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Topic: Midwest SABR Forum
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Gregg HoffmannPerson was signed in when posted  1
01-03-2006 05:24 PM ET (US)
This site is provided by MDR for SABR members from chapters in the Midwest to post notices of meetings and events, messages, swap baseball stories, put up trivia quizzes, you name it. No profanities though, even if they are directed at the umps.
Gregg HoffmannPerson was signed in when posted  2
01-03-2006 05:24 PM ET (US)
Deleted by author 01-03-2006 05:24 PM
Gregg Hoffmann  3
01-04-2006 10:04 AM ET (US)
Walk back in time! The "Streets of Old Milwaukee Come Alive" with costumed interpreters representing historic Milwaukee figures sharing local stories on Saturday, January 21st.
You've never experienced a stroll through the "Streets" like this one! Talk a walk back in time as the "Streets" come alive with Milwaukee stories and traditions, as told by costumed interpreters representing historic local figures. Remember what life was like in Milwaukee during the age of penny candy, movies that cost a nickel and horse hats that were sold in a general store. Feel free to handle items sold and worn in the 1890s. Discover the beginnings of Milwaukee baseball with a Cream City baseball team display. Enjoy corner games and an 1890s toy station.



Gary "Handlebar" Hetzel, Captain
Milwaukee Cream Citys BBC
www.creamcitys.org
Rick Schabowski  4
01-04-2006 10:09 AM ET (US)
The Next Meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR is scheduled for Saturday February 4th at 11 AM. The meeting will take place at Long Wong's, 5230 West Bluemound Road. Our Guests of Honor are Brewers Public Address Announcer Robb Edwards, and long-time Brewers Director of Publications\Historian Mario Ziino. SABR members are invited to make research presentations. For more information contact Rick Schabowski at 414-322-4997, or e-mail me at RICKIU76@aol.com.
Tim Rask  5
01-11-2006 07:48 AM ET (US)
The next meeting of the Field of Dreams (Iowa) Chapter of SABR will be held at 3pm on January 21, immediately following the Iowa Cubs Fan Fest. We will meet at Howard Hall, Rm 309 on the Drake University campus (just down the block from the Knapp Center, where the fest will be).

For details, see http://fieldofdreams.sabr.org/
Rick Schabowski  6
02-12-2006 08:01 AM ET (US)
Sixty people were in attendence for the February 4th meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR meeting held at Long Wong's Chinese American Sports Bar. The three Guest speakers did an excellent job....Brewers GM Doug Melvin talked about his upbringings in Canada, his career in baseball, the intracies of being the GM, and painted a rosy picture for the Brewers prospectus. Robb Edwards, Miller Park PA Announcer, talked about how he got his job, the work involved getting ready for a game, and detailed his assignments for the closing ceremony at County Stadium, and the 2002 All-Star Game. Mario Ziino,lontime Brewers publications director and historian, related many interesting stories, among a few of the topics, the 1982 pennant race, dealings with Brewers players, and his roles with the Brewers. Bob Buege did a research presentation on Rube Wadell, and also delved into the topic of how some information on players or evevnts are sometimes inaccurate.

Our next meeting is planned for Saturday May 20th, in conjunction with a Brewers-Twins game.
Rick  7
03-06-2006 12:07 PM ET (US)
It might be snowing in Milwaukee, but in Arizona and Florida the sound of the bat hitting the ball is in the air, and that sound will be heard in your favorite major league park in less than FOUR WEEKS! I thought it would be a good time to update you on Future Activities.

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will be held on Saturday May 20th, 11 AM at Long Wong's, 5230 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi. Daron Sutton is the tentative Guest Speaker. We will also have members of the Brew Crew Review in attendence. What we do NEED is RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS!

Please e-mail or call and let me know about making a presentation. The heart of SABR is sharing information uncovered in your research with other members. We'd like to have some for our next meeting. The meeting also gives attendees the opportunity to attend the Brewers-Twins game that evening.

Long Wong's will host a Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training party on Sunday, March 12th at 1:00 pm. The Brewers-Cubs game will be televised beginning at 2:00 pm. A tailgate style buffet will be offered along with many prizes.

If you are not at Maryvale you should be at Long Wong's for the Brewers vs. Cubs game. Doors open at 1:00 pm.

See you Sunday, March 12 1:00-5:00 pm

Long Wong's Chinese-American Sports Bar

5230 W. Bluemound Rd. Milwaukee

414-454-0400

Everyone is Welcome.

The Wisconsin Old-Time Ballplayers Association will hold it's Spring Jamboree at Serb Hall Monday April 10th. You can contact Greg Ebbert at gregebbert@msn.com for more details.

The Midwest Diamond Report at www.midwestdiamondreport.com continues to be a must-go-to source for baseball information. It's updated very often with spring training in full swing. Check out some of the great advertisers on the site!

For any questions about Upcoming Events don't hesitate in contacting me at RICKIU76@aol.com, or calling me at 414-769-7944 ( home) or 414-322-4997 ( cell)
Rick  8
03-10-2006 08:19 AM ET (US)
Due to a scheduling conflict with the Brewers the Spring Training party
scheduled for this Sunday at Long Wong's has been cancelled. Brewers to host Select-A-Seat Open House The Brewers were scheduled to have a large contingent of front office personnel at Long Wong's but the event conflicted with the Select-A-Seat Open House at Miller Park.

Long Wong's will still be open Sunday afternoon for viewing of the Brewers vs Cubs exhibition game starting at 2:00pm.

Sorry for any inconvenience.
National SABR Office  9
03-16-2006 05:14 PM ET (US)
SABR 36 Info in Mail

The March/April issue of The SABR Bulletin, which contains the information and registration forms for the 2006 SABR Convention in Seattle, is now being delivered via non-profit bulk rate. If you do not have your mailer by April 7, then your copy can be presumed lost in the mail, and you should contact the office for a replacement. Also included with the March/April issue of The SABR Bulletin is the 2006 Election information and ballot.

You can find much convention information at:

http://tinyurl.com/z8ov7

If you want to read a PDF of the SABR 36 mailer, you can do so at:

http://nwsabr.sabr.org/SABR36_mailer.pdf

If you only want the registration form, download it from:

http://tinyurl.com/k7gb2

If you KNOW you are coming to the convention and want to be part of the Awards
Luncheon with Jim Bouton, you SHOULD NOT DELAY in completing your registration. The luncheon is limited to 340 because of space limitations and once we have 340 registered for the luncheon, there is no more room.

Seattle has a plethora of activities for the entire family, and the local SABR contingent has put together a great line-up of tours before, during, and after the convention activities. Head to the NWSABR Convention web site to learn more:

http://nwsabr.sabr.org/convention.htm#optional

You can download a 26-page document describing these opportunities at:

http://nwsabr.sabr.org/SABR_36_Seattle_Opt...Events_Overview.pdf

Different tours require different registration forms, so please follow the directions in the overview.


Another Minor League Opportunity

Would you like to attend AA and AAA baseball games for free and get paid for scoring them? If so, please go to
 http://www.baseballinfosolutions.com/minorad.html

click on the “Apply” link, and
send your responses to

jonv@baseballinfosolutions.com.

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

The Seymour Medal Conference will be in Cleveland, April 28-29, 2006.
Registration online at http://store.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

The next convention, SABR 36, will be held June 28 to July 1, 2006, in Seattle,
Washington
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,1432,17 Details coming soon!

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu
Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
Gregg HoffmannPerson was signed in when posted  10
04-22-2006 04:53 PM ET (US)
From Rick S:

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

There are a number of baseball-related events coming up that I thought you might be interested in.

 

Monday April 24th: “ Handy Andy” Pafko will be inducted into the Milwaukee Braves Wall of Honor in a ceremony open to the public at 4 PM inside Miller Park on the third base side of the main concourse. Jim Powell will be the Master of Ceremonies, and Andy will also make a few remarks. If you choose to attend the game, Andy will also be signing autographs by the Braves Wall of Honor area for the first three innings, and he also will be throwing out the first pitch.

 

Wednesday April 26th: The World Series Club will hold a meeting at Alioto’s, with the featured Guest being Brewers television announcer Bill Schroeder. Contact Greg Ebbert at gregebbert@msn.com for details.

 

Saturday May 20th: A Meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will be held at Long Wong’s Chinese American Sportsbar, 5230 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee at 11 AM. The Guest of Honor is Daron Sutton, Brewers TV announcer, and also featured on “Baseball Saturday” which can be heard on, of course, Saturdays, from 8 AM- 9AM on ESPN Sports radio WAUK 1510.

 

There will also be Research Presentations by Bob Koehler, who will talk about Heroes and Flakes of the American Association Milwaukee Brewers, Tom Rathkamp will have a presentation, Craig and Laura Simmons-Larsen will speak about their trip to Philadelphia for the induction of Al Simmons into the Philadelphia Hall of Fame, and Larry Baldassaro will talk about his experiences serving as an interpreter for the Italian team in the World Baseball Classic.

 

We will also have as Guests of Honor, members from the “ Brew Crew Review.”

 

As always, Paul Wong and his staff will provide an opportunity to purchase a buffet meal during the meeting.

 

Attendees will have an opportunity to attend the Brewers-Twins game later that evening. Let me know if you’re interested and I will purchase tickets.

Saturday July 8: Andy Pafko will be signing autographs at the Madison Mallards game. Details can be found at www.mallardsbaseball.com.

 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate in contacting me by phone at 414-769-7944 ( home), 414-322-4997 ( cell), or by e-mail.

 

Thanks, and I hope to see you at these future gatherings!

 

Rick
SABR National Office  11
05-03-2006 03:19 PM ET (US)
SABR 36

There are over 325 members already registered for the SABR convention in
Seattle. Space at the luncheon and at the Saturday Mariners game with pre-game
BBQ is going fast. You can register online at the SABR Store
(http://store.sabr.org), or mail or fax your registration. If you have misplaced
your SABR 36 mailer, contact the office for a replacement.

In the coming weeks, keep an eye on the SABR web site for details on what
research presentations will be when, what committees will meet when, and other
programming during the convention.

While you are in Seattle, don't miss out on all the fun outside the SABR hotel.
The local committee has worked hard to put together lots of optional events and
tours. Head to the NWSABR Convention web site to learn more:

http://nwsabr.sabr.org/convention.htm#optional

You can download a 26-page document describing these opportunities at:

http://nwsabr.sabr.org/SABR_36_Seattle_Opt...Events_Overview.pdf

Different tours require different registration forms, so please follow the
directions in the overview.

Predict the Standings Contest

Only 156 SABR members participated in the 2006 Predict the Satndings Contest. In
the aggregate, SABR members predict division championships for the Yankees,
White Sox, and Angels in the AL; and Braves, Cardinals, and Dodgers in the NL.
The Indians were the top choice for the AL Wild Card, and the Mets were wild
card choices.

If SABR members know what they are predicting, the Yankees will face the Cards
in the World Series, and the Cards got one more vote as Champions than the
Yanks.

If you would like a copy of an Excel file summary of the predictions, let me
know and I’ll send it to you.

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director
Tim Rask  12
05-22-2006 06:42 PM ET (US)
The next Field of Dreams (Iowa) Regional Chapter meeting will be Saturday, June 10 at 3pm in Waterloo, Iowa. We will meet at the Waterloo Public Library's Meeting Room A (415 Commercial Street in downtown Waterloo).

Tim Rask will give a presentation on his current research project, The Three-I League Civil War of 191-1912 (which revolved around Waterloo's fight to remain a member of the circuit).

Ralph Christian will give a brief overview of the latest issue of Iowa Heritage Illustrated, which focuses on baseball in Iowa. John Liepa and Ralph Christian both contributed photos and articles to this publication of the State Historical Society of Iowa.

Bill Sherman will give a brief talk about former Major Leaguer Jackie Collum, a current resident of Grinnell, Iowa. Bill will also propose Grinnell as a future meeting site.

Steve Smith, editor of the chapter's online publication, will give a status report on the project.

And, of course, the trivia contest.

Following the meeting, any attendees who so choose will take in a Northwoods League game between the Waterloo Bucks and Mankato Moondogs.

If you will be attending, please notify me at timrask@worldnet.att.net.

Tim Rask
Umpire-in-Chief
Field of Dreams Chapter
Tim Rask  13
05-24-2006 06:47 PM ET (US)
The Field of Dreams Chapter meeting on June 10 will now begin at 2:00pm to accomodate another presentation.

Darrell Hanson will present on pre-1940's batters who benched themselves at the end ofa season to protect their .400 averages or their lead for a batting title, including the myth of Ted Williams' decision to risk his .400 average by playing the final double header in 1941

Tim Rask
Rick S.  14
06-05-2006 04:14 PM ET (US)
UPCOMING EVENTS
 
There are a number of Baseball-related events coming up, and I thought I would pass these on.
 
BOOK SIGNING
 
I received the following e-mail from Johnathan Eig.
 
I wanted to let you and other SABR members know that I'll be in Milwaukee on June 15 to discuss and sign copies of my book, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig.
Hope to see you.
Best,
Jonathan Eig
 
Milwaukee, WI

Thursday, June 15th

 

7:00 PM Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop

Talk/Q&A/Signing 17145 W. Bluemound Road

                                                Brookfield, WI 53005

                                                Contact: Brian Grover, 262-797-6140

 

BREWERS GAME


A local high school is selling tickets for the Saturday July 29th Brewers game versus the Reds.The cost of the ticket, which is an Upper deck reserved ticket is $12. If you're interested please contact me by June 8. The proceeds from the ticket sales will give this team an opportunity to play a game at Miller Park/ This game is also Cerveceros Day.

 

The July 29 th game is also the day of the Sausage Race Run/Walk. Following are some details.



Community
Community
Brewers in the Community
Brewers Charities
Selig Scholars Program
Grant Application
Photo Galleries
2006 Student Achievers
Masters of American Comics
Sausage Run/Walk
S.C.O.R.E.


   
 Entry Includes:

A Cool T-Shirt | One Terrace Reserved Ticket to the Brewers/Reds game on July 29th at 6:05pm or a voucher for a Terrace Reserved Ticket to a home game, redeemable August 17-September 24, 2006 | Free soda and hot dog or brat immediately following Run/Walk | Additional game tickets available

To register, call 414-902-4488 or e-mail: lynn.sprangers@milwaukeebrewers.com

AWARDS

Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female finishers and to the top three finishers in each age bracket. Awards will be distributed following the race at the Klement's Sausage Haus.

COSTUME CONTEST

Use your creativity and imagination to dress as your favorite Miller Park character. A prize will be awarded for the best costume, selected by the run/walk crowd.

COURSE

Accurate and fast course with start and finish at the Klement's Sausage Haus.

TIME SPLITS

Mile 1, 2 & 3



WATER STATIONS

Start/Finish, 1 and 2 miles

FACILITIES

Restrooms available at the Klement's Sausage Haus.


PROCEEDS

The mission of Brewers Charities is to support youth recreation and scholarship programs for families in metropolitan Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

TIME & PLACE

July 29th, 2006 at 9AM

The Klement's Sausage Haus,
Miller Park Parking Lot
Milwaukee, WI



DIRECTIONS TO MILLER PARK

Exit from I-94 at Miller Park Way.
Take the Miller Park Exit.

REGISTRATION

Pre-registration $20

Day of run/walk registration $25

Race day registration closes at 8:30

AGE GROUPS

12 and under, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+, Wheelchair Division

3
 


FUTURE MEETING


2007 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Milwaukee Braves World Championship season, the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter is pleased to "kick-off" no a better choice might be to " throw out the opening pitch" for

 the Anniversary.Circle Saturday, February 3, 2007 on your calenders. The owner of Rare Sportfilms, Doak Ewing, has agreed to show the entire Game 7 of the 1957 World Series which he has on kinescope. Many great memories will be brought back, and

 I'm sure you'll enjoy the screening! Doak will also talk about his collection, and you'll be able to order from the large collection he has.

The meeting will be held at Long Wong's, 5230 West Bluemound Road in Milwaukee, and will begin at 11 AM.



QUESTIONS
 
If you have any questions, don't hesitate in contacting me at RICKIU76@aol.com, or my cell at 414-322-4997. Thanks

 
Rick Schabowski
Rick S.  15
06-12-2006 12:41 PM ET (US)
OLD BREWERS ROSTER BOOK JUST IN TIME FOR FATHER'S DAY on JUNE 18

Now Available! Completely updated and reformatted roster listings for the
American Assocation Milwaukee Brewers, 1902-1952. Includes a year-by-year
listing broken down by position players and pitchers, and contains a
separate 3-page section on managers. In addition, the roster book features
an appendix providing nicknames and miscellaneous notes on various players,
all capped off with a 20-question Trivia Quiz. Please contact Rex Hamann at
pureout@msn.com or by mail at 14201 Crosstown Blvd. NW, Andover, MN 55304.
If you mention membership in the Ken Keltner chapter you receive a 25%
discount from the $20 list price, for a total charge of $15.00 postpaid.
Makes a great gift, ideal for Father's Day!
Ken Keltner SABR Quiz  16
06-18-2006 08:12 AM ET (US)
KEN KELTNER BADGER STATE CHAPTER OF SABR TRIVIA QUIZ

1. Who was the first Florida Marlin pitcher to win 20 or more games in a season?
2. Who is the only slugger to belt at least 60 homers in a season three times?
3. Who is the only player to collect 200 or more hits in each of his five seasons in the majors?
4. Who is the only active player who still wears Jackie Robinson’s retired # 42?
5. Which Rookie of the Year winner failed to play a single game in his sophomore season?
6. Who is the only Montreal Expo to win a Cy Young Award?
7. Who holds the record for career homers without ever leading his league?
8. Since 1990, who is the only hurler to fan at least 300 batters in a season for two NL clubs?
9. Who pitched the most career games without ever making a single start?
10. Who retired with the fewest career RBI’s among players with at least 500 homers?
11. Who is the only pitcher to fan at least 200 batters in a season with New York Yankees and the New York Mets?
12. Besides Barry Bonds, who is the only other slugger to smack at least 20 homers every season from 1990 to 1999?
13. Who is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame who played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays?
14. Which batting champion, and veteran of more than 2,000 big-league games, didn’t play in the minors until 2005?
15. Which MVP award winner of the 90’s is no longer living?
16. Who is the only player to draw at least 100 walks in each of the previous seven seasons?
17. Who was the first manager to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a winning season?
18. Which pitcher started, and won two games in the 1997 World Series, was gone from the majors before turning 30 years old?
19. Which Hall of Famer lost the most career games among pitchers who debuted since 1900?
20. Who is the only batting title qualifier to hit at least .300 for the Milwaukee Brewers in the AL and NL?
21. Which outfielder during the 80’s and 90’s stole at least 50 bases in a season with four different clubs?
22. Which hurler who has led his club in victories in each of the past two seasons previously played in the NBA?
23. Who was the only pitcher chosen first overall in the June draft who never made the majors?
24. Which AL home-run champ drove in more than 100 runs in his last major league season?
25. Who is the only man to be a teammate of Frank Robinson and Nomar Garciaparra?
26. Who is the only 20th Century pitcher to throw from both sides of the mound in a single game?
27. Who wore #44 for the Milwaukee Brewers before Henry Aaron?
Rick S.  17
06-19-2006 07:14 AM ET (US)
Keltner SABR CHAPTER NEWSLETTER

There are a number of items that you should be aware of.

PICK N SAVE “WE CARE” PROGRAM

I’m happy to inform you that the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR has
been accepted by Pick n Save as a participant in their “We Care” program.

The program provides a means for raising revenue for non-profit organizations
such as our Chapter. Getting involved is easy.

If you’re already a member of the Pick n Save Savers Club Advantage card, ( this
will be a green-colored card that attaches to your key chain, or a card the size
of a credit card ) all you have to do is ask for a Savers Club application at
the service desk, fill-in the information including your card number, and put
the number 717675 in the Charity Code box.

If you’re not a member, ask for a Savers Club Application, fill-in the
information, include your new card number, and fill-in 717675 in the Charity
Code Box.

Having a card also entitles you to all the discounts and sale items at Pick n
Save without cutting coupons. This gives our Chapter an easy way to generate
revenue. Try to get your friends, family, and any one you know involved in this
program.

If you have any questions…feel free to contact me.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Greg Ebbert has forwarded me the following information:

The World Series Club will meet Thursday, June 22 at Alioto's on HWY 100. The
featured speaker will be either Brewers GM Doug Melvin, Asst. GM Gord Ash or
Special Assistant to the General Manager/Director of Amateur Scouting Jack
Zduriencik.

Dinner for guests is $20.00 and will be served at 7:00pm. Cocktail hour begins
at 6:00pm. For reservations contact Paul Schramka 262-251-3130 or Greg Ebbert
262-242-0384 Email: gregebbert@msn.com.
                                                  

BELOIT SNAPPERS (A)
                         Minnesota Twins Affiliate

    Friday, July 28, 2006
                                VS.
3578 South 108th St.
                                                  
PH: 414-541-9270
                                  WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS
                                                  Seattle Mainers
Affiliate
Sponsored By
Old Time Ballplayers Association of Wisconsin
 
$25.00 per person
Includes Ticket & Coach Bus
(Beer, Soda, Snacks and Prizes on Bus)

Old Time Ballplayers Board Member (if applicable) ________________________

Name ___________________________________________________

Phone ____________________ E-mail ________________________

Payment in advance: Date Paid _______________

Ticket-Quantity _____ @ $25 each Total Paid ________

Cash or Check # ________ Mail to: Greg Ebbert 11351 N. Glenwood Dr.
                                                  
Mequon, WI 53097-3113
                                                  262-242-0384
E-mail: gregebbert@msn.com

Meet at Hales Corners Park & Ride 4:30
Bus departs 5:00pm

Join The Fun!
Limited Seating
Please make advance reservations

QUESTIONS
If you have any questions ?????? Fell free to contact me at 414-322-4997 or
e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.

Thanks!

Rick
Rick S  18
07-15-2006 11:10 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING
 
The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter will be held on Saturday August 19th, 11 AM at Long Wong's Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi.
 
Our Guests of Honor include one or two members of the Houston Astros organization. The Astros will be battling the Brewers later that evening. Special Thanks to Andy Martinez for co-coordinating this part of the meeting!
 
We will also have Dr. Jerald Podair, who is an Associate Professor of History and the Robert S. French Professor of American Studies at Lawrence University as a Guest of Honor. Dr. Podair is also an avid Baseball fan, and is working on a book about Walter O'Malley. He's looking forward to meeting membership and talking about Baseball.
 
If you're interested in doing a research presentation please let me know, and we can accommodate you.
 
Also on the agenda we will talk about Chapter projects, future meetings, the recently concluded SABR National Convention held in Seattle, and time permitting.....a round-table discussion about Baseball-related matters.
 
If you have any questions???????? Don't hesitate in contacting me via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com or my cell # which is 414-322-4997.
 
Thanks......and hope to see you on August 19th!
 
Rick Schabowski
   19
07-22-2006 12:23 AM ET (US)
Deleted by topic administrator 07-23-2009 02:10 AM
Ken Keltner SABR  20
08-02-2006 10:54 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

 

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter will be held on Saturday August 19th, 11 AM at Long Wong's Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi.

 

Our Guests of Honor include one or two members of the Houston Astros organization. The Astros will be battling the Brewers later that evening. Special Thanks to Andy Martinez for co-coordinating this part of the meeting!

 

We will also have Dr. Jerald Podair, who is an Associate Professor of History and the Robert S. French Professor of American Studies at Lawrence University as a Guest of Honor. Dr. Podair is also an avid Baseball fan, and is working on a book about Walter O'Malley. He's looking forward to meeting membership and talking about Baseball.

 

If you're interested in doing a research presentation please let me know, and we can accommodate you.

 

Jim Bouton was the Keynote Speaker at SABR 36 in Seattle, I hope to have a videotape of his wonderful speech to show at our meeting.

 

Also on the agenda we will talk about Chapter projects, future meetings, how we as members can help our Chapter by enrolling in the Pick’ n’ Save. “We Care” program the recently concluded SABR National Convention held in Seattle, the 50th Anniversary Braves CD we’re working on, and time permitting.....a round-table discussion about Baseball-related matters.

 

 

MILWAUKEE BRAVES DINNER

 

The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association will be having a dinner at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Tuesday November 7th. The Guests of Honor will be former Milwaukee Braves players Chuck Cottier, and Joe Morgan. Tickets are $65. Let me know if you’re interested.

 

If you have any questions???????? Don't hesitate in contacting me via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com or my cell # which is 414-322-4997.

 

 

Spread the word on our upcoming meeting and the Braves Dinner, and I look forward to seeing you on August 19th!

 

Rick
SABR National Office  21
08-09-2006 06:48 PM ET (US)
Thirty-five years ago this Thursday, sixteen men gathered at the National
Baseball Hall of Fame Library to form the Society for American Baseball Research
(SABR). The baseball research world has never been the same.

August 10, 1971. The founding of SABR (and the birthday of catcher Sal Fasano).
When SABR was founded, Joe Torre was second in the NL in batting average (he
finished the season in first). Now he manages the Yankees. When SABR was
founded, dues were $10. The same $10 was worth $47.57 in 2005 when adjusted for
inflation.

In SABR’s 35-year history, we have sent members over 250 issues of The SABR
Bulletin and mailed out over 100 books/journals. We’ve held 35 more annual
get-togethers of the membership (the annual convention) with the best attended
being the 2002 Boston convention with 712 attendees.

On August 10, 1971, there were 16 members. SABR grew to 100 members by May 20,
1972 (284 days). Today, there are over 7,040 members worldwide. On July 24,
2006, SABR surpassed the 7,000-member mark for only the second time in its
history. The all-time record is 7,155 members in 1998.

While SABR’s impact on baseball and the study and preservation of baseball
history has been important throughout the past 35 years, the last few years have
shown that SABR is truly an organization that will continue to grow in stature.
In addition to the membership levels climbing above 7,000 members this year,
SABR has also seen increases in money donated by members each year for the past
four years.

SABR’s Endowment Fund, a very real commitment to SABR’s long-term future, has
more than quadrupled in just the past 3 years (from just over $4,400 to just shy
of $20,000). We have more work to do with the Endowment Fund before it is able
to generate income that will make a lasting impact, but momentum is growing. I
invite you to celebrate SABR’s 35th Anniversary by making a donation to SABR’s
Endowment this week. By giving what you can to the endowment fund, you are
helping to perpetuate the core research values and principles established by the
founders thirty-five years ago.

To make an online donation, point your browser to http://tinyurl.com/mht6j. You
can also call the SABR office at 1-800-969-7227 or mail checks or money orders
to SABR, Endowment Fund, 812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland OH 44115.

For a list of members who have made donations of $100 or more to SABR see:
http://www.sabr.org/cmsfiles/incentiveprogram.htm

This weekend in Cooperstown, three of SABR's founders, Cliff Kachline, John
Pardon, and Tom Hufford, will return to the Hall of Fame Library and be
recognized for founding SABR and the contributions they have made to all of us
who love the game of baseball so much. The other living founders who could not
attend are Dan Dischley, Dan Ginsburg, Ray Gonzalez, Bill Gustafson, Bob
McConnell, Ray Nemec, and Joe Simenic. On behalf of all the members of SABR, I
thank them for their love of the game and its history to create this wonderful
community.

And to all of you, thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

The next convention, SABR 37, will be held in summer 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu
Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
Rick S.  22
08-27-2006 07:48 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

 

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter will be held on Saturday November 4 th, 11 AM at Long Wong's Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi.

 

I have contacted three individuals to be our Guest(s) of Honor, and when I receive follow-ups from them I will pass the word on immediately.

 

The heart of SABR is Research Presentations, and if you’re interested in doing one at the next meeting…………………let me know. We’ve had a lot of great one’s in the past, and I’m sure attendees can’t wait to hear the sharing of your hard work.

 

Chapter business, plans for future meetings, and a round–table discussion of Baseball-related topics will “fill-out” the meeting. ( I’m sure there’ll be a lot to talk about; the great playoffs and World Series of the 2006 season. A hot topic will be about how the Brewers got HOT and got into those playoffs!

 

 

MILWAUKEE BRAVES DINNER

 

The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association will be having a dinner at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Tuesday November 7th. The Guests of Honor will be former Milwaukee Braves players Chuck Cottier, and Joe Morgan. Tickets are $65. Let me know if you’re interested.

 

OLD TIME BALL PLAYERS DINNER

 

Circle Sunday November 12th on your calendar. The Old Time Ball Players Association will be holding it’s Hall of Fame Banquet. The festivities will take place at Serb Hall, 51st and Oklahoma Avenue at 5 PM. The lifetime achievement award will be given to former Milwaukee Braves infielder Felix Mantilla. The cost will be in the $15-$17 area, and when I receive finalized information….I’ll pass it on.

TAILGATE

I’m going to the Brewers game on Monday September 4th, and am cooking out. Let me know if you want to join the tailgate, let me know what you want to eat and drink, and I’ll provide it. We can talk Baseball and get ready for the stretch run.

 

If you have any questions???????? Don't hesitate in contacting me via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com or my cell # which is 414-322-4997.

 

 

 

Spread the word on our upcoming meeting and the Braves Dinner, and I look forward to seeing you in November , or maybe at the tailgate!

 

Rick Schabowski
Rick S  23
09-05-2006 08:09 AM ET (US)
Paul Wong will be hosting a Baseball Appreciation Party at his bar on Bluemound Road on Saturday September 9 after the Brewers-Astros game. Live music will be provided by Fat Bottom Special. Hopefully we'lll have a winning streak to celebrate!
Rick S.  24
09-10-2006 09:34 PM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

 

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter will be held on Saturday November 4 th, 11 AM at Long Wong's Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi.

 

Our Guest of Honor will be Paul Schramka, former Chicago Cubs infielder, and long-time President of the Wisconsin Old Time Ballplayers Association

 

The heart of SABR is Research Presentations, and if you’re interested in doing one at the next meeting…………………let me know. We’ve had a lot of great one’s in the past, and I’m sure attendees can’t wait to hear the sharing of your hard work.

 

Chapter business, plans for future meetings, and a round–table discussion of Baseball-related topics will “fill-out” the meeting.

 

WORLD SERIES CLUB

 

Here is some information on the World Series Club luncheon. Note the time and location.

The World Series Club will meet at Long Wong's, 53rd and Bluemound Road on Thursday, Sept. 21. It will be a 2 for 1 with Brewers outfielder Corey Hart and first base coach Davey Nelson as speakers.

Cocktails 11:00am Lunch 12:00pm with speakers to follow. Members $18.00 Guests $20.00.

This will be a luncheon as the Brewers play the SF Giants at 7:05pm.

Advance reservations requested. Any questions you can respond by E-mail or contact Paul Schramka at 262-251-3130.

See you at the luncheon on the 21st.

Greg Ebbert

262-242-0384

gregebbert@msn.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MILWAUKEE BRAVES DINNER

 

The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association will be having a dinner at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Tuesday November 7th. The Guests of Honor will be former Milwaukee Braves players Chuck Cottier, and Joe Morgan. Tickets are $65. Let me know if you’re interested.

 

OLD TIME BALL PLAYERS DINNER

 

Circle Sunday November 12th on your calendar. The Old Time Ball Players Association will be holding it’s Hall of Fame Banquet. The festivities will take place at Serb Hall, 51st and Oklahoma Avenue. The Social Hour will begin at 4:30 PM, with the Dinner and Program to follow at 6:00. The lifetime achievement award will be given to former Milwaukee Braves infielder Felix Mantilla. The cost is $17.00 per person. Please RSVP to

 

OTBA

P.O. Box 579

Thiensville, WI. 53092

 

Or contact by Greg Ebbert by phone at 262-242-0384 or via e-mail at gregebbert@msn.com

 

 

If you have any questions???????? Don't hesitate in contacting me via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com or my cell # which is 414-322-4997.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Upcoming events!

 

 

 

Rick Schabowski
National SABR Office  25
09-13-2006 08:36 AM ET (US)
In recent days, the SABR web site has added some nice new features. The
BioProject has uploaded some new biographies (http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=n&m=61).


We have a recap of the Seattle convention, including a link to a 20-minute
segment done by MLB.com (http://tinyurl.com/g7ln4).

And the research committee pages on the web site now have more newsletters
available than ever before, including the latest La Prensa (also linked from the
front page, www.sabr.org).

Another piece of good news in the world of online baseball research is that The
Sporting News is once again available from The Paper of Record
(www.paperofrecord.com). The entire storage array at Paper of Record needed to
be replaced and they finally have all the databases up and running again. I am
told that in about 60 days, they will have to take things off-line again for a
short interruption to optimize their indexes. I have also been told that they
will extend subscriptions to make up for the downtime. Paper of Record is a web
site where millions of newspaper pages have been digitized, including The
Sporting News. It is a subscription service, sold to individuals on a monthly
and annual basis. SABR members receive a discount on an annual subscription. See
the SABR members-only web site for more information (http://members.sabr.org).

SABR members also have a discount to a similar site, www.NewspaperArchive.com.
NewspaperArchive.com has many small-town U.S. newspapers digitized and seems to
be a good resource for minor league research.

When I last wrote to you, I was preparing to head to Cooperstown to celebrate
SABR’s 35th Anniversary. Over two dozen members and friends joined me and Cliff
Kachline, John Pardon, and Tom Hufford to celebrate 35 years of making (and
discovering) baseball history. A special thanks goes out to Jim Gates and the
staffs of the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum and The Library and
Giamatti Research Center for their hospitality.

Also at that time, I appealed to members to help preserve and perpetuate the
core research values and principles of the Founders by contributing to the SABR
Endowment Fund. I am pleased to report that the response was nothing short of
generous. Since August 9, we have received over $5,000 in donations, making the
grand total for the SABR Endowment more than $25,000. Thanks to all who gave
above and beyond, your gifts will help ensure that SABR members for years to
come will enjoy the fruits of this great community of baseball researchers.

And to all of you, thank you for your continued support of SABR, and enjoy the
pennant races!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

The next convention, SABR 37, will be held in summer 2007 in St. Louis,
Missouri. Dates will be known in the next 2 weeks.

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
SABR National Office  26
09-25-2006 07:37 PM ET (US)
The past week has seen a couple record-breaking performances. Barry Bonds set
the new National League home run record, passing Hank Aaron, and SABR set an
all-time membership record when on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, the 7,156th
member for the 2006 membership year joined SABR.

The previous membership record of 7,155 was set in 1998. The SABR membership
year ends this week (September 30). All new members who join beginning October 1
are considered members for the 2007 membership year. Thank you one and all for
your support!

Breaking News

The dates for the 2007 Annual SABR Convention have been set, and the hotel
chosen.

SABR will return to the Adams Mark Hotel in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, July
26 to 29, 2007. The Adams Mark hosted the 1992 convention when SABR was last in
St. Louis.

More information on how to make hotel reservations and on programming will be
coming soon.

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

The next SABR Annual Convention, SABR 37, will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in
St. Louis, Missouri

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
SABR National Office  27
10-10-2006 07:15 AM ET (US)
The Divisional Series have been wrapped up and the Detroit Tigers are continuing
their remarkable season. Not many could have/would have predicted their amazing
run. In fact, only 5 of the 156 SABR members who participated in our Predict the
Standings contest this spring predicted that the Tigers would be the Wild Card
team – Martin Taft of Troy MI, Bob Levy of Portland OR, Albert Tzeel of Mequon
WI, Tom Stillman of San Francisco CA, and Eric Salo of Tucson AZ. However, none
of these members finished in the top three overall in the contest.

We awarded 3 points for predicting the first place finisher correctly, and one
point for each additional placement in the correct order of finish. For example,
if in the American League West you predicted Oakland, Texas, Los Angeles, and
Seattle. You would get 3 points for Oakland (1st), and one point for Seattle
(4th).

Henry Martino of San Juan PR had the most points with 30. Mike Ortman of La Mesa
CA had 28 points, and a member who did not leave his or her name had 27 points.
Henry predicted the American League East and West Divisions perfectly and had
the top three finishers in the National League East in order (NY, Philly,
Atlanta). Congratulations!

The next SABR publication for 2006, Green Cathedrals by Phil Lowry, is being
prepared for delivery now and should be in the mail stream by the 20th of
October. Expect up to 4 weeks for delivery. This edition of Green Cathedrals has
entries for more than 400 stadiums, parks, fields, yard and grounds where a
regular season major league game or a Negro League game was played. A hardcover
edition published by Walker Books will available in bookstores in the coming
weeks as well.

This new edition of Green Cathedrals is made possible in part with funding from
HOK Sport.

Enjoy the rest of the post-season!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

The next convention, SABR 37, will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis,
Missouri

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu
Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
Rick S/  28
10-23-2006 11:30 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

 

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter will be held on Saturday November 4 th, 11 AM at Long Wong's Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi.

 

Our Guest of Honor will be Paul Schramka, former Chicago Cubs infielder, and long-time President of the Wisconsin Old Time Ballplayers Association

 

The heart of SABR is Research Presentations, and if you’re interested in doing one at the next meeting…………………let me know. We’ve had a lot of great one’s in the past, and I’m sure attendees can’t wait to hear the sharing of your hard work.

 

Chapter business, including nominations for Chapter officers, since the current terms of all officers expires this fall, plans for future meetings, and a round–table discussion of Baseball-related topics will “fill-out” the meeting.

 

The staff at Long Wong’s will have their usual tasty buffet, and beverages available!

 

 

MILWAUKEE BRAVES DINNER

 

The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association will be having a dinner at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Tuesday November 7th. The Guests of Honor will be former Milwaukee Braves players Chuck Cottier, and Joe Morgan. Tickets are $65. Let me know if you’re interested.

 

OLD TIME BALL PLAYERS DINNER

 

Circle Sunday November 12th on your calendar. The Old Time Ball Players Association will be holding its Hall of Fame Banquet. The festivities will take place at Serb Hall, 51st and Oklahoma Avenue. The Social Hour will begin at 4:30 PM, with the Dinner and Program to follow at 6:00. The lifetime achievement award will be given to former Milwaukee Braves infielder Felix Mantilla. The cost is $17.00 per person. I also have five tickets available at a SABR table. Please RSVP to me or:

 

OTBA

P.O. Box 579

Thiensville, WI. 53092

 

Or contact by Greg Ebbert by phone at 262-242-0384 or via e-mail at gregebbert@msn.com

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS

 

 Emil Rothe Chapter (Chicago) will meet 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Lincoln Park Library at 1150 West Fullerton Ave, two blocks west of the train station. Featured will be Bernard A. Weisberger, speaking about his new book: "When Chicago Ruled Baseball: The Cubs-White Sox World Series of 1906".
For more information, contact Merle Branner [email: merleab@mac.com]

 

 

Circle Saturday February 3, 2007 on your calendars! The Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR, with the help of Doak Ewing, President of Rare Sportsfilms, will be showing the ENTIRE Game 7 of the 1957 World Series which, as you all know is the game in which the Milwaukee Braves win the World Series! The meeting will be held at Long Wong’s on 53rd and Bluemound Road at 11 AM. This event will be the “First Pitch” in the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Braves victory! You can call me to secure reservations for this event!

 

 

If you have any questions???????? Don't hesitate in contacting me via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com or my cell # which is 414-322-4997.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Upcoming events!

 

 

 

Rick Schabowski
SABR National Office  29
11-16-2006 10:48 PM ET (US)
My belated congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals on winning the World
Series. I have not sent out a “This Week in SABR” since the playoffs because
I’ve been busy with several projects.

First, there has been the testing of the new SABR Store. We have made some
outstanding improvements in the way the Store interfaces with the SABR
Membership database, streamlining the renewal process greatly. There are a few
tweaks left to do—involving the purchase of gifts and ordering merchandise, but
I encourage the 5,900 or so who have not yet paid their 2007 dues to do so
online today.

Just head to the SABR Store, http://store.sabr.org and follow the prompts. By
doing so prior to 9am on Monday, November 27, you’ll save SABR the cost of
printing and mailing a paper renewal notice. And the coolest thing is that your
membership record will reflect your payment immediately.

I’ve also been preparing for this weekend’s Board of Director’s meeting. It is
this meeting that the operations budget for 2007 will be approved. The other
major item on the agenda will be to discuss what Research Services Manager Rod
Nelson would like to see SABR accomplish in the next year on improving SABR’s
research services.

At the beginning of November, I was honored to be a keynote speaker at the
International Sports Heritage Association’s conference in Memphis, Tennessee.
The number of sport halls and museums is pretty incredible and it was
interesting to get to spend time with people who run these various shrines.
Immediately afterwards, I spent a couple days meeting with the St. Louis
Convention Planning Committee and the hotel staff. The convention next July
should be a wonderful event. It will be the second time that the SABR Convention
will be held in the city of the defending World Series champs.

But I’m not the only one who has been busy. There have been twelve bios posted
at the BioProject web site (http://bioproj.sabr.org) this month, and another
dozen or so posted in the last two weeks of October. Other research committees
have also been publishing the latest edition of their newsletters. And Lyle
Spatz and the Baseball Records Committee have been reviewing and fact-checking
hundreds of lists to be published in The SABR Baseball List and Record Book,
which will be mailed to all 2007 SABR members in good standing next March and
will also be published to the trade by Simon & Schuster.

Meanwhile, Green Cathedrals has been mailed out to members, and the domestic
shipping should be complete by the end of the month. The hard cover edition,
published by Walker & Co., is available in bookstores and on Amazon.com.

For all the American members in SABR, have a Happy Thanksgiving!
To our International friends, we’ll eat some turkey in your honor!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

The next convention, SABR 37, will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in at the Adams
Mark Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
Rick S.  30
11-18-2006 07:23 PM ET (US)
UPCOMING EVENTS

Greetings to everyone, and an early Thanksgiving to all…Don’t eat too much
turkey!!!


RESEARCH GET-TOGETHER

On the afternoon of Sunday, November 26, there is no Packer game, and no NASCAR,
but there will be research that awaits the prospective historians!

Those of you interested in getting involved in Research, on whatever topic might
interest you can join in at the UWM Golda Meir Library, 2311 East Hartford
Avenue in Milwaukee; for an overview, and how to’s involving research. A link
can be found for information about the library at http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/help/faq/where-is-library.html

Once you started….you’ll find out it’s a lot of fun! Other events could include
a visit to the Gausthaus for food and your choice of beverage, and the
opportunity to go to the UWM basketball game that evening. GO PANTHERS! Contact
me if you’re interested .

UPCOMING MEETING

Our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday February 3, 2007, 10:30 AM at Long
Wong’s Chinese –American Sportsbar on 53rd and Bluemound Road.
This meeting will feature, Doak Ewing of Rare Sportsfilms. Doak will be showing
the entire Game 7 of the 1957 World Series. Doak will also do a brief
presentation. Tentatively scheduled to appear include Mr.& Mrs. Felix Mantilla,
and Johnny Logan.

We will be holding raffles for memorabilia, and conduct a 50-50 raffle. Food and
drink will be available at the restaurant.

Reservations are strongly recommended for this event.



For information, or to secure reservations for our next meeting please contact
me at 414-322-4997 ( cell) or via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.

Thank You, and I look forward to seeing you!

Rick Schabowski
Rick S.  31
11-20-2006 03:50 PM ET (US)
Hello Again,
 
 
I suppose it would've been a good idea to tell you what time to meet on Sunday
at UWM.
1 PM. UWM Golda Meir Library, 2311 East Hartford Avenue. The Microfilm Archives
are located in the West Wing, Ground Floor.
 
As mentioned earlier, food ,drink and a UWM basketball game could fill the day
if your schedules permit.
 
Any Questions call me at 414-322-4997 or e-mail me at RICKIU76@aol.com
 Thanks!
 
Rick
National SABR Office  32
12-07-2006 12:04 PM ET (US)
‘tis the (off)season….

2007 SABR membership renewal forms will be in the mail later this week. You can
renew by mail, or online at http://store.sabr.org. You can also purchase gift
memberships, or make a donation to SABR. SABR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization and donations are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

The University of Nebraska Press, distributor of SABR publications, is having a
web sale on SABR titles. Head to: http://tinyurl.com/y2s8xh to learn more.

Researchers interested in historical newspapers and genealogical tools may want
to take advantage of a special offered by NewsBank and GenealogyBank.com.
Through January 5th, SABR will earn $10 for every person who signs up for a
one-year subscription, or $25 for a two-year subscription at prices 66% off the
monthly rate. See details at http://tinyurl.com/t9u5f.

Thinking about getting XM Satellite Radio this month? XM is the satellite radio
home of Major League Baseball. Ask me about a special promotion that a fellow
SABR member who works at XM is willing to extend to his fellow members. Just
reply to this email saying that you want more information about XM’s special
friends and family discount.

And don’t forget your 2007 SABR travel plans – you can attend the Seymour
Conference in Cleveland at the end of April; the Negro Leagues Conference
Father’s Day Weekend; and the annual convention in St. Louis at the end of July.

Happy Holidays to everyone!
John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

The next convention, SABR 37, will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis,
Missouri, at the Adams Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Seymour Medal Conference, April 27 and 28, 2007, Cleveland, Oho

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
Rick S.  33
12-12-2006 06:59 AM ET (US)
Greetings to everyone, and a Happy, Blessed Holiday Season to you, and your
loved ones!


UPCOMING MEETING

Our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday February 3, 2007, 10:30 AM at Long
Wong’s Chinese –American Sportsbar on 53rd and Bluemound Road.
This meeting will feature, Doak Ewing of Rare Sportsfilms. Doak will be showing
the entire Game 7 of the 1957 World Series. Doak will also do a brief
presentation. Tentatively scheduled to appear include Mr.& Mrs. Felix Mantilla,
and Johnny Logan.

We will be holding raffles for memorabilia, and conduct a 50-50 raffle. Food and
drink will be available at the restaurant.

Reservations are strongly recommended for this event.

POSSIBLE APPEARANCE

The Comissioner of Baseball. Bud Selig, has also been contacted about appearing
at the February 3rd meeting. Mr. Selig responded that he would love to speak at
our meeting, and would have better knowledge of his schedule for that date in
early January. He has agreed to do an interview, which will be videotaped, and
shown at our meeting if he’s unable to attend. This is a chance for everyone to
get involved! I’m sure that if Commissioner Selig appeared you’d have a lot of
questions to ask him about the 1957 Braves, his recollections about that magical
year, and how that victory impacted Milwaukee and the Baseball world. Please
submit your questions for this interview. It’s not often you have an opportunity
like this…. so seize the moment. We plan on contacting Mr. Selig’s secretary
later this week to set-up a date for this interview, so your quick responses
would be greatly appreciated!



HOLIDAY GATHERING

Any one who can make it is invited to a Holiday Gathering at Long Wong’s
Thursday December 28th at 5 PM. Stop in and chat about Baseball, and socialize!
SABR MEETING IN CHICAGO

01/06/2007 Emile Rothe Chapter (Chicago)
will meet from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Roden Branch Library, 6083 N Northwest
Highway. Speakers will be authors Brian Cooper (Red Faber: A Biography of the
Hall of Fame Spitball Pitcher) and Charles Billington (Wrigley Field's Last
World Series: The Wartime Chicago Cubs and the Pennant of 1945). A short
organizational meeting follows.
For more information, contact Rich Hansen [email: rhansen505@aol.com]

NATIONAL SABR NEWS

SABR National elections take place early next year. Information can be found at
the following link: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2079

Information about SABR 37, which is being held in St. Louis July 26th-29th can
be found at the following link. http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,1834,17

The Cardinals host the Milwaukee Brewers that weekend!

Fellow SABR member R.J. Lesch is appearing on Jeopardy this Thursday….best of
luck to R.J.!


 For information, to submit questions for the interview, or to secure
reservations for our next meeting please contact me at 414-322-4997 ( cell) or
via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.

Thank You, and I look forward to seeing you!

Rick Schabowski
SABR National Office  34
01-12-2007 08:25 AM ET (US)
Happy New Year!

We’ve processed more than 3,800 renewals already, and are processing more every day. We thank everyone who has renewed his/her membership for 2007, and also to those who have made a donation to SABR. If you are a member from 2006 who has not yet renewed, you can do so online with our new simplified online renewal process at:

http://tinyurl.com/ylwbgj

This new system should even tell you, along the top of the page, when your membership is set to expire. So if you cannot recall whether you paid your 2007 dues or not, heading to that page will tell you! Please don’t delay, because the first publication of 2007 should be delivered before Opening Day this year (more on that in a future TWIS).

Those 6,400 or so members out there who were members in 2005 may be happy to learn that Deadball Stars of the American League rolled off the press in the past couple of days. They need to be packaged and shipped to the mail house and placed in the mail stream, so 2005 members should start getting them between January 29 and March 9. Those of you who joined in 2006 or 2007 can purchase your copy of this 480+ page book featuring a foreword by Keith Olbermann and bios of the best players in the junior circuit in the first 2 decades of the 20th century from Potomac Books.

If you are planning to attend SABR 37 in St. Louis, July 25 to July 29, and have not already made your hotel reservation, you can do so by pointing your browser to:

https://resweb.passkey.com/go/sabr07

More complete details of the convention can be found at the SABR web site. Registration forms will be included with the March/April issue of The SABR Bulletin. Online registration will begin in March.

Finally, congratulations to Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn on their election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Remember that The Baseball Index, http://www.baseballindex.org is THE tool to use to get bibliographic citations on these two new Hall of Famers or any baseball topic.

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 37 will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Adams Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Seymour Medal Conference, April 27 and 28, 2007, Cleveland, Oho

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information, particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
SABR National Office  35
01-25-2007 03:56 PM ET (US)
I’m happy to report on two pieces of great news on the publications front.

First, the mail house has begun to take the 2005 SABR membership publication,
Deadball Stars of the American League, to the post office. The USPS estimates
that it can take up to 4 weeks for bulk mail to be delivered, so expect your
copy sometime before March 4. International members from the 2005 membership
year will have to wait a little longer as the books are sent to our
International Consolidator. (A special thanks to member Eric Jacobs of Jacobs
Direct, Inc. for his company’s hard work on this and other SABR mailings).

The book is quite well done and a testament to the work of the Deadball Era
Committee as a whole. SABR and our partner on this venture, Potomac Books, hope
to get as much media exposure as possible. If you have contacts at a local paper
or radio station who you think may want to do something on the book, please
contact me or Ryan Chamberlain (rchamberlain@sabr.org). If you were not a member
for the 2005 membership year and would like a copy of the book, you can order
the book through Potomac Books at www.potomacbooksinc.com.

The second piece of good news is that the first publication of 2007 was just
delivered to the printer. The SABR Baseball List and Record Book, a product of
our hard-working Baseball Records Committee and its chair, Lyle Spatz, is being
published by Scribner’s. All 2007 SABR members will receive a copy automatically
in the mail. The catch is that if you have not renewed for 2007 before I run the
mail list (probably on February 15), your copy will be delayed. The book will be
in bookstores throughout the country, so SABR should get a lot of public
exposure over the next couple months.

If you are a member from 2006 who has not yet renewed, you can do so online with
our new simplified online renewal process at:

http://tinyurl.com/ylwbgj

This new system should even tell you, near the top of the page, when your
membership is set to expire. So if you cannot recall whether you paid your 2007
dues or not, heading to that page will tell you!

Last, but not least, a reminder that the deadline for nominations for the SABR
Board of Directors is February 1. The positions up for election this spring are
President and two Directors. For more information, consult your latest issue of
The SABR Bulletin or contact the chair of the Nominating Committee, Stephen
Roney at sroney@acm.org.

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 37 will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Adam's
Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Seymour Medal Conference, April 27 and 28, 2007, Cleveland, Ohio

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
Rick S.  36
01-29-2007 11:44 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

 

Just s reminder that our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday February 3, 2007, 10:30 AM at Long Wong’s Chinese –American Sportsbar on 53rd and Bluemound Road.

This meeting will feature, Doak Ewing of Rare Sportsfilms. Doak will be showing the entire Game 7 of the 1957 World Series. Doak will also do a brief presentation. Tentatively scheduled to appear include Mr.& Mrs. Felix Mantilla, and Johnny Logan.

 

We will be holding raffles for memorabilia, and conduct a 50-50 raffle. Food and drink will be available at the restaurant. Mr. Wong is putting out a ballpark buffet for $12 which includes drink and gratuity.

 

The raffle items include:

· Autographed picture of Jim Bouton

· Autographed pictures of Phil Niekro and Johnny Logan

· CD radio broadcast of a July 14, 1957 Braves game vs Brooklyn. Vin Scully- Dodger network

· CD radio broadcast of 1957 World Series Game #4

· And of course….the classic….CD radio broadcast of 1957 World Series Game # 7

 

Reservations are strongly recommended for this event.

 

COMISSIONER SELIG

 

The Comissioner of Baseball. Bud Selig, has also been contacted about appearing at the February 3rd meeting. Mr. Selig responded that he would love to speak at our meeting, but he will out of town on February 3. He has agreed to do an interview, which will be videotaped, and shown at our meeting since he’s unable to attend. The interview is scheduled for Thursday February 1 This is a chance for everyone to get involved! I’m sure that if Commissioner Selig appeared you’d have a lot of questions to ask him about the 1957 Braves, his recollections about that magical year, and how that victory impacted Milwaukee and the Baseball world. Please submit your questions for this interview. It’s not often you have an opportunity like this…. so seize the moment. We also plan on asking Mr. Selig questions about the 1982 Brewers, so include this topic for potential questions

 

 

OPENING DAY

 

If anyone has the capability of ordering extra Opening Day tickets via their full-season, or partial-season accounts let me know. I will of course re-imburse you!

 

For information, to submit questions for the interview, or to secure reservations for our next meeting please contact me at 414-322-4997 ( cell) or via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.

 

 

 

 

Rick Schabowski
Rick S. - Keltner Chapter  37
02-08-2007 01:18 PM ET (US)
Ninety-seven attendees enjoyed a trip back to 1957 at the February 3 Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR Meeting held at Long Wong’s Chinese-American Sportsbar.

 

Among the attendees included Mr.& Mrs. Felix Mantilla, Johnny Logan, and Joe& Trish Gillespie-Duffey.

 

Felix Mantilla talked about his recollections of the 1957 World Series, and other Baseball memories.

 

Johnny Logan talked about Games 4 and 7 of the 1957 World Series, stories about other Baseball events, in particular his brawl with Don Drysdale.

 

Doak Ewing, President of Rare Sportsfilms, talked about what to look for in this rare kinescope, and about how television produced and filmed those games fifty years ago.

 

Attendees then had the pleasure of watching the entire Game 7. It was a great atmosphere as there was cheering when Felix and Johnny came to bat, ovations for the Braves scores, and a big applause when the final out was recorded.

 

Mr. Ewing then had a Q and A session.

 

Trish Gillespie-Duffey ( daughter of the late Braves announcer Earl Gillespie) really enjoyed the meeting. A portion of an e-mail she wrote follows:

 

I just wanted to thank you personally and your organization for
inviting me and my husband to attend your meeting. It was an honor
to be there and I was so happy to see and hear my father again.
He has made so many people have so many great memories in the baseball
world including his family. Please make sure you pass on
to everyone how much we enjoyed every moment yesterday. Thank you
also for the lunch that was provided by our wonderful friend Paul.

 

 

IN MEMORIAN

 

Please remember in your Prayers, one of the great All-Time Milwaukee Braves who passed away on Tuesday…..Lew Burdette.

 

It seems unreal that we watched him in action last Saturday, and so quickly, he moved to his next venue “The Field of Dreams” after his long-bout with lung cancer. I bet you he’s hanging around with Mathews and Spahnie! God Bless him and his Family!

 

Here are some links about Lew Burdette:

 

http://www.midwestdiamondreport.com/

 

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/arti...&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil
Rick S. - Keltner Chapter  38
02-08-2007 01:21 PM ET (US)
OLD TIME BALLPLAYERS

Greg Ebbert has informed us of the next meeting of the Old Time Ball Players
Association. The info follows:
Old Time Ballplayers’ Association
SPRING BASEBALL JAMBOREE
Thursday, April 12, 2007, 5:30 p.m.
Serb Hall (51st Blvd and Oklahoma Ave.)5:30 p.m. doors open • 6:30 p.m. buffet •
program to follow
Tickets $10.00 - Tickets must be purchased in advance.
(Please order by April 2, 2007)
Buffet and Beer
Mega Raffle – 100+ Prizes
50-50 Raffle

Members Only
(New Members Welcome)
Join the Fun!
Annual Dues $10.00
Old Time Ballplayers’ Association
P.O. Box 579
Thiensville, WI 53092
Greg Ebbert
Executive Director
(262) 242-0384 E-mail: gregebbert@msn.com
2007 Old Time Ballplayers Association of WisconsinMilwaukee Brewers Games
Half Price Coupons – Any available seats

Game 1: Wednesday Night, 7:05pm April 4, 2007 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Game 2: Tuesday Night, 7:05pm May 29, 2007 vs. Atlanta Braves
Game 3: Friday Night, 7:05pm June 22, 2007 vs. Kansas City Royals
Game 4: Monday Night, 7:05pm July 16, 2007 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Game 5: Sunday Afternoon: 1:05pm August 19, 2007 vs. Cincinnati Reds
Game 6: Tuesday Night, 7:05pm September 25, 2007 vs. St Louis Cardinals HALL
OF FAME NIGHT

Plus Bonus Coupons for April-May, August-September
Old Time Ballplayers Association of Wisconsin
P.O. Box 579
Thiensville, WI 53092
Greg Ebbert
Executive Director
262-242-0384
gregebbert@msn.com
Paul Schramka
President
262-251-3130
QUESTIONS?
Don’t hesitate in contacting me at RICKIU76@aol.com, or my cell at 414-322-4997
with any questions.
Rick S. - Keltner Chapter  39
02-20-2007 01:17 PM ET (US)
UPCOMING LUNCHEON
 
 
I can hear the crack of the ball and the bat down yonder in Arizona and Florida,and in less than six weeks on April 2nd, we'll hear it at Miller Park against the Dodgers. (April 2nd is also the day Wisconsin wins the NCAA tournament)........at least....I HOPE!
 
Next Wednesday a luncheon is being held at The Milwaukee Press Club, featuring MBHA members Johnny Logan, Felix Mantilla, Bud Lea and Tom Kaminski Information about the luncheon and how to go about ordering tickets can be found at the following link.
http://www.onmilwaukee.com/sports/columns/...es/bravesloves.html
 
I talked to Gloria this morning, and she gave me the number to call if you wish to purchase tickets this weekend, it is:262-894-2224.
 
Hope to see you there.
 
WEBSITE
 
With Spring training starting shortly, it's very easy to follow all Midwest teams by going to www.midwestdiamondreport.com. The site is updated often, and there are also many archived articles you can read!
 
REMINDER
 
Our next SABR Meeting is scheduled for Saturday May 5, 10:30 AM at Long Wong's 53rd and Bluemound Road.Our Guest of Honor is Brewers TV announcer Brian Anderson.We have one research presentation on the agenda, but we could use more.Please contact me at 414-322-4997 about being a presenter, our about any other questions you might have!
 
Peace!
 
Rick Schabowski
SABR National Office  40
02-24-2007 04:57 PM ET (US)
Spring training has begun and the season is just around the corner. It’s one of
the favorite times of the year for the SABR member. Another favorite time of the
year is when SABR members can get together at one of our events.

The largest SABR event is the convention. The registration form for the St.
Louis convention is part of an informational mailer, which in turn, is part of
the March/April SABR Bulletin, and should be arriving in members’ mailboxes the
first couple weeks of March. I am extremely excited about the great program that
the local committee has put together. I’m also impressed that over 220 SABR
members have already made their hotel reservations. I look forward to seeing
many of you in St. Louis at the end of July.

If you cannot make it to the convention, perhaps the Seymour Medal Conference in
Cleveland at the end of April, or the Jerry Malloy Conference in Portsmouth,
Virginia, in mid-June might interest you. More on those events at www.sabr.org
and in an upcoming This Week in SABR.

I have learned of a delay in the production of The SABR List and Record Book. It
seems the printer did not have enough paper to produce the requisite number of
books for both Scribner’s and SABR, so the membership will not get its copy of
the book as quickly as we first planned. My best new guess is that the books
should be in the mail by mid-March.

The good piece of news in this is that if you have not yet renewed your
membership for 2007, you still have time to do so without being left off the
mailing list for this new book. Please try to get your renewal to us by February
28 so that you can be on that mailing list.

If you are a member from 2006 who has not yet renewed, you can do so online with
our new simplified online renewal process at:

http://tinyurl.com/ylwbgj

This new system should even tell you, along the top of the page, when your
membership is set to expire. So if you cannot recall whether you paid your 2007
dues or not, heading to that page will tell you!

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 37 will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Adams
Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

Seymour Medal Conference, April 27 and 28, 2007, Cleveland, Oho

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu
Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
SABR National Office  41
03-20-2007 05:35 PM ET (US)
Seymour Conference

Register now for the Seymour Medal Conference, April 27 and 28 in Cleveland,
Ohio. This year’s conference, once again sponsored by the Cleveland Indians
Baseball Club, is jam-packed with exciting programming.

On Friday Night, conference attendees will head to the Great Lakes Science
Center to spend time with the “Baseball as America” exhibit. The exhibit will be
open only to Seymour Conference attendees at that time. You’ll also get to meet
your fellow attendees over chips and soda and cheese and crackers.

On Saturday, the conference features research presentations at the Baseball
Heritage Museum. Among the presenters is Cait Murphy, whose new book, “Crazy
‘08” has been getting a lot of buzz with articles about it appearing in The
Washington Times and Sports Illustrated and Cait interviewed on “Only a Game”
with Bill Littlefield on NPR.

Also presenting are Gene Carney, Trey Strecker, Monica Nucciarone, and David
Bohmer. The keynote address will be given by baseball historian John Thorn and
let’s not forget the medal ceremony presenting the Seymour Medal to the author
of the best baseball history or biography published in 2006.

You can register online at the SABR store,

http://store.sabr.org

or you can use the registration form in the March/April edition of The SABR
Bulletin, or you can request a brochure from Ryan Chamberlain
(rchamberlain@sabr.org).

For hotel information, see

http://tinyurl.com/26a38r

Hurry, the hotel reservation deadline is March 30.

Jerry Malloy Conference

If the history of the Negro Leagues interests you, then register for the Jerry
Malloy Conference in Portsmouth, Virginia, from June 14 to 17 at the Virginia
Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. The programming is still being finalized, but the
organizers are working hard to make this the best Malloy Conference ever, thanks
in part to the financial support of The Beazley Foundation, Towne Bank,
Vandeventer Black LLP, Fulco Development, and an anonymous donor. Part of the
conference will be to see the Norfolk Tides host the Buffalo Bisons, as well as
an awards banquet. For more information, contact Thomas Garrett at
portsmouthbuck@aol.com.

Register online at http://store.sabr.org.

For hotel information, see

http://tinyurl.com/gkszo.

And finally, the SABR “Predict the Standings” Contest is back. Point your
browser to:

http://tinyurl.com/37ehmp

And good luck!

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 37 will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Adams
Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

Seymour Medal Conference, April 27 and 28, 2007, Cleveland, Oho

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu
Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
SABR National Office  42
03-28-2007 07:01 PM ET (US)
Publications update

Baseball Research Journal 2006 is at the printer now. Look for it to start showing up in mailboxes of 2006 members in mid-to-late April.

The SABR Baseball List and Record Book, which has been in bookstores, has encountered a production snafu that SABR and Scribner's are working on to resolve as quickly as possible.

We will be sending out the books as quickly as Scribner's can get them to us. I thank you in advance for your patience.


Civil Rights Game/Predict the Standings

Spring Training is winding down, and one of this year's last exhibition games will be the Inaugural Civil Rights Game at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Game time is Saturday, March 31 at 5:30pm ET culminating a two-day celebration of baseball's part in the civil rights movement. Watch the game on ESPN or MLB.com.

And once the season begins, you won't be able to make your predictions in the SABR Predict the Standings Contest.

To participate, head to:

http://tinyurl.com/37ehmp

and complete your entry.

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Seymour Medal Conference, April 27 and 28, 2007, Cleveland, Ohio

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

SABR 37 will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Adam's Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information, particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
Field of Dreams Chapter  43
03-31-2007 02:16 PM ET (US)
Hello, all
 
The next Field of Dreams Chapter meeting will be held Saturay, April 14 on the
3rd floor of the State Historical Building in Des Moines, starting at 1:00pm.
The Historical Building is located at 600 E. Locust Street.
 
On the agenda, we have:
 
Steve Bennett, presenting on the unique career of Stormy Kromer.
 
Ralph Christian will introduce special guest, Jack Foster, who will present on
Fair Play, the scoreboard company founded by his father. The presentation will
focus on the Astrodome scoreboard.
 
Ralph will also speak about the upcoming Hoover Library Baseball Symposium,
which will be held in West Branch in August.

Also,Charles Crawley will bring along his Reel Baseball DVD, which contains some
vintage silent shorts. (Yes, the famous Fritz the Cat clip is part of the
collection).

And, of course, the trivia quiz.
 
Afterwards, those who wish can move over to Sec Taylor Stadium (ok, Principal
Park--whatever) for an I-Cubs game. General admission is $6; grandstand and
field box is $9; club box is $11; and home plate club is $20. Steve Elsberry and
Ralph will have a limited number of coupons for free general admission tickets
to pass out.
 
Hope to see you there.
 
Tim Rask
Umpire-in-Chief
Field of Dreams Chapter
Ken Keltner Chapter  44
04-16-2007 06:52 AM ET (US)
CHAPTER UPDATE


Baseball season is in full swing…..no pun intended… and there are a lot of
Baseball related activities you can participate in.

WORLD SERIES CLUB

The World Series Club will be holding their next meeting, Thursday, April 19, at
Long Wong’s Chinese-American Resturant, 5230 West Bluemound Road in Milwaukee.
There will be Big Band music, and a cocktail hour starting at 6:00 PM, with the
Dinner being served at 7:00 PM. The Guests of Honor will be Brewers TV
announcers; Bill Schroeder, Brian Anderson, and Davey Nelson. The cost is $20.00
for Guests, and $18.00 for World Series club members. Advance reservations are
requested. You can make reservations by contacting Paul Schramka at 262-251-3130
or Greg Ebbert at 262-292-4002 (phone), or gregebbert@msn.com (E-mail)

BOOK SIGNING

Author Jonathan Eig, recently released a book titled; “Opening Day-The Story of
Jackie Robinson’s First Season”. He will be doing, a book signing at Harry W.
Schwartz Bookshop, 17145 West Bluemound Road, Brookfield, WI. on Tuesday May
1,at 7:00 PM. Jonathan will also give a brief talk about his books.

GREAT BOOK

Thad Mumau, a freelance sportswriter for the Fayetteville Observer for more than
35 years, has authored a book “An Indian Summer: The 1957 Milwaukee Braves,
Champions of Baseball” I’ve had a chance to read the book, and it is a MUST read
not only for Milwaukee Braves enthusiasts, but all Baseball fans. It gives the
reader a great, in-depth account of that magical season! You can order the book
by going to the publisher’s website at www.mcfarlandpub.com, or going to
www.amazon.com. Do a search for Thad Mumau, and you’ll find info on how to order
the book.


RESEARCH REQUEST

Philip Lowry has a research request:

I am seeking help to identify the ballparks where the following amateur marathon
baseball games were played in Wisconsin, and any other missing details. Please
send any details to me via e-mail at plowry1176@aol.com so that I can correct
the records. Also, if anyone runs across any other amateur games in the state
lasting 20 or more innings not listed here, please let me know. Thank you very
much.
 
Phil Lowry
 
25 innings – Green Bay – 4/12/1915 – White Sox 2 Fox Stars 1.
 
21 innings – Clintonville - 6/15/1939 – Northern State League - Clintonville
Four Wheel Drive Truckers 1 Two Rivers Polar Bears 0 in 5:15 – finished at 1:45
AM in the early morning of 6/16.
 
21 innings – Shullsburg – late 1940’s – Blanchardville Farmers defeated
Shullsburg in night game. UNKNOWN DATE
 
21 innings – Sturgeon Bay - 5/16/1948 – Northern State League – Sturgeon Bay 3
Menominee Indians 2 in 4:50.
 
21 innings – Montello – 6/30/1957 – Central State League - Montello 3 Redgranite
Quarriers 2 - finished at 7:00 PM.

MIDWEST DIAMOND REPORT

The Midwest Diamond Report at www.midwestdiamondreport.com continues to be a
“must go to site” for constantly updated information on your favorite teams.
There are also great articles on the site, in the archives, and an abundance of
great links.

OUR NEXT MEETING

Last but not least……..the next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter
of SABR will take place at Long Wong’s, Saturday, May 5 at 11 AM , SHARP. Our
Guest of Honor will be Brewers TV announcer Brian Anderson. We’re also honored
to have author Tom Stanton as a Guest of Honor. Tom has authored a number of
books, “Hank Aaron and The Homerun That Changed America”, “The Final Season”,
and has a book due for release on May 15, “Ty and the Babe” Tom will bring some
of his books for attendees to purchase. Dennis Pajot, will be giving a
presentation about 19th Century Baseball in Milwaukee. Dennis recently joined
SABR, and is looking forward to meeting membership. Paul Wong will have food and
beverages available. The meeting will be held in the downstairs hall. The
Brewers play the Pirates that evening, so the opportunity of attending the game
will fellow attendees is also a possibility!

SABR 37

SABR 37 will be held in St.Louis, July 25-29. Information about, including
registration, can be found at www.sabr.org.


QUESTIONS

If you have any questions about any of the events…don’t hesitate in contacting
me at 414-322-4997, or at RICKIU76@aol.com. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing
you!


Rick
Mark Armour  45
04-20-2007 04:00 PM ET (US)
Mike Cooney has put together another outstanding Biography Project newsletter,
the Spring 2007 edition. You can download it by going here:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,1159,5,0

Look to the bottom right of your screen.

If you have any comments, please direct them either to me (markjane@comcast.net)
or Mike (mwc2002@hotmail.com). Please do not "reply" to this note, as it will
not get to who want to reach.

Take care,
Mark Armour
Ken Keltner Chapter  46
05-03-2007 03:04 PM ET (US)
The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place
at Long
 
Wong’s, Saturday, May 5 at 11 AM , SHARP. Our Guest of Honor will be Brewers TV
announcer
 
Brian Anderson. We’re also honored to have author Tom Stanton as a Guest of
Honor. Tom has
 
authored a number of books, “Hank Aaron and The Homerun That Changed America”,
“The Final
 
Season”,and has a book due for release on May 15, “Ty and the Babe” Tom will
bring some
of his books for attendees to purchase. Dennis Pajot, will be giving a
presentation about
19th Century Baseball in Milwaukee. Dennis recently joined SABR, and is looking
forward
to meeting membership. Paul Wong will have a buffet, and your choice of beverage
available.
The meeting will be held in the downstairs hall. The Brewers play the Pirates
that evening,
 so the opportunity of attending the game will fellow attendees is also a
possibility!
 There will also be a 50/50 raffle, and baseball merchandise available for
purchase.
 
Agenda: 11 AM SHARP:Brian Anderson
  Research Presentation: Dennis Pajot: 19th Century Baseball in Milwaukee
 Lunch: A buffet will be available for purchase prepared by Paul Wong and staff.
 Tom Stanton: Author
 Chapter Business, future projects, and input for future meetings.
        Looking forward to seeing you!
 
Rick Schabowski
SABR National Office  47
05-17-2007 07:50 PM ET (US)
It's been a while since I've sent out a "This Week in SABR" and I apologize for
being away for so long.

In this message, I have several notices of a commercial nature, but will begin
with an events Update.

About 400 members have already registered for the SABR Convention in St. Louis,
July 26 to 29. It is likely that this year's convention will be our largest
ever. I also think that the local committee has done a great job of programming
and that in addition to being the best way to meet a lot of your fellow SABR
members, it will be a lot of fun, too. Check out SABR 37 chair Steve
Gietschier's "Meet Me in St. Louis" updates at the SABR web site
(http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2245,17,0).
 
If you have not made your hotel reservation yet, please do so soon. We have had
to add two other hotels to cover the demand--the Millennium Hotel (which is
closer to the ballpark than the Adam's Mark) and the Crowne Plaza (which is
right next door to the Adam's Mark). See the SABR web site for details.

I'd like to thank the following entities for their support of SABR 37: At the
Gold Level: Major League Baseball; At the Silver Level: McFarland & Company and
the St. Louis Cardinals; At the Bronze Level: WhoWins.com and the Louisville
Slugger Museum and Factory.

The Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference in Portsmouth, Virginia, is also
drawing a lot of interest. The conference runs from June 14 to 17, and is
supported by the Beazley Foundation, Towne Bank, The Baltimore Orioles,
Vandeventer Black LLP, Ken Melvin for the House of Delegates, The Farm Fresh
Charitable Foundation, Fulco Development, Marcus, Santoro, & Kozak, P.C., and
others.

Contact Thomas Garrett at 757 686-0912 or portsmouthbuck@aol.com for more
information.

And now for some commercial messages.

The University of Nebraska Press (one of several vendors at SABR 37) is running
a sale on their baseball titles, including old SABR publications.

Point your browser to:
http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/special/baseballSaleMay07.jsp

For a limited time SportsBusinessNews.com is pleased to extend an invitation to
all SABR members to enjoy a one-year subscription to SportsBusinessNews for $25.
The regular price for a one-year membership is $98 (set to increase in
September). You will have all the benefits of a full SBN membership including
but not limited too: receiving SBN's award winning DailyDose delivered to your
email inbox for the next 365 days, HB's Insider Report, our podcast center,
access to the more than 60,000 stories in our database, membership bulletins and
SBN's resource center.

SBN's coverage isn't limited to baseball; however that said, baseball remains
where it's been since SBN began publishing ten years ago -- at top of our list,
leading the way in terms of our focus. Interested SABR members should send an
email to Howard Bloom at hbloom@sportsbusinessnews.com . (Please indicate in
your email that you are referring to the SABR membership opportunity) Its SBN's
take me out to SABR special.


Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

SABR 37 will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Adam's
Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
SABR National Office  48
05-25-2007 07:21 AM ET (US)
The Memorial Day Weekend, for many the start of summer, is here, and the biggest
SABR event of each year is about 8 weeks away.

The SABR Annual Convention will be held July 26 to 30 at the Adam's Mark Hotel
in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Local chair Steve Gietschier recently completed
a series of emails posted to various SABR forums promoting different aspects of
the convention, and if you missed all or some of them, you can read them online
at the SABR web site (we've even added some hyperlinks). Head to www.sabr.org,
click on "Convention" and click on "Conv. Updates" (among the tabs near the top
center of the page).

If you have not made your hotel reservation, time is running short. The
deadlines at the three hotels with a special SABR rate--the Adam's Mark, the
Millennium, and the Crowne Plaza--vary from June 22 (Adam's Mark) to June 28. If
you can't get the room you need at the Adam's Mark, the Millennium is the closet
to the ballpark, and only a few blocks from the Adam's Mark. See information on
how to make your reservation at the SABR web site. Head to www.sabr.org, click
on "Convention" and click on "Hotel Info" (among the tabs near the top center of
the page).

We have over 435 registrations in hand already, with over 400 rooms booked for
Friday night. Be part of the largest gathering of baseball researchers ever!

SABR 37 is supported by Major League Baseball, McFarland & Company, Publishers,
the St. Louis Cardinals, WhoWins.com, and the Louisville Slugger Museum &
Factory.

If you can't make it to St. Louis this year, the convention will be in Cleveland
next summer (2008).

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

The 10th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, June 14-17, 2007, at the
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Portsmouth, Virginia

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

SABR 37 will be held July 26 to 29, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Adam's
Mark Hotel.

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Rick S.  49
06-08-2007 06:59 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place on Saturday, June 23 at 11 AM at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 5230 W. Bluemound Road. Our Guest of Honor will be 1510 ESPN Radio Commentator, Steve "The Homer" True. Steve has been in the Milwaukee area for many years, doing a great job in all sports. In talking to Steve, he related that he's aware of SABR, and is delighted to appear!

We will also have a Research Presentations by Stanley Ginsberg, "Personal Baseball Memories", and "Players of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves", by Rick Schabowski. We also plan to have open discussion, and talk about Chapter Business.

As always, Paul Wong and his fine staff will have food, and your choice of beverage.

The FIRST PLACE Brewers play the Kansas City Royals that evening at 6:05 PM, so the possibility is available to attend the game.

BOOK SIGNING
 Tom Stanton, who was one of the Guests of Honor at our last meeting, is going to be back in Milwaukee for a Ty and The Babe talk and signing at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 8, at Harry W. Schwartz, 2559 N. Downer Avenue. Tom did an excellent job at our last meeting, you can go see him again, or if you missed the meeting, you can go down this Friday. Tom will have copies of the book available.

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions about our meeting....don't hesitate in contacting me at 414-322-4997, or via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com. Hope to see you!

Rick
DDD  50
06-08-2007 07:04 AM ET (US)
Hi All:

 

I thought I would add one other item of SABR interest that will also occur on that Saturday. The Negro League Museum will have a traveling exhibit at Miller Park called the Times of Greatness Mobile Museum from 5:30 to 7:00. The Negro League website states, “This year’s Times of Greatness mobile museum tour will feature a special tribute (including video, audio and artifacts) in honor of John Jordan “Buck” O'Neil who passed away on October 6, 2006 at the age of 94. Buck O'Neil had a selfless dedication to the sport of baseball, serving as Chairman of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and on the Veteran's Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, into which he was never inducted.”

 

The ball game that night is also a Negro Commerative Game with the Royals wearing uniforms of the Monarchs and the Brewers the uniforms of the 1923 Milwaukee Bears.

 

Now that makes for one great baseball filled day.


DDD
Ken Keltner Chapter o  51
06-21-2007 12:13 PM ET (US)
Ken Keltner Chapter of SABR 1508
 
06-21-2007 12:07 PM ET (US)
 The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place on Saturday, June 23 at 11 AM SHARP at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 5230 W. Bluemound Road. Our Guest of Honor will be 1510 ESPN Radio Commentator, Steve "The Homer" True. Steve has been in the Milwaukee area for many years, doing a great job in all sports. In talking to Steve, he related that he's aware of SABR, and is delighted to appear!

We will also have Research Presentations by Stanley Ginsberg, "Personal Baseball Memories", and "Players of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves", by Bob Buege\ Rick Schabowski. We also plan to have open discussion, and talk about Chapter Business.

As always, Paul Wong and his fine staff will have food, and your choice of beverage.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

There are a number of activities planned for the next month. Among them are World Series Club meetings planned for Wednesday June 27, and July 9th. An exhibit opening titled "Milwaukee World Series City" at the Milwaukee Central Library on July 7th, an exhibit opening in Milwaukee at the County Historical Society on July 22, and an exhibit opening in Madison at the State Historical Society in Madison. We will send further information out early next week about these events.

If you have any questions????? Don't hesitate in contacting me at 414-322-4997, or via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.


Hope to see you at the meeting on Saturday!

Rick
SABR National Office  52
06-29-2007 05:36 PM ET (US)
Just a reminder that the early registration discount for the SABR convention
ends this weekend.

If you are planning on attending the SABR convention in St. Louis and have not
sent in your registration yet, you can save $42 on your registration by either
mailing your registration form postmarked today (June 29) or tomorrow (June 30)
or by registering at the SABR Store, http://store.sabr.org. We'll have the
discounted pricing online until we get in the office on Monday morning.

Also keep in mind for your convention planning that in addition to all of the
great sessions at convention, you have several opportunities to see more of St.
Louis on tours that have been put together by SABR member Kris Lokemoen with
Discover St. Louis Tours. Some are specifically related to baseball and others
are of a more general interest, designed for spouses and families, as well as
members.

Tour registration deadline is July 10th. If minimum numbers are not met, some
tours may have to be cancelled. A registration form is available on the SABR
website. You can also call Kris at Discover St. Louis toll-free at (800)
628-3093 or fax your registration to (314) 521-7608 and pay via credit card.

Happy Canada Day on Sunday to our Canadian members, and for our US members,
enjoy your Fourth of July.

John Zajc
Executive Director
Society for American Baseball Research
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Rick S.  53
07-02-2007 12:11 PM ET (US)
 Milwaukee: World Series City” Exhibit Begins July 7 at Central
Take me out to Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) for a new exhibit entitled “Milwaukee: World Series City” beginning Saturday, July 7, 2007 at Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. The exhibit commemorates the 50th and 25th anniversaries of the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers participation in the fall classic World Series, respectively.
 
The kick off event is Saturday, July 7 beginning at 12:30 p.m. in Central’s first floor meeting room. Former Milwaukee Brave Felix Mantilla will talk about his experiences as part of a world-champion baseball team. Other featured speakers include Rick Schabowski of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) – Milwaukee Chapter, and author Bob Buege from the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association. The program will feature a DVD of 1957 World Series highlights, followed by a tour of the exhibit, which includes materials from the library’s collection, memorabilia on loan from SABR, the Milwaukee Brewers and MPL staff members.
 
Free programming continues on the following seven Saturdays from July 14 through August 25 at Central Library, again beginning at 12:30 p.m. each Saturday in the first floor meeting room. Film programs of highlights from the Milwaukee Braves seasons in Milwaukee from 1953 through 1961 and Milwaukee Brewers highlights from the 1982 season will be shown. Audience members are encouraged to bring their Braves and Brewers memorabilia for a “show and tell” segment at each program. Following the programs, audience members may take a free tour of Central Library at 1:30 p.m. which includes the baseball exhibit.
Mark Armour  54
07-12-2007 03:59 PM ET (US)
From: SABR Member Mark Armour mailto:markarmour@comcast.net
------------------------
The annual meeting of the BioProject Committee will take place on July 27, 2007,
at 5:00 PM, in the convention hotel. The meeting will take no more than one
hour, as most of us will be taking a brief walk to the stadium to see the
evening's ballgame.

Along with the usual status and review, there will be a discussion of some of
the ongoing or upcoming initiatives for the project.

The bulk of the meeting will be taken up with a discussion of the ongoing local
team or group projects. There are at least six in progress and a few more that
are at least twinklings in someone's eye. This subject could be of special
interest to local chapter leaders.

Hope to see many of you there.

Take care,
Mark Armour
Rick S.  55
08-09-2007 08:00 AM ET (US)
Just a reminder that Mario Ziino, and Sal Bando will appear at the Milwaukee Public Library this Saturday, August 11th at 12:30 PM as part of the libraries " Milwaukee: World Series City" program. The film "Harvey's Wallbanger's will also be shown.

Rick
SABR National  56
08-10-2007 12:51 PM ET (US)
It's SABR's 36th birthday today, and there is a lot to celebrate.

At 10am ET, we had 6,965 paid members for the 2007 membership year, which should
mean we will exceed 7,000 members for the third time in SABR's history.

Two weeks ago, we had the largest SABR convention ever, with 726 registrants at
the Adam's Mark Hotel in St. Louis.

Our 2006-2007 Donation Drive had more participants than ever (more than 750) and
raised more money than ever (>$60,000). Our Endowment stood at $45,483 on July
31, 2007.

The latest issue of The National Pastime is receiving excellent reviews. If you
have a US address and do not have your copy by the end of next week, let us know
(and include your current mailing address) and we'll get you your copy.
International members, please give it another 2 weeks after that.

Things are definitely continuing to look up for SABR, as reflected in the June
30, 2007 SABR Annual Report that I'm finishing up this week. If you would like a
PDF copy of the document, please let me know and I'll send you a copy when it is
ready.

Thank you for you support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

P.S. I'll be away from the office through August 16 as I attend a professional
conference in Chicago.

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

SABR 38 will be held in Cleveland, Ohio. Dates to be determined (based on MLB
schedule)

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Gordon  57
08-11-2007 01:19 PM ET (US)
Dear Fellow Milwaukee SABR members



If anyone is aware of the location of the Milwaukee Braves scoresheets from 1953
to 1965, and would like to help out the folks at Project Scoresheet, please
contact Mike Conlon.



The necessary information is in the email reproduced below. Thanks



Gordon Hylton



******************************************************
 


Dear Professor Hylton,



                I received your contact information via the Marquette University
Experts Directory. You are listed in the directory as an expert on baseball
history.


                My name is Mike Conlon (Marquette BS-1980, MS-1982). I am a
member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR http://www.sabr.org)
and I am soliciting help for a group call Project Retrosheet
(http://www.retrosheet.org). Project Retrosheet is taking scoresheets of Major
League Baseball games and recording the information from the scoresheets
digitally.



                What I'm looking for specifically are scoresheets of the
Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965). They seem to be a rare commodity. Evidently the
Braves did not take much with them upon their move. The scoresheets would be
used to create and/or verify information in the Retrosheet database. I would be
willing to borrow the scoresheets, make a copy them and return them back to
their owner.



                I can be reached via e-mail at KB3CPV@ARRL.NET, or by phone at
(H) 410-760-8484, (W) 410-765-1705, (Cell) 443-838-3299. Any help you could
give me would be appreciated. Thank you for your consideration.


                              Mike Conlon
                  mailto:KB3CPV@ARRL.NET
Keltner SABR Chapter  58
08-29-2007 01:42 PM ET (US)
50th Anniversary of the 1957 Braves


As the media have reported, there indeed will be a ceremony at Haelfear Field, honoring the 1957 World Champion Milwaukee Braves on Thursday, August 30 at 4:30 PM. I urge that you get there early, as we have no idea how large the attendence will be. The ceremonies will take place at the plaque honoring the Braves on the third base side of Haelfear Field. Out of respect to the players, and the ceremony...you are asked to refrain from asking for autographs!

There will be an autograph session with Del Crandall and Wes Covington which will be held at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Friday August 31 from Noon- 2 PM.

Upcoming Meeting

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place Saturday September 8, 10:30 AM at the Wisconsin State Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin. Special thanks to the great staff at the Historical Society for hosting this meeting!

The agenda will include a tour of current exhibit, "Wisconsin: World Series State". I've had the opportunity of seeing the exhibit, and I, and I'm sure you'll be very impressed!

The agenda will include:

Featured programs in 1st floor theatre
At 10:00am, 11:00am, & 2:30pm:
§ Braves, Brewers & Baseball: A Conversation with Commissioner Allen H. "Bud" Selig, taped on May 1, 2007
(22 min.)
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) presents:
At 12:00pm, 1:00pm, demonstration:
§ How to Score a Game (15 min.)
At 12:30pm, 1:30pm:
§ The 1957 Braves Players (30 min. PowerPoint)
At 11:30am – 12:30pm, 1st floor
§ "Down in the Valley: The History of Milwaukee County Stadium," brief remarks by author Gregg Hoffmann followed by book signing.

Chapter Business:

Bob Buege will talk about a potential Chapter project dealing the the American Association Milwaukee Brewers.


We hope that we can get a nice turn-out for this event. It'd be great to see many of the SABR members from Madison, and from areas outside of the Milwaukee area. We'd all love to meet you!

Any questions???? Please contact me by e-mail, or phone at 414-322-4997.

Thanks!

Rick
Keltner Chapter  59
09-05-2007 07:19 AM ET (US)
Upcoming Meeting

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place Saturday September 8, 10:30 AM at the Wisconsin State Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin. Special thanks to the great staff at the Historical Society for hosting this meeting!

The Historical Society is located at 30 North Caroll Street, right near the Wisconsin State Capitol. their web site can be found ae www.wisconsinhistory.org.


I have room in my vehicle for one more person, so let me know if you're interested. I plan on leaving the Milwaukee area at 8:30 AM.

The agenda will include a tour of current exhibit, "Wisconsin: World Series State". I've had the opportunity of seeing the exhibit, and I, and I'm sure you'll be very impressed!

The complete agenda follows:

Featured programs in 1st floor theatre
At 10:00am, 11:00am, & 2:30pm:
§ Braves, Brewers & Baseball: A Conversation with Commissioner Allen H. "Bud" Selig, taped on May 1, 2007
(22 min.)
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) presents:
At 12:00pm, 1:00pm, demonstration:
§ How to Score a Game (15 min.)
At 12:30pm, 1:30pm:
§ The 1957 Braves Players (30 min. PowerPoint)
At 11:30am – 12:30pm, 1st floor
§ "Down in the Valley: The History of Milwaukee County Stadium," brief remarks by author Gregg Hoffmann followed by book signing.

Chapter Business:

Bob Buege will talk about a potential Chapter project dealing the the American Association Milwaukee Brewers.


We hope that we can get a nice turn-out for this event. It'd be great to see many of the SABR members from Madison, and from areas outside of the Milwaukee area. We'd all love to meet you!



Any questions???? Please contact me by e-mail, or phone at 414-322-4997.

Thanks!
Mark Armour  60
09-06-2007 06:31 AM ET (US)
From: SABR Member Mark Armour mailto:markarmour@comcast.net {-- Click here to
reply.
------------------------
The following note is sent out on behalf of Don Zminda (zeeman66@roadrunner.com)
and RJ Lesch (rjlesch_usa@yahoo.com) concerning an exciting new project. Please
contact them if you are interested.

----------------------------------------

As part of a series of books celebrating anniversary seasons of notable teams
utilizing (along with much other material) biographies written for the SABR
BioProject, we are announcing plans for a book to celebrate the 50th anniversary
of the pennant-winning 1959 White Sox team. Along with biographies of each of
the members of the team (including the owner, front office, manager and coaching
staff), the book will include articles covering the pennant race, the World
Series (too bad we can't stop after Game 1!), the ballpark, the broadcasters and
the experience of rooting for the White Sox in the late 1950s. Some of the bios
have already been written or assigned; a list of players still to be assigned
follows at the end of this e-mail.

We are looking for help not only in writing articles for the book, but also to
assist in gathering photos, researching articles, assisting with
editing,proofreading, fact-checking and all the other work involved in putting
together the book. We would like to have most of the articles written by early
next year to give us time to assemble the book. If you're interested in working
on this project, please contact either or both of us and let us know how you'd
like to help. This should be a fun project for all involved. We'll look forward
to hearing from you.

R. J. Lesch (rjlesch_usa@yahoo.com) and

Don Zminda (zeeman66@roadrunner.com)

Editors

 

Bios already written or assigned

Luis Aparicio, Norm Cash, Tony Cuccinello, Del Ennis, Billy Goodman, Hank
Greenberg, Jim Landis, J.C. Martin, Billy Pierce, John Romano, Gerry Staley,
Earl Torgeson, Bill Veeck

Bios still to be assigned

Rudy Arias, Earl Battey, Ray Berres, Ray Boone, Johnny Callison, Cam Carreon,
Johnny Cooney, Larry Doby, Dick Donovan, Sammy Esposito, Nellie Fox, Don
Gutteridge, Joe Hicks, Ron Jackson, Ted Kluszewski , Barry Latman, Sherm Lollar,
Al Lopez, Turk Lown, Jim McAnany, Ken McBride, Ray Moore, Don Mueller, Gary
Peters, Bubba Phillips, Claude Raymond, Jim Rivera, Don Rudolph, Bob Shaw, Harry
Simpson, Lou Skizas, Al Smith, Joe Stanka, Early Wynn
------------------------
SABR Notes are being sent to you because you are a member of the Society for
American Baseball Research. All members with an email address of record receive
membership-wide announcements from the executive director. Members who are
affiliated with local chapters or research committees will receive email from
those groups as well. To modify your email address, committee memberships, or
chapter affiliations, log into the MySABR section of the members-only site:
http://members.sabr.org/members.cfm?a=mys

To contact the sender of this SABR Note email: mailto:markarmour@comcast.net.
National SABR Office  61
09-06-2007 06:35 PM ET (US)
Thanks to all the members who wished SABR a Happy Birthday last month, and who
asked for a copy of our latest Annual Report. Anyone can now download a copy
from the following URL:

http://tinyurl.com/2usz26

As a life-long Clevelander, I am pretty excited about the fortunes of the
Cleveland Indians. I'll try to remain patient for the team to clinch the
division, but it's not easy. I'm also excited by the thoughts of the 2008 SABR
Convention being in Cleveland and look forward to being able to let you know
what dates it will be held (after the 2008 MLB schedule becomes known).

If you are a little bit like me and have trouble remaining patient, and want to
jump ahead and renew your SABR membership for 2008, please feel free to do so.
You can renew online at http://store.sabr.org, or you can mail a check and a
note specifying that you are renewing for 2008 to: SABR, 812 Huron Rd E #719,
Cleveland OH 44115. Dues for North American addresses remain $60 for 2008, with
discounted rates of $165 for three years, or $40 for members age 65 or older or
under 30. Every renewal we receive before October 1 saves us the printing and
postage costs, so we are very appreciative of your pro-active support.

Also, if you have a friend who is interested in joining SABR, let him or her
know that we have an Online Special (http://tinyurl.com/2aodn6) for new members
in the U.S. going on now through September 30. After September 30, all NEW
members will receive the 2008 publications schedule (yet to be determined) and
have their membership paid through 12/31/2008. If you would like the office to
mail you some SABR membership brochures to distribute, please let me know.

Thank you for you support of SABR!
  
John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

SABR 38 will be held in Cleveland, Ohio. Dates to be determined (based on MLB
schedule)

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227

If you do not want "This Week in SABR" sent to you, let us know. We'll remove
your email address from the SABR database.
Bob Buege  62
09-10-2007 02:59 PM ET (US)
I am proposing a project for the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research: the creation of an anthology of research-based writings related to the central theme of Milwaukee’s Borchert Field (nee Athletic Park).
As I envision this project, every chapter member would be encouraged (not required) to select one, several, or many topics of personal interest, research the subjects, and write about them. The topic could be broad—the 1951 Milwaukee Brewers’ championship season, for example—or narrow, such as opening day in May, 1888, or Ted Williams’ record in games in Borchert Field in 1938 or Bert Thiel’s no-hitter.
Contributors who would like assistance in writing or editing could receive help from other chapter members. Alternatively, they could perform non-writing tasks, such as locating photographs or conducting interviews.
As is the case with SABR meetings, this project would be open to and would welcome participation from non-members of SABR.
For purposes of illustration and inspiration, a brief draft of an introduction is attached below.

Bob Buege




Okay, so it wasn’t Yankee Stadium. But it had a short right field line, just like the park where Maris slammed number 61. The Yankees played here a bunch of times, too. The Bambino, The Iron Horse, Joltin’ Joe, The Mick, they all played in Borchert Field.
Casey Stengel managed in Borchert Field. He managed the Milwaukee ball club, and his team won the pennant. He was not universally popular, though, and he got fired. Just like in The Big Apple.
The man acclaimed as the world’s greatest athlete at the 1912 Olympic Games, Jim Thorpe, didn’t get along in Gotham City, so he played ball in Borchert Field. He and his family lived a fly ball away.
Just like in the famous ballpark in the Bronx, visiting ballplayers included the greatest heroes of the game: Teddy Ballgame; The Say-Hey Kid; Bucketfoot Al, known locally as the Duke of Mitchell Street. They all showed off their talents in Borchert Field.
So did Eddie Mathews. The Brookfield Bomber faced an African American pitcher for the first time in his life in Borchert Field, a guy named Dave Barnhill. All Eddie did was smash a game-winning grand slam homer off him. The next day Eddie was demoted to the Atlanta Crackers.
Bill Veeck learned how to be a promotional genius in Borchert Field. He conceived and perfected many of his stunts in the old wooden ballpark at Eighth and Chambers.
Just like The House That Ruth Built, Borchert Field also hosted non-baseball events, some in sports, some not. Boxing matches were big. So were football games.
The Green Bay Packers played in Borchert Field, a league game, not an exhibition. The Packers held Yankee Stadium’s team, the guys Chris Berman calls the New York Football Giants, without a first down. Somehow, the Packers still lost. Anything was possible in Borchert Field.
Political rallies for people like Harry Truman filled the grandstand at Borchert Field. Fundraisers of all stripes used Borchert Field’s hallowed ground to gather a crowd and keep them entertained. Jackie Price caught fly balls in his jeep. Ralph Cutting’s goat kept the lawn trimmed. Cuckoo Christensen read the newspaper while playing the outfield. Every night for two weeks, Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii.
A person lucky enough to live on Milwaukee’s near north side between 1888 and 1952 could experience the world and never leave the neighborhood.
Rick S.  63
09-17-2007 10:44 PM ET (US)
Hope things are going great for you and your Loved ones as we enter the "Homestretch" of the Baseball Season. Best of Luck to all your teams, and we should have a great finish to another great season!


UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

The Central Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library will have a feature this Saturday, September 22 at 12:30 PM, Players of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves. This is a Powerpoint presentation that was also given at the Milwaukee Braves 50th Anniversary Banquet, and at the Wisconsin State Historical Society in Madison. Bob Buege will narrate the presentation. We also encourage you to take in the excellent exhibits about baseball at the Milwaukee Central Library, the State Historical Society in Madison, and the Milwaukee County Historical Society in downtown Milwaukee.
 
The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 5230 West Bluemound Road in Milwaukee at 11 AM, Saturday November 17.
 
The Agenda will include:
 
Nomination and election of Chapter Officers, as the current terms expire this fall.
Borchert Field Project: Bob Buege has suggested a wonderful idea; that we compile stories and recollections of Borchert Field as a Chapter Project. Accordingly, the meeting will be dedicated to anyone who wants to talk about their memories, it might be as a player, or a fan. Whatever little tidbit of info would be helpful, and also very interesting to attendees.
Research Presentations "geared to" the Borchert Field theme.
Upcoming Activities, which include the showing of the entire Game 4 of the 1957 World Series on Saturday February 2, 2008, courtesy of Doak Ewing of Rare Sportsfilms.
If you have any questions????? Don't hesitate in contacting via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com, or by my cell at 414-322-4997. Thanks and hope to see you at the Activities!

Rick Schabowski
Rick S.  64
09-20-2007 12:09 PM ET (US)
A brief preview of the DVD to be released on December 1, 2007 entitled "The Milwaukee Braves: A Golden Legacy" will be shown on Fox Sports Network this Friday September 21, at 10 PM. The show will include footage from the 50 th Anniversary Banquet held last month.

SABR has purchased at table for a Banquet honorong Bruce Froemming at the Milwaukee Athletic Club to held on Thursday November 15th. Cost per person is $75. If you're interested drop me an e-mail.

Rick
Mark Armour  65
09-21-2007 06:51 AM ET (US)
As you likely know, the Baseball Biography Project has spawned a series of books
celebrating the anniversaries of notable teams, largely (but not solely) made up
of biographies of each of the players and personnel associated with the club.

One of the most exciting projects starting up is one focused on one of
baseball's most celebrated teams--the 1969 New York Mets. Although this story
has not been neglected, we are confident that we can tell it differently and
better than it has been told before. The authors of this book will be SABR
members, people like you reading this note. If you are interested in helping
out with this project, please contact Matt Silverman (msilverman@usa.net) or Ken
Samelson (kensville@msn.com), the project Editors.

The project is going to need people interested in writing biographies and other
stories about the season or team. Many of the subjects have been assigned to
people, but there are still a lot of great stuff to do. We are also going to
need editors, fact checkers, people with great pictures, and any one with great
ideas.

Please don't hesitate to contact Matt or Ken if you are interested in helping.

Thanks,
Mark Armour
Mark Armour  66
09-25-2007 03:05 PM ET (US)
I had a few things I wanted to pass along to all project members, and thought
this was the best way to do so.

* We have a Yahoo! group set up for the purpose of discussing the project and
biography research. Only about 40% of the people receiving this email are
subscribed. The Yahoo! list requires that you let us know when your email
address changes--they do not use the same list as the SABR office does. Anyhow,
if you want to join our email group, please send a note to Tom Ruane
(tjruane@gmail.com). I will still use SABR's master list to send newsletters or
other important communications.

* For all authors, I have a couple of requests. First, please review your
author page to make sure the blurb about you is present and accurate. Second,
could you please look over your bios sometime and verify that there are no stray
characters? There are some characters produced by Microsoft Word that are not
displayable in HTML (which our site uses). There is a way to fix this manually,
but sometimes I miss one here and there. To find your author page and bios,
click on your name here:

http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=w&m=62

If you are not listed, it is because you have not yet finished a biography. If
you want to be famous, you are just 2000 words away.

* You can now renew your SABR membership for 2008. There are dozens of reasons
to renew, which I don't have to tell you I am sure. One of them is that your
biographies are much easier to maintain if you stay in SABR. So, why not renew
today? And while you are at it, please consider making a donation during the
renewal process. Donations help pay for projects like ours.
http://store.sabr.org

Hope your team is in the pennant race. If not, I hear that things are looking
pretty good for next year.

Take care,
Mark Armour
Chair, Baseball Biography Project
Mark Armour  67
09-25-2007 05:23 PM ET (US)
In my last note soliciting people to join our on-line discussion group, I should
have said:

"To join our online discussion forum, simply send an email to
SABRBioProject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com."

So, please do that instead.

Best,
Mark Armour
Mark Armour  68
10-02-2007 07:33 AM ET (US)
Hey all,

You may recall several months ago I figured out how to put pictures into our
biographies, and introduced this ability in a couple of the stories. Well, I
think we are ready to treat this new feature more seriously.

I have received permission from the Topps Company to reproduce their baseball
cards (and cards from Bowman, who Topps purchased many years ago). Here are
some examples that I used today:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=645&pid=14207
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=448&pid=11112
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=555&pid=13605
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=623&pid=15186
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=649&pid=6979

These are all my stories, because I did not want to change other people's bios
without going over some procedural issues.

1. I would like to give everyone here an opportunity to provide us with an
image (electronic) or two to accompany your biography. It does not have to be a
baseball card--what is nice about these cards is that they are readily available
on-line, and we are clear to use them. If you have a photograph, we can not use
it unless we have permission from whoever owns the photo. Exception: any photo
or card from 1923 or earlier is in the public domain and can be used. Tobacco
cards, for example.

2. This is completely optional, you don't have to do anything. If you don't
provide a picture, I will assume that we are free to find one ourselves unless
you tell us otherwise. If a photo shows up in your story and you don't like it,
of course it will be removed. I am trying to avoid spending days and days
sending several hundred emails badgering people for permission. It is much less
work if I just assume I can do it. If this is a problem, let us know.

3. This process is going to be slow, and has no deadline. If you provide a
picture and replace it later, fine. Many of our bios might never have a
picture.

4. If we don't get a photo from you, we will likely use a baseball card for any
post-WW2 player (if they were on a card). For 19th century or Deadballers,
finding the pictures is more difficult, but if we find them we can post them.
We will likely engage the help of the Pictorial History Committee.

5. I am looking for a volunteer to handle all of this. The fun part is finding
the cards and pictures. What we will require is that you get a sharp image and
then trim it to an appropriate size. If you go on Ebay you can find most any
card from the 1948 to 1975 period. If you are looking for Gene Alley, you would
first find what you think is the most attractive card, and then find a clean
image of it, download the image, and dicker with it. (That whole process would
take less than five minutes). You will also need to deal with the pictures that
are provided by the authors, and making sure those are OK. If you are really
brave, this could evolve such that you can modify the bios and repost them
yourself. (As of now I always have to post the stories--a role I am trying to
shed).

6. I think this is a fun job, I really do. It could take more than one person
working together.

Like most of what we do, we really are going to need help for this to work. We
have a system in place to get this to work, but I don't have time to do it. You
will just need a little time, and feel comfortable with some basic picture
editing (like Paint, or Microsoft Picture Manager, or dozens of others).

If you want to help, do not reply to this note. Instead, send an email to me at
markarmour@comcast.net.

Thanks all. I think this will help our project a lot.


Mark Armour
Mark Armour  69
10-11-2007 09:00 AM ET (US)
ATTENTION CARDINAL FANS !!!

As you know from prior announcements, the SABR BioProject Committee is beginning
a series of projects aimed at thoroughly documenting the history-making seasons
of teams involved in exciting pennant races and subsequent World Series. This
project is aimed at 1964 Cardinal team, which produced both a extraordinary,
come-from-behind National League pennant race (which wasn’t settled until the
last day of the season) and an equally unexpected victory over a
Mantle-Maris-Ford-led Yankee team in the World Series. Our initial completion
target is this team’s 50th anniversary.

Our model for this project will be the SABR efforts already completed on
Boston’s 1967 and 1975 teams. The project’s three major lines of effort will
be: a thorough documentation of the Cardinals’1964 pennant race, using the words
of the participants as much as possible; a complete set of individual
biographies (Players, Manager, Coaches, Front Office, Ownership, and Media)
describing their careers and specifically addressing their roles in 1964); and
special pieces discussing key supporting elements, such as fan views.

The 1964 Cardinal team was a talented, colorful bunch that included: five
baseball hall-of-famers ( Musial, Brock, Gibson, Schoendienst, Rickey); three
National League MVPs (Musial, Boyer, Groat); three national media baseball
commentators (McCarver, Uecker, Buck); and one National League President
(White).

Here’s our current bio assignment breakdown:

ASSIGNED/COMPLETED(15): Boyer, Burdette, Fanok, Javier, Keane, McCarver, Morgan,
Musial, Pollett, Rickey, B. Schultz, Simmons, Spring, Taylor, White

UNASSIGNED(35): Bakenhaster, Benson, Brock, Broglio, Buchek, Buck, Busch, Caray,
Clemens, Craig, Cuellar, Devine, Dowling, Flood, Gagliano, Gibson, Groat,
Hobbie, Howsam, Humphreys, James, Lewis, Long, Maxvill, Richardson, Sadecki,
Schoendienst, J. Schultz, Shannon, Shantz, Skinner, Spezio, Uecker, Warwick,
Washburn.

The 50 year anniversary of this team will be in 2014, which is seven years away.
That may seem like a long time but remember the age of the team (players only)
in 1964 averaged 29.2, ranging from 19 to 37. By this team’s 50th anniversary
(2014), their average age will be 79. Our best opportunity to start gather
player insights and perspectives about this exciting season is now.

SABR’s outstanding baseball research support system makes writing about baseball
player(s)/experience(s) a uniquely rewarding experience. Please contact John
Stahl at harryofpg@aol.com if you are interested in joining us.
Rick S.  70
10-16-2007 03:59 PM ET (US)
Happy October Baseball to all! I hope you're enjoying the playoffs, as another truly exciting baseball season comes to a close!



UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place on Saturday, November 17th, 11 AM, at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar located at 5230 West Bluemound Road. The agenda will include:

Nomination and Election of Chapter Officers
Research Presentation by Rick Schabowski about Green Bay football games played at Borchert Field.
Discussion of a Chapter Project about Borchert Field
Future meetings and projects.

If you're interested in doing a Research Presentation about Borchert Field.....let me know, and we'd be more than happy to add it to the agenda!

As always...food and beverage will be available at the meeting!

Don't forget to circle Saturday February 2nd, 2008 on your calenders! The meeting that day will feature a showing of the ENTIRE game 4 of the 1957 World Series. Thanks again to the President of Raresports Films....Mr. Doak Ewing! If you're interested in the films Doak has available...visit his website at www.raresportsfilms.com

SABR MEETING IN CHICAGO


The next meeting of the Emil Rothe (Chicago) Chapter will take place on Saturday October 27, 2007 from 1:00pm to 4:30pm. The meeting will held in downtown Chicago at 311 South Wacker Drive on the 30th Floor. This building is located immediately south of the Sears Tower. On weekends, the entrance is located on Upper Wacker Drive and attendees will need to proceed up the escalators and check in for the “SABR Meeting” before going up to the 30th Floor.
Among the speakers will be Jonathan Eig, author of the highly praised 2007 book “Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season”.
For more information, contact Richard Smiley [email: smileyr@georgetown.edu]


OLDTIME BALLPLAYERS ASSOCIATION

 The Old Time Ballplayers Association of Wisconsin 27th Annual Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, November 11, 2007. The event will again be held at Serb Hall, at 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave. in Milwaukee. Upward of 500 are expected, and it is open to the public.
Inductees to the OTBA Hall this year include former Major Leaguers Charles "Kid" Nichols, originally from Madison, and Ryne Duren, from Cazenovia, as well as local baseball stars Derek Gallagher, Randy Goede, Craig Henderson and John Roberts. In addition, the annual Dick Falk High School Player of the Year Award will be presented to Doug DeKoning of Menomonee Falls High School. Nichols, who is also in the Major League Hall of Fame, died in 1953.
OTBA President Paul Schramka will introduce the inductees, and Tom "Sky" Skibosh, former Milwaukee Brewers public relations director, will serve as master of ceremonies.
Formed in 1932 the Old Time Ballplayers Association of Wisconsin is the largest organization of its kind in the United States.
Tickets for the dinner and ceremony are available at $17 each by calling Greg Ebbert at 262-292-4002 or Paul Schramka at 262-251-3130, E-mail: gregebbert@msn.com.

WORLD SERIES CLUB

A Banquet honoring retiring MLB Umpire Bruce Froemming will be held at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Thursday, November 15th. A limited number of tickets are available at $75. If you're interested in attending contact Rick Schabowski at 414-322-4997, or e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.

WEBSITE

The Midwest Diamond Report website, maintained by fellow SABR member Gregg Hoffmann, continues to be a " must-go-to " site for baseball information. You can access it by going to www.midwestdiamond report.com

MILWAUKEE BRAVES HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

If you haven't already heard, the 50th Anniversary Reunion of the 1957 World Series Champion Milwaukee Braves was a truly successful event! Fellow SABR and MBHA member Bill Poveltich has started a website about the MBHA,which is packed with information, and also features an on-line store, which also features an opportunity to purchase a DVD about the Braves and the Banquet Celebration.
Here's more info about the site, and ways to purchase the DVD.

The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association is proud to announce the upcoming DVD release of "Milwaukee Braves: The Golden Legacy." It was an event 50 years in the making. On August 30, 2007, 14 members of the Milwaukee Braves’ 1957 World Series championship team gathered to celebrate the golden anniversary of their historic achievement. Henry Aaron, Red Schoendienst, Del Crandall, Johnny Logan, Wes Covington and many more shared their personal memories from when they won a world championship for the most devoted fans in baseball. This once-in-a-lifetime event is captured in its entirety and provides a glimpse into a clubhouse filled with characters, from future Hall of Famers Warren Spahn and Eddie Mathews to '57 season phenom Bob Hazle and World Series hero Lou Burdette.


DVD BONUS MATERIALS:
- Exclusive interviews with players who attended the 2007 banquet
- Classic clips and highlights from previous MBHA banquets
- A documentary chronicling the building of the 1957 World Series championship roster
- A personal photomontage of images by those who attended the banquet


Visit the official Milwaukee Braves Historical Association website at www.57braves.com to purchase the DVD today. You can also mail a check payable to the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association for $26.02 to the following address for a copy of the DVD to be released on December 1st, 2007...


The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association, Inc.
6650 West State Street
Unit D, Suite #157
Milwaukee, WI 53210

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions about anything........don't hesitate to call me at 414-322-4997, or e-mail me at RICKIU76@aol.com. Thanks, and I hope to see you at the events!
 
Rick Schabowski
National SABR Office  71
10-24-2007 07:25 AM ET (US)
Announcement of Staffing Changes

This past June, Publications Director Jim Charlton informed me that he would not
seek to renew his contract for 2008.

Jim’s announcement led to discussions between the board and me regarding how to
best staff the office to most effectively serve the members.

My first conclusion was to make the Publications Director’s position a full-time
staff job in Cleveland reporting to Executive Director. After careful
deliberation, the Board agreed.

I also took this opportunity to examine the strengths and weaknesses of our
organizational structure, and the kinds of jobs that were done by staff and what
tasks were done by volunteers. As a result of this, I shared with the Board a
new organizational chart that I thought most efficiently and effectively served
the SABR membership and strengthened our ability to achieve the board’s and my
strategic goals.

One recommendation, incorporating our IT needs as a staff function, cannot be
done effectively by current staff, and our budget will not allow for another
staff expansion.

Therefore, on October 17, I offered severance packages to Rod Nelson and Ryan
Chamberlain rather than keep them on during a time of transition to a new
organizational structure that unfortunately, does not effectively utilize their
many talents.

I thank each of them for their many contributions to SABR and wish them the best
of success in the future.

We are currently engaged in a professional search to fill the Publications
Director position to ensure that the most outstanding candidates possible are
considered and eventually hired. The remaining staff position will be filled as
soon as feasible.

As always, my focus will be on providing the very best experience to SABR
members as we move forward. Jim is leaving us in very good shape regarding 2008
publications and I expect to have a new staff in place by the first of the year.
I hope you will join me in thanking Jim for his long-lasting contribution to
SABR as Publications Director.

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

SABR 38 will be held in Cleveland, Ohio. Dates to be determined (based on MLB
schedule)

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://www.unp.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/97rwf

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
National SABR Office  72
10-28-2007 08:13 AM ET (US)
The dates for the next SABR Convention are set.

Save the dates of June 26 to 29, 2008, on your calendar for next year and start
making plans to attend the SABR Convention at the Renaissance Hotel in
Cleveland, Ohio.

Programming details will be coming in the next several months, but the Jack
Graney Chapter of SABR and SABR HQ are excited to bring SABR members back to
Cleveland for the first time since 1990.

The annual SABR night at the ballpark will be, as usual, on Friday night, and
the opponent will be the Cincinnati Reds. We are also fortunate this year to
have both the Lake County Captains (South Atlantic League, Class A) and the
Akron Aeros (Eastern League, Class AA) home during the SABR convention dates and
hope to offer attendees a chance to visit Classic Ballpark and Canal park, two
very nice ballparks.

Information on making hotel reservations will also be coming soon.

I hope to see you in Cleveland next year.

Also, renewal notices are in the mail now; we appreciate your support of SABR
and hope you will renew for 2008 at your earliest convenience.

Thank you!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

SABR 38 will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.
June 26 to 29, 2008

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Rick S.  73
11-01-2007 03:40 PM ET (US)
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place on Saturday, November 17th, 11 AM, at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar located at 5230 West Bluemound Road. The agenda will include:

Nomination and Election of Chapter Officers
Guest Speaker Bill Topitzes: Clubhouse Manager of the AAA Milwaukee Brewers in the 1940's and early 50's.
Research Presentation: Dennis Pajot:Early owners of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Research Presentation: Bob Koehler: The Demolition and aftermath of Borchert Field.
Research Presentation: Rick Schabowski about Green Bay football games played at Borchert Field.
Discussion of a Chapter Project about Borchert Field
Future meetings and projects.

If you're interested in doing a Research Presentation about Borchert Field.....let me know, and we'd be more than happy to add it to the agenda!

As always...food and beverage will be available at the meeting!

Don't forget to circle Saturday February 2nd, 2008 on your calenders! The meeting that day will feature a showing of the ENTIRE game 4 of the 1957 World Series. Thanks again to the President of Raresports Films....Mr. Doak Ewing! If you're interested in the films Doak has available...visit his website at www.raresportsfilms.com



OLDTIME BALLPLAYERS ASSOCIATION

 The Old Time Ballplayers Association of Wisconsin 27th Annual Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, November 11, 2007. The event will again be held at Serb Hall, at 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave. in Milwaukee. Upward of 500 are expected, and it is open to the public.
Inductees to the OTBA Hall this year include former Major Leaguers Charles "Kid" Nichols, originally from Madison, and Ryne Duren, from Cazenovia, as well as local baseball stars Derek Gallagher, Randy Goede, Craig Henderson and John Roberts. In addition, the annual Dick Falk High School Player of the Year Award will be presented to Doug DeKoning of Menomonee Falls High School. Nichols, who is also in the Major League Hall of Fame, died in 1953.
OTBA President Paul Schramka will introduce the inductees, and Tom "Sky" Skibosh, former Milwaukee Brewers public relations director, will serve as master of ceremonies.
Formed in 1932 the Old Time Ballplayers Association of Wisconsin is the largest organization of its kind in the United States.
Tickets for the dinner and ceremony are available at $17 each by calling Greg Ebbert at 262-292-4002 or Paul Schramka at 262-251-3130, E-mail: gregebbert@msn.com.

WORLD SERIES CLUB

A Banquet honoring retiring MLB Umpire Bruce Froemming will be held at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Thursday November 15th. Contact Greg Ebbert at gregebbert@msn.com for for information.

FUTURE MEETING

A joint meeting with the Emil Rothe Chapter ( Chicago) is planned for Saturday May 17, 2008. The meeting will take place in Beloit, Wisconsin, and will also include the opportunity for attendees to attend a Beloit Snappers- Peoria Chiefs game. More details will follow. Specail THANKS to David Malamut of the Chicago Chapter for organizing this meeting!!


WEBSITE

The Midwest Diamond Report website, maintained by fellow SABR member Gregg Hoffmann, continues to be a " must-go-to " site for baseball information. You can access it by going to www.midwestdiamond report.com

MILWAUKEE BRAVES HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

If you haven't already heard, the 50th Anniversary Reunion of the 1957 World Series Champion Milwaukee Braves was a truly successful event! Fellow SABR and MBHA member Bill Poveltich has started a website about the MBHA,which is packed with information, and also features an on-line store, which also features an opportunity to purchase a DVD about the Braves and the Banquet Celebration.
Here's more info about the site, and ways to purchase the DVD.

The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association is proud to announce the upcoming DVD release of "Milwaukee Braves: The Golden Legacy." It was an event 50 years in the making. On August 30, 2007, 14 members of the Milwaukee Braves’ 1957 World Series championship team gathered to celebrate the golden anniversary of their historic achievement. Henry Aaron, Red Schoendienst, Del Crandall, Johnny Logan, Wes Covington and many more shared their personal memories from when they won a world championship for the most devoted fans in baseball. This once-in-a-lifetime event is captured in its entirety and provides a glimpse into a clubhouse filled with characters, from future Hall of Famers Warren Spahn and Eddie Mathews to '57 season phenom Bob Hazle and World Series hero Lou Burdette.


DVD BONUS MATERIALS:
- Exclusive interviews with players who attended the 2007 banquet
- Classic clips and highlights from previous MBHA banquets
- A documentary chronicling the building of the 1957 World Series championship roster
- A personal photomontage of images by those who attended the banquet


Visit the official Milwaukee Braves Historical Association website at www.57braves.com to purchase the DVD today. You can also mail a check payable to the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association for $26.02 to the following address for a copy of the DVD to be released on December 1st, 2007...


The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association, Inc.
6650 West State Street
Unit D, Suite #157
Milwaukee, WI 53210

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions about anything........don't hesitate to call me at 414-322-4997, or e-mail me at RICKIU76@aol.com. Thanks, and I hope to see you at the events!
 
Rick Schabowski
Rex Hamann  74
11-02-2007 08:24 AM ET (US)
Dear Ken Keltner Chapter Members,
 
In September I was again in Milwaukee, for Brewers baseball, and to do some grave hunting as is my custom.
 
For some time now I've known of two unmarked graves in Milwaukee's Mount Olivet Cemetery. They belong to deadball era players Dan "Bud" Lally and Dan Marion, both of whom had a substantial baseball career, particularly Lally. He's in the Minor League Register if you'd care to look him up. Both performed in the American Association, Lally as a Minneapolis Miller and Marion as a Milwaukee Brewer pitcher. Both died in the 1930's and were too poor to purchase their own burial site. Lally's story is particularly poignant.
 
During my September trip I was able to get the assistance of a front office person at Mount Olivet in determining the exact location of each grave.
 
My question for you is, would you be interested in supporting an effort to purchase a grave marker for one or both of these players? If you could respond to me at pureout@msn.com, please do so. I intend to use the information as part of a planning effort I will make for coming to Milwaukee for an upcoming chapter meeting during which I can explain more about this effort.
 
Right now I'm just gauging interest, looking at whether or not I can rely on the Keltner Chapter folks to assist in this cause at some point in the future, that's it. It will affect my decision of how far to go with this. Of course, if you have any questions I'm happy to deal with them.
 
Thanks much.
 
 
Rex Hamann
14201 Crosstown Blvd. NW
Andover, Minnesota 55304-3311
Mark Armour  75
11-20-2007 07:23 AM ET (US)
I have written to you previously about the ongoing book project to write
biographies of everyone who played for the 1959 White Sox. An initial appeal
yielded biographers for the majority of the players and management of the team.
I am hoping that this second appeal will wittle the list down considerably. The
list of available players is below.

The expectation is that a book will be published in 2009, so we will want all
work to be finished by next summer.

The project co-ordinators are Don Zminda (zeeman66@roadrunner.com) and R.J.
Lesch (rjlesch_usa@yahoo.com). You should contact them if you wish to
contribute to this great project.

Ray Berres (coach)
Johnny Cooney (coach)
Tony Cuccinello (coach)
Rudy Arias
Johnny Callison
Cam Carreon
Dick Donovan
Nellie Fox
Joe Hicks
Barry Latman
Turk Lown
Jim McAnany
Ken McBride
Ray Moore
Don Muellar
Don Rudolph
Harry Simpson
Lou Skizas
Al Smith
Early Wynn
SABR National Office  76
11-21-2007 08:01 PM ET (US)
Happy Thanksgiving!

As we approach this 4-day holiday, we realize that there is much in SABR to be
thankful for.

We are thankful for the entire SABR membership, which had two consecutive years
of more than 7,000 members for the first time ever.

We are thankful for the 2,200+ members whose renewals have already been
processed for 2008. The quickest, easiest, most automatic way to renew your SABR
membership is to log in to the SABR members-only site (members.sabr.org), click
on "MySABR" and click on the yellow "Renew" button near the "Paid Through"
section of the page (to the right-hand side). With your Visa, MasterCard or
Discover Card, you can renew and have your database record update immediately
and automatically.

We are thankful for the 47 first-time donors in the past 30 days. Your support
is important in allowing SABR to take on important projects to help baseball
researchers. We are thankful for the more than $19,000 in donations received
from members in the past 30 days.

We are thankful that the SABR Endowment has climbed above $50,000. That is still
a very small sum, but it is exciting to know that just 24 months ago, the
Endowment had only a little more than $14,000. SABR's long-term future is
looking brighter every day, especially with the Legacy Circle, which was
established earlier this year.

We are thankful for the dozens of SABR members -- research committee chairs,
chapter leaders, project coordinators, SABR-L moderators, awards judges and peer
reviewers, and the SABR Board of Directors -- who all share their time and
talents with SABR to make it the great organization that it is.

May you all enjoy health and happiness,

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Consider Joining the Legacy Circle; SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

SABR 38 -- Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008.

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Holiday Sale titles can be found at http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/pages/HolidaySale.aspx


Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Keltner Chapter  77
11-24-2007 06:54 AM ET (US)
REPORT OF LAST MEETING

There were twenty-nine attendees at our last meeting on Saturday November 17th. Research Presentations included Dennis Pajot with a history of pre-1900 owners of the Milwaukee Brewers, which included a wonderful computer assisted pictorial display, and Rick Schabowski, who discussed the lone NFL regular season game played at Borchert Field on October 1, 1933.

Our Guest of Honor, Bill Topitzes, a Brewers clubhouse attendent during the 1940's and early 50's related the many experiences he had during his employment, and brought along memorabilia and pictures to share.

Chapter officers were nominated and voted upon, and the incumbent Officers, Rick Schabowski-President, Matt Bednarski-Vice President, Dennis Degenhardt-Treasurer, and Tom O'Connell- Secretary were -re-elected.

Bob Buege opened the topic for discussion about a Borchert Field research project. A open forum resulted in the adoption of Chapter involvement in gathering research about Borchert Field.

HOW TO DO RESEARCH MEETING

As a result of deciding upon doing the Borchert Field project, we've decided to have a research forum at the Golda Meir Library, Microfims area, on Sunday, December 2 at 1 PM. We may meet at the Union before getting started, to agree upon how to assign Projects for the research. Information on how to get to UWM can be found by going to the UWM site at
http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/help/faq/where-is-library.html
Don't be scared about accessing the Archives, once you get involved...it's a lot of fun!

ITEMS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE

SABR member Norman Macht has authored a book titled, "Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball". The book is 767 pages, and goes through to 1914. If you're interested in purchasing an autographed copy, contact Mr. Macht at nlm@grandecom.net. Cost is $36, which includes shipping.

There are three autographed baseballs, which were not sold at the Bruce Froemming Banquet. They are:


Roger Clemens $400
 
Reggie Jackson $400
 
Sparky Anderson $400

If you're interested let me know.

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting will take place on Saturday, February 2, 2008, 11 AM, at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 5230 W. Bluemound Road. This meeting will feature, courtesy of Doak Ewing, President of Rare Sportsfilms, a showing of the ENTIRE game 4 of the 1957 World Series. You know what happens, but this will be great to watch. We'll also have a 50-50 raffle, raffles for neat items, and memorabilia for sale. Reservations are recomended.

QUESTIONS??

If you have any questions about our events......don't hesitate in contacting me by phone at 414-322-4997, or e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com

I hope to see you at our events!

Rick
SABR National Office  78
11-28-2007 04:23 PM ET (US)
If you are looking for gift ideas for the holidays, remember our Bulletin
advertisers, check out our online classifieds at www.sabr.org, and consider
these offers:

The University of Nebraska Press is having its holiday sale. Get 25% titles by
visiting their website. Back issues of SABR journals are available through the
University of Nebraska Press.

To take advantage of this offer, copy and paste this address in your browser:

http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/pages/HolidaySale.aspx

The History Channel is providing online discounts to SABR members as well. Here
are two offers:

SABR members - Spend $75, get a free $15 gift certificate plus FREE shipping at
The History Channel. Offer starts 11/27/07 and ends 12/20/07.

Copy and paste this address in your browser:

http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000022983039

SABR members - Build your own gift at The History Channel. Buy 2, get the 3rd
free plus FREE shipping! Offer applies to select items. Offer starts 11/27/07
and ends 12/20/07.

Copy and paste this address in your browser:

http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000023018056

You can get to their baseball DVDs by copying and pasting this address in your
browser:

http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000022786581
 
This address has the SABR exclusive discount and takes you directly to the
Baseball category.

Happy Holidays!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Keltner Chapter  79
12-13-2007 02:56 PM ET (US)
HOLIDAY GATHERING
Holiday Greetings to you and all your Loved ones! You’re all invited to an informal Holiday gathering at Long Wong’s Chinese-American Sportsbar at 5 PM, Wednesday, December 26th. The restaurant is located at 5230 West Bluemound Road. We’re planning to
socialize, enjoy your choice of beverage, and order food off the menu. Hope to see you there!
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR meeting will take place on Saturday February 2, 2008, 11 AM at Long Wong’s. The meeting will feature, courtesy of Doak Ewing, President of Rare Sportsfilms, a showing of the entire Game 4 of the 1957 World Series. Tentatively scheduled to appear as Guests of Honor at this time are Johnny Logan, and Mr. and Mrs. Felix Mantilla. We will also conduct a 50/50 raffle, have baseball items for sale, and raffles for other neat items. Food and drink will be available. A discussion of the Borchert Field Project will take place after the film. This event attracted a large crowd last year, so reservations are recommended. You can guarantee yourself a spot by contacting Rick Schabowski at 414-322-4997, or via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.
A joint meeting with the Emil Rothe Chapter (Chicago) is planned for Saturday May 17, 2008. This meeting is planned in conjunction with the Beloit-Peoria game. We plan on meeting before the game, then enjoying a nice evening of Baseball. Rumor has it………that all the snow will be gone by then! If you’re interested in attending, let me know, and I’ll forward the information to David Malamut of the Chicago Chapter.
BORCHERT FIELD PROJECT
The Borchert Field Project is underway, and we’d like to have more players
   ( researchers) step up to the plate. Bob Buege has put together some interesting ideas for your research.

            On Sunday, December 2, 2007, a small cadre of dedicated SABR researchers braved the elements to begin the process of creating a history of Borchert Field and everything that occurred there.
            The intrepid researchers were Matt Bednarski, Bob Buege, Dennis Degenhardt, Dennis Pajot, and Rick Schabowski.
 
First, a preface:
 
            Okay, so it wasn’t Yankee Stadium. But it had a short right field line, just like the park where Maris slammed number 61. The Yankees played here a bunch of times, too. The Bambino, The Iron Horse, Joltin’ Joe, The Mick, they all played in Borchert Field.
            Casey Stengel managed in Borchert Field. He managed the Milwaukee ball club, and his team won the pennant. He was not universally popular, though, and he got fired. Just like in The Big Apple.
            The man acclaimed as the world’s greatest athlete in the 1912 Olympic Games, Jim Thorpe, didn’t get along in Gotham City, so he played ball in Borchert Field for a season. He and his family lived a fly ball away. A few years later he returned and played pro football there.
            Just like in the famous ballpark in the Bronx, visiting ballplayers included the greatest heroes of the game: Teddy Ballgame; The Say-Hey Kid; Stan the Man; Bucketfoot Al, known locally as the Duke of Mitchell Street. They all showed off their talents in Borchert Field.
            So did Eddie Mathews. The Brookfield Bomber faced an African American pitcher for the first time in his life in Borchert Field, a guy named Dave Barnhill. All Eddie did was smash a game-winning grand slam off him. The next day Eddie was demoted to the Atlanta Crackers.
            Bill Veeck learned how to be a promotional genius in Borchert Field. He conceived and perfected many of his stunts in the old wooden ballpark at Eighth and Chambers.
Just like The House That Ruth Built, Borchert Field also hosted non-baseball events, some in sports, some not. Boxing and wrestling matches were big. So were football games.
The Green Bay Packers played in Borchert Field, in league games, not exhibitions. One time they were the home team; five times they were the visitors. Curly Lambeau’s guys held Yankee Stadium’s team, the ones Chris Berman calls the New York Football Giants, without a first down. Somehow, the Packers still lost. Anything was possible in Borchert Field.
Political rallies filled the grandstand at Borchert. The President of the United States gave a major policy address on atomic energy—in Borchert Field. Fundraisrs of all stripes used Borchert Field’s hallowed ground to gather a crowd and keep them entertained. Jackie Price caught fly balls in his jeep and hung upside down while taking batting practice. Ralph Cutting’s goat kept the lawn trimmed. Cuckoo Christensen read the newspaper while playing the outfield. Every night for two weeks, Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii.
A person lucky enough to live on Milwaukee’s near north side between 1888 and 1952 could experience the world and never leave the neighborhood.
Just as a starting point, we divided our anthology into a variety of categories, subject to change on short notice:
 
1. the ballpark
2. baseball teams (Brewers, Negro League, Bears, Chicks, etc.)
                        (including Little World Series winners)
3. football teams (Milwaukee Badgers, Packers, etc.)
4. ballplayers (outstanding and interesting, both home and visitors)
5. owners (Borchert, Veeck, Killilea, etc.)
6. interesting people (Harry Truman, Johnny Price, Paul Robeson, Woodchuck Welmus, etc.)
7. specific football and baseball games
8. occasional sports (boxing, wrestling, …)
9. oral histories
10. miscellany
 
Following is a list of specific events and dates from Borchert Field, any or all of which might be of interest to research or might suggest other ideas for events to research. We hope to attract many, many more participants to this project. A person may contribute a little or a lot. Find something interesting and go for it.
 
These are in no particular order.
 
1. Negro League ballclubs
a. Milwaukee Bears, 1923
b. Chicago American Giants vs. Cincinnati Tigers, June 21, 1937
c. Chicago American Giants vs. Chattanooga Choo-Choos, August 28, 1947
d. Chicago American Giants vs. Memphis Red Sox, August 16, 1946
e. Chicago American Giants vs. Philadelphia Stars, July 4, 1952
f. Chicago American Giants vs. Pittsburgh Crawfords, August 27-28, 1935
g. Chicago American Giants vs. Brooklyn Cubans, September 4, 1950
h. Milwaukee Red Sox vs. Chicago Colored All-Stars, May 22, 1932
 
2. In 1938 the Brewers flew a white flag above the Plankinton Building on game
days. It resembled the Japanese flag, and some Chinese people complained.
 
3. Brewers play 4 ˝ inning scoreless tie, thousands storm box office for refund.
 
4. Professional wrestling, including Young Hackenschmidt, August 26, 1936
 
5. Home run ball hits neighbor on 7th Street, she sues, collects $7,500.
 
6. New York Football Giants practice in Borchert for NFL championship game vs. Packers, December 9, 1939 (Packers won the next day, 27-0).
 
 
7. Brewers exhibitions against major league clubs
 
a. vs. New York Yankees, May 11, 1943
b. vs. Brooklyn Dodgers, July 8, 1942
c. vs. Chicago Cubs, June 26, 1939
d. vs. Chicago White Sox, August 30, 1935
e. vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, May 24, 1951
f. vs. Chicago Cubs, June 9, 1952
g. vs. St. Louis Browns, July 21, 1952
h. vs. St. Louis Cardinals, July 19, 1943
 
8. Bill Veeck and Charlie Grimm buy the Milwaukee Brewers, June 23, 1941
Bill Veeck sells Milwaukee Brewers, October 27, 1945
 
9. Brewers exhibition vs. Appleton Papermakers; Charlie Grimm pitches final
inning, Earl Gillespie plays first base for Brewers, August 20, 1951.
 
10. Brewers win exhibition vs. Oldtimers, including spitballer Red Faber and
all-time great name Doug McWeeney.
 
11. World Series stars Dizzy and Daffy Dean fail to pitch as advertised, although
Dizzy slams a home run; riot squads are called to quell vociferous, angry fans,
October 15, 1934.
 
12. “Brewers sign first Negro player—Leonard Pearson,” July 15, 1950
 
13. Spectacular pyrotechnic “Last Days of Pompeii,” most costly, magnificent
       pyrotechnic production ever, September 1-17, 1892 in Athletic Park
 
14. Braves’ Lou Perini buys Brewers for $270,000, August 29, 1946
 
15. 20-year-old Norman Roy hurls one-hitter vs. St. Paul, September 18, 1949
 
16. Bert Thiel hurls no-hitter vs. Mud Hens, August 16, 1951
 
17. Brewers vs. Saints game, scheduled for 10:30 A.M., delayed until noon by
late St. Paul train; Veeck serves cornflakes and milk for free to waiting fans
while seven-piece swing band in nightgowns plays music, May 8, 1943.
 
18. Green Bay Packers hold New York Football Giants without a first down, but
Packers lose, 10-7.
 
            19. President Harry Truman speaks about atomic energy, October 14, 1948.
 
            
             WEBSITES
You can still follow your favorite team during the off-season by accessing the Midwest Diamond Report at www.midwestdiamondreport.com. The site also has links to some nice spots for purchasing Holiday gifts.
To keep abreast of the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association activities the www.57braves.com is a must go to site. You can purchase great gifts there including the DVD, “ Milwaukee Braves: A Golden Legacy”, and memberships in the Association.
 
QUESTIONS???
As always…..don’t hesitate in contacting me with any questions you might have by reaching my by phone at 414-322-4997, or e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com. I hope to see you our future events!
 
Rick
SABR National Office  80
01-11-2008 06:52 AM ET (US)
Happy New Year!

Well, 2008 is here, and that means the SABR convention is coming to Cleveland in
less than 170 days!

Nearly 100 members have booked their hotel room at the Renaissance Hotel. I
encourage you to make your hotel reservation earlier than later, since rooms are
limited.

To make your hotel reservation, call 1-800-HOTELS-1 and mention that you are
making reservations for the Society for American Baseball Research annual
convention, June 26 to 29 at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland.

You can also book online by heading to

http://tinyurl.com/3danvj

and clicking the appropriate hyperlink.

The SABR Renewal Drive is going great! Thanks to the more than 4,000 members who
have already sent in their renewal for 2008, we are in the top five renewal
rates by date in the 17 years I've been with SABR.

If you have not yet renewed, you can do so online by signing in to
members.sabr.org and clicking on MySABR. Then,

Click on the yellow “Renew” Button near the right-hand side of the page near the
top
Follow the Directions on the “Quick Renewal” form

If you renew online by next Tuesday, you'll save us the trouble of mailing you a
second renewal notice.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Keltner Chapter  81
01-14-2008 07:26 AM ET (US)
 
> UPCOMING MEETING
>
> The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR meeting
> will take place on Saturday February 2, 2008, 11 AM at Long Wong’s Chinese-American
Sportsbar, 5230 West Bluemound Road. The meeting will feature, courtesy of Doak Ewing,
President of Rare Sportsfilms, a showing of the entire Game 4 of the 1957 World Series.
> Tentatively scheduled to appear as Guests of Honor at this time are
  Johnny Logan, and Mr. and Mrs. Felix Mantilla. We will also conduct a 50/50
> raffle, where 1/2 of the money is awarded to the winner, and the other half
 going to fund future activites, a raffle for one of Doak Ewing's baseball DVD's,


and available for sale the following items:

 
 SABR NATIONAL PASTIME: Issues #10, 12 thru 15,17,18 20-22, the premiere issue- Fall 1982,
Spring 1984, Spring 1985, Winter 1987. $5.00 per issue
 




SABR BASEBALL RESEARCH JOURNALS:Issues 16 thru 27, 29 thru 33, and 1978. $5.00 per issue

If you want to reserve a purchase before the meeting, let me know and I'll reserve it for you.

> Food and drink will be available. A discussion of the Borchert Field
> Project will take place after the film. This event attracted a large
> crowd last year, so reservations are recommended. You can guarantee
> yourself a spot by contacting Rick Schabowski at 414-322-4997, or via
> e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.
 



MILWAUKEE BRAVES: A GOLDEN LEGACY
If you're coming to the meeting, and are interested in purchasing a copy of the "Milwaukee Braves: A Golden Legacy"
 please let me know by January 21st as I can pre-order them for you. The cost is $20.00. I'll bring them to the meeting

> FUTURE MEETING
> A joint meeting with the Emil Rothe Chapter (Chicago) is planned for
> Saturday May 17, 2008. This meeting is planned in conjunction with the
> Beloit-Peoria game. We plan on meeting before the game, then enjoying a
> nice evening of Baseball. Rumor has it………that all the snow will be
> gone by then! If you’re interested in attending, let me know, and
I’ll
> forward the information to David Malamut of the Chicago Chapter.
 

WEBSITE

Special thanks to Gregg Hoffmann, who maintains the www.midwestdiamondreport.com site for creating
a site for our Chapter. Following is the info from Gregg on how to access the site:




...The Keltner SABR site is up in cyberspace. If you go to www.midwestdiamondreport.com and look
in the left hand column, you will find a link to it. You're probably better off routing members, etc.
 to the site that way, but if they want the direct link it is www.oldschoolcollectibles.com/articles/article7.html.

>
>> QUESTIONS???
>
> As always…..don’t hesitate in contacting me with any questions you
> might have by reaching my by phone at 414-322-4997, or e-mail at
> RICKIU76@aol.com. I hope to see you our future events!
>
>
>
> Rick
SABR National  82
01-23-2008 07:01 AM ET (US)
Time is running out to make nominations for two awards and SABR board postions.
And less than a month is left to submit your abstract for making a research
presentation at SABR 38.

The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award recognizes those whose
outstanding research projects completed during the preceding calendar year have
significantly expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball.

Eligible projects must be the product of original research or analysis and must
significantly advance our knowledge of baseball. They must be characterized by
factual accuracy and notable insight.

See

http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,498,43,0

for a complete description of the award.

The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the author(s) of the best
articles or papers, published or unpublished, on baseball history or biography
completed during the preceding calendar year.

Eligible works will include magazine and journal articles, previously
unpublished chapters or articles in anthologies or other books with multiple
authors, unpublished research papers and written versions of oral presentations.
Authors honored for unpublished work may not later receive a SABR research award
for that work (or work that is substantially the same) in published form.

For a complete description of the award, see

http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,1902

February 1 is also the deadline for nominations to seek election to the SABR
Board of Directors. Offices up for election are Vice-President, Treasurer, and
Director. See the SABR Bulletin or contact Nominating Committee chair Dan Levitt
for more information - danrl@attglobal.net.

February 17 is the deadline to submit your abstract for consideration to present
at the SABR convention in Cleveland. See

http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2476,17,0

for more information.
 
Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research
If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend (and make
SABR a "Top Friend").

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.
Baseball In Wartime  83
02-02-2008 06:30 AM ET (US)
Please find attached No 6 of the Baseball in Wartime newsletter which features the 1943 ETO World Series.
 
Have you missed a previous issue? You can download them all at www.baseballinwartime.co.uk/newsletter.htm
 
Gary Bedingfield
Baseball in Wartime
www.baseballinwartime.co.uk
garybed@gmail.com
 
[the Baseball in Wartime Newsletter is a free monthly publication. If, however, you would like to make a small donation to the production and distribution costs you can do so at the Baseball in Wartime website. www.baseballinwartime.co.uk/donate.htm. Thank you.
 
[feel free to email me about advertising opportunities in this newsletter and on www.baseballinwartime.co.uk ]
 

------------------------------------------------------- --
Gary Bedingfield
Baseball in Wartime (Founder and Editor)
5 Pineview Court
Glasgow
G15 7QT
Scotland
Great Britain
Mark Armour  84
02-02-2008 06:31 AM ET (US)
As we have a lot of newer members, I wanted to remind everyone of our electronic
e-mail list. There is not a lot of traffic (although traffic is allowed and
encouraged). It is where I announce the posting of all new biographies, among
other things.

In the coming weeks I plan to post most of the biographies from the AL Deadball
book, and the 1967 Red Sox book, along with the usual cache of biographies from
our editors.

To subscribe, just send an email to:
SABRBioProject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Have a great weekend,
Mark Armour
SABR National Office  85
02-12-2008 06:16 AM ET (US)
The Baseball Research Journal for 2007 is being delivered to all membership
year-2007 members. I've only read a few articles and scanned a few others, but
it looks like Jim Charlton saved his best Baseball Research Journal for last.
Whether it is an analysis of third-base coaches ("The Traffic Directors") by Dan
Fox and Neal Williams or a study of the 1909 St. Paul Gophers ("Can You Hear the
Noise?") by Todd Peterson (recipient of a Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research
grant), there is breadth as well as depth in this issue. If you joined SABR
after September 30, 2007, you will not receive this issue because you will
receive the publications in the 2008 schedule. To order your copy, contact the
University of Nebraska Press, 1-800-755-1105 (US orders).

And while Jim Charlton is to be congratulated for a fine final issue of BRJ, it
is time to welcome new Publications Director Nick Frankovich to the SABR office.
Nick comes to us from Fordham University Press and now has one full week under
his belt.

He'd like to increase the stable of members whom he can turn to for help on
various parts of the editorial and production process, so if you are a freelance
copyeditor, book designer, cover designer, or whatever, please send Nick an
email of introduction. His SABR email address is frankovich@sabr.org

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research

If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend.

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Do you Facebook? Join the SABR Group.

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
SABR National Office  86
03-17-2008 03:17 PM ET (US)
A quick note to tell you that convention registration is now open at the SABR
Store, http://store.sabr.org.

Some of the details of the program are at the Convention portion of the SABR web
site, www.sabr.org.

If you have not renewed your SABR membership for 2008, please do so as soon as
possible. Dues increase on April 1, 2008.
 
Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org

Do you Facebook? Join the SABR Group.

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research
If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend.

Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
SABR National Office  87
04-10-2008 04:11 PM ET (US)
A quick note to remind you that the deadline for the Yoseloff-SABR Baseball
Research Grants is quickly approaching. See

http://tinyurl.com/2wkhdb

for more information. A big thank you to the Yoseloff Foundation for continuing
their support of this important program to help baseball researchers.

Also note that it is SABR election season. Please review the candidate
statements and vote in time for your ballot to be received by June 3.
 
Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Jerry Malloy Conference, Willowbrook IL (outside Chicago), July 24 to 27, 2008

Do you Facebook? Join the SABR Group.

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research
If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend.

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org
Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
SABR National Office  88
04-20-2008 07:04 AM ET (US)
There are three special events coming up two rather soon hosted by local SABR
chapters, and one down the road a bit hosted by the SABR NEgro Leagues
committee.

Next weekend (April 26 and 27), the Detroit Chapter is hosting a a Baseball Race
and Integration Symposium entitled: "Late in the Game: The Tigers and Red Sox
Long Road to Integration." For further information, check out the chapter
website at:

http://sabr-detroit.org

The following weekend, the Rocky Mountain Chapter is hosting a Denver Bears -
New York Yankees Reunion on Saturday, May 3rd. Former Bears/Yankees who will be
on hand are Don Larsen, Ryne Duren, Herb Plews, Johnny Blanchard, Ralph Terry
and Woodie Held.

For more information, see:

http://www.rmsabr.org/?page_id=132

The SABR Negro Leagues Committee will be holding the 11th Annual Jerry Malloy
Conference beginning July 24 in Willowbrook, Illinois (outside Chicago). If you
are interested in the history of the Negro Leagues, then this is a conference
you need to attend.

For more information, see:

http://www.larrylester42.com/jerry-malloy-...leagues-conference/

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director
Society for American Baseball Research
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
www.sabr.org
1-800-969-7227

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Jerry Malloy Conference, Willowbrook IL (outside Chicago), July 24 to 27, 2008

Do you Facebook? Join the SABR Group.

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research
If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend.

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org
Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.
Keltner Chapter  89
04-22-2008 11:42 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Baseball season is in "full-swing", and there are many Baseball-related
activities that you can be a part of.

MILWAUKEE BRAVES HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

 

It's going to be one of the most historic events ever staged by the MBHA, as the
man who hit the historic " Shot Heard Round the World", Bobby Thomson , along
with the Brooklyn Dodgers leftfielder in that historic game, longtime Milwaukee
Braves player Andy Pafko will be honored on Thursday May 15 at the Potowatomi's
Northern Lights Theater.

Each ticket holder will receive an official major league baseball personally
signed by Thomson.

Prior to the reception and dinner, which begins at 6 PM, Thomson will be
introduced to the fans attending the Brewers-Dodgers game, which is an afternoon
affair.

To order tickets, send a $125 check payable to the MBHA to:

Tom Kaminski
2614 E. Bottsford Ave.
St. Francis, WI. 53235

You can also call or e-mail Rick Schabowski at 414-322-4997, RICKIU76@aol.com.

SABR MEETING

The next SABR meeting will be held on Saturday May 17th in Beloit. Special
thanks to David Malamut for organizing this meeting! Details follow:

Location: Pohlman Field, Beloit, Wisconsin
Peoria Chiefs ( Cubs) vs Beloit Snappers ( Twins)
Game Time 6:30 PM Meeting Time 4 PM
Speakers: Beloit General Manager Jeff Vohs, Director of Media and Community
Relations/Marketing Erik Van Dyck, and following them possibly a player or coach

For more info contact David Malamut at david@malamut.net.

BORCHERT FIELD PROJECT
We are still working on the Borchert Field project. If you're interested in
getting involved please contact me.

RESEARCH NEEDS

I received the follwing request from a fellow SABR member, Bill Dunstone

Does anybody know anything about the Dow baseball team in Midland, Michigan of
1949-1950? A person in California e-mailed Bill, asking about a professional
Baseball player with a last name of Gormley. Please e-mail any info to
whdstone@hotmail.com.

Looking for any info, or Baseball cards about the Jamestown (NY) Falcons of the
1951-52 seasons. A member of the Old Time Ballplayers of Wisconsin, Dick Lisecki
played for this team, and would love to get any info. Please forward any info to
Rick Schabowski at RICKIU76@aol.com.

SABR 38

The National Convention for SABR will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, June 26- 29th.
Once you go to a National Convention.....you'll never miss one! There are
excellent research presentations, panels, and an opportunity to meet a lot of
great Baseball fans! For more info go to the SABR website at www.sabr.org.

WEBSITES

A shameless plug for two Baseball related websites......... the Milwaukee Braves
Historical Association maintains a site at www.57braves.com. You can stay
abreast of future activites, and purchase some great items. Gregg Hoffmann
maintains a site www.midwestdiamondreport.com that is a must go to site about
Baseball. There are also a large amount of hyperlinks to other baseball sites,
and links to great stores such as Old School Collectibles. Check the sites
out.......you'll enjoy!

QUESTIONS?

Don't hesitate in contacting me about any activities! I can be reached by phone
at 414-322-4997, or by e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.

Best of Luck!

Rick Schabowski
Keltner Chapter  90
04-27-2008 07:02 PM ET (US)
Bob Koehler has passed away after a long bout with cancer........remember him in your thoughts and Prayers!

Rick
Koehler death notice  91
04-30-2008 07:58 AM ET (US)
Koehler, Robert R. Age 67, of Brookfield. Passed away peacefully at home with his wife, Pam, at his side on Saturday, April 26, 2008. Loving husband of Pam for 12 ˝ years. Survived by his mother, Bertha "Betty" Koehler, brother-in-law, Jess Whitnall, sister-in-law, Brenda Wierschke, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, other relatives and friends. Bob was a 1958 graduate of Milwaukee King High School and a 1964 graduate of UWM. He was well known as a baseball historian and co-authored the book "The American Association Milwaukee Brewers". As the owner of Bob Koehler Cards, he participated in all National Sports Collector and SABR conventions and activities. He was an active member of Old Time Ball Players Association and the Milwaukee Braves Historical Society. Bob taught English, Speech and Drama at Milwaukee South Division High School from 1964-1979. Memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 1-2:30PM at CHURCH AND CHAPEL, 1875 N. Calhoun Rd., Brookfield. Memorial services will begin at 2:30. Memorial contributions may be made to SABR, the Milwaukee Public Library, or Habitat for Humanity. CHURCH AND CHAPEL Ritter - Larsen Bros. 262-827-0659 Obits - Condolences - Directions www.churchandchapel.com
SABR National Office  92
05-07-2008 07:33 AM ET (US)
SABR members are once again charged up for another convention.

As of yesterday afternoon, SABR's room block was sold out at the Renaissance
Hotel for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. We have arranged for overflow
rooms at the Radisson Hotel at Gateway and at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. See
http://tinyurl.com/3danvj
for details. If you have already made a reservation and find out that you no
longer can use it, please contact me to see if I can arrange for another member
to take over your reservation.

We had 295 registrations in hand yesterday as well. The deadline for the early
registration discount is May 29.

The schedule of Research Presentations for the convention have been added to the
SABR web site (www.sabr.org). Start checking out what presentations will be when
to help plan your agenda at the convention. Look for updates every few days on
the Convention pages of www.sabr.org.

Remember that if you are flying in, Continental is offering a meeting discount.
To make your reservation call 1-800-468-7022 and provide the ZCode ZCWU and the
Agreement Code DDHR56.

Once at the airport, getting to the Renaissance is easy. Use the RTA Red Line.
The train will take you from the airport to Tower City Station in less than a
half hour. The Renaissance Hotel is connected to Tower City Station, so you
won;t even have to go outside.

If you are driving to the convention, parking near the Renaissance is at a bit
of a premium. Tower City Parking (http://www.towercityparking.com/hours.asp#selfparking)
is an option that is less expensive than hotel parking.

SABR thanks all of its convention supporters, including the Office of the
Commissioner of Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!


John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Jerry Malloy Conference, Willowbrook IL (outside Chicago), July 24 to 27, 2008

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

Do you Facebook? Join the SABR Group.

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research
If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend.

SABR BioProject: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org
Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
SABR National Office  93
05-13-2008 07:17 AM ET (US)
In 2006, SABR, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and the LA84 Foundation (then
known as the Amateur Athletic Foundation) agreed to team up to digitize The
Sporting Life. Many thanks to Jim Gates and the Hall of Fame for providing their
copy of this important periodical of the late 19th and early 20th century.

I am pleased to let you know that many issues are now available for searching,
researching, reading, and printing at the LA84 Foundation Digital Archive web
site.

Point your browser to: http://tinyurl.com/6yb7vg

As you will notice, the full run is not available yet, but issues will be loaded
throughout the coming months.

And while I am on the topic of digital resources, SABR has formed an ad hoc
committee on Digitization headed by Jonathan Frankel.

At present, the committee is compiling a list of potential items to be
digitized, including the Federal League papers in Chicago, and the Celler
hearings. If you are aware of a baseball resource that you think baseball
researchers could benefit from if it were available online, contact Jonathan
Frankel at jlfrankel@comcast.net.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Jerry Malloy Conference, Willowbrook IL (outside Chicago), July 24 to 27, 2008

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject, now with over 750 biographies: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

The BioProject has spin-offs published by Rounder Books, http://www.rounderbooks.com/
and Maple Street Press, http://www.maplestreetpress.com/book.cfm?book_id=29

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org
Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

Do you Facebook? Join the SABR Group.

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research
If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend.

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Sale titles can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
 Person was signed in when posted  94
05-17-2008 05:18 AM ET (US)
Deleted by topic administrator 05-17-2008 10:16 AM
SABR National Office  95
05-20-2008 03:50 PM ET (US)
The May 29 early registration deadline for the SABR convention is fast
approaching, so don't forget to save some money by getting your registration in
soon.

The Research Presentation schedules and research committee schedules are posted
on the convention pages of www.sabr.org. Click on "Convention" and then navigate
to the information you want by clicking on the appropriate tabs.

Fewer than 60 tickets to Friday's Reds v. Indians game remain in SABR's block of
tickets in the 300 section; there are many SABR tickets available in the 400
section.

If you still need to make your hotel reservations, the most likely of the SABR
hotels to still have space is the Crowne Plaza. Located about a half mile from
the Renaissance, the Crowne Plaza is closer to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
and Great Lake Science Center. The Crowne Plaza is the hotel that SABR members
stayed at during the 1990 Cleveland convention.

To make a reservation, call 800-321-1090, ask for reservations and then ask to
be placed in the SABR Room block. The SABR blocks at the Renaissance Hotel and
the Radisson are sold out, but there is always a (very, very small) chance that
if you call at the exact right time, you can book a room that was only recently
cancelled.

And don't forget to cast your ballot in the SABR election. Ballots must be
received by 7am on Tuesday, June 3.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

Past SABR Journals and publications for as little as $1.50 each can be found at
http://tinyurl.com/2hekvl

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

Make the gift that costs nothing during your lifetime. Consider Joining the
Legacy Circle -- SABR's recognition of Planned Gifts. See http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2257

Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500

SABR 38, Cleveland, Ohio, June 26 to 29, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Public
Square

Jerry Malloy Conference, Willowbrook IL (outside Chicago), July 24 to 27, 2008

The SABR Minor Leagues Database can be found at http://minors.sabrwebs.com;
volunteers always needed to improve the site.

Chapter e-lists and websites: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=reg&m=9

Research Committee e-lists and websites:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=com&m=5

SABR BioProject, now with over 750 biographies: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
The BioProject/SABRBoston Chapter have spin-offs published by Rounder Books,
http://www.rounderbooks.com/ and Maple Street Press, http://www.maplestreetpress.com/book.cfm?book_id=29

The Baseball Index: http://www.baseballindex.org
Research Needs and Classified Ads
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cls&m=3&s=207

Do you Facebook? Join the SABR Group.

BRSP, where SABRen discuss SABR policy :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brsp

SABR now has a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sabr_baseball_research
If you have a MySpace page, feel free to invite SABR to be your friend.

SABR-L, baseball research's only moderated discussion list:
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,69,3,153

To order old SABR publications, head to: http://nebraskapress.unl.edu

Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
SABR National Office  96
06-02-2008 04:41 PM ET (US)
SABR is making nearly three dozen of its old publications (Baseball Research
Journal and The National Pastime, plus reprints like "Batting" and "Base Ball:
How to Become a Player") available a a deep, deep discount through June 10.

Order from SABR's book distributor, the University of Nebraska Press, by
visiting their bargain book pages.

The link below will take you directly to the SABR publications.

http://tinyurl.com/6s97hy

These books make an excellent Father's Day gift for the Dad who loves his
baseball history.

It's less than 25 days until the Cleveland convention, so I better get back to
work. The entire staff is looking forward to welcoming more than 600 SABR
members from around the world to the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Clevenad.

Thank you for your support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director
Society for American Baseball Research
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
www.sabr.org
SABR National Office  97
06-12-2008 07:16 AM ET (US)
We're hoping you'll participate in a very important survey for SABR.

Click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web browser.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=hHFp...gA6YndO0oxrxA_3d_3d

The survey will only take a few minutes and will be an opportunity for
members and nonmembers to let us know what they like, dislike or could see
working better at SABR.org.
Thank you for taking the time. Your opinion is invaluable in understanding the
way you use SABR.org.


If you have any questions, please e-mail bbristol@sabr.org

Becky Bristol
Director of Special Projects
Society for American Baseball Research
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
www.sabr.org
   98
06-29-2008 03:01 PM ET (US)
Deleted by topic administrator 06-30-2008 08:44 AM
Lyle Spatz  99
07-02-2008 04:18 PM ET (US)
I understand that several committee members have had trouble contacting me. My
current email address is lspatz@mchsi.com
At least it is for now; it will change sometime in the next few months, as I
will be moving back to Florida.

Lyle Spatz

ps For anyone who hasn't heard, our chairman, Mark Armour, was the winner of
this year's Bob Davids Award. Congratulations Mark on a much-deserved honor.
Mark Armour  100
07-03-2008 07:37 AM ET (US)
I am still out of town (currently on some lake in Western New York) and was
surprised to discover that I have wireless internet access. I will send out
some more information about the convention when I return. I did want to touch
on my recent award, which Lyle mentioned in a recent note.

It was a rather ego-inflating moment when you consider the people who have won
the award before me. Including, of course, Lyle himself. From the time I heard
my name until the time I had to begin speaking was just a few minutes, not
nearly enough time to get my bearings and properly thank people who deserve to
be thanked. Please pardon the indulgence, as I will do so now.

The Biography Project is the principal reason I won the award I am sure, and
this project has benefited from the work of hundreds of people. In particular,
I want to now thank Fred Ivor-Campbell, who helped get this project started;
Lyle Spatz, ditto, and an important cog in the machine for six years; Bill
Nowlin, who is cracking the whip on all of our new team projects; Trey Strecker,
Warren Corbett, Jeff Bower, Mike Cooney; and perhaps most of all, Jan Finkel,
who has organized a large group of editors and made many writers (including me)
read better than they otherwise would. The day Jan agreed to come aboard may
have been the best day this project ever had.

I often say that this project is a huge undertaking made up of a lot of small
and well-defined tasks--the individual bios. The writers of the 840 bios do not
have to be aware of the greater project, but it is your efforts that have made
the project a success. Thanks to you I have a very big trophy.

Mark Armour
goldstonesoft  101
07-09-2008 11:45 PM ET (US)
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Messages 102-104 deleted by topic administrator between 07-15-2008 02:42 AM and 07-10-2008 02:42 AM
Craig Messmer  105
07-15-2008 01:51 PM ET (US)
Hello,

I just wanted to introduce myself. I recently joined SABR, and I’m looking forward to being a part of it. I recently published a book called “Stat One” and have heard from some SABR members regarding their opinions of it and of my statistic, P/E Average. I’d love to hear some feedback, whether positive, negative, or somewhere in between. It’s great to be a part of SABR…all the best!

Sincerely,

Craig Messmer

www.statonebaseball.com

 

MVP/E

 

            With the All-Star break upon us as the symbolic halfway point of the season, I thought it might be an interesting time to look at some of the leading MVP candidates in each league with regard to P/E Averages. Statistics are current through teams’ final games on Sunday, July 13th. P/E Averages were originally designed just for situations like this; they are an invaluable tool when comparing players, especially those from the same league (facing relatively the same competition) playing during the same time period. Enough talk…let’s take a look at the numbers for this year’s MVP hopefuls.

 

American League

 

Josh Hamilton (Texas): 1.228 P/E Average

            Hamilton leads all of MLB with 95 RBI. He has also eclipsed 200 total bases, leading an offensive explosion throughout the first half of the year in Texas.

 

Kevin Youkilis (Boston): 1.145 P/E Average

            Youkilis has come on strong of late to thrust himself into the MVP argument. With efficiency averages of .314 batting, .381 on-base, and .552 slugging, Youkilis is also on pace to shatter his career best in RBI.

 

Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay): 1.040 P/E Average

            If the Rays can stay in contention throughout, Longoria will receive some serious notoriety, although an MVP trophy is probably not in the cards for him quite yet. He has a .513 slugging percentage and 53 RBI.

 

Carlos Quentin (Chicago): 1.149 P/E Average

            White Sox fans are ecstatic over the numbers Quentin has already put up. He’s hit for power (22 homers, .525 slugging) and been both efficient (.375 on-base) and productive (70 RBI) for his first-place team.

 

Justin Morneau (Minnesota): 1.085 P/E Average

            Morneau leads the overachieving Twins in RBI; he has also batted .323 so far this year. Could a second piece of MVP hardware be in his future?

 

My vote for AL MVP: Hamilton

 

National League

 

Chipper Jones (Atlanta): 1.173 P/E Average

            Jones, who has flirted with a .400 batting average on and off throughout the year, has settled in at .376 for the break. He has more walks (56) than strikeouts (40) and has outstanding efficiency averages of .472 on-base and .614 slugging.

 

Ryan Howard (Philadelphia): 1.132 P/E Average

            Despite the fact that Howard will likely set the strikeout record this year, perhaps going well beyond 200, he has been Mr. Production. His RBI numbers are dominant despite the fact that some of his other stats are not.

 

Chase Utley (Philadelphia): 1.184 P/E Average

            A month ago, his P/E was probably 200 points higher than it is right now. He’s cooled off from his ridiculously hot start, but he still owns a .582 slugging percentage for a middle infielder…not bad.

 

David Wright (New York): 1.102 P/E Average

            Wright’s candidacy will naturally be tied to the fortunes of the Mets. If they can stay hot and remain in the playoff hunt, then he will have a good chance to earn MVP votes. He sports a .380 on-base percentage and is well on his way to a 4th consecutive season of more than 100 runs driven in.

 

Lance Berkman (Houston): 1.388 P/E Average

            This is the guy everyone wants on their fantasy team. He has the best P/E Average in baseball and has averaged 1.40 net runs (RBI + runs – HR) per game, which is a terrific figure. Will the voters shy away from him because the Astros have played poorly?

 

My vote for NL MVP: Berkman

 

this blog originally posted on www.statonebaseball.com
SABR National Office  106
07-16-2008 12:14 AM ET (US)
The 38th Annual gathering of SABR members, also known as the Annual Convention,
concluded on Sunday, June 29. The event was the fourth-largest SABR convention
with 632 registrants -- one more than Washington DC had in 1987. While the
weather caused our picnic on Thursday to end early and gave us a rain delay
prior to the start of SABR Night at Progressive Field on Friday, a good time was
still had by all.

I'd like to thank the supporters of the SABR convention -- Major League Baseball
& the Commissioner's Office, the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club, McFarland &
Company, The Shpigler Group, Western Reserve Historical Society, the Louisville
Slugger Museum & Factory, Medical Mutual of Ohio, and SABR members Catherine
Petroski, Jerry Winchell, and Chuck Hilty.

During the convention, we celebrate the best of baseball research. The winners
of the McFarland-SABR and Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Awards were
honored along with the Seymour Medal Winner (Lee Lowenfish) at the Sunday Awards
Breakfast. Also feted were Vince Gennaro, whose presentation, "What Factors
Influence Free Agent Salaries?" won the Doug Pappas Research Award for Best Oral
Presentation at the convention. David R. Zavagno, Avrami Grader, and Philip M.
Halleck won the USA Today Sports Weekly Award for the Best Poster Presentation
for "Maple Bats Changed the Game."

If you would like to help out by serving on any of the awards judging
committees, drop me a line. The McFarland-SABR and Sporting News-SABR Baseball
Research Awards, and the Seymour Medal all have a regular rotation of judges.
Perhaps we can work you in down the line.

Finally, the FIRST publication of the year was placed in the mail this week --
"Batting Four Thousand: Baseball in the Western Reserve." If you do not have
your copy by August 26, then your copy was probably lost in the mail. Contact
the SABR office after August 26 and we will replace the missing issue. The
National Pastime should be in the mail by mid-September.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!


John Zajc
Executive Director
Red Hamann  107
07-16-2008 07:54 AM ET (US)
Gregg,
 
There are two ballplayer graves in Milwaukee who just had a grave marker installed after over 70 years. Dan Lally and Donald G. "Dan" Marion (see baseball-reference.com).
 
Lally was generally an upper-level minor leaguer for nearly 20 years, having spent time in 17 different cities. He hit .400 with Minneapolis of the Western League in 1895. He was committed to the Wisconsin Insane Asylum in Milwaukee County in 1910 and passed away there in 1936.
 
Marion played for Milwaukee in the American Association in 1911-12 and developed a fastball for which he became renouned. Alchohol brought him to an early demise as he passed away in 1933 at his apartment in what is now known as downtown Milwaukee.
 
I first discovered that Marion's grave was unmarked in 2004. Two years later I discovered that Dan Lally's grave was located a mere number of yards from where Marion is buried, also unmarked.
 
Then last winter I endeavored to secure funding for the grave markers of these two forgotten ballplayers.
 
Two weeks from today I will be conducting an onsite grave marker unveiling for Lally and Marion. If you could pass the word a bit I'd appreciate it.
 
The short ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Milwaukee. The cemetery is located at 35th and S. Morgan Ave.
 
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MORE INFORMATION.
 
Take care, and GO BREWERS!
 
Rex Hamann
14201 Crosstown Blvd. NW
Andover, Minnesota 55304-3311
 
The American Association Almanac
A Baseball History Journal (1902-1952)
www.AmericanAssociationAlmanac.com
Subscriptions available...Be the first on your block!
And be sure to check out the latest entry in my blog: www.theoldaa.wordpress.com
or
www.almanacpark.blogspot.com
SABR National  108
08-05-2008 07:14 AM ET (US)
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is pleased to announce the
recipients of the 2008 Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research Grants. They are
(alphabetically) Rick Benner, Gene Carney, Ken Fenster, David Laliberte, John
Lewis, and Justin Murphy. The Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research Grants support
baseball research efforts by providing reimbursement funding for worthy
projects. The result of the research will be published in some from by SABR.

The grants were made possible by the generosity of the Anthony A. Yoseloff
Foundation. This year’s recipients mark the fourth cycle of SABR’s program in
which it will award no less than $4,000 in baseball research grants each year.

Benner, 50, a paralegal from Baldwin City, Kansas, received funding for his
proposal on researching what colleges major league baseball players have
attended. The current chair of the SABR Collegiate Committee, Benner has been a
SABR member since 2001.

Carney, 62, a writer/editor from Utica, New York, received his second
Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research grant. His funding will allow him to pore
through many of the documents relating to the Black Sox Scandal recently
purchased by the Chicago History Museum. He has been a SABR member since 1991.

Fenster, 63, an associate professor of history at Georgia Perimeter College,
received his grant to research Earl Mann. Earl Mann, known as “Mr. Atlanta
Baseball,” operated the Atlanta Crackers of the Double-A Southern Association
for the Coca-Cola Company from 1934 until 1949 when he purchased the team. He
owned the team through the conclusion of the 1959 season when he returned his
franchise to the League. Fenster has been a SABR member since 1993.

Laliberte, 30, a graduate student from St. Cloud, Minnesota, received his grant
to explore baseball at several Minnesota Native American boarding schools in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. He has been a SABR member since October
2007.

Lewis, 53, of Columbus, Ohio, will use his grant to compile the complete season
statistics from the 1905 Ohio-Pennsylvania League. The league began the season
as the Protective Association, but changes its name mid-season when it joined
the National Association. The league president announced at season’s end that
there were no official hitting, pitching and fielding statistics because most
official scorers failed to send in the statistics. Lewis plans to reconstruct
the statistics by collecting box scores from each game. Lewis joined SABR in
1993.

Murphy, 23, a linguist from Penfield, New York, received his grant to aid in his
research of Jocko Flynn, especially his life and his amateur career. Murphy has
been a member since February 2007.

Information regarding the 2009 Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research Grants will be
posted soon. To review the most recent guidelines, see http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2057
.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Keltner Chapter  109
08-08-2008 07:34 AM ET (US)
We're getting into the home stretch of the Baseball season, but a lot of great activities are scheduled.

Dedication of Historical Marker

A historical marker commemorating the Milwaukee Bears of the Negro National League and Borchert Field, the historic ballpark where they – and many other local teams – played their home games, will be unveiled in a ceremony on Monday, August 11, 2008 at 10 a.m. in Clinton Rose Park. The marker will be located beyond the outfield fence of the facility’s baseball field (off of Burleigh Street).

 

The event will include brief remarks by Club officials from the Milwaukee Brewers and local dignitaries. Representatives from the Milwaukee Bears, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) and the Minor League Milwaukee Brewers will also be in attendance. The public is invited to attend.

 

Funded by the Brewers, the creation and installation of the historical marker has enjoyed the full support of the Yesterday’s Negro League Baseball Players Foundation, The Milwaukee County Historical Society and the Milwaukee County Parks Department.

 

The Milwaukee Bears represented the Cream City in the Negro National League during the 1923 season. The Bears were led by player-manager Joseph Preston “Pete” Hill, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

 

Borchert Field, which o ccupied the city block bounded by West Burleigh, West Chambers, North 7th and North 8th Streets, was home to a number of Milwaukee ballclubs. Named Athletic Park from the first season in 1888 until 1927 when it was renamed after Brewers owner Otto Borchert, the stadium also was home to the Major League Milwaukee Brewers in 1891, the Minor League Milwaukee Brewers from 1902 until 1952, and the Milwaukee Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1944. Marquette University and the Milwaukee Badgers and Green Bay Packers also played football at the facility.

Come to the dedication of the marker, and watch the Brewers- Nationals game in the afternoon.

Upcoming Meeting


The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR Meeting will take place on Saturday November 8, 2008, 11 AM at Long-Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar on 53rd and Bluemound Road in Milwaukee. Food and drink will be available at the meeting. If you're interested in making a research presentation contact Rick Schabowski at 414-322-4997 or via e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.

New Book Released
Roger Gogan, a member of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR sent the following message.
 Being a member of SABR has inspired me to write my first book that some of our fellow Milwaukee Chapter SABR members may be interest ed in. Attached is the announcement for my book, "Bluejackets of Summer: The History of the Great Lakes Navy Baseball Team 1942-45" which was released on June 21, 2008. The Great Lakes baseball team included 68 former/future major league players, 18 major league all-stars and five future Hall of Fame members as well as the Milwaukee Chapter namesake Ken Keltner.
Written with the help of former surviving members Ernie Andres, Bob Feller, Eddie Carnett and Virgil Trucks. The book has 242 pages, 47 rare photographs, game results, team rosters and stats and a game log of the 1942 Servicemen All-Stars Game.
    The Great Lakes team played numerous games in Milwaukee against the American Association Brewers and the Bucyrus-Erie, Falk and Allen Bradley industrial teams as well as defeating nearly every major league team in the four years during the war.

Roger can be reached by e-mail at rogergogan@hotmail.com.

Hank Aaron Trail Run

Join me as a participant in the Henry Aaron State Trail run this Saturday August 9th. You can register.....even on the day of the race. For more info go to:http://www.hankaaronstatetrail.org/hank-aaron-run-walk.html.

Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have!

Be st of Luck

Rick Schabowski
Lyle Spatz  110
08-11-2008 04:17 PM ET (US)
The potential writer of biographies for three prominent players: Charlie
Gehringer, Babe Herman, and Rube Walberg, has informed us he will be unable to
do them.

Anyone interested in taking on any of the three, please contact me at
lspatz@mchsi.com
Lyle
Jennifer  111
09-06-2008 06:27 AM ET (US)
 The Winnick International Conference Center at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Jerusalem, he also serves on numerous boards, including The Simon Wiesenthal Center, The Museum of Modern Art and Hillel International. In addition, Gary Winnick funds student scholarships at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, his alma mater, and restored the Post Mansion and transformed the main cafeteria into the Arnold S. Winnick Student Center, named in memory of his late father.
4  112
09-10-2008 04:00 AM ET (US)
SABR National  113
09-15-2008 05:26 PM ET (US)
Most of the early editions of the Baseball Research Journals are now on-line.

Please take a moment to check out www.brj.sabrwebs.com. The website archives the
Baseball Research Journal from the 1972 thru 1984 editions plus the 1986 and
1989 editions.

Remember and re-read some of your favorite articles. The website is easy to use
and search allowing for full text search.

No need to log in or register just click on the link above and begin reading. If
you have any technical problems or questions please e-mail bbristol@sabr.org.
Thank you and enjoy!


Thank you.

John Zajc
Becky Bristol

SABR web site: www.sabr.org
warhammer  114
09-24-2008 02:51 AM ET (US)
Do you want play Warhammer?
Do you want buy Warhammer gold and Warhammer Power leveling?
you can to the website:www.gold-warhammer.com
湖南留学网
Lyle Spatz  115
10-01-2008 08:08 AM ET (US)
From: SABR Member Lyle Spatz mailto:lspatz@mchsi.com {-- Click here to reply.
------------------------
For those who want to inquire about the availability of people for a potential
bio, my email address has changed. It is now:

lspatz@comcast.net
Rick S.  116
10-02-2008 12:03 PM ET (US)
We're two days away from playoff Baseball returning to Milwaukee! What a great time to get involved with Playoff Fever!

BASEBALL EXHIBIT


The Milwaukee Public Library is putting on an exhibit for the month of October to celebrate the great season the Brewers had in 2008, and to welcome them to postseason play for the first time in 26 years. The exhibit is entitled: October Baseball in Milwaukee Again. The exhibit features memorabilia from the current Brewers and items from the Milwaukee Public Library collection. There is a book display at the Welcome Desk as you enter the library from Wisconsin Avenue. In addition, the 1st floor has a 2008 Brewer tribute in the windowed display case just outside the Media Dept. as you walk into the library. The display continues on the 2nd floor with more display cases located in the hallway across from the bathrooms.
 

UPCOMING MEETING

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, 11 AM on Saturday November 8th.
The agenda will include:

Nomination and election of Chapter Officers
Research Presentations
Guest Speaker:TBA........that means.....To Be Announced.......it's not a new Baseball term!
Round Table Discussions
Borchert Field Project
Future meetings and Chapter Activities.

If you're interested in making a Research Presentation..... please contact me at 414-322-4997 or by e-mailing me at RICKIU76@aol.com.

Best of Luck to you and your favorite teams in the Playoffs!

Rick Schabowski
exaliaorext  117
10-04-2008 09:00 PM ET (US)
How i may contact admin this site? I have a question.
iijiivei
Brett1231  118
10-05-2008 10:09 PM ET (US)

Includes every major league baseball player from 1903 on!

http://www.kesslerfreedman.com/baseballquest/

You have arrived in an alternate dimension where baseball is not played on a diamond. Instead players roam the countryside clashing in violent battles with bats and balls. Pitchers baffle their opponents with wizard-like repertoires of magic pitches. Hitters wield their wooden wands with brutality.

Your mission is to find and defeat The Hall of Famers and return baseball to the national pastime it was meant to be. Travel the land gaining experience until you encounter and vanquish The Hall of Famers in an ultimate showdown!

You must accumulate 300 experience points among healthy members of your line-up to meet The Hall of Famers. You have but sixty days to save baseball!
Keltner SABR Chapter  119
10-12-2008 08:19 AM ET (US)
Our meeting has been changed to NOVEMBER 15, 11 AM SHARP at Long Wong's. Our Guest Speaker will be Brewers TV Announcer Brian Anderson.
Keltner SABR Chapter  120
10-13-2008 01:12 PM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, 11 AM SHARP on Saturday November 15th.
The agenda will include:

Guest Speaker: Brewers TV Announcer Brian Anderson
Research Presentations:
                              Dennis Pajot: "The First World Series Goat": Abner Dalrymple.
                              Rick Schabowski: " Forfeit: Last game of the Washington Senators"
A Tribute to a Great Person: Bob Koehler. All are encouraged to share their feelings!
Nomination, and election of Officers
Borchert Field Project
Future meetings and Chapter Activities.

BASEBALL EXHIBIT


The Milwaukee Public Library is putting on an exhibit for the month of October to celebrate the great season the Brewers had in 2008, and to welcome them to postseason play for the first time in 26 years. The exhibit is entitled: October Baseball in Milwaukee Again. The exhibit features mem orabilia from the current Brewers and items from the Milwaukee Public Library collection. There is a book display at the Welcome Desk as you enter the library from Wisconsin Avenue. In addition, the 1st floor has a 2008 Brewer tribute in the windowed display case just outside the Media Dept. as you walk into the library. The display continues on the 2nd floor with more display cases located in the hallway across from the bathrooms.
 

UPCOMING BANQUET
 
2008 Old Time Ballplayers
Hall of Fame Inductees
 
Larry Hisle
Don Rennicke
Jim Hughes
Jerry Fisher
Tom Hartman
 
Dick Falk High School Player of the Year Award
Paul Hoenecke– West Bend West High School
 
Master of Ceremonies
Jerry Augustine
Sunday, November 9, 2008
4:30 p.m. Social Hour
6:00 p.m. Dinner Program to follow
 
America n Serb Memorial Hall
 S. 51st Blvd and Oklahoma Ave.
 
RSVP OTBA
P.O. Box 579
Thiensville, WI 53092
 
Tickets $20.00 per person
Souvenir Programs $9.00 each
Banquet Boosters $3.00 per name
For Business or Congratulatory Ads
Contact Greg Ebbert 262-292-4002
gregebbert@msn.com


=0 ADo NOT hesiatate calling me about any questions you might have, and I look forward to seeing you at these events!

Rick Schabowski
SABR National  121
10-22-2008 07:43 AM ET (US)
I have sad news to report--SABR has lost one of its founders, John Pardon.

John lost this battle with cancer this past Sunday. Not only was he member #4,
he was also the first Vice-President of SABR, and a Bob Davids Awardee (1998).
He was a very kind and gentleman who had great impact on me, and I will miss
him.

Tom Zocco, who roomed with John at SABR conventions noted in a SABR-L post,
"They say Sean Casey will stop and talk to any fan, even though he had never met
that person. John Pardon was the same. Whomever he sat next to at a ballgame
became an instant friend." Fellow Bob Davids Award recipient Evelyn Begley
called John, "the truest gentleman, consistently kind at conventions, local
meetings, and the HOF celebration of SABR's founding every 5 years.
Unique not only as one of the youngest cofounders, John also cofounded the NYC
chapter of SABR and played a major role in starting the Westchester Baseball
Group."

You can find an obituary on the SABR web site (www.sabr.org). You can also read
the obituary published in his local paper at http://tinyurl.com/6rzuhb
 
John is survived by several cousins; Richard and Jean Dunn of Pleasant Valley,
NY; Barbara Dunn Smith, Pleasant Valley, NY; Richard Dunn, Lake Katrine, NY;
Daniel Dunn, Larchmont, NY; Alice Jackson, Tacoma, WA; Roger Niles, Bel Air, MD,
and Cynthia Niles, Teommy, Baltimore, MD.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, October 23, 2008 from 2-4 and 7-9pm at the
EDWARD F. CARTER FUNERAL HOME 41 Grand Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520.
Memorial Services will be held on Friday October 24th at Our Saviour Lutheran
Church in Croton-on-Hudson at 11:00 am. Burial will be private and take place at
the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.


Thank you for your continued support of SABR.

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org


Now is the time to renew your membership for 2009


Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500


Please remember SABR is counting on you to keep your membership information,
particularly your email address, mailing address, and phone number information
up to date using the secure, password-protected members-only website.

SABR
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
Keltner Chapter  122
11-03-2008 07:39 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, 11 AM SHARP on Saturday November 15th.
The agenda will include:

Guest Speaker: Brewers TV Announcer Brian Anderson
Research Presentations:
                              Dennis Pajot: "The First World Series Goat": Abner Dalrymple.
                              Rick Schabowski: " Forfeit: Last game of the Washington Senators"
                              A Tribute to a Great Person: Bob Koehler:All are encouraged to participate
                              Nomination, and election of Officers
                              Borchert Field Project
                              Future meetings and Chapter Activities.


UPCOMING BANQUET
 
2008 Old Time Ballplayers
Hall of Fame Inductees
 
Larry Hisle
Don Rennicke
Jim Hughes
Jerry Fisher
Tom Hartman
 
Dick Falk High School Player of the Year Award
Paul Hoenecke– West Bend West High School
 
Master of Ceremonies
Jerry Augustine
Sunday, November 9, 2008
4:30 p.m. Social Hour
6:00 p.m. Dinner Program to follow
 
American Serb Memorial Hall
 S. 51st Blvd and Oklahoma Ave.
 
RSVP OTBA
P.O. Box 579
Thiensville, WI 53092
 
Tickets $20.00 per person
Souvenir Programs $9.00 each
Banquet Boosters $3.00 per name
For Business or Congratulatory Ads
Contact Greg Ebbert 262-292-4002
gregebbert@msn.com

Memorabilia Show

There will be a memorabilia show at Gonzaga Hall, 1441 South 92nd Street on Sunday November 16, 2008 from 9 AM- 2 PM. There will be 82 vendor tables, including one featuring some of the late Bob Koehler's collection. Admission is $1.


Do NOT hesiatate calling me about any questions you might have, and I look forward to seeing you at these events!

Rick Schabowski
SABR National  123
11-05-2008 08:16 AM ET (US)
It isn’t too early to make your hotel reservations for SABR 39. The host hotel
is the newly renovated JW Marriott, which is situated among the most
recognizable landmarks in Washington, DC, and provides easy access to DC
monuments, museums and other cultural venues like the National Theatre,
Convention Center, and the National Portrait Gallery. We have negotiated a
discounted convention rate of $179/night. This rate is available between Monday,
July 27 and Tuesday, August 4 (convention activities take place from July 30 to
August 2).

You can make reservations by calling Marriott reservations at 1-800-228-9290 or
202-393-2000 and mentioning that you are attending the Society for American
Baseball Research convention. All reservations must be accompanied by a first
night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. You must make your
reservation by Monday, June 29, 2009 in order to take advantage of the
convention room discount.

You can also make reservations online at: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/sabr2009


Congratulations to the South Florida Chapter, which was recently the subject of
a great article in the Sun-Sentinel. You can read the article by pointing your
browser to: http://tinyurl.com/5spep2.

Many of SABR’s activities are newsworthy. If you chapter is presenting an award
or your committee releases a new dataset, make sure we know in advance. SABR’s
new Publicity and Member Services Manager, Susan Petrone, (spetrone@sabr.org)
might be able to help you get some local media coverage of your event or
research.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR.

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org
Lyle Spatz  124
11-06-2008 11:02 AM ET (US)
The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers Biography Project needs people to write the following
bios.
 
Rex Barney

Hank Behrman

George Dockins

Bruce Edwards

Joe Hatten

Phil Haugstad

Spider Jorgensen

Don Lund*

Rube Melton

Eddie Miksis

Stan Rojek

Ed Stevens*

Tommy Tatum

Harry Taylor

Johnny Van Cuyk*

Dick Whitman

Burt Shotton (manager)

Ray Blades (coach)

* still living

 

If you are interested in doing one or more of these bios, email me at
lspatz@comcast.net

 

Lyle Spatz
Keltner Chapter  125
11-08-2008 08:21 AM ET (US)
UPCOMING MEETING

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place
at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 53rd and Bluemound Road, 11 AM SHARP
on Saturday November 15th.
The agenda will include:

Guest Speaker: Brewers TV Announcer Brian Anderson
Research Presentations:
                              Dennis Pajot: "The First World Series Goat": Abner
Dalrymple.
                              Rick Schabowski: " Forfeit: Last game of the
Washington Senators"
                              A Tribute to a Great Person: Bob Koehler:All are
encouraged to participate
                              Nomination, and election of Officers
                              Borchert Field Project
                              Future meetings and Chapter Activities.
Food and drink will be available.


UPCOMING BANQUET
 
2008 Old Time Ballplayers
Hall of Fame Inductees
 
Larry Hisle
Don Rennicke
Jim Hughes
Jerry Fisher
Tom Hartman
 
Dick Falk High School Player of the Year Award
Paul Hoenecke– West Bend West High School
 
Master of Ceremonies
Jerry Augustine
Sunday, November 9, 2008
4:30 p.m. Social Hour
6:00 p.m. Dinner Program to follow
 
American Serb Memorial Hall
 S. 51st Blvd and Oklahoma Ave.
 
RSVP OTBA
P.O. Box 579
Thiensville, WI 53092
 
Tickets $20.00 per person
Souvenir Programs $9.00 each
Banquet Boosters $3.00 per name
For Business or Congratulatory Ads
Contact Greg Ebbert 262-292-4002
gregebbert@msn.com

Memorabilia Show

There will be a memorabilia show at Gonzaga Hall, 1441 South 92nd Street on
Sunday November 16, 2008 from 9 AM- 2 PM. There will be 82 vendor tables,
including one featuring some of the late Bob Koehler's collection. Admission is
$1.


Do NOT hesiatate calling me about any questions you might have, and I look
forward to seeing you at these events!

Rick Schabowski
SABR National  126
11-13-2008 08:29 AM ET (US)
First, I have a correction to make regarding last week’s email. The phone for
making reservations at the JW Marriott; please call 1-800-266-9342. I apologize
for causing this inconvenience.

Online reservations can be made at: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/sabr2009

Seymour Medal Conference

The 2009 Seymour Medal Conference has been scheduled for April 24-26, 2009, at
the Radisson Hotel at Gateway in Cleveland, Ohio. The Seymour Medal is awarded
to the best book of baseball history or biography published in the previous
year.

SABR members are invited to make research presentations at the conference.
Presentations should be 25 to 35 minutes in length. Presentation proposals
should include a one-page abstract of the paper and a cover page with your name,
address, phone number and email address. To send a presentation proposal and/or
conference registration brochure, write to: Seymour Conference, 812 Huron Rd E
#719, Cleveland OH 44115, or contact Susan Petrone, Publicity and Member
Services Manager, at spetrone@sabr.org.

If you are interested in attending, make your plans to arrive in Cleveland no
later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday to enjoy all the conference activities. Friday
evening is always a fun event where attendees can get to know one another.
Saturday will include all presentations and the awarding of the Seymour Medal.
On Sunday, attendees have the option of seeing the Cleveland Indians take on the
Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field.

Hotel rooms at the Radisson Hotel at Gateway are $105/night plus tax. Make your
hotel reservations at (216) 377-9000 before March 24 to take advantage of this
special discounted price. If you would like to make reservations on the
Internet, please:

1. Visit www.radisson.com/clevelandoh_gateway
2. Go to “make reservations” tab at top.
3. Key in your dates
4. Type in the promotional code area: SABR.
5. Book the reservation online.


Membership Renewals

If you have not yet renewed your SABR membership, now is the time to do so. Over
70 percent of SABR’s revenues come from member dues, thus every renewal plays a
key role in helping SABR fulfill its mission and operate its programs. You can
renew online at sabr.org or using the form on page 15 of the November/December
issue of the SABR Bulletin.

SABR is also conducting a Member-Get-a-Member campaign through March 2009. For
every member you recruit, you receive one chance to win a random drawing for all
convention fees paid for SABR 39 OR one year free membership. If you recruit
five new members, you automatically have your SABR membership extended by one
year. New members can join online or using the form in the SABR Bulletin
(photocopied application forms are acceptable).

Thank you for your continued support of SABR.

John Zajc
Executive Director

SABR web site: www.sabr.org

Pay dues/make donations online: http://store.sabr.org

SABR 39, Washington DC, July 30 to August 2, 2009, at the JW Marriott
Pennsylvania Avenue
Borchert Project - 11/08  127
11-18-2008 07:33 AM ET (US)
This originally ran as A Look Back on http://www.midwestdiamondreport.com. Future stories on Borchert will be posted on that site and on this Keltner SABR Message Board.

Magical Borchert Field

(Part One)

By Thomas J. Morgan and James R. Nitz

Milwaukee History, Winter 1992 (updated November 2008)

The August 2008 dedication of the Borchert Field/Milwaukee Bears historical marker at Clinton Rose Park (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Burleigh Street) renewed interest in the predecessor to County Stadium. Known affectionately as “Borchert’s Orchard,” Milwaukee’s longest-standing ballpark continues to live on in the memories of many local fans. Borchert Field was the home of popcorn, peanuts, pop-ups, and put-outs for more than six decades of primarily minor league baseball competition.

Unlike most modern-day stadiums, Borchert Field gave fans a sense of participation. Because of its limited size, all spectators were seated near the field and the players, many of whom they idolized. Former Milwaukee Mayor Frank Zeidler once observed that Borchert Field was “a ballpark of human dimension.”

Originally known as Athletic Park, the field was constructed in 1888 for a reported $40,000. It occupied just one city block, bounded by North Seventh and Eighth Streets, and West Burleigh and Chambers Streets on Milwaukee’s north side. Over 6,000 fans witnessed the first contest played at Athletic Park on May 20, 1888. The Milwaukee team, then called the Creams (after the city’s nickname of “Cream City”), treated the record crowd to a victory over their Western Association rival, St. Paul. The Milwaukee Journal reported that the playing field had been in superb condition, except for a “rough surface in the outfield.” The grandstand was also reported as nice, but the press box was alleged to be cramped, too high, and exposed to cold winds.

The Creams of the Western Association performed there for several years. Their most prominent athlete was a pitcher, Clark Griffith, later the long-time owner of the old American League Washington Senators. Griffith is credited with originating one of the many myths of Milwaukee baseball history when he later observed, “The Irish (fans) sat on the right-field side and the Germans on the left-field side. It was a standing rule that the manager had to have an Irish first baseman and a German third baseman.” Unfortunately for Griffith’s reputation as a historical source, team rosters for this period do not substantiate his ethnic observations.
With two short-lived exceptions, Borchert Field was always a minor league stadium. Toward the close of the 1891 season, Milwaukee was assigned a franchise in the American Association, then considered to be a major league organization, and a team called the Brewers played for several months on that level. The American Association folded after the season closed, and baseball in Milwaukee returned to the minor leagues the following year. In 1923, the Milwaukee Bears, a franchise in the Negro National League, also used Borchert Field for its home games during an abbreviated two-month season.

The Brewer team most Milwaukee fans relate to moved into Borchert Field in 1902. During the club’s 51-year existence through 1952, these Milwaukee Brewers played nearly 4,000 games at the north side ballpark and won eight American Association pennants. Attendance was generally quite strong throughout Brewer history. From 1908 (when reliable records first became available) to 1952, an estimated 8,301,545 fans watched the team at Borchert Field. Countless other rooted for their favorites from second floor porches on homes opposite the ballpark on Seventh and Eighth Streets.
The original grandstand, with a seating capacity of 3,500, was behind home plate, with bleacher sections alongside the first and third base lines.

By 1910, the growing popularity of Brewer baseball prompted a park renovation as the bleachers were transformed into grandstands. The exact capacity was never accurately determined because there were no individual seats, only long benches. After the 1910 refurbishing, the best estimate was a 10,000 capacity, but, on special occasions, standing-room-only crowds might reach 17,000. At those games, the outfield was roped off so standing fans could be crowded against the outfield fences from foul line to foul line. Balls hit into this overflow audience were automatic ground-rule doubles.

Because of the rectangular dimensions of the property on which it was located, Borchert Field, like New York’s Polo Grounds, had very short foul lines (only 266 feet). What made the playing field unique was that the power alleys in right- and left-center fields (each ending in a sharp corner) were farther from home plate than the 395 feet to straight-away center field.

Borchert Field’s angular structure meant that fans could not see the complete field from certain areas of the grandstands. Depending upon one’s location, a fan could view right field or left field but not both at the same time. Many times, the best way to judge whether a batted ball was caught was by the response of the crowd. As Mike Kelley, owner of the Minneapolis American Association ball club, commented: “You have to pay two admissions to see one game at Borchert Field. The first day you see what happens in right field. The next day you come back to see what happens in left field.” In 1942, Brooklyn Dodger manager Leo Durocher agreed with Kelley. After an exhibition game against the Brewers, Durocher declared, “I’ve seen a lot of ballparks in my time but never one like that Milwaukee park. I had to get off the bench and run out to the foul line to see what happened every time a ball was hit to right field.”

There were other peculiarities to Borchert Field’s distinctive design.
The center-field bleachers were wedged in between the wooden flagpole in the left-field power alley and the scoreboard in right-center field. In the later years of Borchert Field, the wooden outfield fences were painted with numerous billboards by Art Siemann Advertising. The manually-operated scoreboard consisted of white numerals hung on nails against a black background. In an earlier time period, a painted bull touting a popular tobacco rose high over the outfield fence. Any batter who struck the bull received $50. After too many batters had earned the prize, the target was permanently withdrawn.

The left- and right-field fence planks contained numerous knotholes. For many youthful fans, it was survival of the fittest as the most aggressive kids found and occupied the most strategically-placed knotholes in the Seventh and Eighth Street fences.

Other lucky fans found that the best view of a Brewer game was from the second-floor porches of houses located across Seventh and Eighth Streets. According to some accounts, the Koutny residence at 3060 North Seventh Street was unsurpassed in its vantage pint. The scoreboard and the public address system gave the Koutnys and their fortunate guests all the basic information they needed about the lineup and score, rendering Mickey Heath’s WEMP radio broadcast unnecessary. Bernice Koutny Stone and her brother, Ray, could observe everything but the right fielder from their second-floor vantage point. Although the Koutnys rented out the upstairs unit, they retained the valuable rights to the porch. In an effort to be considerate of the tenants, Bernice, Ray, and their friends would ascend to the deck with a ladder instead of intruding through the tenants’ quarters.

Neighborhood homeowners often had uninvited guests, in the form of errant baseballs, shatter their windows. Very few of them complained because the Brewers had a policy of promptly paying for repairs. Sportswriters and announcers would make light of the situation by declaring that any ball hit out Borchert Field had landed on the legendary “Frau Hasenpfeffer’s” flower bed or front porch.

For many adult fans, it was an accepted fact that the best seats in the house were near the bar behind home plate. Except during the years of Prohibition, thirsty fans would occupy the two rows of benches, savor a cold beer, and not miss any of the action on the field.

In 1920, Otto Borchert, descendant of a Milwaukee brewery family, had emerged as the sole owner of the Brewers, thus beginning the gradual transfer of the ballpark’s identity from Athletic Park to Borchert Field.

Borchert proved to be as adept at making money in baseball as his family was in producing beer. The Brewers of the 1920s sent a number of talented players to the majors, as the front office signed up young prospects, developed them, and then profitably sold their rights to big league teams. This produced a source of revenue that was vital to the survival of an independent club such as Borchert’s Brewers.

Colorful as well as a shrewd businessman, Borchert delighted in having a good time at his ballpark. He loved to interact with the patrons by ambling through the stands, adorned in his frock coat and carrying his walking stick. On sunny days, the middle-aged executive would secure a pregame tan in the outfield and then saunter into the seating area with a wide grin before the first inning. The fans would teasingly jeer Borchert as he made his way to his seat.

Milwaukee’s baseball king died on April 27, 1927, while speaking before 600 people at an Elks Club dinner given in honor of Borchert and the Brewers. Near the end of his remarks, the vibrant 52-year-old collapsed into his chair, stricken with a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. The first three games of the new season were delayed until the funeral proceedings were completed. The ballpark was then officially renamed Borchert Field.

This name stuck, and the older names of Athletic Park and Brewer Field fell into disuse. After Borchert’s death, his wife, Idabell (often called Ruby), took over the Brewers. She eventually sold the baseball club to attorney Henry J. Killilea, an important figure in Milwaukee baseball affairs early in the century, but retained ownership of the park and leased it to the Brewers.

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig visited Borchert Field on October 28, 1928, during a barnstorming tour following the World Series. Some 8,000 fans attended the game and witnessed Ruth’s team beat that of Gehrig and Al Simmons (a Milwaukee native and former Brewer) by a score of 5-4. Fittingly, Ruth’s eighth- inning homer was the winner. His titanic shot sailed over the right-field fence, allegedly cleared a dwelling on Seventh Street, and landed in the backyard of a Sixth Street residence. Ruth also pitched the ninth inning, striking out Gehrig and inducing Simmons, known to many Milwaukeeans as “The Duke of Mitchell Street,” to pop up to preserve the victory. The Babe was impressed with Milwaukee’s fans. “I don’t think I ever played on a colder day,” Ruth pronounced. “But say, this must be a great ball town to get that many people out there on day like this.”

Baseball was not the only sport to be played at Borchert Field. Many high school, college, amateur, and professional football games took place at the north side park. Marquette University played several contests at Borchert Field in the early 1920s. On Thanksgiving Day 1923, a then-record Milwaukee football crowd of 15,000 attended the season finale against the University of Vermont. This 20-0 homecoming victory was Marquette’s last home game played at a site other than Marquette Stadium. The Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League also performed at Borchert Field from 1922 to 1926. A dismal team, the Badgers achieved a won-lost-tied record of just 16-27-6. The 1933 Green Bay Packers played one game at Borchert Field. The Packers lost to the New York Giants, 10-7, despite the Giants making no first downs and completing just one pass (a 25-yard touchdown)! Over 12,500 fans paid up to two dollars for a ticket, a sizable sum for a sporting event in those days.

Besides baseball and football, other more novel events which occurred at Borchert Field included boxing and wrestling matches, six-day bicycle races, circuses, rodeos, hot air balloon races, and donkey baseball (a unique version of the national pastime in which the batter was required to ride a donkey around the basepaths).

The first night baseball game played at Borchert Field on June 6, 1935, saw the Brewers lose to St. Paul, 7-3. A smaller-than-expected crowd of 4,747 braved the chilly evening in order to see 350,000 watts of light illuminate the ballpark. The new lighting system cost $19,000 and featured 100-foot light poles which projected from the grandstands, obstructing the view from many seats. In 1948, the posts were relocated to the outside of the facility. Surprisingly, the lights drew few complaints from the neighbors. Most considered night contests to be a part of their life in the neighborhood.

Some Brewer diehard fans claimed that the 1936 team was the best minor league ballclub ever assembled. The heavy-hitting team captured the American Association pennant before drubbing Buffalo of the International League four games to one in the Little World Series. This was the first of Milwaukee’s three Junior World Series titles. Ralph Otto, a former catcher in the Brewer farm system in the mid-1940s, recalled the 1936 Brewers: “That was 56 years ago and there has yet to be a minor league team with such talent. I saw them play, I was fifteen at the time, and my Dad took me. What a thrill! This club could have played in the big leagues and won. Many of them ended up there.”

In the 1940s, local ownership was anxious to sell the club, and a buyer appeared in the person of the legendary Bill Veeck, then a young man eager to get into the business end of professional baseball. Veeck purchase the Milwaukee club on a shoestring and set out to resurrect the once-proud Brewer franchise.

Veeck, who was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, vowed that there would be fun at Borchert Field and that the Brewers would again become winners. The “Barnum of Baseball” lived up to his promises by creating exciting promotions and a competitive team that attracted large numbers of paying customers. That, in turn, transformed an almost-bankrupt franchise into a highly profitable one. As Charlie Grimm, Veeck’s manager, explained in his autobiography, “Milwaukee’s Borchert Field was a built-in laboratory for Bill’s somewhat unusual approach to baseball. There were no fans, so he had nothing to lose except money, which never bothered Bill, especially when it wasn’t his own.”

Veeck’s first priority was to spruce up Borchert Field. Because the run-down park had supposedly not been painted in 17 years, he hired 100 cleaning ladies to scrub the grandstands completely one night before a fresh coat of light gray paint was applied to the entire structure. In addition, a new ladies’ room was constructed as Veeck sought to make the decrepit ballyard more appealing to all fans. Naturally, these proceedings drew attention from the neighborhood and the press, just as Veeck had hoped. The publicity generated by his activity resulted in a crowd of 4,800 for the next game, more than had been attracted in several years for any one game under the often-frugal ownership of Veeck’s predecessor, Henry Bendinger.

The list of promotions Veeck employed were endless: giving away 200-pound cakes of ice, kegs of nails, step ladders, butter, fruits and vegetables, and livestock such as old horses, turkeys, geese, rabbits, and pigeons. On one “fish night,” live eels, lobsters, and crawfish were to be handed out to fans, but the game was rained out and the fish died. He also considered the use of firework displays, but because of Borchert Field’s wooden construction, the risk of a conflagration was too great. Veeck also hired tight-wire walkers to perform above the right-field scoreboard. Another fan enticement was the gift of a free ticket to anyone who donated a pint of blood to the Red Cross.

A popular act at home games was the Brewer strolling band. Manager Charlie Grimm strummed on his left-handed banjo: Rudie Schaffer, the club secretary-treasurer, plucked a homemade bull fiddle; Mickey Heath, the radio announcer, performed on the washboard; and Veeck played the jazzbo, a sliding tin-whistle. One inventive promotion during World War II was “Rosie the Riveter” morning games. Doughnuts and bowls of cereal were distributed to the late-shift factory workers by ushers sporting nightgowns. Meanwhile, a band entertained in pajamas and nightcaps for the milk- and coffee-drinking fans. Veeck, who received his first national publicity from these early morning games, allowed free admittance to women wearing welding caps or riveting masks. The young entrepreneur did not advertise his promotions in advance. This created the feeling that if fans did not attend, they might be missing something.
By 1942, the Brewers had jumped to second place in the American Association standings, and their league-best opening day crowd of 15,599 was almost one-fourth of their total 1940 season attendance figure of 68,320. Veeck’s willingness to listen to his customers by wandering the stands helped create this improvement in fan loyalty.

Borchert Field also provided Veeck with plenty of opportunities to aid the Brewers with a few extra victories. One evening when the Brewers were losing, an expected rainstorm was delayed in reaching Milwaukee’s north side. Veeck had the lights shut off one out before the game became official. By the time the alleged malfunction was solved by the electricians, the rain had moved in and the game had to be replayed in its entirety, thus preventing a loss for the Brewers. That incident led to a change in the league rules by which contests stopped by a light failure only became suspended.

To be continued next week. More information can be obtained via the Milwaukee County Historical Society at http://www.milwaukeecountyhistsoc.org.
Borchert Project - Part2  128
11-19-2008 07:42 AM ET (US)
 Look Back: At Borchert Field

By Thomas J. Morgan and James R. Nitz

Milwaukee History, Winter 1992 (updated November 2008)

This story is part of the Borchert Field Project of the Keltner SABR Chapter

(Part 2)

One of the more spectacular events at Borchert Field during the Veeck years had absolutely nothing to do with action on the diamond. On June 15, 1944, a fierce thunderstorm struck the park during the seventh inning of a night game. The 56–mph gales blew off a 100-foot section of the first-base grandstand roof. The flying lumber slammed against flats on Seventh Street and car-damaging debris was strewn over the entire neighborhood. Of the 5,000 fans in the park, thirty were injured, four seriously. The field lights also went dead, creating some panic. Fortunately, most fans calmly left the park. One major concern that evening was for the boy who worked on the grandstand roof. Paid to retrieve foul balls, the young man could not be located after the windstorm. Firemen chopped through piles of rubble, fearing the worst. After an hour of desperate searching, police thought to call the boy’s home, where he was found unscathed.

This infamous evening was vividly recalled by Bernice Koutny Stone. As on most summer nights, she was taking in the Brewer game on the second-floor porch with her father. Exhibiting great common sense, Bernice suggested that they vacate the deck as the storm approached. Being the die-hard fan that he was, Mr. Koutny insisted upon staying until it was almost too late. Only when the grandstand roof was bearing down upon them did Mr. Koutny decide to scurry down the ladder. Bernice then jumped into his arms for safety.
 
The 1944 season was also significant because it was the one season that the legendary Casey Stengel managed the Brewers at Borchert Field. Stengel stepped in when Charlie Grimm took the opportunity to manage the Chicago Cubs. The “Old Perfessor’s” club won the AA pennant, but differences with Bill Veeck resulted in Stengel moving on to become the Kansas City manager.
 
Men were not the only ballplayers to call Borchert Field home in 1944. The Milwaukee Chicks, members of Phillip K. Wrigley’s All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, won the pennant in their only year in town. Unfortunately for Milwaukee fans, the entire championship series had be played in Kenosha because Borchert Field was not available to the Chicks that September. The lack of home-field advantage did not prevent the team from defeating the Kenosha Comets, four games to three. The Chicks were led by pitcher Connie Wisniewski, whose won-lost record in the series was a spectacular 3-1.

After the 1945 season, Bill Veeck sold the Brewers to Oscar Salinger, a Chicago attorney. The master promoter, whose teams won three American Association championship titles, collected $250,000 after taxes, a healthy return for the $83,000 he paid for the team in 1941. Salinger then sold the club and its territorial rights in 1946 to Lou Perini, owner of the Boston Braves.

Perini’s Brewers of the late 1940s competed in what had become an archaic, ramshackle ballpark. Veeck had done his best to keep Borchert Field patched together, but city building codes allowed for few major renovations. The bleacher fans could create a “swaying ballpark” by bouncing and stamping their feet during intense moments of competition. Local historian Stephen Hauser recalled his father telling him, “You could feel the whole place sway and you just had to hope that it didn’t give way somewhere along the line.”

A major renovation by Lou Perini moved the diamond 20 feet north and away from the grandstand to improve fans’ sight lines. By reducing the center-field distance from 395 feet to 375 feet, both foul lines were finally visible to most grandstand patrons. Two new bullpens were placed in the enlarged areas alongside the stands created by the infield relocation. The previous pens had been in front of the right-field scoreboard. Now, Milwaukee relief pitchers were adjacent to the first-base grandstand so that they could be easily observed from the Brewer third-base dugout. This alteration allowed Cliff “Tarzan” Mapes of the Kansas City Blues to become the only player in Borchert Field history to knock a ball over the 35-foot-high scoreboard. His prodigious clout of May 31, 1947, sailed over the Roundy’s Coffee Cup sign and landed on the pavement near Seventh and Burleigh, traveling at least 500 feet. Perini also converted the Borchert Field foul poles into trendy neon-lighted markers protected by wire netting. Some 3,000 new box seat chairs were purchased for $15,000. The Brewers no longer had to borrow chairs from the Chicago Cubs, as they had done since 1941.

Numerous opportunities for employment existed both in the ballpark as well as in its vicinity. Baseball-mad youth could worship their heroes and get paid for it in a number of different ways. Whether it be car watching, bagging peanuts, retrieving seat cushions or baseball, selling newspapers, or running errands for George Washington Buckner, the Brewer African American trainer and clubhouse manager, young fans could become a part of the Borchert Field excitement.

Neighborhood informants Ray Koutny and Audrey Jacobsen Roth profited by “car watching.” The arrangement began by convincing an auto owner to let the “watcher” guard the vehicle for a nickel, dime, or quarter. Protection was provided from both errant baseballs and passersby who might scratch the hood by using it as a seat for the game. Of course, the car watcher had exclusive rights to carefully stand on top of the car in order to observe the field. This was done before the Borchert Field fences were heightened for the new 1935 lights. After the fences were made higher, trees on Seventh and Eighth Streets became heavily populated with young fans during games.

Ray and his pals also kept busy selling concessions inside the ballpark. Originally purchased wholesale in large burlap bags, the peanuts were dumped on tables and then stuffed into small paper sacks for resale during the games. Kids twisted the tops closed and paraded through the stands marketing peanuts, scorecards, and seat cushion rentals. Those who only bagged peanuts and picked up cushions did not get paid. They were compensated with free admittance and baseball practice time on the hallowed diamond. Newspaper vendors were also allowed in at no charge and would earn a penny for each three cent newspaper retailed.
Ball watching was the most exhilarating job. The luckiest youths were situated on the grandstand roof. From there, they would yell to their peers down on the street as a ball sailed over the fence. The street retrievers were to recover the ball and return it to management. However, neighborhood kids made this a rigorous task as they ganged up on the Brewer employees and played keep-away until the fleetest runner would abscond with the prized souvenir. If the street watcher lost too many baseballs in this fashion, he was quickly replaced.
 
The most fortunate boys were allowed to assist George Washington Buckner. Buckner, a very popular black man in a white man’s sport, compensated his aides with broken bats and worn-out spikes. Of course, this equipment was of far greater value to a young baseball fan than cash.

Many adults also discovered that working at Borchert Field provided memorable experiences as well as a paycheck. Marvin Pfennig, a long-time usher at County Stadium, spent the 1951 and 1952 seasons working at Borchert Field. To witness future Braves’ stars such as Eddie Mathews and Johnny Logan, then players for the Brewers, was a thrill for Marv. As a Brewer usher, he was paid two dollars per game and was provided with only a small-billed red usher’s cap for his uniform. The 12-man ushering crew was required to arrive 90 minutes before the first inning, but could exit with fans after the game. Marv was responsible for the lower box seat section behind home plate and for guarding the equipment in the dugouts between games of doubleheaders.

The taverns in the Borchert neighborhood did great business, as Marv recalled. Brewer employees, fans, and even players (many of who boarded in the area) would frequent Sluggy Walters and Steve’s Baseball Tavern. Sluggy’s, located on the southeast corner of 10th and Chambers for over 40 years, had a splendid baseball atmosphere with its many baseball photos and a game ticket window. Steve’s also sold Brewer tickets and had the advantage of being kitty-corner from Borchert Field’s main entrance at Eighth and Chambers.

By 1950, it had become evident that Borchert Field was nearing the end of its days. The park had become inadequate for the era’s more discerning fans. The electrical and plumbing facilities were quite dilapidated. With the increased use of automobiles, Borchert Field’s residential location had become unappealing as convenient parking was virtually non-existent.

Several factors contributed to 1952 becoming the Brewers’ last year at Borchert Field. First, their long-term, strictly-enforced lease with Mrs. Otto Borchert expired on January 1, 1953. Under terms of the lease, the Brewers, who never had sufficient capital to acquire land and build their own stadium, had to pay $6,000 a year in taxes and $10,000 a year in general maintenance. Together with an additional $9,000 rental charge, these expenses became excessive for an increasingly inadequate facility.
More important, the construction of Milwaukee County Stadium meant that the shift of a major league franchise to Milwaukee was probable. At first, it was thought that the St. Louis Browns might move here. But territorial rights to Milwaukee belonged to Brewer owner Lou Perini, whose National League Braves were drawing poorly in Boston. Thus, it was not really surprising when the Boston franchise moved to Milwaukee in time for the opening of the 1953 season.

The final Brewer game at Borchert Field, played on September 21, 1952, was the seventh and deciding contest of the American Association championship playoff series between the Kansas City Blues and the Brewers. Milwaukee lost, 8-7, in dramatic fashion. Trailing 8-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, Milwaukee scored five runs before the final out was recorded. Moose Skowron of the Blue smacked the last Borchert Field home run, a wind-aided shot over the right-field fence.

Mrs. Borchert sold her ballpark and the land to the City of Milwaukee in 1952 for $123,000 after completion of County Stadium had become a certainty. In 1937, the property had been assessed for only $73,000 with $13,000 attributed to the decaying structure.

The timeworn ballpark, with all of its idiosyncrasies, was dismantled by 1954. The site served as a playground until the Locust Street section of the Interstate 43 North-South Freeway, running precisely between Seventh and Eighth Streets was completed in 1963. Venerable “Borchert’s Orchard” was not totally discarded, however. At the time of demolition, the City of Milwaukee’s Central Board of Purchases marketed much of Borchert Field’s salvageable equipment on bids. These items included the beautiful long wooden park benches behind home plate and the newer box seat metal chairs. Some wooden planks were used in the County Stadium pedestrian bridge over the Menomonee River. Former Mayor Zeidler preserved a handful of field dirt, years before it was fashionable to save artifacts of historic ballparks.

As of 2007, 145,000 vehicles per day pass through the site on I-43 where so much of Milwaukee’s baseball history was made. No sign or marker identifies the immediate location, but many older residents of the Milwaukee area keep alive the memories of the ball clubs of a bygone era and the ballpark, named after Otto Borchert, where they performed.
Editor’s Note: The extensive documentation for a lengthier version of this article may be consulted at the Milwaukee County Historical Society’s research center. You can find out more at http://www.milwaukeecountyhistsoc.org.
Borchert Project - Buege  129
11-19-2008 07:59 AM ET (US)
This story first ran as A Look Back on http://www.midwestdiamondreport.com

Deans Cause a Riot

By Bob Buege

In autumn of 1934, no ballplayer was more celebrated than Dizzy Dean. At age 23 the hard-throwing right-handed mound star of the St. Louis Cardinals’ “Gas House Gang” had conquered the baseball world. In just his third big-league season, young Diz had won 30 games, lost only 7, and earned the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award.

More important, he had led his wacky team to the National League pennant, overtaking the New York Giants in the final week. Dean started and won three of the Cardinals’ final six games, including two of the last three, both shutouts.

To make the story even better, Dizzy’s little brother Paul, a.k.a. Daffy, a lean 21-year-old rookie right-hander, had won 19 games for the Cardinals, most notably a no-hitter against the Dodgers on September 21. These two uneducated hillbillies from the Ozarks had led their club past Bill Terry’s defending world champions from the big city.

Against the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, the Deans did nothing to diminish their fast-growing legend. Dizzy started three games, winning two; Daffy started two games and won both. Two of the Series games featured incidents that became part of baseball lore. In the deciding seventh game, St. Louis slugger Ducky Medwick slid hard into third baseman Marv Owen. When Medwick returned to his position in left field, Detroit fans pelted him with fruit, lunch boxes, and whatever debris they could get their hands on. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis quelled the disturbance by ordering Medwick removed from the game, a move that had no impact on the outcome because the Cardinals, and Dizzy Dean, were leading 9-0 at the time.

What could have been a more serious incident occurred in game four. In the fourth inning of a close contest, Cardinal manager Frankie Frisch sent his star hurler, Dizzy Dean, who was not pitching that day, into the game as a pinch runner. That decision seems foolhardy today and nearly proved so at the time. Trying to break up a double play, Dean went into second base standing up and was struck square in the forehead by shortstop Billy Rogell’s relay.
 
Dizzy was knocked unconscious and carried from the field. To Frisch’s great relief, Dean suffered no serious injury and in fact pitched the next afternoon. The most enduring memory of that near-tragedy, though, is the statement that Diz gave to reporters the next day: “The doctors x-rayed my head and found nothing.”

All of this is to establish the fact that, in October of 1934, the Dean brothers were baseball’s hottest property. One can only imagine the excitement in Milwaukee when it was announced that on October 15, six days after the Cardinals won the World Series, Dizzy and Daffy Dean, supported by a team of local all-stars, would play an exhibition game in Borchert Field against a barnstorming Negro team, the renowned Kansas City Monarchs.

Promoters of the event announced that the Brothers Dean would split the pitching chores, five innings for one, four for the other. What fans did not know was that, before the game, the Deans received a long-distance phone call from Sam Breadon, president of the St. Louis Cardinals. He warned Daffy, who had experienced pain in his throwing arm late in the season, not to risk further injury in the exhibition.

Dizzy started the game for the “home” team and pitched two innings, allowing one run on two walks and a base hit. Daffy took a position in right field. In the third inning Dizzy moved out to left field while Daffy stayed in right. The crowd of 3,300 began to grow restless, realizing they may have been hoodwinked out of their seventy-five cent admission fee.

In the bottom of the third, Dizzy provided the only highlight of the brothers’ performance by lining a home run over the left-field wall and onto Eighth Street. After that the Dean family quietly continued to occupy their outfield locations until the bottom of the sixth. Then both abruptly left the premises.

They were not the only ones. Hundreds of fans began leaving their seats and heading for the stadium box office to demand a refund. Some in the crowd drew up and circulated petitions demanding that justice be served. Fearing violence, promoter Eddie Stumpf summoned the riot police. Captain Arthur Luehman and ten members of his doughnut squad soon arrived and restored relative calm.

Inside the ballpark, the Monarchs scored four times in the top of the ninth to take an 8-5 lead. The Deans’ former club rallied, however, with three runs in the last of the ninth to tie the game. No one cared to continue, and most of the crowd had left, so the game was declared a draw. By that time Dizzy and Daffy, richer by $1,700 minus expenses, were on the train bound for Chicago.

After the game promoter Stumpf, who had rented Borchert Field and hired the World Series heroes for the occasion, lamented, “If they had only stayed around until the finish to satisfy autograph hunters, it wouldn’t have been so bad.”
SABR National  130
11-19-2008 08:14 AM ET (US)
Now through the end of the year, all SABR members can pre-register for the SABR
39 Convention in Washington, DC for only $85 ($2 less than the rate this past
year in Cleveland). Your registration fee allows you access to all research
presentations, panels and special topics, as well as the trivia contest and
research committee meetings. In addition, you’ll receive a convention goody bag
(which I’ve been told will be well stocked).

The early bird rate of $85 is only valid through December 31. On January 1,
2009, the rate will be raised to $115, so don’t miss your chance to save $30 on
registration. You could even ask family or friends to buy your registration as a
holiday gift (please place holiday gift orders at least four working days in
advance of gift-giving to get a special certificate to be presented as the
gift).

Sign up today for SABR 39 at the SABR Store, http://store.sabr.org. While you
are at the store, please consider renewing your SABR membership at the same
time.

After you’ve registered for the convention, don’t forget to book your hotel room
at the JW Marriott. This past Saturday, Orbitz was offering room rates at the JW
during the SABR convention for $380/night. The SABR rate for our limited number
of rooms is $179/night, but the convention discount is only in place until June
29. You can make your reservation online at: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/sabr2009.

Thank you for your support of SABR, and I look forward to seeing you in
Washington next summer

John Zajc
Executive Director
Society for American Baseball Research
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
1-800-969-7227
www.sabr.org
Suzi  131
11-19-2008 08:16 AM ET (US)
The Founder and CEO of the Impulsive Group, hank freid got his start in the industry in the mid-1970s. He took a chance on a rooming house at Broadway and 101st Street and transformed it into the 126-room Broadway Hotel.
Keltner SABR  132
11-20-2008 04:29 PM ET (US)
Next SABR Meeting

The next Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter meeting of SABR will take place on Saturday, February 28th, 2009, 11 AM at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, 5230 Bluemound Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Guest of Honor: Doak Ewing, owner of Rare Sportsfilms. Doak has graciously offered to show the perfect game pitched by Don Larsen on October 8, 1956. This is an event which is unique! This game has been shown public only on a few occasions, and we THANK Doak for offering to do this!!

We plan on a Research presentation, there will be items for sale including some of Doak's great sportsfilms, and a 50/50 raffle. Food and your choice of beverage will be available! Special Thanks to Paul Wong and his staff for hosting this event!

Reservations are recomended for this event, as seating is limited. You can reserve a spot to watch this historic game by sending an e-mail to Rick Schabowski at RICKIU76@aol.com or calling at 414-322-4997.

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

Rick
Borchert Project - 11/26  133
11-26-2008 07:45 AM ET (US)
Edited by author 11-26-2008 08:14 AM
Japan’s All-Stars at Borchert Field
     
By Dennis Pajot--U.S.A and Yoichi Nagata--Japan
            
On Tuesday, June 11, 1935, a baseball game was played at Borchert field between a team of Japanese All-Stars and the Milwaukee Red Sox. The game was scheduled to start at 8:15, “under the new floodlights”.

The Milwaukee Red Sox were made up of leading AAA and semi-professional players from Wisconsin. Managed by Al Moran and Eddie Stumpf—who also acted as the club’s general manager, the team played in the Chicago City League, as well as against other independent teams across the country.

This Japanese All-star team was made up of ex-college and ex-prep school players, and had enjoyed great success on their US tour, which had begun early in the spring of that year, playing minor league and local semi-pro teams. Lefty O’Doul, then managing the San Francisco Seals, named the All-Stars the Tokyo Giants for promotional purposes on the tour. The All Stars played the eight teams of the Pacific Coast League, winning 6 and losing 17. Entering Milwaukee the Giants record on the American tour was 59 wins, 30 losses and one tie. It was reported in the Milwaukee Sentinel the Japanese players played the game as well as Americans, except they did not hit as well.

The game on June 11 was attended by about 1,400 at Borchert Field. The Japanese All-Stars won 9 to 4, “with a masterful exhibition of fielding, timely hitting and some really high class flinging by Eiji Sawamura, the 18-year old ace of all Japan”. [He was reported as being 17 in the Wisconsin News.] Toshihide Hatafuku started for the All-Stars and pitched the first three innings. Sawamura pitched the last six innings, allowing 6 hits and striking out 9, en route to being credited with the win. Sotaro Suzuki, the All-Stars business manager, explained he was forced to pitch the youngster more than he had planned on the tour, as he did not figure on so many doubleheaders. The All-Stars had split a doubleheader Sunday in Chicago, but Sawamura had not pitched. However, he pitched 12 innings the day before the Milwaukee game in Battle Creek, Michigan, (a 12 inning tie game), and 9 innings on Saturday in Detroit. The Wisconsin News, told its readers that Sawamura had held Babe Ruth’s American leaguers to five hits the previous winter, but lost 1 to 0 on a home run by Lou Gehrig. “He is something of a national hero”, the paper reported.

Larry Kessenich—a former local sandlot star-- started for the Red Sox, but was forced to leave the game when he was hit in the stomach by a line drive in the third inning. Doug McWeeney—a former major leaguer and former Milwaukee Brewer-- then took over. McWeeney gave up four runs in the fourth inning to take the loss.

One odd moment in the game occurred when the Red Sox’s catcher, Bob Casey, was ejected by the umpire for arguing balls and strikes. Manager Eddie Stumpf pleaded with umpire Schiefelbein not to eject his only catcher, and Casey was allowed to stay in the game.

         Red Sox All-Stars
    AB R H E AB R H E
  Mudlaff 3b 4 2 2 0 Yajima rf 1 0 0 0
  Kedzierski ss 5 1 1 2 Fuma rf 4 0 1 0*
  Brooks cf 4 0 1 0 Tabe 2b 5 1 3 0
  Sherbarth 1b 4 0 0 1 Karita ss 5 0 0 1
  Roessler rf 2 0 0 0 Horio cf 5 0 0 0
  Berka rf-2b 2 0 0 0 Shintomi lf 5 1 1 0
  Maglio lf 4 0 0 0 Mizuhara 3b 5 2 1 0
  Walenta 2b 3 1 1 0 Nagasawa 1b 5 2 1 0
  Casey c 4 0 2 0 Uchibori c 5 2 1 0
  Kessenich p 1 0 0 1 Hatafuku p 1 1 0 0
  McWenny p 1 0 0 0 Sawamura p 2 0 2 0
  Hust rf 2 0 1 0
  Golem p 0 0 0 0
  Wozniak p 0 0 0 0
  K’minski ph 1 0 0 0
     37 4 8 4 43 9 10 1
  All Stars 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 2 1 0 - 9
  Red Sox 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 4
 *Yoichi Nagata related Isamu Fuma stayed in Japan, and did not go on barnstorming tour. It is likely Shiro
       Tsuda replaced Yajima in right field—as he did in Madison the next day.


However, the real interesting story of this game comes from Yoichi Nagata. Yoichi relates the following account. After the Giants were to leave the field after the game, a man in his 40s came up to Sotaro Suzuki and asked “When do you give me Eiji Sawamura? Schoolboy Sawamura signed with me.” This man introduced himself as a baseball scout, showing a player contract signed by Sawamura. The stunned Suzuki asked Sawamura how that occurred. Sawamura explained, “In the pre-game practice, I chased a loose ball to the outfield, where he came up to me. He wanted me to sign the paper. I thought he was a fan seeking my autograph”.

Business Manager Suzuki refused the man’s request for Sawamura. However, the scout did not retreat, saying that he would bring this case to the Baseball Commissioner. Suzuki countered “It is no problem. The Tokyo Giants are not in organized baseball.” Milwaukee Red Sox manger Eddie Stumpf and Ralph Siners, who were at the field, seconded Suzuki.

Eiji Sawamura and the Tokyo Giants continued their barnstorming tour, however, it was said it had cost Suzuki some money to get the contract back from the scout. Who was the scout? Sotaro Suzuki at one time said he was a St. Louis Cardinal scout, and another time a Pittsburgh Pirate scout. Another source reported the man scouted for an American Association team.

The day following their win over the Milwaukee Red Sox, the All-Stars played the Madison Blues in Madison, before a record attendance of 4,601. The Madison team won 9 to 3. The Tokyo Giants finished their 109 game tour, including 5 games in Hawaii, with 74 wins and 34 losses, plus the one tie.

Eiji Sawamura is a legend of Japanese baseball. He was born on February 1, 1917, in Ujiyamada, Japan. He first gained fame on November 20, 1934, in a game at Kusanagi Stadium in Shizuoka, Japan, against the barnstorming team of American major league players mentioned above in the Wisconsin News. The 17-year old started and completed the game, giving up 5 hits and striking out 9 in eight innings (the Americans were the home team), including Charlie Gehringer, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx in a row. Sawamura did give up a home run to Gehrig in the seventh inning—thus losing 1 to 0.

In 1936 Sawamura recorded 14 wins against 3 losses with the Tokyo Giants in his first professional season in the Japanese League. (The league had a spring fall split-season; Sawamura had a 1 and 1 record in the spring, and 13 and 2 record in the fall season). On September 15 he pitched the first no-hitter in that league. In 1937 Sawamura went 33 and 10 for the entire season (24 wins against 4 losses in the spring, 9 wins and 6 losses in the fall portion); pitching another no-hitter, and being named the MVP in the spring season.

In January 1938 Sawamura was drafted into the Japanese military, and served three tours of duty. He injured his shoulder while in the military and was never again a dominant pitcher. However, in parts of three seasons in the 1940s he had a 16 and 9 record, including his third no-hitter.

On December 2, 1944, the transport ship carrying Eiji Sawamura was sunk by an American submarine. Eiji Sawamura was dead at the age of 27.

In 1947 the Japanese Baseball League began awarding the Sawamura award to the league’s best starting pitcher each year, similar to America’s Cy Young Award. The award is still given out.

Eiji Sawamura was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1959.
Borchert Proj.- Felsch 1  134
12-03-2008 08:26 AM ET (US)
Happy Felsch: Milwaukee’s Man Out
By James R. Nitz for SABR BioProject

The 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal shocked the sporting public more than any other in baseball history. Central to this astonishing fix were eight White Sox ballplayers, including star center fielder, Oscar “Happy” Felsch. An unpretentious Milwaukee native, the “Pride of Teutonia Avenue” only left his hometown to play ball. Felsch, one of twelve children of ordinary German immigrants, rose to the pinnacle of the baseball world only to descend to the depths of sports infamy. Now that over eighty years have passed since the tainted 1919 World Series, it is time to take an in-depth look at the fascinating life of Happy Felsch, both on and off the diamond.

Sox left fielder “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and third baseman George “Buck” Weaver have garnered the most attention of the “Eight Men Out,” almost to the point of becoming mythicized in contemporary books and movies. An inquiry of Felsch will reveal that this exceptional athlete was really just a common Milwaukeean caught up in momentous events of the turbulent 1910s and 20s.

Oscar Emil Felsch, who grew up to be arguably the best baseball player ever produced by Milwaukee’s north side, was born in 1891 in a German working-class neighborhood. His birth certificate is nonexistent due to the lack of local public health records in that era.# Many baseball historical resources list Felsch’s birth date as August 22, 1891 or unspecified dates in 1893 or 1894. However, his 1943 Social Security application and 1964 death certificate both state that he was born on April 7, 1891 to Berlin natives Charles and Marie Felsch (nee Tietz or Tiegs).# Charles was a carpentry contractor living at 2734 Fond du Lac Avenue in 1891.# The remainder of Felsch’s childhood and early adulthood, except for a few short-lived moves down the street, was spent at the small family home at 1086 (now 2758) N. 26th Street.#

In the census year of 1900, young Oscar was one of ten living children out of Marie’s twelve births and one of seven still residing in the mortgaged 26th Street frame house. He did not read or write in 1900 but eventually could after receiving only a sixth grade education, a common final level for children of immigrants. This lack of formal education proved to haunt Felsch in later years when he had to deal with shrewd baseball executives, underhanded gamblers, lawyers, and college educated teammates.# The teen-aged Oscar then gained employment as a $10-per-week factory laborer and shoe worker, giving all but 25 cents to his father.#

Felsch’s rise from the Milwaukee sandlots was due, in no small part, to his ball-playing dad and brothers. Reputed to be a first baseman of great ability, Charles had three more sons who competed with area teams. As typical members of the aspiring working class, the boys hoped to develop their reputations in prominent local leagues in order to gain notice from pro scouts.# Following the example of many other second generation German children, the youthful Oscar turned away from individual sports such as gymnastics and wrestling and gravitated toward the popular American team game of baseball. A member of the Turnverein (or Turners, a German gymnastics movement that emphasized physical education), the powerfully-built wrestling champion eventually gave up grappling for baseball. In 1917, Felsch described his switch:

“At one time, my friends had me kidded almost into believing that I had a chance for the heavyweight championship. They thought I would be heavier than I am when I fully developed. Once I made an opening in the baseball profession, however, I soon lost much of my enthusiasm for head spinning. I’d sooner be batting champion of the American League than the conqueror of Frank Gotch.”#

The broad-shouldered Felsch, listed at heights between 5’9” to 5’11” and weights of 160 to 190 pounds over his playing career, first appeared on the local baseball scene in 1911.# Now employed as a shingler, the righthanded throwing and hitting shortstop-third baseman spent his spare time performing for Sisson and Sewell. This semiprofessional club, sponsored by a local retail clothier, competed against high-caliber City League opponents such as Burghardt’s Sporting Goods, the Kosciuskos, Watertown, and Oconomowoc. Their Sunday contests allowed Felsch to display his developing skills. After a four-hit, seven-fielding chance game as leadoff man on August 6, the Milwaukee Sentinel noticed the budding star by declaring, “Felch (sic) played a swell game at third.”#
In 1912 the precocious Oscar played with four semipro teams throughout Wisconsin. The star Sewell shortstop left in mid-June to sign with Manitowoc of the higher-level Lake Shore League. Felsch then manned third base behind pitcher Stoney McGlynn, a former St. Louis Cardinal and Milwaukee Brewer. Larger crowds in LSL towns such as Racine and Sheboygan gave an athlete of Felsch’s caliber this opportunity for more lucrative paydays.#

By mid-July the lure of keener semipro competition with more games motivated the itinerant infielder to move to Grand Rapids, now Wisconsin Rapids. Felsch arrived with a bang on Wednesday, July 24 as he hit a three-run home run in the very first inning of his initial game. The pitcher, Jacob “Cy Young III” Jung of Stevens Point, saw his 94-inning scoreless streak end, thanks to the Grand Rapids rookie “demon swatter.” Even with Felsch installed as the new cleanup hitting shortstop, Stevens Point still won 5-4 to present Jung, who once struck out 22 Eau Claire batters in a game, his 11th consecutive victory.# The Grand Rapids Tribune described Felsch’s next game, against Merrill, as follows: “The sensational feature of Sunday’s game was a home run by Felch (sic), the local shortstop, who batted the ball over the fence in center field, making the longest hit that has ever been made on the local grounds, and will probably hold the record for some time to come.”#

Felsch continued to haunt Jung as his triple and home run on August 4 broke the future White Sox signee’s 13-game winning streak, allowing Grand Rapids to defeat Jung for the first time ever.#

Teams such as Grand Rapids and Stevens Point competed against semipros from Tomahawk, Green Bay, Waupaca, Wausau, Fond du Lac, and Portage on weekdays as well as weekends. Barnstorming Negro teams also provided a high level of competition. Side bets were common as were benefit games for local hospitals.#

By late August the Grand Rapids team disbanded and Felsch signed on with his former rival, Stevens Point. Now that Jung and the “sensational shortstop” were on the same club, Stevens Point was ready to battle Stoughton for the “semiprofessional championship of the state” over the Labor Day weekend. The teams split the two-game series in Stoughton as Felsch, “the fence buster,” hit a two-run triple to support Jung’s three-hitter on Monday. Subsequent games against Waupaca made it unclear whether Stevens Point, Stoughton, or Waupaca were the champs of a disorganized group of semipro teams.#

Felsch’s easygoing nature and wonderful smile made the sobriquet “Happy” a perfect fit. At times, he even preferred practices more than games just for the sheer joy of hitting, fielding, and running. Newspapers adopted the nickname as early as 1912.# In 1913 Felsch continually appeared in the dailies as he advanced to minor league ball with the Milwaukee Mollys of the Class C Wisconsin-Illinois League. The youthful shortstop made a grand first impression on opening day at Athletic Park (later called Borchert Field) as he went 5 for 5 with a grand slam home run in the first inning plus seven runs batted in and two errors. The Mollys defeated Appleton 12-5 in the April 30 game played immediately after the American Association Brewer contest.#

Felsch continued his impressive hitting, including a three-homer game in Oshkosh, and sensational, but error-prone, fielding during his abbreviated stay in his hometown. Meager crowds for this farm team of the higher-level Brewers forced the Mollys to move to Fond du Lac on June 28. There Felsch continued to spend time at both shortstop and his new position of right field.# By early August, the Brewers called up their phenom. This allowed him to vault to Class AA, the top category of the minors, bypassing the B and A levels. Following are Felsch’s impressive Deadball Era statistics with the Mollys, his first professional team:

Hitting: Games At-Bats Runs Doubles Triples Homers Stolen Bases Batting Average
                      92 357 54 12 3 18 16 .319
Fielding: Games Errors Fielding Average
Shortstop 58 36 .868
Outfield 34 2 .971

These numbers certainly indicate that the promising youngster’s future was in the outfield.#

Felsch did not play often for the pennant-winning Brewers in 1913 as he needed polishing. He finished with a batting average of .183 with two home runs in only 26 games.#

In 1914, the powerful Felsch showcased his major league potential both at the plate and in the outfield. As a Brewer, he set home run distance records in Milwaukee (over 500 feet at Athletic Park) and Kansas City and led the American Association in round-trippers with 19. Felsch batted a potent .304 with 41 doubles, 11 triples, and 19 stolen bases for the repeat-champion Brewers. He demonstrated his outfield prowess with great range and a rifle arm.#

By early August, the Brewers, an independent club, knew they owned a star fit to sell to the highest major league bidder as the Senators, Cubs, White Sox, Giants, and Reds were scouting the left fielder. On August 8 the Sox acquired Felsch for $12,000 plus an infielder and an outfielder from their organization. The Brewers were delighted that Chicago allowed their “fence breaker” to remain in Milwaukee for the duration of 1914. Felsch, declared the greatest Brewer ever by their business manager, Lou Nahin, then signed a two-year contract with Chicago at a substantial increase in salary of $2,500 per year.#

1915 developed into an eventful year for the Sox rookie center fielder. Not only did Felsch make his major league debut on April 14 in St. Louis with two singles, a stolen base, and an error, but he also married.#
The 1915 White Sox started their steady ascent to the top of the American League by rising from sixth to third place with a 93-61 record. This was due to the addition of energetic 33-year-old manager, Clarence “Pants” Rowland, and five new position players including Hall of Fame second baseman Eddie Collins, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and Felsch. The newcomer in center finished with a .248 batting average, three home runs, and 16 stolen bases in 121 games as a semi-regular. No doubt Felsch’s numbers could have been stronger except for a nagging leg injury he suffered early in the season #

After the conclusion of the hotly-contested Chicago City Series between the Sox and Cubs, the handsome, square-jawed, 24-year-old major leaguer returned to Milwaukee where he married Marie Wagner, a 22-year-old north side homemaker on October 27.#

Felsch spent what should have been his honeymoon getting his first experience with the judicial system. On October 29 the newlywed was asked to testify in pitcher Cy Slapnicka’s lawsuit against the Brewers for back pay. After the case was postponed until December, Felsch, Slapnicka, and Philadelphia Phillie Fred Luderus, also of Milwaukee, embarked for Little Chute for a Sunday exhibition contest.#

The upcoming baseball season surely brought hope to Felsch and the White Sox. The promising club advanced to second place, overcoming a slow start to finish only two games behind the Red Sox. Charles Comiskey, White Sox owner, was spending money to make money. Adding a pitcher of the caliber of Claude “Lefty” Williams to a staff that already included stars Eddie Cicotte, Red Faber, and Reb Russell helped the Sox break their attendance record with 679,923 fans, 140,462 more than in 1915.#
Comiskey Park loyalists enjoyed watching Felsch belt seven home runs, out of a team total of 17. He led the Deadball Era Sox and tied for third in the American League. Suddenly, the sophomore from the sandlots of Milwaukee was in the upper echelon of AL hitters as he batted an even .300 and finished sixth in the league with a slugging average of .427. Under the tutelage of coach William “Kid” Gleason, the sure-handed Hap, an honorable mention member of Baseball Magazine’s AL All-America Baseball Club, also topped all AL outfielders with a fielding percentage of .981.#
For Happy Felsch it would never get better than 1917. In only his fifth season of professional ball, he became a national hero, thanks to a remarkable regular season and an exceptional World Series. The Sox center fielder was in a class with Hall of Fame outfielders Tris Speaker and Ty Cobb, thanks to the following 1917 statistics:

.308 batting average (fifth in American League)
102 runs batted in (tied for second in AL with Ty Cobb, first Sox ever with 100 RBIs)
440 putouts (first among AL outfielders)
Six home runs (tied for fourth in AL and all hit in losing causes)
133 clutch hitting index (third in AL)#

Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly Newspaper extolled the talents of Felsch by proclaiming:

“In Oscar (“Happy”) Felsch, however, he (Comiskey) has obtained a real live wire, whose individual playing has been a big factor in keeping the Chicago club among the leaders in the American League race. Not only is Felsch a heavy and consistent batter, but he is one of the best fielders in the big show, and as a defensive gardener ranks close to Speaker.#
Rowland’s charges captured their first pennant since 1906 with their finest record ever at 100-54, nine games in front of Boston. The champs led the league in stolen bases, triples, runs scored, on-base percentage, clutch hitting, shutouts, and earned run average.# Five Sox, including Felsch, were named to the Baseball Magazine American League all-star team.#

Several of the more superstitious 1917 team members attributed their success to a teen-aged hunchback. One day Felsch noticed Eddie Bennett in the bleachers of New York’s Polo Grounds and asked, “Hey boy. Are you lucky?” The 15-year-old proved he was as Felsch and others seemed to hit better after rubbing his back for good fortune. In this era of limited sensitivity to the handicapped, Bennett became the Sox mascot/batboy through 1919. The young dwarf moved on to the Dodgers for 1920 and the Yankees from 1921-23. Amazingly, the 1919-1923 Bennett teams were all pennant winners.#

Even as Chicago was winning in front of record-setting home attendance of 684,521, clubhouse strife was beginning to rear its ugly head. In response to his team’s remarkable performance, Comiskey reneged on promised cash bonuses. Instead, the Sox were rewarded with a case of cheap champagne that sportswriter Ring Lardner said tasted “like stale piss.” Comiskey also picked up shortstop Swede Risberg and first baseman Chick Gandil to round out the starting lineup. Although both players were welcome additions on the diamond, they helped form divisive cliques in the clubhouse. Gandil also retained his connections to gamblers. Felsch fraternized with the boisterous, card-playing Risberg/Gandil group that was often in conflict with the higher-educated catcher Ray Schalk/Eddie Collins faction. The seeds of discord that led to the 1919 scandal were sown.#

To be continued
SABR National Office  135
12-03-2008 06:36 PM ET (US)
December is always the time to review our favorite moments from the past year
and to begin planning for the year ahead. To that end, SABR invites nominations
for the McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award and the Sporting News-SABR
Baseball Research Award and encourages you to develop and submit a presentation
proposal for the Seymour Medal Conference in April or SABR 39 next summer (this
information can also be found in The SABR Bulletin).

Briefly:

The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the author(s) of the best
article or paper, published or unpublished, on baseball history or biography
completed during the preceding calendar year. Nominations on behalf of others or
self-nominations are equally welcome, and nominees do not have to be SABR
members in order to be eligible for the award. Nominations must include five
copies of the article or paper and must be received by February 15, 2009.
Nominations should be sent to: Len Levin, 282 Doyle Ave., Providence, RI
02906-3355.


The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award honors outstanding research
projects completed during the preceding calendar year that have significantly
expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball. Nominations on behalf of
others or self-nominations are equally welcome, and nominees do not have to be
SABR members in order to be eligible for the award. Nominations must include
five copies of the book, article or paper and must be received by February 1,
2009. Nominations should be sent to the SABR office: 812 Huron Rd E #719,
Cleveland, OH, 44115.


If you would like to present at the Seymour Medal Conference, April 24-26, 2009
in Cleveland, Ohio, you must submit a presentation proposal by February 20,
2009. Presentations should be 25-35 minutes in length. Proposals should include
a one-page abstract of the paper as well as a cover page with your name,
address, phone number, and email address. Send your proposals to Susan Petrone
at the SABR office: spetrone@sabr.org OR 812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland, OH,
44115.


If you are interested in presenting at SABR 39, July 29-August 2, 2009 in
Washington, DC, you must submit an abstract of the proposed presentation by
March 15, 2009. Abstracts should be no more than 500 words and must include the
abstract’s title, review of previous work on the subject, a summary of the
research methodology and anticipated results, and the expected contribution to
the field of baseball research. While submitters may express preference for one
format or the other, all abstracts will be evaluated as both oral and poster
presentations. Oral presentations will be limited to 20 minutes (plus five
minutes for questions). For more details, please visit: http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,2705.
(And don’t forget that discounted early-bird registration for the convention
ends on December 31, 2008. Save $30 by registering now.)

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director

Society for American Baseball Research
812 Huron Rd E #719
Cleveland OH 44115
www.sabr.org
1-800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500
Borchert Proj. - Felsch 2  136
12-11-2008 08:13 AM ET (US)
Borchert Project - Felsch 2 - By Jim Nitz

Climaxing this year of destiny was the 1917 World Series, the last one in which the White Sox have been victorious. Game 1, held at Comiskey Park on Saturday, October 6 was decided by a “loud and vicious clout from the trusty bludgeon of Felsch.” “Milwaukee’s famous beef and brawn” hit a long home run to deep left field, giving the Sox a 2-0 lead in a game they eventually won 2-1 over the New York Giants. The center fielder also made a sensational one-handed cutoff play of a Giant double, preventing a round-tripper. Felsch, who drove his new Packard from Milwaukee to Chicago the day before, was rewarded with two $50 Liberty bonds, including one from entertainer Al Jolson. He also accepted a new suit, hat, shoes, and other clothing articles from Chicago merchants. Milwaukeeans, thrilled over Felsch’s success, presented him with a baseball-shaped diamond stickpin before Game 1 and jokingly threatened to take it away if he did not hit a home run. Felsch proceeded to earn the pin and much adulation by slugging the only Sox circuit clout in that Fall Classic. 1,000 Milwaukee fans, including Felsch’s father and a brother, were at Comiskey Park that day. Back home 20,000 more flocked to local electric scoreboards in theaters such as the Pabst and the Empress or to tickers and blackboards in restaurants and businesses. Fans were just as loud as if they were at the game and remained in a frenzy for 15 minutes after the home run.#

In Game 2, Chicago continued its winning ways as the “pride of the Cream city” contributed to the 7-2 victory with a hit-and-run single and several outstanding fielding plays. In Milwaukee Felsch fans went wild again as 35-cent tickets to the electric scoreboard venues were scalped for one dollar. That Sunday evening the Sox and Giants left for New York, arriving on Monday afternoon. Game 3, scheduled for Tuesday at the Polo Grounds, was rained out. Off-the-field news included a flattering invitation for Felsch, Eddie Cicotte, and outfielder John Collins to appear in New York vaudeville. The three did not state if they accepted.#

The Giants recovered to tie the Series at two games each with back-to-back shutouts of the hard-hitting Sox. Comiskey Park hosted Game 5 on Saturday, October 13. The Pale Hose came back from a 5-2 deficit to win 8-5 with Felsch going 3 for 5. The teams traveled again to New York where, on Monday, Chicago captured the Series, four games to two, with a 4-2 victory.#

The White Sox were the toast of the Windy City as they returned to thousands of exultant fans, orators, and two big brass bands. The ballplayer that “made Milwaukee famous” was welcomed back with numerous parties, receptions, banquets, and dances throughout his proud hometown. Friends, local clubs, and city officials helped to arrange these celebrations that honored the man that New York sportswriters believed made the difference in the Series, both with his bat and his glove. The smiling, but reticent, ballplayer enjoyed the attention, but insisted that he not speak in front of throngs of his clamoring fans. In addition to his World Series check of $3666 (almost matching his salary of $3750), the popular star received presents including a gold watch, a set of silverware, and $100 worth of shares in American Aircraft. The papers glorified Felsch by claiming that he made $10,000 a year and accepted enough complimentary drinks to start his own brewery. After all of the honors and gifts were bestowed upon Felsch, “the greatest citizen the north side has ever produced,” he left for the solitude of a three-week fishing/hunting trip in the northern woods. Upon his return, he lived at 1003 (now 2629 North) Teutonia Avenue, adjacent to his in-laws.#

Events surrounding World War I had some effect on the White Sox and major league baseball in 1917 as the United States declared war on Germany five days before the season opened. In June, all men ages 21-30 were required to register for the first universal military draft in U. S. history. Club owners were pleased that they lost very few draftees or volunteers. Teams participated in promotions to raise funds for Liberty bonds and the Red Cross. Patriotism was advanced by allowing free admission to servicemen and staging military parades at ballparks. Led by Army sergeants, players performed an hour of daily close-order military drills, utilizing their bats in place of rifles. The White Sox even donned unique red, white, and blue uniforms complemented by white stockings with red and blue stripes. These were worn only during the World Series and then retired. Fans also contributed as the person who caught Felsch’s World Series home run ball refused $40 for it. Instead, he asked Happy to sign it before donating the historic sphere to the Red Cross to auction. The government also shut down horse racetracks. This drove gamblers to ball parks and team hotels, where they possessed the potential to cause great harm to the national pastime.#

Major league baseball, the White Sox, and Felsch experienced tough times in the intensified war year of 1918. The season was shortened so that baseball could comply with the “work or fight” edict of May 18. This decreed that any male between ages 21 and 31 in a nonessential job must enlist, secure a war-related job, or be reclassified with a lower draft number. Owners wanted an extension of the July 1 deadline and asked for October 15. The government gave baseball September 2, except for the two World Series teams, granted September 15. Players who did not enlist hurried to take exempt jobs in shipyards, steel mills, war-production factories, and farms. Many of them, now subject to criticism as slackers, then played ball in industrial leagues.# Owners and the press resented athletes who avoided military service by working for companies with baseball teams. A disgusted Comiskey, alluding to Felsch, Jackson, and Williams, went so far as to say, “There is no room on my club for players who wish to evade the army draft by entering the employ of ship owners.”#

The defending champion White Sox got off to a rocky start as the train transporting them to spring training derailed March 18 in Texas. Fortunately no one was hurt, but Felsch missed the beginning of camp due to a sudden illness. The season continued downhill as the Sox lost many key players to the war effort. The club finished in sixth place with a 57-67 record before only 198,081 Comiskey Park customers. This was a significant decline from the 684,521 who watched the 100-54 pennant winners of 1917.#

The glory of 1917 must have seemed like a distant memory to Happy Felsch as he struggled both on and off the field in 1918. The star outfielder left the Sox for 12 days in May as he visited a seriously injured brother in a Texas Army camp. Alarming his family and manager Rowland, the distraught Felsch remained incommunicado during the entire trip.#

The “mighty Happy” departed for good on July 1, leaving Rowland with a punchless, spiritless shell of a team. Surprising the defending champs with his sudden resignation, Felsch announced that he was taking a war-effort job at the Milwaukee Gas Company for $125 per month plus earnings from weekend semipro ball. This paled in comparison to the $3750 contract he walked away from. In an effort to boost attendance, the Kosciuskos of the Lake Shore League quickly signed the former World Series star.#
Sportswriters believed that the distractions of the “work or fight” edict and the Sox’ anger over the length of the May trip to Texas caused Felsch to play below his normal standards. Comiskey tried to downplay any strife by claiming, “I regard Felsch as one of the most promising young ball players that ever entered the major leagues. But he was not much use to us in the last few weeks as his mind was not on baseball. However, when in form, he is a real star, as he is a born ball player.” Normally a modest man, Felsch kept quiet about the dispute until July 18. That day, the Sentinel reported the disgruntled star’s desire to eventually return to the American League with any team other than the White Sox.# The Sporting News reported that Felsch departed due to disputes with Comiskey regarding pay, abstinence from drinking, and the Texas journey plus a personal conflict with Eddie Collins.#

“Milwaukee’s most famous diamond gladiator” was welcomed home with open arms by his many local admirers. The Koskys now played before packed houses both on the road as well as at Milwaukee’s South Side Park and Athletic Park. As expected, Felsch hit very well and showed his versatility by handling all three outfield positions, first base, and catcher. Not only did he remain a Kosky through early October but also participated in several “All-Star” games in Milwaukee and Chicago. These contests included major leaguers such as Bobbie Roth, Dickie Kerr, Jack Quinn, and Fred Luderus.#

After the 1918 season Comiskey replaced manager Rowland with popular long-time Sox coach “Kid” Gleason, stating that “Pants” had lost control of the team. Even though the war ended (saving the expected shutdown of the 1919 season) on November 11, it had created a profound impact upon the White Sox. No doubt the club was dissension-ridden due to internal wage disparities and disputes between players who enlisted in the military versus those who took exempt war-effort jobs.# In addition, gamblers began gathering at ballparks after the government closed horse racing tracks. Players found it much more tempting to fix games and receive bribes.#

Comiskey created alienation by offering substandard meal money and attempting to make his athletes pay for uniform laundering. Meanwhile, the owner maintained his superb public image by lavishing journalists and politicians with first class food, drink, and travel accommodations. His penny-pinching of players went unreported by a beholden press that was fed inflated salary figures. This practice made Comiskey and his stars look exceptional.# The stage had been set for the tumultuous 1919 season.

Comiskey conveniently set aside his anger in order to rebuild his remarkable team. With Gleason serving as a capable conciliator, the Sox promptly brought back state-side war workers Felsch, Jackson, and Williams. Felsch quickly regained his form in 1919, leading the American League with 32 outfield assists and 15 double plays.# Four of the assists came on August 14, allowing Felsch to tie a major league record that stands to this day. Accepting 12 chances on June 23 let the gifted ball hawk tie an American League standard. His 15 outfield double plays are still a major league season record.# At the plate Felsch batted a solid .275 for the top run-producing team in the majors, and slugged seven home runs, tying Jackson for the club lead. His 24 homers that decade were more than other White Sox.#

Many of these statistics could have been more impressive had the owners not shortened the 1919 campaign. Anticipating lower attendance as the public recovered from the war, the baseball moguls cut the regular season from 154 to 140 contests. In addition, American League rosters were reduced from 25 to 21, and salaries were depressed in anticipation of lower gate receipts. These concerns proved to be unfounded as war-weary fans flocked back to the national pastime. Attendance rose to 627,186 from 195,081 for the AL champion Sox and to 6.5 million from 3 million in the majors. In an effort to recoup some revenue lost to the ill-advised shortened season, the owners extended the upcoming World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Sox from seven to nine games.#
Felsch’s eventual banishment from organized ball was a result of the 1919 Fall Classic, his second and last. The White Sox, playing in an atmosphere poisoned by unchecked wagering and lower-than-market salaries, were easy prey for gamblers. Owners and league executives generally ignored betting as they desired any and all interest in their sport and were afraid of libel suits. Baseball was revered as upright and patriotic. Charles Comiskey stated in an authorized 1919 biography, “To me baseball is as honorable as any other business . . . . It has to be or it could not last a season out. Crookedness and baseball do not mix.” At the very same time, his mutinous players established a doomed connection between baseball and gambling.#

In this era long before modern-day free agency, many ballplayers received wages far below their real market value. Due to the reserve clause they could sign with typically penurious owners or go home. Black Sox such as Felsch, Jackson, and fix organizer Gandil were rightly upset that their three salaries combined were less than the $15,000 made by college-educated Eddie Collins. The eight Black Sox averaged $4,300 in 1919 and were relatively unschooled, less refined, and deficient in negotiating skills. Certainly, Felsch’s $3750 annual 1917-1919 contracts (plus the potential for $5000 in World Series pay) compared favorably with the average blue collar pay range of $1000 to $2400. However, Edd Roush, Cincinnati center fielder, earned $10,000 and was a headliner equal to Felsch.#

After researching this topic, Robert Burk, an American history professor at Muskingum College in Ohio, concluded: “The White Sox’s salaries were comparable with other teams. But while they were an elite team in talent and revenue, they were in the middle echelon, not at the top, in salaries.”#

To this day it is still unclear as to exactly how the Series was fixed and who the principals were. However, many of the favored Sox did play poorly, whether it was due to taking money from gamblers, exhibiting fear of gangster retribution, or enduring an ordinary slump. Felsch himself was full of contradictions, both in his on-field performance as well as in interviews from later years.

At the plate Felsch produced only a .192 batting average with one extra base hit, a double, in the eight-game Series loss.# The hard-hitter made satisfactory contact but was robbed several times by superb Cincinnati fielding. The press looked at his sudden inability to advance runners and several questionable running and fielding misplays as possible proof of Felsch’s involvement in a fix. After botching catches in both Games 5 and 6, the normally sure-handed center fielder suffered a demotion to right field for Game 7.# The Sentinel believed that the hometown hero hit in bad luck and was just “outshone” by Roush. The paper did not hint at a fix but stated that the Sox were down and lethargic. After Felsch hit his two-bagger, the Sentinel exclaimed, “Felsch was also on the job, much to everyone’s surprise, and walloped a double.”#

After dropping the World Series, the defeated Sox returned home with promised losers’ shares of $3254 and without their normally triumphant attitude. Missing out on the $5207 winners’ portions, the largest in baseball history, several Sox were forced to wait for baseball’s investigation of the Series before receiving their checks. Comiskey, in the midst of these “nasty rumors,” even offered a $20,000 reward to anyone with evidence of a fix. The Sentinel treated its native star with sarcasm, saying, “Felsch is back home and will amuse himself on the bowling alleys this winter. If he makes as many strikes as he did in the world’s series he ought to be good for a couple of 300-scores.”#
The off-season proved disturbing for Happy Felsch. In November he and other Black Sox were the subjects of a private investigation. Comiskey hired detectives to check if his players were making suspiciously liberal purchases or lifestyle changes.# Operative #11 of Hunter’s Secret Service conducted the Felsch surveillance only to uncover contradictory information. After culling tips from many north side taverns, the investigator discovered that Felsch recently moved from his father’s home on North 26th Street back to his in-laws’ neighborhood on Teutonia Avenue. While the slugger was on a duck hunting trip, #11 gained access to the Felsch apartment under the pretense of renting a furnished room. The eight-room, no-bath living quarters above Mrs. Lamber’s grocery at 965 (now 2569 North) Teutonia was crowded as the Felsch’s lived with Marie’s parents, sister, and her two small children. The private eye believed the neighborhood to be poor. He found Hap’s recent purchase of a new $1800 Hupmobile--a solid automobile bought by those rising from the working class—inconsistent with living in a cramped, $22-per-month apartment.#

After the secret investigation, Comiskey was left with no choice but to mail the $3254 checks as only fix chief Gandil, generally acknowledged to receive the most illicit cash, went on a spending spree.# Felsch then became the recipient of an unexpectedly generous contract from the White Sox. Comiskey’s top assistant, Henry Grabiner, made a special trip to Teutonia Avenue in late 1919. His purpose was to ink the center fielder to a 1920 contract that included a surprising $3000 raise. Felsch, taken aback by this sudden Comiskey largesse, signed even as Grabiner reminded him that he could not play with anyone but the White Sox. In addition, Grabiner mentioned the swirling scandal rumors and requested Felsch’s muteness about the fix, both with the press and American League inquisitors.# It was apparent that Comiskey desired his stars back and was finally willing to invest in salaries commensurate with their talents in order to purchase their silence. Further investigations could result in ruinous player punishments.#

In a cruel bit of irony, Felsch’s finest year on the diamond was to be his last. He established career highs of 14 home runs (first on the Sox and fourth in the AL behind Babe Ruth’s unbelievable 54), 188 hits, 88 runs, 40 doubles, 15 triples, 115 runs batted in, and a .338 batting average.# 1920 batters enjoyed a livelier ball, the new requirement that umpires only keep fresh, unmarred spheres in play, and the outlawing of trick pitches (except for the grandfathered spitball).# The 29-year-old, now in his prime, was considered one of the American League’s top ballplayers and paced the circuit with ten double plays.#

After the defending AL champs trained in Waco, Texas, they arrived at Milwaukee’s Athletic Park on Eighth and Chambers for several preseason exhibitions with the Brewers. Felsch, the hometown idol, responded to a rousing ovation from the 5000 fans with a 2-for-4 day on April 10.#

The Sox proceeded to stay in the 1920 pennant race until the events of a turbulent September caused them to succumb to the Cleveland Indians.
September of 1920 proved to be the final month of Happy Felsch’s brilliant career. On September 7 a Chicago grand jury was impaneled to investigate the possible fix of an August 31 Cub-Phillie game. After the hearings began on September 22, the focus quickly shifted to the tainted 1919 World Series. On Monday, September 27 the seven remaining Black Sox (Gandil had retired) suited up for the last time. The following day the implicated were suspended by Comiskey with their team only one-half game behind the Indians. The unsophisticated Cicotte and Jackson, without legal counsel, confessed to the grand jury after ignorantly signing waivers of
immunity.#

To be continued
SABR National  137
12-11-2008 01:34 PM ET (US)
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Register before December 31, 2008, for only $85. On January 1, 2009, the price
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robots  138
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SABR National  139
12-19-2008 08:26 AM ET (US)