18622007 (McFarland)
Dennis Pajot (Milwaukee, WI) for The Rise of
Milwaukee Baseball: The Cream City from Midwestern
Outpost to the Major Leagues, 1859-1901 (McFarland);
and
L.M. Sutter (Norton, VA) for Ball, Bat and Bitumen:
A History of Coalfield Baseball in the Appalachian South
(McFarland).
The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award
recognizes outstanding baseball research published
in the previous calendar year in areas other than
history and biography. It is designed to honor projects
that do not fit the criteria for The Seymour Medal or
the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award. The
Sporting News sponsors the $200 cash awards that
accompany the honor. This year’s selection committee
consisted of Rodney Johnson, Monica Nucciarone, and
Monte Cely.
continued on page 20
In This Issue
Pres Box
Committee News
Chapter News
Member Profile
In Memoriam
New Members
Research Requests
Research Exchange
SABR Bookshelf
2
3
4
6
8
10
12
13
17
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 1
The Pres Box
by President Andy McCue
It will not shock you to learn that, as a group, we are old. If you’ve been to a recent convention or chapter
meeting, you’ll notice the youngest person in the room is probably a guy in his 40’s. Anybody younger than that
sticks out like Adam Dunn at a shortstops’ convention.
Our secretary, Vince Gennaro, found this spring
that our median age is now 58.8 years old as you can
Ourmembershipcontinuestoage…
see on Vince’s chart . That didn’t really surprise me
until Vince produced a chart showing our median
MedianAgeͲͲAllMembers
age has risen by nearly a year each year for the past
60
decade. We are not replacing our older members
58.0
58
56.5
with younger ones at the rate we need. Nearly three
55.4
56
54 9
54.9
quarters of our members are 50 years or older
54.2
53.5
54
Some of this is just the demographic inevitability
52.8
51.9
52
of the Baby Boom bubble. The huge boost in
50 9
50.9
50.2
49.6
membership we got when the Bill James Baseball
50
Abstracts went multi-platinum in the early 1980s is
48
making its inevitable march through the years. Our
46
problem as an organization is that the people for
44
whom James’ work is not a revelation but assumed
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
1
knowledge don’t see good reasons to join us.
Our membership has dropped the past two years
not only because of the economy, but because our
inevitable losses at one end are not being replaced at the other. In 2004, about 16% of our membership was
less than 40 years old. By last year, that number was barely 10% and that was not because the total number of
members was larger.
Membership shrinkage affects our finances.We receive less dues income and fewer convention registrations,
our two main sources of income. This is mitigated by very high retention rates once people have been in for
a couple of years. The donor program put together by Dan Ginsburg, Paul Hirsch and John Zajc has been
extremely effective.
Membership shrinkage also affects our vitality. We need younger researchers probing at earlier work and
new topics, and we need these people inside the organization. All of you who attend the conventions know the
stimulation of presentations on topics you thought you knew something about. You know the reward of talking
to fellow members in the corridors or over a meal or drinks. The people who know more than you do or see
things you don’t are the drivers of vibrant research and discussion.
Since Vince’s presentation, the board has been wrestling with the question of how to attract and keep younger
members. With John’s departure, the re-examination of SABR’s recruitment strategies has become wrapped up
in the search for a new Executive Director. I urge you to examine the job description the board developed to
get an idea where the current thinking is headed. It’s posted at: http://tinyurl.com/267gf42.
The board’s discussion has spread to the brsp mailing list, where a great number of new and interesting ideas
have been floated. If you have any thoughts on this, please contact any board member. Email contact links are
available at http://tinyurl.com/27va54p and our phone numbers are all on the directory.
Part of this discussion has to be how we will retain these new members.We have had a fair amount of success
over the years getting people to come through the door. We have great success retaining them if we can keep
them in the organization for four years or more. I think that’s because they find a satisfying community in the
regionals, the committees and the convention. But, there is a high rate of attrition in those first few years.
Using 2004-2008 membership data, Vince found that only 31% of people who join in any given year are still
around four years later. But those who stay that long renew at an 88% rate. In many ways, it’s going to be easier
to find ways to keep current members happy and involved than to keep bringing in new members, although
we obviously need them, too.
Thus, I think it’s incumbent upon all of us to make new members feel welcome and to help each of them find
their place in the organization. Get them to a regional, greet them at the door, introduce them to people with
similar interests. Above all, make them feel comfortable.
***
My congratulations to Leslie Heaphy on her election to the board and my sincere thanks to Paul Hirsch
for his years of service, especially on the donor program.
2 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
Committee Newsletter Roundup
Biographical Research Committee
March/April 2010
Richard Malatzky finds Jack Keenan, who had
previously been mistaken for his brother Harry.
Malatzky also conquered the difficult task of finding
Rex Smith, who pitched one game on May 31, 1886
for Cincinnati. Members Peter Morris, Pete Palmer
and David Neff are congratulated for being among
the inaugural winners of the Henry Chadwick Award.
The Mystery of the Month is Ed O’Neil, who pitched
in eight games for Toledo and Philadelphia in 1890
(and lost all eight). Also included are nonagenarians
celebrating birthdays in May and June, the current
scoreboard, and new monthly data.
Black Sox Scandal
April 2010
In the Chairman’s Corner, Irv Goldfarb discusses
taking chairmanship of the committee and recent
committee news. Jacob Pomrenke gives an overview
of the Black Sox panel and related events scheduled
for SABR 40. Rich Hoffman reviews Brian Cooper’s
Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography. Mark Ruckhaus
reviews Michael Lynch’s It Ain’t So: A Might-HaveBeen History of the White Sox in 1919 and Beyond.
Jacob Pomrenke examines the box scores of the only
two games in which all “Eight Men Out” appeared.
William Lamb unlocks the identity of Rachael Brown,
an obscure defendant in the Black Sox trial.
By the Numbers (Statistical Analysis
Committee)
August 2009
Trent McCotter writes on Hitting Streaks: A Reply to
Jim Albert, in which he argues that aggregates singleseason data shows statistically significant evidence
that hitting streaks are more frequent than expected.
John F. McDonald offers a preliminary study of Runs
Scored in Division III Baseball, in which he computes
a run-expectancy matrix for a certain Division III
college team and compares it to the MLB version. Tom
Hanrahan writers about The Greatest Base Thief, in
which he discusses why the standard methods—most
steaks, most steals per game, most steals per plate
appearance—are misleading and offers his own
measure.
The Inside Game (Deadball Era
Committee)
April 2010
In the Chairman’s Column, John McMurray welcomes
Mark Ruckhaus as the new editor of The Inside
Game. R.J. Lesch gives a summary of the 2010 Boiling
Out Conference. David Stalker writes about the
monument to the Killefer brothers, which was unveiled
on August 8, 2009. Gail Rowe, who is the new book
review editor for the newsletter, introduces herself.
Susan Dellinger reviews Robert Peyton Wiggins’
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs. Peter Morris
reviews Catcher: How the Man behind the Plate Became
an American Folk Hero. David Stalker reviews
Chris Epting’s Roadside Baseball. New editor Mark
Ruckhaus offers some thoughts on placing current
events in context and learning from the past.
Nineteenth Century Notes
Spring 2010
Bill Felber gives an update on the committee’s
Inventing Baseball project and lists the 100 games the
committee has determined as the greatest of the 19th
century. Chairman Peter Mancuso gives an overview
of current committee projects, among them the 100
greatest games of the 19th century, the Pioneer Project,
and the Overlooked 19th Century Legends Project, as
well as the noting the then-upcoming Frederick IvorCampbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference and the
How to do 19th century baseball research project. John
Husman offers a look at Toledo and Fleet Walker, the
first black man to appear in a major league baseball
game. Joe Williams offers the 2010 candidates for the
19th Century Overlooked Legends Project.
Originals (Origins Committee)
April 2010
Tom Altherr has found a printed invoice from 1771
for two copies of A Little Pretty Pocket Book. Altherr
discusses briefly the differences between town ball in
various cities. Among inquiries, Deb Shattuck asks if
Celia Brower of Brooklyn in 1986 was the first woman
known to be a club office. Among discoveries, Bob
Tholkes offers a notes from the Sunday Mercury about
a Montreal club that formed in 1860. Paul Browne
uncovered an 1887 Sunday Mercury article describing
an early form of the game.
May 2010
Craig Waff supplies an in-depth of 38 pre-Civil War
games thought to have drawn crowds of 1,000 or more.
Among the inquiries, David Dyte requests information
about a posted photo and was overwhelmed with
assurances that it was the famous August 1859 photo
of the Excelsiors and the Knickerbockers. Among
discoveries, David Block posted a May 1838 Public
Ledger note about the Olympic club, which is an
“early, explicit association” of the club with town ball.
A brief recap of is included of committee members
who participated in the 19th Century Base Ball
Conference. Tom Altherr follows up on “Town Ball
Miscellany” from the April issue. Other items include
a note from the Sunday Mercury dated May 6, 1860 and
correspondence sent to Originals.
continued on page 9
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SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 3
Chapter News
Arlington, TX
Chapter: Hall-Ruggles
When:May 27, 2010
Guests: former player Tommy John; Bryan
Dolgin, host for the Rangers radio network;
Kathy Sullivan and Jerry Craft on their
book Our White Boy
Atlanta, GA
Chapter: Magnolia
When: April 24, 2010
Where: Turner Field
Presentations: Wayne Marshall on Ernie
Shore; Yoseloff grantee Amber Roessner
on Crafting Your Father’s Idol: Baseball,
Journalism and American Culture, 19001928
Cleveland, OH
2010 Carney Award winners: Grant King, Luke Shields, and Dwight Vicks.
Chapter: Jack Graney
When:April 17, 2010
Where: Baseball Heritage Museum
Theme: Where were you on April 17, 1960?
Activities: Mini-discussions of Colavito for Kuenn and
Score for Latman trades
Video: Two interviews with Colavito
Presentations: Fred Schuld, Baseball Research 1960
(and before and after); Mike Sparrow, What else
was going on in 1960 (movies, TV, etc.); Dave Pugh,
Colavito and Score win the pennant; Jim Holl/Morris
Eckhouse, Herb Score’s minor league career; Brad
Sullivan, Herb returns; Morris Eckhouse, What if you
weren’t (books and info about the subject)
Guest panel: Vern Fuller, former Cleveland Indians
player; Ron Kuntz, former UPI photographer; Ted
Patterson, radio and television personality
Attendance: 40
Clinton, NY
Chapter: Clinton High School
When:June 8
Activites: The Gene Carney Award was presented
to three members of the chapter. Gene Carney was
an enthusiastic supporter of Clinton High School
SABR activities and projects. The award winners each
received a baseball bat and a check for $200.
Dayton, OH
Chapter: Dayton
When: May 26.2010
Guests: Alex Olivares, outfielder and Tony Fossas,
pitching coach, Dayton Dragons
Presentations: Leo Bradley, The 1939 and 1940
Cincinnati Reds; Thomas Tomsick, The Relationship
of Foul Territory and Strikeouts 1964-68; Roger Snell,
Charlie Root and the 1929 Chicago Cubs
Game: Dayuton vs. Bowling Green
Central Florida
Chapter:
AukerSeminick
When:March 20
Awards: Gene Brock
presented with a crystal
baseball in recognition
of his role in founding
and fostering the growth
of the chapter
Presentations:
Roy
Kerr, author of Sliding
Billy Hamilton; Michael
Schell,
author
of
Baseball’s All-Time Best
Hitters and Baseball’s
All-Time Best Sluggers;
board member Tom
Hufford with SABR
updates
Activities: Tigers vs.
Phillies spring training
game
Attendance: 18
Members of the Jack Graney Chapter when it met at the Baseball Heritage Museum in April.
4 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
Houston, TX
Chapter: Larry Dierker
When:April 13, 2010
Guest: Norm Miller, former Houston Astro
Presentations: Scott Barilla, Erosion Factor; Bill
McCurdy, Houston baseball; members who accepted
baseball cards at previous meeting discussed their
findings on their players
Houston Astros FanFest
When:April 3, 2010
Chapter booth staffed by: Bill McCurdy, Jo Russell,
Larry Miggins, Bob Stevens, Tom White, Phil
Holland, Harold Jones, Marsha Franty, John
Civiletto, Mike McCroskey, and Robert Beck
Chapter: Larry Dierker
When: May 22
Guest: Ed Wade, Astros General Manager and Mike
Acosta, Astros Authentics Manager
Game: Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays
New members: Joseph Thompson and Dick Bily
Attendance: 55
Chapter: Larry Dierker
When: June 8, 2010
Where: Houston Sports Museum
Guests: Rodney Finger and Tom Kennedy of the
Houston Sports Museum; former Brooklyn Dodger
Ed Stevens discussed his book, The Other Side of the
Jackie Robinson Story
Trivia: presented by Tom White, won by Tom
Kennedy
New members: Tom Kennedy and Ed Gilmore
Attendance: 37
Los Angeles, CA
Chapter: : Allan Roth
When: June 5
Guest: George Genovese, former player
Presentations: Fred Whitaker, The Case for CounterClockwise Counting; Rick Smith, Hall of Fame Players
Who Managed
Attendance: 30
Miami, FL
Chapter: South Florida
Activities: “Night at the Ballpark”. Hosted by the
Florida Marlins. Although in attendance were treated
to an 11 inning 9-8 win by the visiting Tampa Rays on
the now infamous “Horn Night.”
Attendance: 17
Milwaukee, WI
Chapter: Ken Keltner
When:May 1, 2010
Presentations: Joel Katte, author of Milwaukee Brewers
IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom; Bob Buege and
Rick Schabowski, pictorial tributes about Eddie
Mathews and Felix Mantilla
Minneapolis, MN
Chapter: Halsey Hall
When:May 22, 2010
Guest: Doug Grow, former Twins beat writer,
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Presentations: Tom Swift, Almost Perfect: Charles
Bender’s No-hitter and the Invention of the Slider;
Stew Thornley, Suspended and Tie Games: A History
of Rule Changes
Election: Jerry Janzen, Cary Smith, and Bob Tholkes
elected to two-year terms to the board of directors.
Kevin Hennessy re-elected president, George
Rekela re-elected vice president, Jerry Janzen reelected treasurer, and Bob Tholkes elected secretary
Attendance: 31
Philadelphia, PA
Chapter: Connie Mack
When: June 5, 2010
Presentations: Paul Fritz, Phillies Journal, 1964;
Jack Morris, Rube Melton Fiasco; Steven Glassman,
A Well-traveled Salesman: West Covington and
the 1961 Season; Ira Levinton, Best Statistical
Seasons Dominated by NY and Philly Pitchers; Brian
Engelhardt, Billy Harrell & the Game Called on
Account of Gunfire; Kevin Tulley, Buck Herzog;
Dave Jordan, Last Games at Baker Bowl and Shibe
Park; Dick Rosen, Fritz Henrich, St. Joe’s Other Major
Leaguer; Seamus Kearney, A Rendition of “The Thrill
of the Grass”
Panel: Brant Alyea, former MLB outfielder; Stan Isaacs,
former Newsday sports columnist; Bill Hockenbury,
former minor league player; George Case, son of
former MLB player George Case
Film: City of Baseball (baseball in Italy)
Game: Philles vs. Padres
Attendance: 60
Pittsburgh, PA
Chapter: Forbes
When: Saturday, May 8
Guest: The Chapter’s Spring Meeting took place
before what could be record attendance. Special
guest speaker was Pirates President and CEO Frank
Coonelly, who gave a “State of the Pirates” address (it
may be brighter than you think) and took questions
from the audience; visiting authors included Colleen
Hroncich (The Whistling Irishman), James Forr and
David Proctor (Pie Traynor, A Baseball Biography), and
John Moody (Kiss It Good-bye)
Presentations: Joe Guzzardi, George Skornickel,
and Bob Sproule
Trivia: Conducted by Jim Haller, won by George
Skornickel
Attendance: 55
Puerto Rico
Chapter: Orlando Cepeda
When: April 22, 2010
Election: The chapter elected a new board of
directors. They are:
President: Jorge Colón-Delgado
Vice President: Jorge López
Treasurer: Luis Machuca
Secretary: Edwin Fernández
Director: Edwin Pérez
Quebec, Canada
Chapter: Quebec
When: April 24, 2010
Guests: Jan Waterman and Ty Waterman, founder of
continued on page 7
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 5
Member Profile
Tim Wiles
Member since 1997
Not many people can
say they’re working in
their dream job. Tim Wiles
is one of the lucky ones.
As Director of Research
for the National Baseball
Hall of Fame and Museum,
he goes to work every
day at what he calls the
intersection of Research
S t re e t a n d B a s e b a l l
Avenue, clearly a melding
of two of his favorite things.
He also has a refreshing
perspective on his enviable
workplace, saying: ”It is
not the baseball itself, but WIles near the entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Research Center.
the people I meet in the
library, each with a great
the minors. “Everyone in my family loved baseball,”
baseball story—or two—to tell that keep me loving
he says. “And growing up in Peoria, Illinois, we all
every minute of this job.”
loved the Cubs—still do. My dad taught me a lot about
Wiles started out as an intern at the Hall in 1990 and
baseball.”
came back full-time in 1995. He notes that he graduated
Along with Bob Thompson and Andy Strasberg,
from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in English the
Wiles authored Baseball’s Greatest Hit, which was one of
same week that Sports Illustrated ran a feature article
the winners of the Sporting News-SABR Award in 2009.
about Hall of Fame librarian Tom Heitz, which described
Published in 2008, the book is a comprehensive pictorial
the wonders of the Hall’s library. “I was hooked,” he
history of baseball’s theme song, “Take Me Out to the
says, “and I just kept bothering Tom until he gave me
Ballgame,” on the 100th anniversary of its publication.
some good advice—get a master’s degree in library
The collaboration came about after Thompson read and
science. Once I did that, I came for the internship, and
liked an article Wiles had written on baseball and music
then I was able to get hired full time a few years later.”
for Memoires and Dreams, the Hall of Fame magazine.
Wiles’ skills as a researcher won him the job. He says,
He contacted Wiles and asked if he would work on the
“One of the things that I had to do was take a research
book with him. Wiles says that he immediately replied
test—not a trivia test, but a test of how one could use
“yes,” “but only if we could involve Andy Strasberg, a
and exploit sources. One of the questions was “Who
buddy of mine and one of the world’s biggest lovers/
was the last guy to win 30 games?” Everyone else
collectors of “Ball Game” recordings and memorabilia.”
answered Denny McLain. I answered Dizzy Dean, who
(For the record, Wiles’ favorite version of the song is
won 30 games exactly back in 1934.”
done by Dr. John. As he puts it: “You can’t beat New
The research test was just a warm-up to some of the
Orleans music.”)
queries the Hall of Fame receives.Wiles is hard-pressed
Wiles has contributed to the BioProject (bios on Faye
to come up with a singular answer to the question:
Dancer and Jack Brickhouse) and is currently working
“What’s the strangest research request you’ve ever
on a biography of his great-grandfather, Ben Caffyn. As
received?”“We get so many fun ones,” he replies,“many
for larger research projects, he says,“Check back here
of which seem to have very little to do with baseball. An
later—lots of burners simmering, but nothing ready
advertising agency once asked us how many gallons of
to announce.” He is quick to acknowledge the helpful
water it would take to fill up Fenway Park. Similarly, we
community of researchers he has found in SABR. “I
were once asked for the cost involved in opening or
think SABR is incredible for the helpfulness which many
closing the roof at SkyDome. We treat every question
members exhibit, and also for the deep knowledge
equally, and we assume that an answer can be found. We
many of us have,” he says. “I think SABR has made
don’t always find one, but we greatly enjoy trying.”
tremendous strides since I first joined in 1995, and if
Wiles comes by his love of the game honestly. His
it grows in membership and web presence as much in
great-grandfather, Ben Caffyn, played 30 games with
the next 15 years, it will be just incredible. I say to all
the Cleveland Naps in 1906 and “about ten years” in
SABR members, “Keep up the good work!””
6 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
Chapter News continued from page 4
the Great American Fantasy League.
Activities: Fantasy game between Expos and Yankees
(won by Expos, 3-0. Box score & game summary
available from chapter); Chapter BioProject for all
Quebecers who have played in the major leagues
Sacramento, CA
Chapter: Sacramento
When: April 17
Guests: Donte and Dominic Morris, founders of Morris
League Baseball
Presentations: Rich Cable and others on Cubaball
tour; Mark Morris on his great-grandfather, PCL
pitcher Charles “Spider” Baum.
St. Louis, MO
Chapter: Bob Broeg
When:March 23, 2010
Presentations: Norm Richards, using city directories
to trace residences of MLB players from St. Louis; Jim
Rygelski on the decreasing workloads of Cardinals
relievers; Kris Lokemoen, “The Game I’d Like to See
Again:” Cardinals games of Father’s Day 2002.
Trivia: By Bob Tiemann; won by Jim Leefers
Attendance: 20
Chapter: Bob Broeg
When: May 25, 2010
Presentations: Bob Tiemann, “Game I’d Like to See
Again,” Cardinals win over the Mets on Cotober 3,
1985; Joan Thomas on her book, Baseball’s First Lady;
Kris Lokemoen, Baseball’s Unwritten Rules
Trivia: By Bob Tiemann, won by Jim Rygelski
Attendance: 20
San Diego, CA
Chapter: Ted Williams
When: June 5, 2010
Where: La Jolla/Riford (San Diego) Public Library
Presentation: Andy Strasberg, founder of the
Fantography Project, presented some of the baseball
snapshots in the project. Howard Frank, David Nuffer
and other contributors offered first-hand recollections
of the stories behind their photographs.
Attendance: 32
San Francisco, CA
Chapter: Lefty O’Doul
When: March 4, 2010
Celebration: The chapter celebrated Lefty’s 113th
birthday
Guest: Ty Cobb (as played by Norm Coleman)
Attendance: 15
Chapter: Lefty O’Doul
When: May 1
Presentation: Monica Nucciarone on book
Alexander Cartwright
Attendance: 20
Chapter: Lefty O’Doul
When: June 3, 2010
Activity: Visit to Art of Baseball Exhibit at George
Krevsky Gallery to view Rookies and Pros exhibit,
which features veteran and rookie artists
Celebrity spotting: Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Seattle WA
Chapter: Northwest
Where: Douglass-Truth Branch, Seattle Public Library
When:May 22, 2010
Guest: Dr. Pierce Scranton, Orthopedic Surgeon,
Author and former team physician for the Seattle
Seahawks
Presentations: Stan Opdyke,
The Intersecting
Careers of Connie Mack and Vin Scully; Mickey
Gallagher, Tom Clark, Baseball Poet; Steve Steinberg,
Grover Cleveland Alexander; Tim Herlich, A Tale of
Two Pitchers - Ray Washburn and Tom Cheney; Mike
Rice, Mariners Roundtable
Attendance: 25
Tokyo, Japan
Clockwise from top: Marlene
Vogelsang with Lefty O’Doul’s
birthday cake. Monica
Nucciarone addresses the
O’Doul Chapter. Jeff Gillenkirk
(l.) author of Home Away, and
George Krevsky at the Krevsky
Gallery in San Francisco. . Right,
David Nuffer at the Ted Williams
Chapter meeting.
Chapter: Tokyo
When:April 17
Presentations: Hisao Toyoda on Babe Ruth’s unbroken
records, Takashi Shinoura on
score à la carte.
Report: Ichiro Shinohara on
Matsuyama Higashi High School
baseball team has presented their
history book to the Hall of Fame
for Japanese baseball.
Attendance: 13
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 7
In Memoriam
Election Results
Jim "Snuffy" Smith (78) of Willingboro, NJ), died
on February 18. His friend Norman Macht informed
the SABR office with this note: “You probably didn't
know him. He didn't write books or articles, didn't go
to conventions or regional meetings. He didn't seek
recognition. But nobody epitomized what SABR is
about more than Jim. He was a demon researcher with a
passion for truth and accuracy in numbers and stories.
He dug with the zeal of an archeologist, did battle with
accursedly inaccurate Sporting News box scores, and
pursued corrections to the records relentlessly. When
he found mistakes in books, he wrote to inform the
authors, who rarely replied. He shared his findings
and was always ready to answer inquiries. Many books
and articles, including mine, are the more accurate for
his glitch-spotting radar. …Jim was my go-to man with
questions and for fact-checking. No matter how long
the search for the answer, he never failed me. As a
friend as well as a researcher, I will miss him.”
In its first election to offer both paper and online
voting, the Society for American Baseball Research
has elected two incumbents and one new member
to its Board of Directors. A record total of 1,480 votes
were received.
Bill Nowlin was re-elected SABR Vice President.
Director Tom Hufford retained his seat, while Leslie
Heaphy won the second open Director’s slot. The
bylaws revision passed, by a 4-1 margin.
Bill Nowlin has held the Vice President position
since 2004. He is the author or editor over more
than 25 baseball books and more than 200 baseball
articles. He has also written nearly 100 biographies
for the SABR BioProject. A former professor of political
science at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, he
is also one of the founders of Rounder Records and
Rounder Books.
Leslie Heaphy is an Associate Professor of History
at Kent State University’s Stark Campus. In addition to
chairing the Women in Baseball Committee since 1995,
she has served SABR in a variety of other capacities,
including being part of the leadership team for the
Jerry Malloy Conference, reviewing proposals for
the national convention, serving on the Bob Davids,
Sporting News Award, and Nominating Committees,
and judging posters and presentations at the national
convention.
Tom Hufford is a founding member of SABR. He
served as Secretary in 1976 and has been a Director
since 2004. He has also served SABR as a member of
the Bob Davids Committee, Audit Committee, and the
Local Arrangements Committee for SABR 40. He is a
retired traffic engineering/transportation planning
consultant.
Over 23 percent of the membership participated
in the election, besting the previous high participation
rate of 10.22% in 2001. The previous high number of
voters was 689 voters in 1998.
The new board members will take office at the
conclusion of the Annual Business Meeting on August
5 during SABR 40 in Atlanta, GA.
Robert Kreidler (71) of Fairlawn, OH, lost his war
again non-Hodgkins lymphoma on March 27.In addition
to his love of baseball, he was founder and headmaster
of the Ohio College of Clowning Arts (clowning under
the name Rufus D. Dufus), founder of Magic Moments
Unlimited, and a storyteller extraordinaire.
Gary Kelleher (73) of Suffern, NY, passed away on
April 15. He was very active in SABR during the 1980s
and 1990s and was an expert on the New York Giants.
Larry Wagg (83) of Ottawa, ON, died on April 10,
2010. His wife, Marilyn, notes that he was a lifelong
devotee of the game, even taking her to Yankee
Stadium on their honeymoon to see Bob Feller.
Fred Stein (86) of Springfield, VA, died on June 9
of a brain hemorrhage following recent back surgery.
Fred authored a number of books, mostly about his
beloved New York Giants and Mel Ott, including Under
Coogan's bluff: A fan's recollections of the New York
Giants and Mel Ott: The Little Giant of Baseball.
Stan Hamlet (78) of Underhill Center, VT, passed
away on June 23 after a heart attack. He was a longtime member of the Vermont Chapter.
What will you find at SABR 40?
Monkeys and Dodgers and Heismans, Oh My!
Using “Marcel the Monkey” for year-to-year discontinuities in Major League Baseball performance, Andy Andres
A Heisman Trophy in collegiate baseball? John Heisman as the Georgia Tech baseball coach, Karl Green
Better than the real thing? Nat Allbright and recreated Dodger broadcasts in the 1950’s, Bob Barrier
8 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
Committee Newsletter Roundup continued from page 3
June 2010
Among the inquiries, Craig Waff asked about details regarding the home field of the Neosho club of New Utrecht.
Among sources, Larry McCray notes that Version 11 of the Protoball Chronology is now up, with nearly 200 new
entries and additional features. Among discoveries, Tom Shieber notes that a 1940 Hall of Fame press release
mentions the existence of an 1860 photo of a Massachusetts game in progress. In the correspondence to Originals,
Tom Altherr asks about the term “fletch-catch.”
Records
April 2010
Brian Wood offers a lineup of players active in 2009 with the most games as player, coach, or manager with no
World Series appearances. Also included is a list of the players with the most teams played for in a career (record
is 12): Jim McGuire, Mike Morgan, Ron Villone, and joined by Matt Stairs this season. Frank Williams provides the
won-lost totals and number of shutouts against each opposing team for Cy Young. Bob Boehm and Ron Liebman
correct errors to the Most Games Won in a Season list, which appeared in the February Records Committee
newsletter. Jim Smith and Chuck Rosciam provide slightly different lists of team totals for triple plays (by and
against). Walt Wilson offers the shutouts caught by Roger Bresnahan and Ernie Lombardi and the batterymaters
for Joe Dobson, Chuck Dobson, and Pat Dobson and Sal Maglie and Johnny Allen. Also included is a list of the most
productive players who made their debuts in the years 1981-1985.
June 2010
The newsletter includes a brief tribute to committee member John Schwartz, who passed away in January.
Schwartz was responsible for discovering that Walter Johnson had 71 and not 70 strikeouts his rookie year. David
Vincent provides a list of the most major league games umpired. Cliff Blau discovered that outfielder Ginger
Beaumont recorded one game at third base for the Pirates in 1903. A game record from a 1910 match-up between
Pittsburgh and Brooklyn is excerpted from Joe Dittmar’s Baseball Records Registry is included. Frank Williams
provides the won-lost totals and number of shutouts for each opposing team for Walter Johnson. Ev Cope provides
a listing of career leaders in extra base hits. Walt Wilson provides shutouts caught by Roy Campanella and Yogi
Berra; the batterymates for the only four 20th century pitchers who had a 30-win season and are not in the Hall
of Fame (Denny McLain, Jack Coombs, Joe Wood, and Jim Bagby); and the batterymates for the recently retired
Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling. Also included is a list of the most productive players who made their debuts in
the years 1986-1990.
Women in Baseball
Spring 2010
Updates request to build one master list of emails of women working in all aspects of baseball, information on the
Cooperstown Symposium, and news of the Linedrives and Lipstick traveling exhibit, which is coming to Cleveland
in the fall through a collaboration with SABR and Ursuline College. News of women players includes Tiffany
Brooks, who recently signed with the Big Bend Cowboys of Alpine, TX and Adrianna Gomez, Sloan Boettcher,
Cecilia Wilson, Courtney Bolston, and Emily Rogers, who are all playing at the high school level. New books
include Joan Thomas’ Baseball’s First Lady and Dorothy Seymour Mills’ Chasing Baseball. Other items include
an update on the Sydney 2010 Invitation Tournament, a short profile of AAGPBL player Joyce Hill; recent articles;
a research request; and slected bibliography.
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SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 9
New Members Page
SABR would like to welcome recent new members. They are listed below with their cities and general areas
of interest. 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 or two. (We strive
to make this list as complete as possible; any omissions were not intentional.) Any member can visit http://
members.sabr.org to use the SABR membership directory.
New members from 3/11/2010-6/16/2010
NAME
CITY
Patricia Agostinelli
South San Francisco, CA
Yoichi Aizawa
Hamilton, NY Mark Aubrey
Seymour, TN Randy Babish
Jacksonville, FL
James Bailey
Rochester, NY Jack Bales
Fredericksburg, VA Kimberly Bartling
Sioux Falls, SD Peter Bauck
Clearwater, FL Michael Bayes
Arlington, VA Maxwell Behrens
Cambridge, MA Robert Berger
San Antonio, TX Michael Berry
Culver City, CA
Heath Bintliff
Marietta, GA Richard Bogovich
Madison, WI Mike Boling
Gladstone, MO David Bowers
North Olmsted, OH Jeff Brandt
Dallas, TX, Matthew Braddock Antelope, CA John Brady
Livermore, CA
Mark Brown
West Falmouth, MA Otto Bruno
Rochester, NY Robert Byrnes
Baltimore, MD
Robin Carlsen
Littleton, CO
Jeffrey Casanova
Tampa, FL Tim Cathey
Chesterfield, VA Mike Chernoff
Cleveland, OH Kellen Cherven
Detroit, MI
Gregory Christiano
Hopatcong, NJ, David Churbuck
Cotuit, MA John Civitello
Houston, TX Stan Close
Riverview, FL
Patrick Coffey
Ellensburg, WA Stephen Colbert Galloway, OH Willard Conley
Austin, TX Mark Consugar
Huntingdon Valley, PA
Science & Baseball
Donald Conway
Beltsville, MD Harold Cook
Pittsburgh, PA Robert Cooper
Auburn, AL Buddy Coppersmith
Pasadena, CA George Counter
Cleveland, GA Edward Cove
Bloomsburg, PA Lauren Cronin
Denver, CO Joseph DaGrossa
Mays Landing, NJ Maxwell Davidson
Brooklyn, NY
Michael Davies
Washington, DC Ken Deeds
Coronado, CA Richard D'Egidio
Port Washington, NY Matthew Dicker
Arlington, VA Paul Galvin
San Francisco, CA
Myka Diller
Mount Joy, PA Jonathan Epstein
Brooklyn, NY
10 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
INTERESTS
Deadball, Black Sox
Ballparks, Records, Biz of Baseball, Baseball & the Arts, Oral History, Stats, Asian Baseball, Science & Baseball
Negro Leagues
Baseball & the Arts, 19th Century
Bibliography, Bio Research, Deadball
All areas
Minors, Spring Training
Bio Research, Deadball, Negro Leagues, 19th Century
Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Baseball & the Arts, Stats, BioProject, Science & Baseball
Ballparks, Origins, Records, Stats, Spring Training, Science & Baseball
Deadball, Negro Leagues, 19th Century
Bio Research, 19th Century
Ballparks, Bio Research, Minors, Stats
Records, Bio Research, Deadball, Oral History
Records, Collegiate Baseball, Spring Training, Baseball Cards
Stats
All areas
Bibliography, Bio Research, Minors, Negro Leagues, Oral History, Pictorial History, BioProject
Minors
Bio Research, Pictorial History, Baseball Cards
Biz of Baseball, Minors, Scouts, Stats, Science & Baseball
Ballparks, Origins, 19th Century, Pictorial History, Baseball Cards
Minors, Baseball & the Arts, Stats
Ballparks, Origins, Records, Negro Leagues, Oral History, Pictorial History, Scouts, Umpires
Ballparks, Records, Bio Research
Deadball, Minors, Stats, Black Sox
All areas
Ballparks, Records, Deadball, Black Sox
Ballparks, Records, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Scouts, Stats, Umpires,
Bio Research, Negro Leagues
Biz of Baseball, Stats, Science & Baseball
Ballparks, Records, Collegiate Baseball, Minors, Stats
Ballparks, Records, Collegiate Baseball, Pictorial History, Stats
Ballparks, Records, Bio Research, Deadball, Minors, Negro Leagues, Baseball Cards
Bibliography
Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Baseball & the Arts, Stats, Women in Baseball, Spring Training, Science & Baseball
Records, Deadball, Stats
Records, Science & Baseball
Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Baseball Cards
All areas
All areas
Origins, Deadball, 19th Century, Black Sox
NAME
CITY
James Esatto
Prospect, CT Margaret Esposito
Woodside, NY
David Fair
Philadelphia, PA Michael Fickel
Pflugerville, TX Augusto Figueroa
Miami, FL Glenn Fortner
Midland, TX Paul Freeborne
Springfield, VA Andrew Freeman
Fairfax, VA Timothy Gartner
Bethel, CT Joseph Geoghegan
Scottsdale, AZ
Jerry Gerhardt
Alameda, CA
Ed Gilmore
Dickinson, TX
Craig Glaser
Brooklyn, NY Nick Goldstein
Vienna, VA, Erin Haight
Spokane, WA
Jason Halper
Randolph, NJ Jeanna Harnden
Vienna, VA
Neal Hausmann
Fort Wayne, IN
James Hawking
Chapel Hill, NC Kurt Hickey
FPO, AP Geoffrey Hickok
Dunbar, WV
John Hilgeman
Ooltewah, TN Jeff Hoen
Fairfax, VA
Kenneth Holmes
Farmingdale, NY
Robert Horton
Clarkston, MI Matt Hotz
Philadelphia, PA Colin Howell
Oakfield, NS Toni Hustead
Alexandria, VA
Jeffrey Ischy
Houston, TX Jeff Jackson
Eau Claire, WI
Scott Jackson
Malvern, PA Derek Jacques
Brooklyn, NY Dennis Kane
Albuquerque, NM Jeff Karnicky
Des Moines, IA Jim Keener
Farmington, CT Tom Kennedy
Houston, TX Gary Kent
Marcellus, NY Chris Kerlin
Fort Lauderdale, FL
David Kidwell
Leeds, MA Tom Kilgore
Frisco, TX Jeff Kittel
Cleveland, OH
David Knox
Pinson, AL
Jim Kobs
Inverness, IL Kevin Leach
Palos Verdes Estates, CA
James Leeds
Roswell, GA
Dick Leroux
North Tonawanda, NY Jan Levine
Merrick, NY Murray MacDonald
Garrett Park, MD Sean Malone
Lawrence, KS Stephen Maniouakis
Chicopee, MA
James Mannix
Weston, MA David Markus
Atlanta, GA INTERESTS
Records, Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Collegiate Baseball, Deadball, Minors, Negro Leagues, 19th Century, Pictorial History, Scouts, Stats, Spring Training, Science & Baseball
Records, Pictorial History, Stats, Science & Baseball
Ballparks, Records, Deadball, Negro Leagues, Oral History, Pictorial History, Stats, Black Sox
Ballparks, Origins, Records, Biz of Baseball, Deadball, Latino Baseball, Baseball & the Arts, Oral History, Stats, Black Sox
Ballparks, Records, Bibliography, Bio Research, Collegiate Baseball, Stats
Ballparks, Records, Minors, Umpires, Baseball Cards
Records, Minors, Oral History, Stats, Science & Baseball
All areas
Records, Biz of Baseball, Baseball & the Arts, Stats, Science & Baseball
Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Deadball, Minors, Negro Leagues, Stats
Records, Biz of Baseball, Deadball, Stats, Black Sox
19th Century, Black Sox
Records, Bio Research, Negro Leagues, Asian Baseball
Umpires
Records, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Stats, Black Sox
Biz of Baseball, Minors, Baseball & the Arts, Stats
Latino Baseball, Minors, Negro Leagues, Stats
All areas
Records, Stats, Science & Baseball
Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Latino Baseball, Negro Leagues, Stats, Umpires, BioProject
Minors, Baseball & the Arts, Negro Leagues
Negro Leagues, Stats, Science & Baseball, Baseball Cards
Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Baseball Cards
Ballparks, Bibliography, Biz of Baseball
Records, Bibliography, Bio Research, Oral History, Stats
Origins, Records, Baseball & the Arts, Stats, Umpires
Records, Umpires, Science & Baseball
Women in Baseball
Bio Research, Minors, Negro Leagues, 19th Century, Pictorial History, Scouts, Stats, Women in Baseball, Science & Baseball
Ballparks, Records, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Baseball & the Arts, Stats, Spring Training, Science & Baseball
Baseball & the Arts, Stats
Origins, Bibliography, Deadball, Latino Baseball, Baseball & the Arts, Negro Leagues, 19th Century, Oral History, Women in Baseball, Asian Baseball, Science & Baseball
Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Umpires
Ballparks, Origins, Records, Bio Research, Minors, Stats, Umpires
continued on page 14
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 11
The time to
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Publications Update
SABR and the University of Nebraska Press have
entered into co-publication agreements, with the first
books to be published in 2012.
The summer 2010 issue of The Baseball Research
Journal features a careful look at advanced defensive
metrics and the larger issue of fielding as a possible
undervalued asset in MLB today. David Fleitz looks at
the role of Irish Americans in major-league umpiring
from the late nineteenth century through the 1960s,
and Phil Birnbaum examines carefully the question
whether there is evidence that umpiring calls are
affected by racial bias. John Manuel tells the history
of the amateur draft and takes a look at suggested
reforms to it. Members will begin receiving their
copies in the mail in July.
The national convention journal, The National
Pastime: Baseball in the Peach State, is a rich collection
of articles on a wide array of subjects—including
Cobb, Bill Terry, the Braves, the Crackers, the Black
Crackers—related to baseball in Georgia. The issue
will be distributed to attendees of the convention
in August and mailed to other members shortly
thereafter.
Advance registration extended
Don’t forget to register for SABR 40!
The early registration deadline ahs been
extended to July 14--the same date as the
deadline to make hotel reservations at the
special SABR convention rate.
Check http://convention.sabr.org for details.
See you in Atlanta!
P.O. Box 7256 • Watchung, NJ 07069
phone: 908-226-9900 • fax: 908-226-9920
www.RobertEdwardAuctions.com
12 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
Research Exchange
The following articles have been added to the SABR Research Library. Articles are available on request from Len Levin, 282 Doyle Ave.,
Providence, R.I. 02906-3355. The cost for copying and mailing is 12 cents a page for up to 99 pages, 11 cents a page for 100 or more
pages.
A complete list of the more than 4,500 articles in the Research Library is available from Len Levin at the address above. The cost is $3.00
for copying and mailing.
You can contact Len at the postal address above, by phone at 401-351-3278, or by E-mail at: [email protected]. Len welcomes your
additions to the Research Library. Feel free to send them to him at the address above, or to call or send him an E-mail if you have any
questions.
------: Murdered major-league ballplayers. 4 pages. A brief look at the seven major leaguers who have been murdered. From
hanginemup.com.
------: Major leaguers’ salaries, 2010. 5 pages. How much every player on a major league roster or the disabled list on Opening
Day 2010 was being paid. Photocopy of article in USA Today Sports Weekly, April 7, 2010.
Allen, Maury: The managers rate each other. 4 pages. Photocopy of article in Sport Magazine, September 1967, in which the
major league managers discuss one another.
Astleford, Andrew: Mud plays part in game of baseball. 3 pages. Text of article on ESPN.com about the source and providers of
the mud that is rubbed on baseballs to remove their sheen.
Briley, Ron: “The plantation owner and brother Vida Blue”: Charlie Finley, Vida Blue and the politics of race in Oakland. 26
pages. Baseball and the Black Panthers in the 1970s.
Carroll, Bill: She just loved baseball. 4 pages. Text of article on www.blackathlete.net about Effa Manley, who owned the Newark
Eagles of the Negro Leagues.
Christensen, Arne: Trivia about the 19 perfect games in MLB history. 2 pages.
Clayton, John: Freddy Barnea’s ax-handled bat. 3 pages. Text of article in the New Hampshire Union Leader, April 5, 2010, about
a New Hampshire man’s efforts to get baseball to use a bat with an oval handle.
Cranston, Jeffrey: Union Association, an outline history. 6 pages. Facts about the one-year major league (1884).
Doyle, Al: 1959 White Sox coaching staff a long-lived group. 3 pages. Text of article on BaseballAnalysts.com about manager Al
Lopez and his coaches, who as a group set a longevity record.
Dvorchak, Bob: Babe Ruth’s final hurrah. 4 pages. Text of article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 25, 2010, about Babe
Ruth’s three-homer day at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh in 1935 just before he retired.
Forr, James: Major league baseball in Altoona, Pa. 2 pages. A look at the Pennsylvania city’s brief experience in the Union
Association. Text of article on seamheads.com.
Gross, Milton: The truth about Newhouser. 9 pages. A profile of the Hall of Fame pitcher at about the midpoint of his career.
Photocopy of article in Sport Magazine, August 1948.
Grossfeld, Stan: Bernie Carbo defeated addiction. 4 pages. Text of article in Boston Globe, April 1, 2010, in which the former
major leaguer tells of his drug addiction and his recovery.
Guzzardi, Joe: Remembering the Hollywood Stars. 3 pages. Text of article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 24, 2010.
Heyman, Mark: Top 20 booms and busts since the baseball draft began. 5 pages. Text of article on Sports Illustrated-CNN.com,
June 7, 2010.
Husman, John Richmond: Ohio’s first baseball game: played by Confederates and taught to Yankees. 8 pages.
Kepner, Tyler: Five players who outranked Jeter, if only briefly. 5 pages. Catching up with the five players who were drafted ahead
of Derek Jeter in 1992. Text of article in the New York Times, June 6, 2010.
Leggett, William: The rise and fall of the Fabulous Phillies. 9 pages. Photocopy of article in Sports Illustrated, March 1, 1965,
about the 1964 Phillies.
Macgranachan, Brendan: Buying a manager. 2 pages. Text of article on Seamheads.com on how Chicago Cubs owner Charles
Weeghman went about finding a manager for his team in the baseball meetings of 1916.
Montgomery, Wynn: Georgia’s 1948 phenoms and the bonus rule. 17 pages. About Willard Nixon and Hugh Radcliffe, two early
“bonus babies.”
Morsch, Mike: A’s vs. Indians, Cleveland, June 20, 1948. 3 pages. Photocopy of article in Along the Elephant Trail, Issue 83,
2010, about a fateful series in the last season in which Philadelphia was in a pennant race.
Nathanson, Mitchell: A game of their own: Society, culture and the American embrace of baseball. 32 pages. A scholarly
discussion of the reasons why Americans took to baseball in the 19th century.
O’Neil, Dan, and Gabriel Schechter: Morrie Martin, war hero. 8 pages. Two articles: The first is the text of an article in the St.
Louis Post Dispatch, May 31, 2010, about the former major league pitcher and his exploits in World War II. The second, on the same
subject, is from Seamheads.com.
Rushin, Steve: Bad beyond belief. 10 pages. Photocopy of article in Sports Illustrated, May 25, 1992, about the New York Mets
in their inaugural season.
Schechter, Gabriel: Looking for a few good loopholes. 3 pages. Text of article on seamheads.com about efforts to exploit
baseball’s rules.
Schwarz, Alan: Sibling behavior in the big leagues. 3 pages. Text of article in the New York Times, May 25, 2010, about a
scientific study that showed that among brothers in the major leagues the younger brother takes more risks, specifically trying to steal
bases more often.
Smith, Dale: Nellie Fox: The one that got away. 2 pages. Photocopy of article in Along the Elephant Trail, No. 37, 2002, the
publication of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society.
continued on page 15
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 13
New Members continued from page 11
NAME
CITY
INTERESTS
Michael McLawhorn
Raleigh, NC Ballparks, Records, Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Collegiate Baseball, Latino Baseball, Minors, Scouts, Stats, Umpires, Spring Training, Asian Baseball
Harry McMahon
Houston, TX
Sam Meister
Springfield, IL Ballparks, Deadball, Negro Leagues, Black Sox
Henry Meyer
Sea Cliff, NY Ballparks, Oral History, Science & Baseball
Adam Miller
Hoboken, NJ Records, Biz of Baseball, Stats, Science & Baseball
Brent Mills
Houston, TX
Jim Montaquila
Peninsula, OH
Joseph Moran
Sagamore Hills, OH Ballparks, Deadball, 19th Century
Irwin Nahinsky
Louisville, KY Stats
Paul Nebenfuhr
Manahawkin, NJ 19th Century
Sean Nelson
Toronto, ON Bio Research, Deadball, Negro Leagues, Black Sox
John Nocero
Euclid, OH Ballparks, Origins, Bibliography, Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Baseball & the Arts, Spring Training, BioProject, Science & Baseball
Gerald Nordberg
Chappaqua, NY Ballparks, Baseball & the Arts, Negro Leagues, Black Sox
Chad Nordstrom New Brighton, MN Stats, Science & Baseball
Timothy Odeen
Spokane, WA Collegiate Baseball, Minors, Baseball & the Arts, BioProject
Richard Osborne
Elmhurst, IL Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Negro Leagues, Oral History, Pictorial History, Stats, Black Sox
Neil Paine
Decatur, GA Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Stats, BioProject, Science & Baseball
Danny Peary
New York, NY Oral History
Kin Pier
North Richland Hills, TX Ballparks, Bibliography, Bio Research, Minors, Baseball Cards
David Putman
Parma, OH All areas
Tate Quinton
Lombard, IL Bio Research, Collegiate Baseball, Stats
Greg Rasheed
Denver, CO Negro Leagues
Leonard Reich
Alliance, OH Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Collegiate Baseball
Steven Reynolds
West Chester, OH Stats, Umpires
Juan Rivera
Cleveland, OH
Juan Rodriguez
Pembroke Pines, FL Records, Latino Baseball, Stats
Jose Rodriguez
Arecibo, PR Records, Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Latino Baseball, Minors, Negro Leagues, Scouts, Stats, Science & Baseball
Joseph Rogers
Haverford, PA Ballparks, Records, Biz of Baseball
Ken Rogers
Riverside, CT
John Ross
Timonium, MD Bibliography, Biz of Baseball, Umpires
Claude Rost
Cincinnati, OH Ballparks, Origins, Records, Bio Research, Pictorial History, Black Sox
Joseph Rotenberg
Tiburon, CA
Steven Rubio
Berkeley, CA
Jonathan Scarlett
London, ON Ballparks, Records, Stats, Science & Baseball
Ian Schafer
Springfield, NJ Stats
Kevin Schooler
Plymouth, MN Ballparks, Records, Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Stats, Baseball Cards
David Schrock
Arvada, CO Records, Bibliography, Stats
David Sertich
San Francisco, CA Ballparks, Bibliography, Collegiate Baseball, Minors, Scouts, Stats, Umpires
Justin Sharifipour
Quincy, MA Biz of Baseball, Stats
Mark Smith
Marion, IN Origins, Deadball, Negro Leagues, 19th Century
Patrick Smith
Trussville, AL Ballparks, Origins, Records, Biz of Baseball, Stats, Umpires
Steven Snyder
San Francisco, CA Origins, Records, Negro Leagues, Oral History, Baseball Cards
James Spence, Jr Parsippany, NJ Origins, Records, Bio Research, Deadball, Negro Leagues, Science & Baseball, Baseball Cards
Alan Spencer
Taneytown, MD
Darren Spinck
Miami Beach, FL Records, Biz of Baseball, Stats, Spring Training
James Steidle
Ypsilanti, MI
Hugh Stephenson
Dallas, TX All areas
Richard Street
Oakland, CA
Matthew Tarini Phoenix , AZ All areas
Michael Tenney
Lowell, MA
Joe Terry
Birmingham, AL Ballparks, Negro Leagues, Pictorial History
Richard Thomas
Lansdale, PA Records, Bio Research, Deadball, Minors, 19th Century, Pictorial History, Stats, Umpires, Women in Baseball, Science & Baseball
Joseph Thompson
New Caney, TX All areas
Alexa van Sickle
Vienna, Austria Biz of Baseball, Latino Baseball, Baseball & the Arts, Oral History, Women in Baseball, Science & Baseball
&res Velasco y Coll
Miami, FL Collegiate Baseball, Stats, Women in Baseball, Asian Baseball, Science & Baseball
14 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
NAME
CITY
INTERESTS
Barry Wahren
Stamford, CT Bio Research, Pictorial History, Stats, Spring Training
Bryan Walko
Clifton, NJ
Nathan Walters
Hanover Park, IL Ballparks, Origins, Bio Research, Deadball, Baseball & the Arts,
19th Century, Oral History, Pictorial History, Black Sox
Thomas Weaver
Pueblo West, CO Bio Research, Deadball, 19th Century
Jesse Wigtil
Phoenix, AZ
Jacob Wilkes
Indianapolis, IN Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Negro Leagues, Stats
Dave Wilkie
San Angelo, TX All areas
James Wills
Palo Alto, CA
Meredith Wills-Davey
Palo Alto, CA Baseball & the Arts, Umpires, Women in Baseball, Science & Baseball
James Winston
Northampton, MA Ballparks, Records, Pictorial History, Spring Training, Black Sox, Baseball Cards
Larry Wolfe
Boca Raton, FL Stats
Graham Womack
San Leandro, CA Minors
Jerry Woolstrum
Omaha, NE
William Young
Columbia, MO Bio Research, Deadball, Latino Baseball, Oral History, BioProject
John Zeanah
Memphis, TN Ballparks, Biz of Baseball, Minors, Stats, Spring Training
Dave Zweifel
Monona, WI Ballparks, Records, Bibliography, Bio Research, Biz of Baseball, Spring Training
Research Exchange, continued from page 13
Smith, Dale: 1925, prelude to a pennant. 2 pages. Photocopy of article in Along the Elephant Trail, July 1998, the publication
of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society, about the 1925 Athletics.
Stone, Larry: Brian Holman recalls his “almost” perfect game. 6 pages. Text of article in the Seattle Times, April 16, 2010,
about a near-perfect game that was broken up with two outs in then ninth inning.
Weber, Bruce: Sparky Lyle’s second act. 5 pages. Text of article in the New York Times, May 30, 2010, about Lyle, who for more
than a decade has managed the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League.
Wertheim, Jon: After one at-bat, Adam Greenberg fights to get back to the majors. 5 pages. Text of article on SI.com, August
14, 2009, about Adam Greenberg, who was who was struggling to get back to the major leagues after being beaned in his first big-league
at-bat. An update to recently listed article by Barry Bearak in the New York Times Magazine.
Wride, Charlie: PONY League/New York-Penn League teams, 1939 to the present. 3 pages. A list of all the teams, their
nicknames and the years of their franchises, by the league’s historian.
Wride, Charlie: 2009 major leaguers who were in the New York-Penn League at some time. 13 pages. Includes players, managers,
coaches and umpires, with 2009 team(s) and New York-Penn team(s) plus year(s).
BROACH
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Family oriented--plenty of sight-seeing
Free brochure
BaseballToursUSA.com
800-849-6345
SPORTING NEWS FOR SALE (1946-1969)
COMPLETE YEARS IN MINT CONDITION
US or Cdn funds, check or money order. Please add $20
for first year/$10 each additional year for insured UPS. All
orders shipped from US. Order by phone, mail or email.
1946, ‘49, ‘56, ‘61... $600 ea
1947, ‘48, ‘51............ 750 ea
1950, ‘52, ‘53.............450 ea
1954, ‘55, ‘57.............400 ea
DISCOUNTS:
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1966, ‘67, ‘68, ‘69...... 200 ea
Robert Crestohl
4732 Circle Road
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H3W1Z1
Phone: 514-481-2830
[email protected]
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 15
The SABR Bookshelf is a listing of books received at the SABR office. To
get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf make sure a review
copy is sent to: SABR, 812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland OH 44115.
See ordering information in the summary text.
TITLE
AUTHOR
PUBLISHER
100 Things Mets Fans Should
Matthew Silverman*
Triumph Books
Know and Do Before They Die
A Game of Inches (one-volume ed)Peter Morris*
Ivan R. Dee
Abner Doubleday
Thomas Barthel*
McFarland Athletes Who Indulge
Stanley Teitelbaum*
Praeger
Their Dark Side
Back Again
Rich Westcott*
Middle Atlantic Press
Ball Tales
Michelle Nolan
McFarland Baseball’s Longest Games Philip Lowry*
McFarland Charlie Finley
Green* & Launius*
Walker & Company
Chicago Cubs: Baseball on
Jim Vitti
Arcadia Publishing
Catalina Island
Cooperstown by the Numbers John McConnell*
McFarland Ed Roush
Mitchell Stinson*
McFarland
Final Innings
Dean Sullivan*
University of Nebraska Press
Giants Past and Present
Dan Fost*
MVP Books
Give the Game Back to the Kids Robin Carlsen*
Los Angeles’ Historic Ballparks Chris Epting*
Arcadia Publishing
Mint Condition
Dave Jamieson
Atlantic Monthly Press
Nebraska Indians Guy Green
McFarland New Mexico Baseball
L.M. Sutter *
McFarland Public Bonehead, Private Hero Mike Cameron*
Sporting Chance Press Rick Ferrell, Knuckleball Catcher Ferrell* and Anderson*
McFarland
Rickwood Field
Allen Barra
W.W. Norton
Roger Maris
Tom Clavin and Danny Peary*
Simon & Schuster
Silver Seasons Jim Mandelaro & Scott Pitoniak Syracuse University Press
Straight Talk from Wild Thing
Mitch Williams w/ Darrell Berger*Triumph
The American Assoc. Almanac Rex Hamann*
American Association Almanac
The Game from Where I Stand
Doug Glanville
Times Books
The Other Side of the
Ed Stevens
Tate Publishing
Jackie Robinson Story
The T206 Collection
Tom Zappala & Ellen Zappala
Peter E. Randall
The Empire Strikes Out
Robert Elias*
The New Press
The Longview Cannibals
Jeff Barnhart*
Best of East Texas Publishers
The Cardinals of Cooperstown Greg Marecek & Myron Holtzman Reedy Press
The Politics of Baseball Ron Briley, ed. *
McFarland The 1945 Detroit Tigers Burge C. Smith*
McFarland The Great Match Anonymous/Brooks
McFarland Waiting for the Cubs
Floyd Sullivan*
McFarland Zen Babe
Steven Gerard Farrell
Bookstand Publishing
*denotes SABR member
16 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
ISBN
INFO
978-1-60078-424-8 $14.95 sftcvr
978-1-56663-853-1 $26.95 sftcvr
978-0-7864-4561-5 $35 sftcvr
978-0-313-37756-3 hrdcvr
978-0-91260815-0 $16.95 sftcvr
978-0-7864-5830-1 $35 sftcvr
978-0-7864-4263-8 $49.95 sftcvr
978-0-8027-1745-0 $26 hrdcvr
978-0-7385-7795-1 $21.99 sftcvr
978-0-7864-4737-4 $29.95 sftcvr
978-0-7864-5629-1 $29.95 sftcvr
978-0-8032-5965-2 $29.95 sftcvr
978-0-7603-3806-3 $25 hrdcvr
978-0-9744204-1-7 sftcvr
978-0-7385=8032-6 $21.99 sftcvr
978-0-8021-1939-1 $25 hrdcvr
978-0-7864-4359-8 $33 sftcvr
978-0-7864-4122-8 $38 sftcvr
978-0-9819-3421-1 sftcvr
978-0-7864-5837-0 $29.95 sftcvr
978-0-393-06933-4 $27.95 hrdcvr
978-1-4165-8928-0 $26.99 hrdcvr
978-0-8156-0951-3 $19.95 sftcvr
978-1-60078-306-7 $19.95 hrdcvr
Vol 8, No 3
sftcvr
978-0805091595 $25 hrdcvr
978-1-60799-112-0 $15.99 sftcvr
978-1-931807-94-4 $38 hrdcvr
978-1-59558-195-2 $27.95 hrdcvr
1-878096-97-4
$34.95 hrdcvr
978-1-933370-58-3 $35 hrdcvr
978-0-7864-5652-9 $39.95 sfrcvr
978-0-7864-4196-9 $29.95 sftcvr
978-0-7864-4406-9 $33 sftcvr
978-0-7864-4902-6 $29.95 sftcvr
978-1-58909-558-8 15.96 sftcvr
Selected Book Summaries
In The Cardinals of Cooperstown, Greg Marecek
and Myron Holtzman tell the story of every St. Louis
Cardinal enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of
Fame.
Give the Game Back to the Kids is Robin Carlsen’s
provides a comprehensive approach for playing,
coaching and watching the game.
Giants Past and Present is Dan Fost’s detailed homage
to 125 years of Giants team history, with enough photos
to satisfy even the most die-hard fan.
Roger Maris, by Tom Clavin and Danny Peary, is
the definitive biography of the soft-spoken man who
broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record and
withstood a firestorm of media criticism to become
one of his era’s most preeminent players.
The T206 Collection, by Tom and Ellen Zappala,
provides a complete listing of all 393 players featured
in the T206 baseball card series, including biographies
and full-size color photos.
In The Longview Cannibals, Jeff Barnhart presents
the complete story of one of the most celebrated and
colorful teams in the history of minor league ball.
In Rickwood Field, Allen Barra provides an engrossing
homage to America’s oldest ballpark, telling the
fascinating story of how Rickwood Field, baseball, and
the American south are inextricably intertwined.
Chicago Cubs: Baseball on Catalina Island, by Jim Vitti,
focuses on the Cubs’ 1921-1951 spring training camps
on Catalina Island, where they also caught a lot of fish,
danced with a lot of movie stars, and pulled a lot of
pranks.
Mike Cameron’s Public Bonehead, Private Hero
reveals how baseball fans and the press never tired
of recounting Fred Merkle’s “bonehead” episode and
how different his public image was to the intelligent,
sensitive private man.
The Empire Strikes Out, by Robert Elias, gives us
the sweeping story of how baseball and America are
intertwined in the export of “the American way,” giving
readers an eye-opening look at baseball’s relationship
to American empire from the Revolutionary era to the
present day.
In Athletes Who Indulge Their Dark Side, psychologist
Stanley Teitelbaum asks why elite athletes take
enormous risks with their lives and careers.
In Los Angeles’ Historic Ballparks, Chris Epting shows
that the history of professional baseball in Los Angeles
is deeper than just the Dodgers and Angels, going
back to games at the turn-of the-century Chutes Park,
Gilmore Field, Wrigley Field, among others.
G. Michael Green and Roger Launius’ Charlie Finley
draws upon interviews with dozens of Finley’s players,
family members and colleagues to write the first
full biography of one of baseball’s most colorful and
influential impresarios.
continued on page 18
PUBLISHER
ADDRESS
PHONE
American Association Almanac 14201 Crosstown Blvd, NW, Andover, MN 55204-3311
Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843.853.2070
Atlantic Monthly Press
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
212.614.7850
Best of East Texas Publishers
515 S. First st, PO Box 1647, Lufkin, TX 75902
936.634.7444
Bookstand Publishing
Ivan R. Dee
1332 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60642
312.787.6262
McFarland & Co.*
Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640
800.253.2187
MIddle Atlantic Press
MVP Books
400 First Ave. N, Ste 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
W.W. Norton
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
212.354.5500
Praeger
130 Cremona Dr, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
312.644.3400
The New Press
38 Greene St., New York, NY 10013
212.629.8802
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
212.698.7008
Sporting Chance Press
1074 Butler Dr., Crystal Lake, IL 60014
815.245.9774
Syracuse University Press
Syracuse, New York 13244-5290
315.443.5547
Times Books
Triumph Books
542 S. Dearborn, Ste 750, Chicago, IL 60605
312.939.3330
University of Nebraska Press
Lincoln, NE 68588-0630
Walker & Co. 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010
WEB
almanacpark.blogspot.com
arcadiapublishing.com
groveatlantic.com
longviewcannibals.com
ebookstand.com
www.ivanrdee.com
mcfarlandpub.com
mvpbooks.com
wwnorton.com
abc-clio.com
reedypress.com
thenewpress.com
simonandschuster.com
sportingchancepress.com
syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu
triumphbooks.com
bisonbooks.com
walkerbooks.com
* Denotes Bulletin advertiser
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 17
Selected Book Summaries continued from page 17
Matthew Silverman’s 100 Things Mets Fans Should
Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource
guide for true fans of Mets baseball.
Peter Morris has revised and expanded A Game of
Inches to illuminate the origins of items ranging from
catcher’s masks to hook slides to intentional walks to
the reserve clause. The book is now in one volume.
Rich Westcott’s Back Again follows the 2009 Phillies
from Opening Day, through the tragic passing of
Harry Kalas, and all of the events that led up to the
team making the World Series for the second year in
a row—the first time Philadelphia had accomplished
this feat.
In The Other Side of the Jackie Robinson story, “Big” Ed
Stevens tells, for the first time, the full story of his role
in the historic integration of baseball.
Mint Condition, by Dave Jamieson, traces the history
of baseball cards from the years after the Civil War
through the 1980s and 1990s when card collecting
became a billion-dollar-a-year industry.
With Final Innings, Dean Sullivan concludes his fourvolume documentary history of baseball, constructing
an informative and entertaining account of major
league baseball from 1972 through 2008.
Steven Farrell’s Zen Babe is a fictionalized account of
Babe Ruth and his team of American All-Stars who
barnstormed their way across Japan.
The Game from Where I Stand is Doug Glanville’s
candid look at life as a major league player, taking the
reader through every aspect of being a professional
player—both the good and the bad.
Edd Roush: A Biography of the Cincinnati Reds Star by
Mitchell Conrad Stinson chronicles the life of the
man who thought the Reds would have won the 1919
World Series anyway.
The Politics of Baseball: Essays on the Pastime and Power
at Home and Abroad, edited by Ron Briley, collects
16 essays on both domestic and international political
issues.
Rick Ferrell, Knuckleball Catcher: A Hall of Famer’s
Life Behind the Plate and in the Front Office by Kerrie
Ferrell and William M. Anderson tells the tale aided
by the reminscences of Ferrell’s daughter.
The 1945 Detroit Tigers: Nine Old Men and One Young
Left Arm Win It All by Burge Carmon Smith traces the
Tigers World Series winners as baseball begins to
return to quality after World War II.
The Great Match and Our Base Ball Club: Two Novels
from the Early Days of Base Ball collects two of the
earliest novels (1887 and 1884 respectively) about
the game. Trey and Geri Strecker edited the volume,
Number 10 in McFarland’s Historical Baseball Library.
Waiting for the Cubs: The 2008 Season, the Hundred-Year
Slump and One Fan’s Lifelong Vigil by Floyd Sullivan
tracks the Cubs in 2008 from a fan’s point of view.
Baseball’s Longest Games: A Comprehensive Worldwide
Record Book by Philip J. Lowry records hundreds of
game that went long in time, or innings, or ended after
1 a.m.
Cooperstown by the Numbers: An Analysis of Baseball’s
Hall of Fame Elections by John McConnell examines
the Hall of Fame election process over the decades
and the kinds of things that sway voters.
Silver Seasons, by Jim Mandelaro and Scott Pitoniak
retraces the careers of the players and managers
who honed their skills playing for the Rochester Red
Wings.
New Mexico Baseball: Miners, Outlaws, Indians and
Isotopes, 1880 to the Present by L.M. Sutter covers the
state’s baseball history from town teams to AAA.
In Straight Talk from Wild Thing, former player Mitch
Williams presents the story of his journey as a
professional player as well as the accumulated wisdom
he’s gained along the way.
Abner Doubleday: A Civil War Biography by Thomas
Barthel focuses on Doubleday’s impressive military
career and spends one chapter on his dubious
invention of baseball.
The Nebraska Indians (original 1903) and Fun and Frolic
with an Indian Ball Team (1904) in one volume, both by
Guy W. Green, marks the resumption of McFarland’s
Historical Baseball Library. The book also contains an
introduction by Jeffrey P. Beck that puts the anecdotefilled stories in historical context.
Ball Tales: A Study of Baseball, Basketball and Football
Fiction of the 1930s through 1960s by Michelle Nolan
covers the range from comic books to serious novels.
18 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
V>À>˜`
David Arcidiacono
James D. Szalontai
Edited by Ron Briley
$35 softcover
978-0-7864-3677-4
$39.95 softcover (7 s 10)
978-0-7864-3793-1
$39.95 softcover
978-0-7864-4129-7
L.M. Sutter
Edited by John B. Wiseman
$38 softcover
978-0-7864-4122-8
$39.95 softcover
978-0-7864-4228-7
Edited by Angelo J. Louisa
and David Cicotello
$29.95 softcover
978-0-7864-4554-7
Box 6ÁÁ, JeÝerson, North Carolina 28640 USA ¥ www.mcfarlandpub.com
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 19
SABR 40 Awards Presentation Preview continued from page 1
McFarland-SABR Award
This year’s winners are:
Mark Armour (Corvallis, OR), “A Tale of Two Umpires,” published in fall 2009 issue of Baseball Research
Journal
William F. Lamb (Meredith, NH), "A Fearsome Collaboration: The Alliance of Andrew Freedman and John T.
Brush,” published in the fall 2009 issue of Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game.
Geri Strecker (Muncie, IN), “The Rise and Fall of Greenlee Field: Biography of a Ballpark,” published in the
fall 2009 issue of Black Ball: A Journal of the Negro League.
The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the authors of the best articles or papers, published
or unpublished, on baseball history or biography completed during the preceding calendar year and whose
research projects have greatly expanded our knowledge of baseball. The award includes a $200 cash prize. The
judging committee for the McFarland-SABR Award included Len Levin, Chuck Hilty, Jan Finkel, Phil Bergen, and
Bill Humber.
Negro Leagues Committee’s Scholarship Essay Contest and Library Grants
The Negro Leagues Committee was pleased to award $2,500 scholarships to two graduating high school
seniors as a result of its first-ever national essay contest. The winners of the inaugural contest were Chad
Richardson of Lakota West High School (West Chester, Ohio), and Lewis Pollis of Cleveland Heights High School
(Cleveland Hts, Ohio).
Richardson’s essay was entitled “Shattering the Color Barrier.” He intends to major in journalism at the
University of Missouri. Pollis’ essay was entitled “Guts Enough to Not Fight Back.” He plans to major in political
science at Brown University.
The contest was open only to high school seniors planning to pursue a degree at an accredited US postsecondary institution and carrying a minimum 2.5 GPA at the end of their junior year. Students had to write a
1,000-word essay answering one of the following questions: “What influence or impact did Jackie Robinson, as
the first African-American to play modern day major league baseball, have on the Civil Rights movement?” OR
“What are the comparative aspects of the historical breakthroughs of Jackie Robinson in baseball and Barack
Obama in politics?”
The Negro Leagues Committee also awarded $1,000 library grants to S.D. Lee Middle School and West
Lowndes Elementary School, both of Columbus, Mississippi. School libraries from across the country were invited
to submit grant proposals centering on educating students about black baseball and American history.
S. D. Lee Middle school’s project is “Step up to the Plate,” a Black History Month program for all classes. It will
include a web quest kickoff, a bookmark contest, a baseball card contest, read-aloud sessions, parent visitation
day, poetry writing, and special guests.
West Lowndes Elementary School’s program is “Batter Up! Reader Up!,” which will invite area high school
and college baseball players to speak at the school. Other activities include the creation of the West Lowndes
Elementary Baseball Hall of Fame (students must participate in the program to be eligible), a door decorating
contest, read-aloud sessions, and activities in all classes such as writing a new verse to “Take Me out to the Ball
Game” or finding batting averages for their favorite Negro League players.
SABR 40 presenters will answer all kinds of questions
Do players make batting slumps worse by trying to escape them?
Patrick Kilgo, Brian Schmotzer, Jeff Switchenko, Paul Weiss, Lisa Elon
Are outs made on the bases more harmful than other types of outs?
David W. Smith
Does extreme home field advantage exist?
Mark Kanter
There’s still time to register at store.sabr.org!
20 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
Research Requests
Scott Crawford is looking for information about these
players. Not stats. (Knos Doc Younker didn't play, but he
was involved in several organizations.) Bob Alexander,
Vancouver, played 1955. Ken Crosby, New Denver,
played 1975-76. Tom Harrison, Trail, played 1965.
Kevin Reimer, Enderby/Macon, GA, played 1988-1993.
Bert Sincock, Bakerville, played 1908. Harold “Doc”
Younker, Pasco, WA. Email: scott@baseballhalloffame.
ca Phone: 519-284-1838
Jack Little is ooking for information on early baseball
in the south. What books would you recomend? What
is there to read about the Southeren Association and
other early teams? Email: [email protected] Phone:
419-691-4955
Adam Kirsch is looking to do some research
comparing all aspects of the game from the field to the
fans between the largest and smallest payrolls in the
MLB. Please send me an email if you have any insights
to share regarding this. Thanks! Email: ajk5.mets@
gmail.com
Ron Antonucci is seeking anecdotes about unusual
major league debuts such as Ervin Santana's: On May
17, 2005, he threw 10 pitches to the first four Cleveland
hitters he faced resulting in the cyle: Triple, Double,
Single, Home Run. Or Billy Herman's August 29, 1931
debut when he fouled a pitch off his head and knocked
himself unconcious. Please include brief summary with
player, date, teams--any pertinent info, plus citations if
you got 'em. Email: [email protected]
Bill Staples Jr. is writing the biography of Kenichi
Zenimura (Japanese American Baseball pioneer:
player, manager, international ambassador). He is in
need of some research assistance from anyone with
access to newspapers in Hawaii. Specifically the
Pacific Commercial Advertiser - Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
Priority needs are articles and/or box scores covering
the periods 1) 1 July 1928 to March 1929 (possibly
traveling with the Los Angeles White Sox, a West Coast
Negro Leagues squad) 2) 1915 to 1918 (as a member
of the Honolulu Asahi). If you have access to these
Hawaiian newspapers resources or know of someone
who does and might be interested in assisting on this
research project, please contact me directly. Thank
you. Email: [email protected] Phone: 602-6140538
Steven Baker is looking for the manager/head coach
names for three teams for the 1994 season of the New
England Collegiate Baseball League, as summer
league. 1994 was the first season for the league and
all search efforts have failed. The three teams are:
Bristol Nighthawks, Waterbury White Sox, and Fairfied
Stallions. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Email:
[email protected] Phone: 401-885-2052
Spirit of SABR Salute
In each Bulletin, this space is devoted to recognizing SABR
members who, on their own initiative or on request, have
assisted other members in their research projects, which
is what SABR is all about. The only source of names is you,
the membership. There are no judges, no committees,
competition. All names submitted are printed; their
nominators will not be identified.
Bob Bluthardt (San Angelo Texas)
Steve Johnson (Oberlin, OH)
John Holway (Springfield, VA)
Cliff Blau (White Plains, NY)
Jim Riley (Woodstock, GA)
Ted Turocy (Westlake, OH)
John Zajc (Cleveland, OH)
Submit names for the Spirit of SABR Salute to:
Spirit of SABR Salute
812 Huron Rd E, #719
Cleveland, OH 44115 or e-mail to: [email protected]
Make sure you continue receiving the
Bulletin and other SABR communications.
If your email address has changed, please
be sure to change it in your profile in the
Members Only section of the SABR website
(members.sabr.org) or send an email to:
[email protected].
Moving? Remember to send SABR
your change of address
SABR publications are mailed nonprofit bulk mail, which is not
forwarded by the USPS.
NAME: _______________________________________
NEW ADDRESS: _________________________________
_____________________________________________
CITY, STATE, ZIP: ________________________________
OLD ADDRESS: _________________________________
_____________________________________________
Return to:
812 Huron Rd E, #719
Cleveland, OH 44115
SABR Bulletin Summer 2010 21
Upcoming Events
7/10/2010 Montreal, Quebec
8/21/2010 Vermont
07/14/2010 Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues
Conference
8/21/2010 Vancouver, BC
Quebec Chapter meets at Municipal Stadium.
Contact: Patrick Carpentier, ppcarpentier@videotron.
ca
begins in Birmingham, Alabama. Runs through Sunday,
July 18. For more information, contact Larry Lester
[email: [email protected]]
7/17/2010 Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Chapter meets
Contact: Tomotada Yamamoto, mountainbook91@jcom.
home.ne.jp
7/24/2010 Sacramento, CA
Sacramento Chapter meets
Contact: John Moist, [email protected]
08/05/2010 SABR 40
begins in Atlanta, Georgia at the Sheraton Hotel.
For more information, contact John Zajc [email: jzajc@
sabr.org] [web: convention.sabr.org]
8/14/2010 San Francisco, CA
Lefty O’Doul Chapter attends a San Jose Giants Game
Contact: Marlene Vogelsang, mvogelsang@sbcglobal.
net
Gardner-Waterman Chapter meets at Lance Richbourg's
Art Studio
Contact: Tom Simon, [email protected]
Northwest SABR meets
Contact: Max Weder, [email protected]
8/24/2010 San Francisco, CA
Lefty O'Doul Chapter joins with the PCL to celebrate
Pacific Coast League history and players
Contact: Marlene Vogelsang, mvogelsang@sbcglobal.
net
9/21/2010 Houston, TX
Larry Dierker Chapter meets
Contact: Bob Dorill, [email protected]
10/24/2010 Toronto, ON
Hanlan's Point Chapter meets
Contact: Maxwell Kates, [email protected]
11/4-11/6/2010 Arizona Fall League
Conference
Contact: Rodney Johnson, [email protected]
8/21/2010 Charlotte, NC
Charlotte Chapter meets in Rock Hill, SC, at Charlotte
Knights Stadium
Contact: Mark Dugo, [email protected]
The SABR Bulletin
is published four times a year by the Society for American
Baseball Research, 812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland OH 44115.
©Copyright 2010, SABR. All rights reserved.
Society for American Baseball Research, The SABR logo, the
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Pastime are all trademarked for publication purposes by Society for
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Contact SABR
Mail: 812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland OH 44115
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Changes of Address
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at the time of publication. Please send any change in your email
addres to: [email protected].
22 SABR Bulletin Summer 2010
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