You'll notice that this edition of This Week In SABR is titled "Thanks for Giving." As a member-driven organization, we depend on volunteers to make chapter meetings happen, to see that research committee projects are completed, and to plan the national convention. And we also rely on the generosity of those members who are able to donate to SABR above and beyond their membership dues in order to provide new programming. I'd just like to offer a hearty "Thank you!" to each and every SABR member. It is your dedication to the Society and your passion for the game of baseball that keeps us a strong and vibrant organization.

Charter Communities
You may recall from the last This Week In SABR that SABR's board has approved the establishment of "Charter Communities," which shall have all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges that accrue to SABR Chapters. The text approved by the board states, "SABR Charter Communities may be established upon petition by 15 members in good standing to the Executive Director. The petition shall include the name of the Charter Community, its principal organizing tool (website, e-list, etc.) and identify one or more gropu leaders."

SABR is pleased to welcome members of the Baseball Think Factory (BTF) as SABR's first-ever Charter Community. It was SABR/BTF members Chris Dial, Rob McCullough, and Paul Brewer who originally came up wtih the idea for a "virtual" SABR chapter during last summer's convention. The formal establishment of Charter Communities is a direct outgrowth of their inspired idea.

Legacy Bequest
Member Ron Gabriel, who died this past June, was an avid collector of baseball memorabilia and the founder and president of the Brooklyn Dodgers' Fan Club. Portions of his baseball collection were donated both to SABR and to the Smithsonian, and SABR has received a substantial bequest in his name that will go to further baseball research. I am grateful to have known Ron and glad to see that his love for the game will go on.

Don't Forget
SABR is now accepting applications for the Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research Grant Program. Any SABR member in good standing may apply for a Yoseloff grant, and any aspect of baseball research is eligible for funding. More details and a grant application are available here.

Member Andy Strasberg is collecting baseball photos taken by fans at Fantography.net. Don't let your great photo(s) sit in a shoebox for another twenty years--donate them to Fantography!

With thanks to--and for--all our members, here's wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving.

John Zajc
Executive Director

P.S. For those of you waiting patiently for access to The Sporting News again, the programming bug seems to be fixed. Log in to the SABR members-only and click on the Paper of Record link. And in another exciting development, sometime next week, subscribers to SABR-L will get their formal invitation to participate in SABR's newest online project/tool.

From: SABR Member Lyle Spatz. Replies to this message will go to its author.
------------------------
Adam Ulrey has volunteered to do the Harry Taylor bio.

Lyle

From: SABR Member Lyle Spatz. Replies to this message will go to its author.
------------------------
I am looking for someone to write the biography for pitcher Harry Taylor. Be
aware that I would want a first draft within 4 months.
If interested, I'm at lspatz@comcast.net

Lyle Spatz
------------------------
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

Replies to this email will go to its author.

UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, located at 5230 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi. tommorow, Saturday November 14, 2009 at 11 AM SHARP.
 
Agenda:
Nomination and Election of Chapter Officers...Current Officers Terms expire in November
Research Presentation- The 1955 All-Star Game by Rick Schabowski which will precede....
Courtesy Of Doak Ewing of RareSportsfilms the screening of a highlight film of the 1955 All-Star Game.
One of the players from that All-Star Game....Johnny Logan will also attend the meeting!
Another film courtesy of Rare Sportsfilms... 1962 Milwaukee Braves highlights.
Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter member Dennis Pajot will talk about his book ,"The Rise of Milwaukee Baseball".
A tablet will be available for people to write down some memories they have of the late Bob Koehler to be used for a display at the Milwaukee Central Library.
Food and beverage will be available at the meeting.
50/50 Raffle, Items for sale, and a raffle for one of Doak Ewing's great films.
If you're interested in making a presentation..call me at 414-322-4997, or e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com
Special thanks for Paul Wong and his staff for hosting this meeting,and Doak Ewing for providing the films.
 
Rick

I believe that most of you are familiar with the ongoing project to create a
book of biographies dedicated to the 1954 Indians, winners of 111 games and the
American League pennant.

Joseph Wancho (jw2462@sbcglobal.net) reports that he still needs volunteers to
write the biographies of five players. They are:

Bob Feller
Dave Hoskins
Rocky Nelson
Jose Santiago
Dick Tomanek

Please contact Joseph and volunteer to take part in this great project. Thanks.

Mark Armour

UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, located at 5230 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi. on Saturday November 14, 2009 at 11 AM SHARP.
 
Agenda:
Nomination and Election of Chapter Officers...Current Officers Terms expire in November
Research Presentation- The 1955 All-Star Game by Rick Schabowski which will precede....
Courtesy Of Doak Ewing of RareSportsfilms the screening of a highlight film of the 1955 All-Star Game.
One of the players from that All-Star Game....Johnny Logan will also attend the meeting!
Another film courtesy of Rare Sportsfilms... 1962 Milwaukee Braves highlights.
Food and beverage will be available at the meeting.
50/50 Raffle, Items for sale, and a raffle for one of Doak Ewing's great films.
If you're interested in making a presentation..call me at 414-322-4997, or e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com
Special thanks for Paul Wong and his staff for hosting this meeting,and Doak Ewing for providing the films.
 
ANOTHER SABR MEETING!
The Emil Rothe Chapter ( Chicago) has a meeting planned...details follow.

The next meeting of the Emil Rothe (Chicago) SABR Chapter will be held on
Saturday November 7, 2009 from 1:00pm to 4:45pm at the Chicago Public Library’s
Roosevelt Branch (1101 W. Taylor) in Chicago’s “Little Italy” neighborhood. The
featured speaker will be Brain Cooper whose recently published book on Ray
Schalk (Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography) will be the focus of his
presentation.
 
OTBA Hall of Fame Banquet
 
The Old Time Ballplayers of Wisconsin will be holding their Hall of Fame Banquet...details follow...
 
 
2009 Old Time Ballplayers
Hall of Fame Inductees
 
Tom O’Connell
John Lutz
Bill Tarrolly
Jim Cleary
Addie Joss
 
Ray Schuster Lifetime Achievement Award
Bob Lee
 
Dick Falk High School Player of the Year Award
Kevin James– Whitefish Bay High School
 
Master of Ceremonies
Robb Edwards
0A
Milwaukee Brewers Public Address Announcer
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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 262-292-4002
gregebbert@msn.com
 
 
 

????'s
 
Don't hesitate in contacting me with any questions by either calling me at 414-322-4997, or by e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com
 
 
 
Rick

Mark Your Calendars
The dates for SABR 40 have been finalized: We will be at the Sheraton in downtown Atlanta August 5-8, 2010! The convention room rate is $129/night (plus tax). More details on convention registration will be forthcoming; check the convention website often. This will be the first time SABR has held a convention in Atlanta, and the Magnolia Chapter is working hard to put together a great program. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta next year.

Lunchtime Listening
Over the next six weeks, SABR will be posting audio files of research presentations from SABR 39 to the convention website. Each of the presentations is approximately 25-30 minutes long--just right to listen to during your lunch break! This week, we're posting:

RP2: Gitter/Rhoads – Stadium Construction and Fan Attendance for Minor League Baseball (business)
RP6: Todd Peterson – The Whole Show: George Wilson 1875-1915 (bio)
RP8: Anthony Giacalone – Baseball’s Lost Generation: The Profound Effect of the Great Depression on Baseball in the 1960s (stats)
Arizona Fall League Conference
Don't forget that the inaugural Arizona Fall League Conference will be held November 12-14. You won't want to miss the chance to hear Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes, three-time MLB Executive of the Year Roland Hemond, and AFL Director Steve Cobb at the kick-off breakfast! Register for the entire conference or just one day at the SABR Store. The conference hotel is the Embassy Suites-Tempe (the hotel registration deadline has passed, though).

ACTA Discount
SABR members can get a generous discount on books from ACTA Publications and help SABR at the same time. On all book orders now through December 31, 2009, SABR members can receive a 20% discount on their entire order simply by typing the word "SABR" (all caps) in the "Discount Code" field after making your first book selection. You can order the new Bill James Handbook (out November 1) or choose from ACTA''s huge selection (including SABR BioProject book, Go-Go to Glory). Books in stock will be shipped within two working days. In addition, $1 from each order will be donated to SABR!

Emerald Guide to Baseball 2010
If you're one of the several thousand SABR members who downloaded The Emerald Guide to Baseball last spring, you know what an excellent resource this is. We are pleased to announce that SABR will again be publishing The Emerald Guide in 2010! We will be rolling the Guide out in sections. First up are the minor league statistics, which will be available in early November. Subsequent to the minor league data, we'll be releasing statistics for major league players, the playoffs, and Winter Meetings and transactions. The entire Guide will be available for free download in PDF format or for purchase in printed form in late winter 2010. Free PDFs of the 2009 Emerald Guide are still available via the "Members Only" portion of the website.

Renewals Starting Strong
Over 1,600 members have already renewed their membership for 2010, putting the 2009-10 renewal season ahead of most others. You can renew online at the SABR Store, or download a renewal form here. Not sure if you've paid for 2010? Log in at the members-only site and check. We also printed your expiration date (as of September 24) on your most recent issue of The SABR Bulletin (in the mail now). Also, be sure to remember that usernames changed recently to your LastnameFirstinitial and a two-digit number. Your password remained the same.

Thank you for your continued support of and membership in SABR.

John Zajc
Executive Director

Hello fellow biographers,

I wanted to urge all of you to take a few minutes to renew your SABR membership.
SABR is not going to be sending a reminder in the US Mail this year unless you
do not have an email address--instead they are going to be counting on email
reminders. Keeping all of you in SABR is especially important for the Biography
Project--not just because of the biograhies you are planning to write, but
because of the ones you have already written. We get suggestions or corrections
all the time, and if you are not in SABR I might not be able to find you. I
contact a lot of former members who tell me that renewing slipped their mind,
and they would immediately be rejoining. Why not rejoin today?

I know that money is tight for many of us. I will point out, however, that this
is a great time to be a SABR member. There is a brand new SABR (wiki-based) web
site being rolled out, SABR is going to soon be getting on-line Sporting News
access for members. Our publications programs has never been in better shape,
with three new member publications promised for next year

Best of all, you get to be SABR members. Really, what a great thing to be able
to tell people. All of this great research and writing, and you get to to be
part of it, and get to do some of it yourself.

To renew, visit this site: http://members.sabr.org/members.cfm?a=mys&mys_a=ren

While you are there, please consider making a donation if you can afford to.

Looking forward to great things in SABR in 2010,
Mark Armour
Chair, Baseball Biography Project

Ninety Years Ago: Remembering the Black Sox
from TSN
 It was the fall of 1919. The war to end all wars was over for less than a year and life was getting back to normal in North America. Boston's Babe Ruth led all of baseball in home runs in 1919 with 29. But the big story in 1919 wasn't The Babe. It was the Fall Classic - a series remembered for spawning one of the biggest controversies in baseball history - the infamous Black Sox scandal. More
    

Fields of Dreams
from Anchorage Press
"Where else would you want to spend your summer?" That's the question Bill "Spaceman" Lee poses near the conclusion of Touching the Game Alaska, a new film about the Alaska Baseball League. Lee was eventually a noteworthy pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos, but before he pitched for them, back in 1966 and 1967, he wore the uniform of a Fairbanks team called the Alaska Goldpanners. More
    

Dodgers to Pay Tribute to Lasorda
from MLB
Dodgertown will become Tommytown once again when legend Tommy Lasorda will be honored at Dodger Stadium for his 60 years with the club. The Dodgers announced that the first 50,000 fans at a recent Friday game against the Rockies would receive a commemorative Tommy Lasorda Hall of Fame replica plaque. In addition, Lasorda's official Hall of Fame plaque from Cooperstown will be on display in Autograph Alley. More
    

Negro Leagues All-Stars Were a Big Hit in the Big Easy in 1939
from New Orleans and Louisiana Sports
For one day in New Orleans in 1939, a scant 50 cents would have bought a close-up view of some of the best baseball players in the country. That's because 70 years ago, dozens of African-American superstars converged at Pelican Stadium for the first Negro Leagues North-South all-star game. More
    

Tigers, Twins Give Fitting End to Baseball in Dome
from The Associated Press via Google
It's a tough place to get nostalgic about, even as they get ready to take the baggies down for good. About the only things Minnesotans really liked about the Metrodome was that it was warm and the mosquitoes couldn't get inside. The plan all along was to play the last baseball game, then say goodbye. But then a ball got lost in the cloudy roof, the Twins got hot, and things changed. In its last days as a baseball stadium, the dome suddenly doesn't look so bad after all. More
    

From Killing Fields to Fields of Dreams
from Foreign Policy in Focus
Cambodia is an unlikely place for baseball. There is chronic poverty, lingering post-war trauma, and rampant human trafficking. Children are more likely to work or rummage through the fetid muck of the Steung Meanchey dump than go to school or play. But for the last seven years, Joe Cook, a Cambodian refugee, has been teaching the game in his homeland, building Cambodia's first ball field. More
    

'For the Love of the Game'
from TC Palm
There is no other sport in which the vivid images from our youth, the magical moments of yesteryear and the sacred numbers that will be forever linked with heroic names are so imbedded in our memories. That's what the folks at The Elliott Museum on Hutchinson Island, Florida, are counting on. With the playoffs about to begin, the museum is celebrating baseball with a month-long exhibit - "Fall Classic: For the Love of the Game" - that will showcase an extensive collection of baseball artifacts, some of which date back 100 years. More
    

Miami Girl Gets Back Historic Baseball After Lawsuit
from The Miami Herald
Who would have imagined that a home run by Phillies slugger Ryan Howard would turn into a legal tug of war with a 12-year-old kid from Miami? More

 I am happy to have lots of good news to share about what various SABR members are doing.

The History Department at Cornell University has accepted funds to begin the Harold Seymour lectureship in sports history this spring. The inaugural event will honor the contributions of Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills to the field of baseball history. At the inaugural event on April 21, 2010, Mills will speak on her and her late husband's contributions to sport history, including her recent baseball writing. Click here for more information on this exciting bequest.

Recently several SABR members have been in the news. In case you missed them, here are some recent articles about or mentioning SABR members.

Craig Lammers was profiled in the Toledo-area Press


Ron Selter was mentioned in The New York Times

Lyle Spatz was quoted extensively in The Washington Examiner

Also, a number of SABR members, led by Gary Gillette and Sean Forman, are collaborating on The Baseball Early Bird. Each issue gives a recap of the previous day's games, some history, some trivia, and some analysis. All this delivered to your email inbox first thing in the morning. Subscribe for free.

The links section of the SABR web site is another place to find out more of what your fellow members are doing on the web.

Remember that October begins SABR's Membership Season. We say "thanks!" to the nearly 1,500 members who have already renewed for next year (or beyond).

In addition to sending in your renewal soon, we hope you will encourage your baseball friends to join you as a member. Our member-get-a-member campaign runs through March 31. You can request brochures from anyone at the SABR office or download one (on the right-hand side) from the website.

Read what several members have said about their membership. We hope you will join them in continuing to be a part of the SABR community.

Larry Granillo at wezen-ball.com

Cecilia Tan at whyIlikebaseball.com

Matt Sisson at Baseball Digest Daily (scroll to the end of the article)

Mike Metzger at Stan Musial's Stance

Mike Lynch at Seamheads.com

Thank you for being a part of the SABR community.

Sincerely,

John Zajc
Executive Director

P.S. The convention dates for the 2010 Atlanta event will be confirmed after we have a hotel contract signed. We are negotiating for the weekend of August 5 to 8, 2010. Look for an announcement before the end of the month.

Happy October Baseball....what a great playoff game on right now! ( Twins-Tigers)
 
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar, located at 5230 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee Wi. on Saturday November 14, 2009 at 11 AM SHARP.
 
Agenda:
Nomination and Election of Chapter Officers...Current Officers Terms expire in November
Research Presentation- The 1955 All-Star Game by Rick Schabowski which will precede....
Courtesy Of Doak Ewing of RareSportsfilms the screening of a highlight film of the 1955 All-Star Game.
Another film courtesy of Rare Sportsfilms... 1962 Milwaukee Braves highlights.
Food and beverage will be available at the meeting.
50/50 Raffle, Items for sale, and a raffle for one of Doak Ewing's great films.
If you're interested in making a presentation..call me at 414-322-4997, or e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com
Special thanks for Paul Wong and his staff for hosting this meeting,20and Doak Ewing for providing the films.
 
ANOTHER SABR MEETING!
The Emil Rothe Chapter ( Chicago) has a meeting planned...details follow.

The next meeting of the Emil Rothe (Chicago) SABR Chapter will be held on
Saturday November 7, 2009 from 1:00pm to 4:45pm at the Chicago Public Library’s
Roosevelt Branch (1101 W. Taylor) in Chicago’s “Little Italy” neighborhood. The
featured speaker will be Brain Cooper whose recently published book on Ray
Schalk (Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography) will be the focus of his
presentation.
 
OTBA Hall of Fame Banquet
 
The Old Time Ballplayers of Wisconsin will be holding their Hall of Fame Banquet...details follow...
 
 
2009 Old Time Ballplayers
Hall of Fame Inductees
 
Tom O’Connell
John Lutz
Bill Tarrolly
Jim Cleary
Addie Joss
 
Ray Schuster Lifetime Achievement Award
Bob Lee
 
Dick Falk High School Player of the Year Award
Kevin James– Whitefish Bay High School
 
Master of Ceremonies
Robb Edwards
0A
Milwaukee Brewers Public Address Announcer
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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
 
 
 

????'s
 
Don't hesitate in contacting me with any questions by either calling me at 414-322-4997, or by e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com
 
Good luck to all your "favorite teams'!
 
Rick

  
Oct. 1, 2009
SABR Quick Links > Home Membership Online Resources Convention Research Publications
 
 


How Game Changes, and How It Doesn't
from The New York Times
 Bob Gibson (251 victories) and Reggie Jackson (563 home runs) faced each other exactly once in their long careers - in the 1972 All-Star Game. These are two of the best - and smartest and most strong-minded - Hall of Fame ballplayers still roaming the earth. They competed against each other only one time because they played in separate leagues before the advent of interleague play. More
    

Do MLB Teams Enjoy a Home-Field Advantage from Umps?
from The Wall Street Journal
At Fenway Park, the Red Sox are 52-21, while everywhere else they are 34-37. That means they have been 23 percentage points more likely to win at home than on the road, the third-biggest edge in the majors behind the Pirates and the Tigers. And Fuentes thinks he knows who should get credit: home-plate umpires. More
    

Harwell Serene in Face of Cancer
from Detroit Free Press
As Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell stands in the middle of Ford Field, awash in a thunderous ovation, he looks up with a humble glint in his eye and waves to the 56,269 fans who are saying goodbye for the last time. Harwell, wearing a blue No. 1 Detroit Lions jersey, leaves through a tunnel to chants of "Ernie! Ernie!" Fans wave signs, and he spots a yellow T-shirt with his picture underneath the words "Thanks for the memories." More
    

1984 Chicago Cubs - Where Are They Now?
from ESPN Chicago
John Jacob and Dan Diversey had the type of job that many kids in Chicago dreamed about in 1984 - they were the bat boys for the Cubs. To this day, 25 years later, it's still one of the coolest jobs either has ever had. More
    

Gehrig's Final Hit: A Single on a Cold April Day in the Bronx
from The New York Times
His body betraying him for reasons he could not understand, Lou Gehrig came to bat at Yankee Stadium in the fourth inning against the Washington Senators on April 29, 1939. He had only three hits in the young season. But he had 2,720 in his magnificent career and was playing in his 2,129th consecutive game. More
    

UW-Eau Claire to Host Baseball Exhibit
from Leader Telegram
A traveling exhibit on the history of African-American baseball is coming to UW-Eau Claire in Wisconsin, but it will tell more than a national story. More
    

Atomic Baseball: Book Review
from Esquire
Most of the time, the process of examining historical events revolves around taking a mammoth, multifaceted issue and reducing it to its simplest, least-complicated thesis. (This, after all, is why we have the Internet.) But the best historians do the opposite: They take something small and make it vast. More

4th Annual Baseball Film Festival to feature "A Braves New World," a Milwaukee Public Television documentary produced by William Povletich
 
We are pleased to announce that "A Braves New World" has been selected to be shown at the 4th Annual Baseball Film Festival, held at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, October 2 - 4, 2009. Producer William Povletich, also the author of the exciting companion book, "Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak,'' will be on hand for the screening. Come and explore the triumphs, scandals and enduring legacy of Milwaukee's first Major League baseball team at the Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival!
 
"A Braves New World" screening at the 4th Annual Baseball Film Festival
National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
Saturday, October 3, 2009
3:30 PM
25 Main Street
Cooperstown, NY 13326

A Sports History with the World's Oldest Man
from Montana Kaimin
 The world's oldest man at 112-years old, Walter Breuning isn't exactly a prima donna type of man. He doesn't have time to waste. Instead of fielding conventional questions regarding his birth in 1896, or his grandfather's service in the Civil War, during a recent interview, Breuning takes an hour out of his morning to recall a century of sports moments he has witnessed. More
    

Ranking Baseball's Perfect Games
from Sports Illustrated
Mark Buerhle joined one of baseball's most elite clubs on a Thursday afternoon in Chicago -- the Zeros-Only Gang of 18 whose members have each put together 27 consecutive outs in a winning ballgame. It is an elite club, but not limited to elite pitchers. In fact, Buerhle, a good-but-not-great hurler, slots fairly neatly into the middle ranks of the roster of perfectos. More
    

Greats of Baltimore Orioles History: Mike Cuellar
from Baltimore Sports Now and Then
Baltimore Sports Then and Now recognizes Mike Cuellar as the Vintage Athlete of the Week - one of the key pitchers for the Baltimore Orioles during their championship run of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Sometimes timing is everything. After toiling away in the minors and on primarily losing teams for a decade, a seemingly insignificant trade following the 1968 season proved to be all that Cuellar needed to become one of the top pitchers in baseball. More
    

This Annotated Week in Baseball History: Sept. 6 - Sept. 12, 1913
from The Hardball Times
"It is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it," Robert E. Lee. Lee, who spent all but the last five years of his adult life in the military, knew what of he spoke. In light of that, one can hardly imagine someone being enthused by the possibility of leaving a career as a major league pitcher in order to serve the country in war. But for Hugh Mulcahy, such an option might have seemed, if not ideal, then at least acceptable. More
    

Heroes: My Personal Mount Rushmore!
from The Pecan Park Eagle
Jerry Witte … Larry Miggins … Frank Mancuso … Solly Hemus! That is the order of these four men in this 1998 photo from the Houston Winter Baseball Dinner. Sadly, two of the men shown here, Jerry Witte (2002) and Frank Mancuso (2007), are gone now on the date of this 2009 writing. God rest their souls as those of us who loved them keep their memories alive as best we are able. More
    

Record-breaking Attendance Heralds Renaissance of Korea's Pro Baseball League
from Youth News Agency
Every evening of this season, tens of thousands of roaring spectators have packed formerly quiet ballparks. On a recent Wednesday night, the highest cumulative attendance record in 14 years was set as 5,407,527 fans attended with 50 games still remaining. Founded in 1982, the Korea Baseball Organization had been stagnant since 2000, when South Korea's big-name players went to the U.S. Major League, causing fans to spend hours at home watching their heroes on TV instead of going to their local ballparks. More
    

Putting the Stars Back in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game
from Baseball Library
July 6, 1933 – The American League defeats the National League 4-2 in a mid-season exhibition game dreamed up by Arch Ward of the Chicago Tribune. Five hours? Fifteen innings? Twenty three pitchers? Three errors and three strikeouts by the same player? The prospect of outfielders or third basemen going to the mound to pitch? The possibility of calling the game due to a lack of players? Sounds more like the slow pitch softball game at the office picnic than the so-called "Mid-Summer Classic." More
    

Pittsburgh's Certainly Not Alone in Baseball's Era of Futility
from Sports Illustrated
Here's the thing. You already know that the Pirates now have 17 straight losing seasons. But what you might not know -- or at least might not have thought about -- is that over those 17 years, eight other teams have had long stretches of losing baseball. More
    

Please Note: A technical problem has prevented us from re-running the Tommy Brown article in this issue. We are working on the problem and will run it again in a subsequent issue. We apologize for any inconveniences.
 

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

The articles that appear in SABRgraphs are chosen from a variety of sources to provide baseball material you might not otherwise see. An article inclusion in SABRgraphs does not imply that SABR verifies its contents or expressed opinions. This email may contain advertisements of third party products and services. SABRgraphs is compiled by MultiBriefs, a division of MultiView, Inc. Factual errors are the responsibility of the listed publication.

 

 



It's difficult to believe that the summer--and baseball season--are almost over.


In order to keep SABR readers and researchers in reading material through the off-season, we're pleased to announce that SABR has added 13 issues of Baseball Research Journal and 18 issues of The National Pastime to the SABR online journal archive. This addition makes more than 500 new individual research articles available online to SABR and other baseball historians, statisticians, and fans. Click here to go to the archive.

See the Stars of Tomorrow with Fellow SABR Members Today

If you are looking for a way to get together with SABR members and keep your baseball fix going after the regular season ends, consider attending the inaugural Arizona Fall League Conference.

The EARLY BIRD HOTEL REGISTRATION DISCOUNT ends September 18, 2009.


The registration fee of $75 include:


tickets to four AFL games
round trip bus transportation between the hotel and the ballparks
an Arizona Fall League media guide
an Arizona Fall League program
the kickoff breakfast (speakers include AFL founder Roland Hemond, AFL president Steve Cobb, and MLB General Manager (TBA))
ballpark dinner
Registration for the Arizona Major League Alumni dinner is sold separately at $75 person. The dinner will feature presentation of the Arizona Baseball Awards honoring the top Major and Minor League players from Arizona as well as the top college, junior college, and prep baseball and softball players.


Hornsby Chapter Site Adds Audio


SABR member Tom Wancho was interviewed on a Round Rock Express radio broadcast, and the chapter received permission to post it on their web site. The Hornsby Chapter is one of several chapters who have worked with Peter Garver to update their web site. you may also want to check out the Bob Davids Chapter site. and the Field of Dreams Chapter web site.

Look for Renewal Notice Soon

Fall is also membership renewal season. A hearty "Thank you" if you've already renewed your membership. We will be sending out renewal notices in the next few weeks. I hope you will all continue to be a part of the SABR community.


Best wishes,

John Zajc, Executive Director

Look Past Statistics and You'll Find a Dandy Tale
from Baseball Todd’s Dugout
 Former big league outfielder Danny Walton could hit like Mickey Mantle at times during his professional baseball career. Unfortunately, he also ended up with a bad knee just like his childhood hero. "Mickey Mantle was my idol since I was a little kid," said Walton, who was nicknamed "Mickey" for his prowess as a switch-hitter in his youth. "I could hit a ball further left-handed than I could right-handed. I was probably a better average hitter right-handed - just like Mantle. I had a gimpy right knee and so did he. We just kind of fit right in together!" More
    
Tommy Brown Recalls His Career
by Bill Traughber
Most 16-year-old boys like to think about cars, cool clothes, hanging out in malls, talking on cell phones and of course – girls! But when Brentwood, Tennessee resident Tommy Brown was 16 years old, he was at Ebbets Field the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Brown was facing major league pitchers and his only thoughts were – fastball or curveball. In 1944, Brown became the youngest position player to play major league baseball at 16 years, seven months of age. More
    

Bakersfield Baseball History: No. 5
from The Examiner
Times were certainly different in 1958. Pitchers throwing 250-plus innings in the minors back then? Yes, times have certainly changed. But one thing that hasn't changed is wins and losses, and this team had a lots more in the win column than on the loss side. In looking at the 61-year history of Bakersfield baseball, this team ranks as the No. 5 best team in franchise history. More
    

The First Black Baseball Team to Visit Milwaukee
from Seamheads
The first games of baseball involving an all-Black baseball team in Milwaukee were played in 1879. Milwaukee had had a team in the National League in 1878, but the franchise was expelled after the season for unpaid bills. With no team in the National League or any minor league, local amateur clubs dotted the Milwaukee landscape. Probably the best of these were the Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs played other local amateur clubs, teams from southeastern Wisconsin and the Chicago area. More
    

Baseball's Greatest Nine May be from 1939
from MLB
When the discussion centers on the greatest baseball lineup ever, the best nine of all time, the traditional, reflexive response is "the '27 Yankees." And that is never a bad answer. But there are other lineups that can legitimately be allowed into the argument. One of those should be another Yankees team, this one from 1939. More
    

One of the Most Famous Days in St. Louis Cardinals History
from Baseball Digest
It is a day that will live in almost all Cardinal fans' minds. Great moments have happened in Cardinal history and most dedicated fans can tell you exactly where they were for many of them. Most of them can hear the voice of Jack Buck as he called those moments, almost as clearly as we can see the image of the moments themselves. Let us take a walk down a memory lane that has grown with weeds and clouds and discuss a moment in Redbird past that is viewed quite differently from your current perspective on the events that followed it. More
    

Baseball Revolves Around Number Nine
from MLB
Nine. It is the number of baseball. How it happened exactly, no one can say, not even the most dogged baseball researchers and historians. It became the numerical infrastructure of baseball simply through evolution and trial and error, rather than any magical visions or events. It is a number that truly became synonymous with the national pastime, because more than anything else, it just felt right – as it does today. More
    

Little League World Series Champions from Chula Vista, California
from Sign On San Diego
In June, more than 6,500 Little Leagues from around the world formed 12- and 13-year-old All-Star teams. After compiling a 23-3 record and winning eight games when it faced elimination, Park View can call itself world champions. The seventh- and eighth-graders became the second team from San Diego County to win the LLWS, joining the 1961 El Cajon/La Mesa Northern team that included future NFL star Brian Sipe. More
    
 

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

The articles that appear in SABRgraphs are chosen from a variety of sources to provide baseball material you might not otherwise see. An article inclusion in SABRgraphs does not imply that SABR verifies its contents or expressed opinions. This email may contain advertisements of third party products and services. SABRgraphs is compiled by MultiBriefs, a division of MultiView, Inc. Factual errors are the responsibility of the listed publication.

 
  

The Society for American Baseball Research and its members accomplish incredible things together. To learn more about what we accomplished between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009, read the latest edition of the SABR Annual Report. And imagine what we will accomplish this year....

On a sadder note, the SABR community was deeply saddened to learn of two recent deaths to two leaders in the organization: founder Dan Ginsburg and NWSABR leader Paul Andresen. Dan was only 15 years old when he attended the 1971 meeting that would grow to be the SABR we know today, Ginsburg established himself as a first-class researcher. A full obituary is posted on the SABR website.

Andresen served on the SABR national board and was a fixture in the NWSABR Chapter. His obituary can be found here.

If you are looking for a way to get together with SABR members and keep your baseball fix going after the regular season ends, consider attending the inaugural SABR Arizona Fall League Conference November 12-14, 2009.

The registration fee of $75 include:

tickets to four AFL games
round trip bus transportation between the hotel and the ballparks
an Arizona Fall League media guide
an Arizona Fall League program
the kickoff breakfast (speakers include AFL found Roland Hemond, AFL president Steve Cobb, and MLB General Manager (TBA))
ballpark dinner
Registration for the Arizona Major League Alumni dinner is sold separately at $75 person. The dinner will feature presentation of the Arizona Baseball Awards honoring the top Major and Minor League players from Arizona as well as the top college, junior college, and prep baseball and softball players.

The Rocky Mountain SABR chapter holds its 12th annual banquet on November 13, 2009. This year's banquet is themed Baseball Music and Art. The event will feaure baseball recording artist Chuck Brodsky, San Diego SABR member Andy Strasberg, former New York Yankees shortstop Bobby Meacham, and Rockies owner Dick Monfort. As part of the festivities, the SABR is sponsoring an exhibit of baseball-related art from artists around the country that will be on display for two weeks before the banquet and auctioned off the night of the banquet. For more information, contact Paul Parker at: ballparkptp@comcast.net.

McFarland and Co. has plans to publish a new series on historic ballparks, which will be edited by members David Cicotello and Angelo Louisa. The publisher is currently taking requests for proposal for the series. Details are available on the SABR website.

For those who were unable to attend SABR 39 in Washington, DC, we have posted a recap of some of the awards and other highlights on the convention website. A summary of events will also be included in the next issue of the SABR Bulletin.

Want to look great in some new SABR duds? Visit the SABR Store and take advantage of our online birthday sale. Selected shirts, books, and other merchandise are heavily discounted (by 38%) through September 8.

And don't forget to tell your baseball-loving friends and family who haven't yet joined SABR about the September Special. They can join today and for only an additional $9.95, their membership will be paid through the end of 2010, plus they'll receive a free copy of the SABR List and Record Book and the last of the 2009 publications (North American addresses only).

Send them the link to the SABR Store now!

Yours in baseball,

John Zajc, Executive Director

  
Aug. 20, 2009
SABR Quick Links > Home Membership Online Resources Convention Research Publications
 
 


Dick Allen, Woodstock and Change
from Philadelphia Daily News via Merced Sun-Star
 Forty years ago this weekend, the Walking Dead, a.k.a. the Phillies, drew 14,091 to Connie Mack Stadium for a three-game series with the Houston Astros. On a Saturday, as the crowds and the music neared crescendo at a phenomenon the media decided to call Woodstock, a Phillies throng of 3,113 watched Rick Wise shut out the Astros, 7-0. More
    
The Oldest Professional Ballpark in the U.S.
from Friends of Warren Ballpark
Warren Ballpark 1909-2009 in Bisbee, Arizona has quite a bit of baseball history. Some of baseball's legendary players and managers either started their careers or got some of their biggest breaks there. More
    

Five Greatest Hitters in Baseball History
from Associated Content
Even upon reaching a highly competitive level of baseball, you never forget the names of the greatest players in history. Here are five of baseball's greatest hitters - the ones you need to know, if you are even remotely interested in America's Favorite Pastime. More
    

Columbus 'Pro-Files' Charlie Ripple
from The News Reporter Whiteville
Sixteen athletes with strong Columbus County ties who achieved the top levels of their respective sports are being recognized by the sports department of The News Reporter in a series of profiles. Fourth installment is Charles Dawson Ripple. Born Dec. 1, 1920, Bolton was a star athlete at Whiteville High and Wake Forest College before signing with the Philadelphia Phillies. More
    

Honoring "The Babe"
from The Baseball Page
Now that Jackie Robinson has been honored with a retired number, Ruth needs to be next on the list of MLB-wide, posthumous recognition. More
    

Roaring '20s Have Produced Most in HOF
from Historic Baseball
When it came to the debuts of Hall of Famers, the stars from the 1920s prove to be one of baseball's most formidible generations. More
    

Old-Time-Baseball Photo Fever
from Voice of San Diego
Writer Randy Dotinga profiled Bill Swank, San Diego's preeminent baseball historian. Swank graciously gave permission to use images of San Diego baseball history from his collection, plus one of himself from his early days as a fan. More

  
Aug. 13, 2009
SABR Quick Links > Home Membership Online Resources Convention Research Publications
 
 


1946-1960 - The Golden Years
from Historic Baseball
The landscape of baseball changed forever during this era. Black athletes were no longer kept off the field. They were allowed to become Major League players thanks to Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey. More
    
Disappointment in Des Moines: George Davis' Luckless Year
from by Bill Lamb, SABR member
"It looks like we have the pennant cinched," so declared the Des Moines Daily News on the morning of March 7, 1910 in announcing that just retired Chicago White Sox star George Davis had been engaged to manage the Des Moines Boosters, defending champions of the Class A Western League. More
    

Ty Cobb Practices as Vanderbilt Football Player
from by Bill Traughber, SABR member
The great and controversial Ty Cobb came to Nashville, Tenn., during Thanksgiving week of the 1911 for the Vanderbilt vs. Sewanee football game. Cobb was not in town to give an exhibition on baseball, but came to Nashville – to act. Cobb was coming off an American League MVP season where he batted .420. In this off-season, Cobb was performing in the lead role of the play, "The College Widow." The play was held in Nashville’s Vendome Theater, which was located on Church Street. Cobb was appearing Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday nights with a Wednesday matinee. More
    

A Conversation with Negro League Baseball Legend Buck O'Neil
from The Chris Murray Report
Among baseball historians and well-wishers, Buck O'Neil was the unofficial ambassador of the Negro Leagues, writes Chris Murray. O'Neil was the griot of the Negro Leagues who regaled Americans, regardless of races, with the tales of Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, and "Cool Papa Bell." Even beyond Negro League Baseball, O'Neil was a student, if not a professor, of baseball history in general. More
    

F. C. Lane
from SABR Biography Committee
A Sabermetrician long before there ever was such a thing, Lane was Editor-in-Chief of Baseball Magazine (Boston, 1910-1912), (1912-1938, NYC). He wrote probably close to 1,000 excellent detailed articles on baseball's technical side as well as interviews with stars at home in winter. More
    

Youngest Minor Leaguer?
from The Baseball Research Journal Archive
It is generally assumed that the youngest player ever to take part in a regular official baseball game was the present Tiger coach, Joe Schultz, who pinch hit for Houston at the close of the 1931 season shortly after his 13 birthday. There is a report, however, of a 12-year-old black boy taking part in a game in the Georgia State League on July 19, 1952. More

A Short History of Japanese Baseball
from SABR Asian Baseball Committee
Baseball was introduced to Japan in the early 1870s, by Horace Wilson a teacher at Kaisei Gakko in Tokyo. In the same decade, Hiroshi Hiraoka, an engineer for the national railways, returned from studying in American. Upon his return, he introduced the sport to his co-workers and established Japan's first organized team, the Shimbashi Athletic Club, in 1878. More
    

Take Me Out to the Ball Game
from The Library of Congress
One hundred years ago in May of 1908, the United States Copyright Office received two copies of a new song titled "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." This musical work, affectionately referred to over the century as the "other" national anthem, baseball's national anthem, has become the grand-slam of all baseball songs. More
    

SABR Announces Winners of Lee Allen and Jack Kavanagh Awards
from SABR
The Society for American Baseball Research is pleased to announce the winners of the Lee Allen History of Baseball Award and the Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award, both of which are presented to students college-aged or younger. More
    

First SABR-AFL Conference to Feature Four Games and More
from SABR
In partnership with the Arizona Fall League and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni of Arizona, the Flame Delhi Chapter of SABR is hosting its inaugural Arizona Fall League Conference. More

I have uploaded the latest copy of "Baseball Lives," the newsletter of the
Baseball Biography Project. This was the work of Mike Cooney, our fine
newsletter editor, who would appreciate your feedback.

The newsletter can be found here (look the lower right):
http://www.sabr.org/sabr.cfm?a=cms,c,1159,5,5

Take care,
Mark Armour

What a hell of a great organization we have. I barely finished typing the call
for a Bragan author and I have one.

Lyle

From: SABR Member Lyle Spatz. Replies to this message will go to its author.
------------------------
The gentleman who was supposed to do Bobby Bragan for the 1947 Brooklyn Dodger
book has been forced by reasons of health to withdraw. Therefore I am looking
for a volunteer to pinch hit and do the Bragan bio. I need someone who can turn
it over by the end of the year. If you are interested, I am at
lspatz@comcast.net

Lyle

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Upcoming Activities

Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience
 
Traveling Exhibit – July 24-September 4
 
Visit Washington Park Library beginning July 24 and learn about the remarkable history of baseball’s Negro Leagues, and how African-American baseball players have fared in the major leagues since Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. This multi-panel exhibit examines baseball as a reflection of race relations in the United States, and features photographs, team rosters, scorecards and other baseball memorabilia from the 1800s to the present. Free and open to the public.
 
0A
Opening Day Kick-Off: Friday, July 24 – 1:00 p.m.
Washington Park Library, 2121 N. Sherman Blvd.
Light refreshments and souvenirs
 
Saturday, July 25 – 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Washington Park Library, 2121 N. Sherman Blvd.
Kids 6-12 years old can celebrate the Negro Leagues by making their own baseball pennant.
 
Tuesday, July 28 – 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Center Street Library, 2727 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Kids 6-12 can make baseball pennants and take turns playing Wii sports.
 
Watch for more library programs about the Negro Leagues in August.
 
The Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience, a traveling exhibition for libraries, was organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, NY, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office, Chicago.&nb sp; The traveling exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Great Ideas Brought to Life.
 
 
Programming at the Central Library for Pride & Passion: the African American Baseball Experience.
 
There will be 3 programs held at the Central Library in Meeting Room 1
Time 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
 
Program one—August 8, 2009
A showing of the DVD entitled: Only the Ball Was White. The video pays tribute to many topflight players from the Negro Leagues. After the 30 minute movie, Rick Schabowski, President of the Society for American Baseball Research, Ken Keltner Chapter, will give a brief presentation on The Milwaukee Bears our local team in the National Negro League for the year 1923. He will also give a presentation on Borchert Field, the home of the minor league Brewers and also of the Milwaukee Bears. He will also talk about Henry Aarons’s baseball career as an Indianapolis Clown.
 
Program two---August 22, 2009
   James Beckum Jr. will be present to talk about his playing career as an African-American in the minor leagues and in the Negro Leagues, and the role he has played in Little League Baseball in the Milwaukee Area. He started his Negro Leagues career playing from 1950-1952. He then entered the military service before returning to play for the East St Lou is Giants from 1954-56. In 1964 he organized the Beckum-Stapleton Little League. He will also talk about youth baseball in the Milwaukee area today.
 
Program 3---August 29, 2009
  There will be a panel of 3 speakers. Locally we will have Fred Franklin. He has a large 1920’s poster of Negro League All-Star players that has been autographed by over 140 of these players. He will talk on his experiences meeting these players. He will be joined by 2 former Negro League players, Hank Presswood who played for the Kansas City Monarchs and Johnny Washington who played for the Chicago Nationals.
 
Hank Presswood was “drafted” by the Chicago White Sox in the Negro Leagues Player Dra ft, held prior to the Major League draft at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Bueno Vista, Florida on June 5, 2008. Each Major League club drafted a surviving former Negro Leagues player, who represented every player who did not have the opportunity to play baseball in the major leagues.
 
Johnny Washington is a Chicago Native. He played for the Chicago Americans and Houston Eagles before serving in the Korean War. He was wounded twice and received two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. Because of his injuries, he came back from the war and played Semi-pro ball. During his Semi-pro career he led the league in hitting 7 times and in pitching, with the most wins 8 times. He has directed Little League teams for the past 25 years.


 SABR NATIONAL CONVENTION

SABR 39 will be held in Washington DC from July 29th- August 2nd. Below is our yearly "State of the Chapter" statement which I submitted. I, as always, appreciate any feedback or comments.


Ken Keltner Chapter, Milwaukee
The Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of
SABR continues to provide services to its
members, and is a “ go to” organization for
assisting needs of the Wisconsin community. The
last year has seen our Chapter assist a number of
organizations in providing help for their scheduled
events.
Bob Buege spoke at a meeting in Shorewood,
Wisconsin, delivering a presentation “Baseball in
Milwaukee”.
SABR has assisted the Milwaukee Public
Library system in providing pictures and
memorabilia for exhibits they had; one about the
Brewers Playoff appearance, and another about
Borchert Field.
We are actively working with the Library
about a planned exhibit about the Milwaukee Bears
that will open in late July of this year.
We maintain a custom of buying books or videos
from our Guest Presenters, and donate them to the
Milwaukee Public Library System.
The Milwaukee Braves Historical Association
recently held a Banquet honoring Bob Uecker.
SABR members Bob Buege and Rick Schabowski
provided audio-visual assistance by means of a
Powerpoint presentation going through pictures of
“Mr. Baseball’s” career with an entertaining show
narrated by Bob Buege.
SABR maintains a presence in the press box
at Brewers games with the help of Larry
Baldassaro and Gregg Hoffmann. Larry and Gregg
also provide articles for the Brewers publication
that is distributed at home games.
source of information, and is where our Chapter’s
web page is located.
Our meetings are held at Long Wong’s
Chinese-American sports bar located
Our meetings are usually held at Long Wong’s
Chinese -American Sportsbar located near Miller
Park. Meetings are held in February, October, and
a meeting sometime during the summer months.
We also have informal tailgate parties before
Brewers games.
Our Chapter has by-laws which provide for
annual elections of officers each November. The
current officers are: President: Rick Schabowski,
Vice-President: Matt Bednarski, Secretary: Tom
O’Connell, and Treasurer: Dennis Degenhardt.
What does the future hold? We’d like to
further strengthen our strong relationships with the
Public Library systems, Museums, Brewers, and
the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association.
Future research topics include, but not limited to
research centered on Borchert Field, early baseball
history in Milwaukee, and the Braves era.
SABR member Gregg Hoffmann maintains a
website “Midwest Diamond Report” that is a great
source of information, and is where our Chapter’s
web page is located.
Our meetings are held at Long Wong’s
Chinese-American sports bar located
Our meetings are usually held at Long Wong’s
Chinese-American Sportsbar located near Miller
Park. Meetings are held in February, October, and
a meeting sometime during the summer months.
We also have informal tailgate parties before
Brewers games.
Our Chapter has by-laws which provide for
annual elections of officers each November. The
current officers are: President: Rick Schabowski,
Vice-President: Matt Bednarski, Secretary: Tom
O’Connell, and Treasurer: Dennis Degenhardt.
What does the future hold? We’d like to
further strengthen our strong relationships with the
Public Library systems, Museums, Brewers, and
the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association.
Future research topics include, but not limited to
research centered on Borchert Field, early baseball
history in Milwaukee, and the B raves era.

HENRY AARON STATE TRAIL RUN/WALK

Saturday August 8th is the day of the Henry Aaron State Trail Run/Walk information can be found at

http://www.hankaaronstatetrail.org/hank-aaron-run-walk.html

NEXT MEETING

A reminder........our next meeting is Saturday November 14 at Long Wong's. We'll be showing the 1951 Brewers Highlight film, and Highlights of the 1955 All-Star Game. Contact me if you're interested in making a Presentation.

Regards,

Rick

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The Fourth of July weekend snuck up on us here at the Cleveland office. We almost forgot to remind you of an important deadline--the registration fee for the Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference goes up on July 9. More information below. We hope you and yours had a great holiday weekend. SABR 39 and the Jerry Malloy Conference are right around the corner and we can't wait!

It's not too late to register for the 12th annual Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, July 16-18 at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Keynote speaker is Hall of Famer Lou Brock.

Some highlights of the convention include:

• On Friday, July 17, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker will be dedicated at the site of Greenlee Field, former home of Negro League champion Pittsburgh Crawfords. The dedication begins at 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Junilla Street in the Hill District.

• Five former Negro League players will be featured at the conference on both Friday and Saturday. These players include catcher Bill “Ready” Cash (1942 Philadelphia Daisies, 1943-50 Philadelphia Stars); second baseman/outfielder James Cobbin (1956 New York Black Yankees, 1956-57 and 1960 Indianapolis Clowns); pitcher Pedro Sierra (1954-55 Indianapolis Clowns and 1956-58 Detroit Stars); third baseman/shortstop Jim Robinson (1952 Philadelphia Stars, 1953 Indianapolis Clowns, 1956-58 Kansas City Monarchs); and outfielder Jumpin’ Johnny Wilson (1948-49 Chicago American Giants).

• On Saturday evening, July 18, SABR and the Josh Gibson Foundation of Pittsburgh present a benefit banquet with Hall of Famer Lou Brock as the guest of honor. The banquet event includes silent and live auctions for great Negro Leagues memorabilia that day and evening.

In addition, both Friday and Saturday will feature research presentations by historians and baseball fans highlighting black baseball in Pittsburgh.

Registration for the conference is $135 (two days) or $180 (three days). Registration includes all conference functions, tour of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, historical marker ceremony, Pirates game on Friday night, and awards dinner on Saturday. These rates will rise to $160 and $205, respectively, after July 8. For more information or to register.
 

Congratulations

In case you missed the announcement on the SABR website last week, the Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research Grant selection committee has narrowed down an exceptionally competitive pool of 19 proposals down to seven grantees. They are:

Tamara Burnett (Needham, MA, currently student at Elon University)
The History and Influence of MLB in the Dominican Republic
 
William Dowell (Bloomington, IL)
The Marathon Game in the Three-I League
 
Henry Fetter (Los Angeles, CA)
Free Agency Arbitration
 
Robert Fitts (New York, NY)
Banzai Babe Ruth! - Baseball Diplomacy and Fanaticism in Imperial Japan
 
Mike Haupert (La Crosse, WI)
Earning Like a Woman: The Gender Gap in Professional Baseball, 1944 to 1954
 
Amber Roessner (Jefferson, GA)
The Role of Early Baseball Journalists
 
Barney Terrell (Morgan Hill, CA)
The Union Association

Congratulations to each of the Yoseloff-SABR grantees. We look forward to reading your completed research. Special thanks goes to the selection committee, which consisted of Rodger Payne, Vince Gennaro, R. J. Lesch, Tom Shieber, and Jeff Angus, and to each SABR member who submitted a proposal.

New Addition to SABR 39 Lineup

Those attending SABR 39 in Washington have even more to look forward to as former Washington Senators great Frank Howard has committed to appear with Rick Dempsey on the Friday panel, moderated by George Michael. Remember to check out the convention website for the latest information.


Yours in baseball,

John Zajc
Executive Director

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Zbvyza comment1 ,

 extended deadline for advance registration for the SABR convention in Washington DC is Monday, June 29 at midnight Hawaii Time. If you have not already registered, doing so now will save you money.

Highlights of the convention include:

Thursday
* Christina Kahrl of Baseball Prospectus
* “Stadium Construction and Fan Attendance for Minor League Baseball” by Seth Gitter and Thomas Rhoads
* “Pull up a Chair: Vin Scully’s Niche in Baseball History” by Curt Smith
* “The Big Train vs. The Big Bambino: Walter Johnson against Babe Ruth” by Eric Weiss
* Trivia Preliminaries and Semi-Finals

Friday
* Former Baltimore Oriole Rick Dempsey
* “Rickey Being Rickey: Branch Rickey’s 1948 Wilberforce Speech, An Ironic Waterloo” by Lee Lowenfish
* “What Do Rock/Paper/Scissors and Baseball Have in Common?” by Mark Pankin
* “Deadball and the Silent Filmmaker” by Jill Singleton
* Red Sox v. Orioles, Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Saturday
* Awards Luncheon with Nationals President Stan Kasten
* Negro League Player Panel
* “Winning Percentage Contribution: Extending the Reach of Wins Probability Added” by David Shpigler
* “Weather Effects: The Key to Unlocking the Mystery of Park Factors?" By Matt Souders

Sunday
* Paul White of USA Today Sports Weekly will present the awards for best research presentation and best poster presentation.

And perhaps the best part of all isn't even on the convention schedule: spending time with SABR members from around the world, talking baseball and baseball history.

Please remember that June 29 is the deadline to make your hotel reservation. For everyone who reserves at least 1 room for one night at the JW Marriott Hotel, SABR is offering one chance at a random drawing for one free hotel night. SABR staff will review the reservation list provided by the hotel on Thursday night and conduct a random drawing. The winner will be posted on the convention bulletin board and the hotel will be told to put one night of the winner’s hotel stay on the SABR Master account.
To make your hotel reservation, see: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/sabr2009

Staying at the convention hotel helps SABR pay for its meeting room costs. Thank you for your support.

Thanks to McFarland & Company, Publishers for providing the convention printed program, and to Major League Baseball for their support of SABR 39.


We look forward to seeing you in DC!
 

John Zajc, Executive Director

Edited by author 06-23-2009 07:39 AM
Hope you're having a good summer, and I hope your teams are doing well! Here's an update on some future activities.


BOOK SIGNING

Bill Povletich, author of "Milwaukee Braves:Heroes and Heartbreak" will be at Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival. Sunday June 28th...details are listed below:
 
 "Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak" explores the triumphs, scandals and enduring legacy of Milwaukee's first Major League baseball team
 
Come join us at Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival to celebrate the release of author William Povletich's exciting new book "Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak'' at Creekside Books. The author will be on hand to discuss "Heroes and Heartbreak," answer questions and sign copies of the book.


The Cedarburg Strawberry Festival is held annually to celebrate strawberry season. Festival-goers can enjoy various strawberry treats, shop at local vendors' booths, participate in contests, listen to live music and explore historic downtown Cedarburg in a fun family-friendly event. Stop by Creekside Books during Strawberry Fest to meet William Povletich and pick up a copy of "Heroes and Heartbreak."


William Povletich at the
Cedarburg Strawberry Festival
Sunday, June 28, 2009
12:00 - 2:00 pm

Creekside Books
W62 N596 Washington Ave.
Cedarburg, WI 53012
 
 
 



UPCOMING MEETING

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place on Saturday, November 14th, 11 AM at Long Wong's, 53rd and Bluemound Road.
Agenda:
Nomination and Election of Chapter Officers
Screening of two excellent films:

Milwaukee Brewers 1951 Highlights
1955 All-Star Game Highlights

Special THANKS to Doak Ewing of Raresports Films for showing these films

We are also in the process of getting a former Milwaukee Brewers player or two for this Meeting, and would like to have a panel discussion. Research Presentations are also welcome!

If you have any questions......feel free to contact me at RICKIU76@aol.com or by calling me at 414-322-4997

Thanks!

Rick

As you know, the Biography Project has encouraged and supported a series of team
or region-based group projects. Over the past few years this has become one of
the more exciting facets of our committee. In addition to the benefit of
providing hundreds of biographies for the Bio Project, these group efforts have
also given many people the opportunity to see their work published in some great
books. We plan to write more about this soon, but here I wanted to keep
everyone informed about the status of several of our ongoing projects. We will
be providing the bare bones status--please contact the project leader(s) listed
in order to learn more or to help out.
 

Books already published
 
* First of all, there have been eight projects which have completed: 1975 Red
Sox, 1967 Red Sox, 1918 Red Sox, 1968 Tigers, 1948 Red Sox and Braves, 1959
White Sox, 1939 Red Sox, and Minnesota Natives. All of these projects resulted
in books, details of which can be found here:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=cms,c,1522,69
 

Completed and in the process of being published are
 
* 1969 Mets (Matt Silverman msilverman@usa.net) -- this project is awaiting
publication by Maple Street Press later this summer
 
* 1984 Tigers (Mark Pattison MPattison@CatholicNews.com and Dave Raglin
darags@ymail.com) -- this project is nearly complete, in the final stages of
negotiations with a publisher.
 

Projects in the works, for which all biographies have been assigned:
 
* 1970 Orioles (Malcolm Allen malallen@live.com) -- all biographies are
assigned, articles are coming in, and a publisher is being sought.
 
* 1947 Dodgers (Lyle Spatz lspatz@comcast.net) -- all biographies and other
articles have been assigned and drafts are starting to flow in. Publisher to be
sought soon.
 
* Connecticut Natives (John Cizik jcizik@snet.net) -- 52 biographies assigned,
10 completed and edited. Beginning to look for a publisher.
 
* 1950s Red Sox (Mark Armour markarmour@comcast.net and Bill Nowlin
bnowlin@rounder.com) -- Fifty players assigned, many drafts have been submitted
and several are completed. Aiming for an early 2011 publication, though no
publisher yet identified.
 
* 1912 Red Sox (Bill Nowlin bnowlin@rounder.com) -- all 27 bios assigned, along
with several articles. Aiming for an early 2012 publication.
 
 
Projects still seeking biographers (and peer readers, fact-checkers, and those
who might like to contribute a related essay):
 
* 1954 Indians (Joseph Wancho jw2462@sbcglobal.net) -- Though the project has
just begin, they already have 28 of 40 people assigned.
 
* 1964 Cardinals (John Stahl harryofpg@aol.com) -- 13 players still remain
unassigned, but project moving steadily along.
 
* Canadian Natives (Tom Hawthorn tom@tomhawthorn.com) – This “Maple Leaf
Project” is just getting going.
 
* Rhode Island Natives (Ray Birch ECW125@cox.net) – At least some work has been
done but the project status is unknown at the moment.
 
 
Collaborative projects with other organizations:
 
* AAGPBL/SABR collaboration -- a bit different than the other projects in that
the bios are not intended for print publication, but for posting jointly on the
AAGPBL and BioProject web sites. Bill Nowlin (bnowlin@rounder.com) is the SABR
coordinator and Merrie Fidler (rcscape1@suddenlink.net) is the AAGPBL-PA
coordinator for the project. Contact either one to sign on. You'll meet some
wonderful and interesting ladies, and, if you don't have a subject in mind,
Merrie can locate AAGPBL players in, or close to, your state and possibly even
in your hometown.
 
* Jewish Major Leaguers/SABR collaboration (
Martin Abramowitz
jewishmajorleaguers@rcn.com) – this collaborative project was announced and at
least one biography completed, but Jewish Major Leagues, Inc. has been wrapping
up two other projects first before turning more attention to this one.
 
Again, please contact the project leaders if you wish to help or learn more
about these great projects.
 

New projects which you could inspire:
 
If you have an idea for a project featuring your team, your part of the world,
your area of interest – please contact Bill Nowlin at bnowlin@rounder.com.
 
Mark Armour and Bill Nowlin

Many of you recently participated in a SABR poll to evaluate this committee.
John Zajc recently sent me all of the (anonymous) feedback that you contributed.
I appreciate the compliments, but I especially appreciate the constructive ideas
on how to make the project better. Trust me, many of these ideas will be
implemented. My plan is to go over this list with the rest of the project staff
and collectively figure out how best to proceed. After we have completed this
process, I will report back to the group.

* I want to make sure everyone feels free to continue to contact me (or another
officer) if you have some problems with the committee, or ideas of how to make
things better. You don't have to wait until the next survey!

* Earlier today I sent a note to our discussion group of a new feature on all of
our biographies. We now have an easier way for you to provide feedback on the
articles. If you look just below the date of birth to the upper right:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&pid=14407&bid=1803

you will see what I mean. I hope all of you use this feature going forward.

* There is one thing I would love for all of you to do. Go to our site, and
read the biographies you wrote (or, if you are feeling ambitious, read more!).
I would like you especially to note the name at the top (which should be the
name most people called him), and all of the information at the upper right.
This information is all in SABR's data base, and is not part of what you wrote
or something I entered. Please review this information and make sure that you
believe it to be correct. If we call the person Bob and you know that he was
called Rob, tell us this. (By using the contact button on the Bio).

I will make a list of all of these and try to deal with them all at one time. I
know there are mistakes here. I know, for example, that Joe Jackson was not
really called "Shoeless J Jackson" by anyone.

Thanks for all of your help.

Mark Armour
Chair, BioProject Committee

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In case you missed the news earlier week, the Tellers Committee met in the SABR office on Tuesday morning and tallied the votes for the 2009 SABR election. The newly elected officers are:


Andy McCue--President
Vince Gennaro -- Secretary
Gary Gillette--Director



I am grateful to all of the candidates. Their committment to SABR and desire to see it flourish as an organization is commendable and inspiring. The 406 valid ballots received is the most since 2003. Thank you to all you who voted. Andy, Vince, and Gary will officially take office at the conclusion of the Annual Business Meeting at the convention. More information on each of the newly elected officers is available on the SABR website.


  

 



SABR 39 in Washington DC


Regarding the convention: If you've been on the fence about attending, remember that the standard registration for members rises from $115 to $150 after June 15. You only have a few more days to register at the lower rate. If you're wondering what speakers and presentations you'll hear at SABR 39, drop by http://convention.sabr.org.

There you can find the names and biographies of featured speakers and panelists as well as the newly posted presentation schedule. Check back frequently as more informaiton is added frequently.


Join 530+ other SABR members at the best baseball weekend of the year.

Washington, DC is the perfect location for a family vacation, and the convention hotel could not have a better located. The JW Marriott is within walking distance of many of the District's major attractions. The SABR convention discount of $179 per night is steeply discounted from the hotel's rack rate. If you're considering going to the convention on your own, we have a list of people looking for a roommate. Just check the appropriate box on your registration form or, if you've already registered for SABR 39, send us an email.


Remember that the convention discount at the J.W. Marriott is in effect only until June 29.


I hope to see many of you at SABR 39. As always, thank you for helping to make SABR a welcoming community for baseball fans of all types.



John Zajc
Executive Director

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From: SABR Member Lyle Spatz. Replies to this message will go to its author.
------------------------
The gentleman who had planned to write the biography of Tommy Brown for the 1947
Brooklyn Dodgers Bio Project has had some health problems and won't be able to
do it. Brown, who is still alive, was the youngest position player ever in the
major leagues. If anyone is interested in writing this bio please email me at
lspatz@comcast.net

Lyle

Election Time!

Ballots for SABR President, Secretary, and Director MUST BE RECEIVED no later than June 9. If you have not already submitted your ballot, please do so today. Ballots were included in the Spring 2009 issue of the SABR Bulletin. Candidate statements were included in the Bulletin and can also be read online. The Tellers Committee will be at the SABR office on that day to tally the votes. Please make sure your name is included on the outside of the envelope, so that we can verify your current membership, SABR. Please remember to make your voice heard and get us your ballot before June 9.

SABR 39

The Spring Bulletin also included a special pull-out section on the annual convention. SABR 39 is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting, stimulating four+ days of baseball presentations, talks, and camaraderie. Some of the highlights include Stan Kasten, who will be the keynote speaker at the Saturday awards luncheon; Baseball Prospectus co-founder Christina Kahrl; and USA Today's Paul White. The Bob Davids Chapter has gone all-out to ensure that members get their baseball fix. Tickets are available for the Orioles-Red Sox game at Camden Yards on Friday night (bus transportation available). You can also watch the Potomac Nationals (Class A Advanced) take on the Winston-Salem Dash on Saturday evening and or the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Atlantic League) take on the Lancaster Barnstormers on Sunday afternoon.

If you haven't yet registered for SABR 39, please consider attending. The J.W. Marriott, the convention hotel, has perhaps the best location or families visiting Washington, DC. It is within walking distance of many of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial. There will be plenty to do for both the baseball fans and the non-baseball fans in your family. You register for the convention or any of the outside activities by eitiher completing the registration form located in the Spring 2009 Bulletin or by visiting the SABR Store. Convention registration is $115 and gives 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 well-stocked convention goody bag. The advance registration price of $115 expires on June 15 (and the price goes up to $150). Come to DC and join in the fun at SABR 39!

Items of Interest

If you missed the announcements regarding the winners of the Sporting News and McFarland Awards, you can read about them on the SABR website. The official presentation of these and SABR's other awards will take place on August 1 at the Awards Luncheon during the convention.

Members of the Women and Baseball Committee alerted us to a historic development: the first female coach of a professional men's team. Note that the initial connection between coach Justine Siegal and Mike Veeck took place at a SABR event. Just another confirmation that the community we create as an organization is just as important as the research we conduct.

John Zajc
Executive Director

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Fifty years ago today....unarguably the greatest pitching feats took place at Milwaukee County Stadium.....Harvey Haddix's performance, which, in most people's opinion because of the changing nature of the game, will never happen again.

I DON'T like using these mails to promote BUT this evening at 9PM Fox 6 reporter Mark Concannon will do a report on the game, interviewing two of the players............Felix Mantilla and Johnny Logan...should be pretty interesting!

Hope all is well!

Rick

Last week, I had the pleasure of announcing the winners of the Sporting News-SABR Award (click here if you missed the list of winners). Today, I'm happy to announce the winners of the McFarland-SABR Award, which honors the authors of the best articles or papers (published or unpublished) on baseball history or biography completed during the preceding calendar year.

This year's winners are:

* David Laliberte (for "Myth, History and Indian Baseball: An Unexpected Story of the Game in Minnesota")

* William J. McGill (for "The Greatest College Pitcher: George Sisler at Michigan")

* David Vaught (for "Our Players Are Mostly Farmers: Baseball in Rural California, 1850-1890")

The season is in full swing and the SABR office has been busy with the Seymour Medal Conference, preparing the next issue of The Baseball Research Journal, collecting the first ballots for the Board of Directors elections, and gearing up for SABR 39.

If you have a research idea that's been turning around in your mind but have balked at pursuing it because of travel or other research-related fees (library fees, photocopying, etc.), consider applying for the SABR-Yoseloff Baseball Research Grant. The deadline is Friday, May 15. Need an application form or more information? A big thank you to the Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation for their support of this program.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the SABR-Sporting News Award: Ronald Selter, for Ballparks of the Deadball Era; Andy Strasberg, Bob Thompson, and Tim Wiles for Baseball's Greatest Hit; and Jim Walker and Rob Bellamy for Center Field Shot. Read more about the award and the winners HERE. Thank you to the Sporting News for their longtime support of this award, and to every SABR member, whose support of baseball research makes these awards possible.

A recap of the Seymour Medal Conference is available on the website. A big thank you goes to Medal winner Tom Swift, who gave a wonderful reading and talk about the writing process for his award-winning book, Chief Bender's Burden; to keynote speaker Joe Posnanski, who gave one of the most entertaining and candid keynote addresses in recent memory; and to those members who gave such fascinating presentations. Thanks go out to the Cleveland Indians Baseball club for their continued support of the Seymour Medal Conference.

The Spring issue of The SABR Bulletin is still being delivered to parts of the country. If you don't have your copy by May 20, please let us know and we will mail a replacement. In this issue you will find the convention registration form and information and the ballot for the 2009 SABR Elections. Please take the time to read the candidates' statements, contact them with questions you might have, and cast your ballot. SABR is your organization, so be sure to cast your ballot.

Did you know? On April 20, 2009, the average age of a new SABR member was 43.92? That the states with the most SABR members were New York (588), California (572), Ohio (411), Pennsylvania (368), and Massachusetts (304). That through April 30, this year 299 donors have donated more than $75,000, led by estate gifts from John Pardon and Steve Breen.

UPCOMING MEETING


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, TOMMOROW May 2nd at 11 AM SHARP! Our Guest Speaker will be one of the TV broadcasters for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Daron Sutton. Daron has always been a great speaker at our meetings, and we look forward to hear how he's doing, since he and his family have moved to the warm weather!

We will also have a showing of "Bob Uecker: A Baseball Life" by Bob Buege, and Rick Schabowski at the meeting.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase.

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

Swift to Receive Seymour Medal This Saturday

Tom Swift will receive the Seymour Medal for his book, Chief Bender's Burden, Saturday, April 25 at the Radisson Hotel-Gateway in Cleveland, Ohio. Read this for more information on the award and the book.

The conference registration remains open until Friday morning; Kansas City Star sportswriter Joe Posnanski is the featured speaker on Saturday, which also includes presentations by Gene Carney, Paul Doutrich, John Burbridge, Bryan Soderholm-Difatte, and Jim Shearon. Contact Susan Petrone for more information.

All Convention Events Now Listed at SABR Store

You may have been one of the 400 who registered for the convention early late last year (or not); now you can order your SABR Night at Camden Yards tickets, your bus transportation, your luncheon with Stan Kasten ticket and more at the SABR store. The mailer, along with the Election issue and the Spring 2009 issue of The SABR Bulletin is in the mail stream now. Everyone should receive it by May 18.

SABR-Yoseloff Baseball Research Grant Deadline Coming Soon

The deadline for submissions for the 2009 cycle of funding for the SABR-Yoseloff Baseball Research grants is May 15, 2009. The purpose of the grant is to help remove barriers to baseball research by reimbursing the costs of doing research (up to $1,000). In exchange, your research is to be published by SABR. For more information, head to this page.

IBAF Using Facebook to Help Revive Baseball's Olympic Stature

The IBAF needs to prove that people care about baseball going back in the Olympics. A major way to do this is to join their Facebook group page. The group is named, “International Baseball Federation – Bring Back Baseball in 2016.”

The link is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53612001487&ref=mf

Join the movement and get baseball in the Olympics.

SABR also has a new Fan page at Facebook.

New Membership Brochures Available

As of 5pm on April 21, we had 361 new members for 2009. This is a little behind our projections for the year. You can help by sending SABR brochures to your baseball friends. Request brochures from Eileen Canepari. Don't forget to remind your baseball friends that they can get their complimentary PDF of The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009.

You can also help us do a better job of attracting potential new members by telling us why you are a member. Head to this site to tell us.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc
Executive Director
Society for American Baseball Research

Dear fellow SABR member:

 

For over 12 years, we have been e-sending a daily baseball trivia question via e-mail to anyone interested. There is no fee. There are no prizes. It's just for fun, and it's not restricted to SABR members. In fact, there is no official connection with SABR at all. We believe, however, that baseball trivia executed correctly aligns neatly with SABR’s goals and we are inviting you to join us.

 

**It is absolutely non-commercial and being on the list of recipients is on an opt-on/opt-out basis.**

 

We believe that the word trivia is misleading. Quality trivia is never trivial, but meaningful, symmetrical, unique, where possible, poetic, but most of all, interesting. We might not always do THAT well every time, but everybody seems to have fun. To give you an idea, here are the questions and answers from a previous week:

 

MONDAY

Q. What major league team often depicts a white elephant holding a bat as part of its logo?

                Hint: Yeah, you probably know this one.

A. A’s

 

TUESDAY

Q. What team played its first major league home games at Wrigley Field?

                Hint: Hoyt Wilhelm, Bill Buckner, and Bobby Bonds played for them.

A. Los Angeles Angels

 

WEDNESDAY

Q. Which is the only major league team to swat 10 home runs in a single game?

                Hint: Their team doctor won a World Series ring as a player.

A. Toronto Blue Jays

 

MID-WEEK BONUS

Q. What team’s players, coaches, and manager all wore clip-on earrings in order to infuriate owner Marge Schott?

                Hint: They were the only team to beat Elroy Face in 1959.

A. Dodgers

 

THURSDAY

Q. What team holds the record of only 65 errors in a 162-game season?

                Hint: They are the only team ever to hit 150 home runs before the All-Star break.

                Hint: They were the last team to have three previous batting title winners on the team for the whole season.

                Hint: They were the first team with a shortstop/second baseman combination with over 60 home runs in a season.

A. Mariners (2003)

 

FRIDAY

Q. What team was once 9½ games out of first place after the first 9 games of a season and then that same year dropped another half-game in the standings three days after their season had ended?

                Hint: Their manager looked down the bench after a string of egregious events on the field and asked, “Can’t anybody here play this game?”.

A. Mets (1962)

 

SATURDAY

Q. What team was saved from being moved to another city by a former milkshake machine salesman?

                Hint: They had to postpone a game during the 2001 season due to an exploding light tower early in a game.

A. Padres

 

WEEKEND BONUS

Q. For which team was "Megaphone Lolly" Hopkins a famous fan?

                Hint: It was the last major league team to have a black player on the roster.

A. Red Sox

 

SUNDAY

Q. Which team drafted John Elway in the first round of the 1981 draft?

                Hint: They were the first team owned by a television network.

A. Yankees

 

WEEKLY THEME

The major league teams of Rickey Henderson (so far)

 

 

If you write back and ask us to, we'll add you to the list of recipients, but you can be removed any time just by asking if it doesn’t prove to be your cup of tea. **We don’t want to send to anyone who is not interested.** If you know anyone else who'd like to be on the list (but might not be a SABR member, for example), a simple e-mail will do it.

 

Whether Scott is sending you the question or whether I am, it will come from the e-mail address <horsehidetrivia@aol.com> and that is the address you should respond to if you wish to sign up.

 

 

~ Bruce

 

D. Bruce Brown

Columbia, MD

Bob Davids Chapter

<dbrucebrown@verizon.net>

 

 

T. Scott Brandon

Port Angeles, WA

Northwest SABR

<t_scott_brandon@msn.com>

UPCOMING MEETING



The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place
at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar on Saturday May 2nd at 11 AM SHARP!
Our Guest Speaker will be one of the TV broadcasters for the Arizona
Diamondbacks, Daron Sutton. Daron has always been a great speaker at our
meetings, and we look forward to hear how he's doing, since he and his family
have moved to the warm weather!

We will also have a showing of "Bob Uecker: A Baseball Life" by Bob Buege, and
Rick Schabowski at the meeting.

Any one interested in making a presentation can contact me.

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

                        MILWAUKEE BRAVES HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION BANQUET

Tickets are going fast for the next MBHA Banquet honoring Bob Uecker at
Potowatomi Bingo Casino on Monday May 11. Tickets are $125 and include an
excellent meal, great speeches, and an autographed Bob Uecker baseball. If
interested contact me.



OLD TIME BALLPLAYERS ASSOCIATION

The Wisconsin Oldtime Ballplayers Association will be holding it's Jamboree at
Serb Hall, 51st and Oklahoma Avenue on Monday April 20th at 5:30 PM. There will
be a buffet at 6:30 PM. a mega raffle with over 150 Prizes including Brewers
tickets. For more info contact Greg Ebbert at 262-292-4002, or e-mail at
gregebbert@msn.com

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY EXHIBIT

The downtown Milwaukee Public Library has an exhibit titled "Play Ball". The
exhibit features not only current Brewers memorabillia, but also other great
Baseball exhibits, including an article that was published in the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel a few weeks ago about the origins of the Barrel Man. There are
also some great Baseball books on display from the vast collection available at
the Library!

HENRY AARON STATE PARK TRAIL

This Saturday, April 18th, from 9 AM to Noon, join in the Menomonee River
Valley's Annual Earth Day Clean-Up, and help pick up litter along the river
trail and the Henry Aaron State Trail. There will be a sponsored cook-out after
the event. If interested contact me at RICKIU76@aol.com, or call 414-322-4997.
You can also meet at the chimneys on Canal Street under the 35th Street viaduct
at 8:45 AM.

BREWERS CHARITIES SAUSAGE RUN/WALK

Brewers Charities will be holding it's Annual Sausage Run/Walk on Saturday July
25th. This event is limited to 2,500 participants, and sold out two weeks early
last year. If you're interested in participating,( perhaps we can form a SABR
team?) contact me for more info.

QUESTIONS???

Don't hesitate in contacting me about all of the events at 414-322-4997 or by
e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com. Hope to see you!

Rick Schabowski

Seymour Hotel Deadline Extended

The Radisson Hotel at Gateway, host to the 2009 Seymour Medal Conference, has extended the deadline for room reservations to March 31. Make your reservations by calling 216.377.9000 or (888) 201-1718, or going online. Go to the “reservations” tab at the top of the page, put in the dates of the conference (April 24-26, 2009), and type in “SABR” in the promotional code area.

You can also still register for the conference, which features Joe Posnanski as the keynote speaker.

The winner of the Seymour Medal will be announced later this week. Check back at www.sabr.org to learn the winner.

 

2009 Renewals

If you have not renewed your SABR membership for 2009, please do so as soon as possible. The deadline to keep your membership active is April 1. You can renew online or by fax (216-575-0502) or by mail (812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland OH 44115).

 

The Emerald Guide


As of early this morning, we had over 3,400 downloads of The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009. The Emerald Guide distills the 2008 season down to 586 fact-filled pages that contain the pitching, fielding, and hitting statistics for each player active in the major and minor leagues in 2008. As with the classic Sporting News Guides, the Emerald Guide also features team-by-team daily results, a directory of important contacts, a synopsis of the just-completed season, and much more.

A bound version is available via print on demand at Lulu.com for $23.94. Every page in the bound edition is in the PDF.

Justin Murphy did a nice interview of Emerald Guide co-editor Gary Gillette on the Seamheads web site.

Be sure to tell all your baseball friends and people in your fantasy leagues (maybe after your draft is over?) that they can get their copy as well by visiting the SABR front page and clicking on the Emerald Guide link.

 

SABR Donation Update


A big thank you to the 246 members and friends (especially the 57 first-time donors) who made a donation to SABR in the first quarter of 2009, raising over $26,000. SABR is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organziation and your donation is deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donate online or by mail.

 

Predict the Standings

As of a few hours ago, we had heard from 220 SABR members and their predictions for the 2009 major league season. So far the members who have responded like the Red Sox, the Indians (by 1 vote over the Twins), the Angels, the Mets, the Cubs, and the Dodgers to win their divisions. Only 1 voter likes Dustin Pedroia to repeat as AL MVP and a half dozen like Cliff Lee to repeat as AL Cy Young. What do you think? Make your choices before Opening Day.

Predict the Standings

SABR is once again conducting its "Predict the Standings" contest. After a one-year hiatus, it is back this year. Simply head to the survey and start predicting the order of finish in the 2009 Major League Baseball season. We've also added a prediction for a couple of the awards.

1,000th Biography Published

Another exciting milestone for SABR is that the BioProject Committee recently published its 1,000th biography to the BioProject website. The ultimate goal of the project is to write an original biography for every person to ever play major league baseball, as well as biographies for those individuals who’ve had a significant impact on the game. Every biography is also available free.

As part of the Biography Project’s efforts, SABR has produced six books of biographies that focus on a particular team, beginning with the 1975 Red Sox and, most recently, Go-Go to Glory: The 1959 Chicago White Sox (2009; ACTA Publications). New biographies are added frequently, with more than 800 in progress.

I am incredibly proud of the Baseball Biography Project and its numerous contributors. They are building a comprehensive resource for all baseball historians. Moreover, this is a project in which virtually every SABR member could eventually take part. There have been more than 16,000 players in the major leagues; our never-ending goal would be to mark the contributions of each one through this project.

Over 3,000 Downloads of the Emerald Guide

As of 11am ET on Friday, March 20, there were 3,016 downloads of The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009. More than 50 print-on-demand versions of the book were ordered from Lulu.com. We received a mention by Alan Schwarz in his Bats Blog at the New York Times, as well as mentions at several other sites including baseball-reference.com, slickdeals.net, gofreebies.com, baseballthinkfactory.com, Out Of the Park Developments, resourceshelf.com, orioleshangout, redszone, bleedcubbieblue, philaphans, baseballdigestdaily, nysportsdog, and several others. Keep spreading the word!

Last Call for "Going for the Fences" Pre-Publication Price

SABR is pleased to publish Going for the Fences, a compilation of minor league home run records. The book will be released in early April 2009. Originally published in the early 1990s, the book has been updated through the 2008 season and contains dozens of lists of minor league home leaders and feats.

"This book sold very well when we first published it in the 1990s," says SABR Executive Director John Zajc. "We are bringing it back with new info and a slicker look and think that home run fans and minor league fans will both love reading through this book."

Among the lists published in the book are Players with Four or More Home Runs in a Game, Most Home Runs in a Season by Two Teammates (and Three Teammates), Top Ten Career Home Run Hitters by League, and Players Who Led Two Different Leagues in the Same Season.

You'll learn who the 54 players are who led both a major and minor league in homers (Manny Ramirez and Bug Holliday are two of them). You will learn which Hall of Fame players led a minor league in homers. You will get the home run logs of Tony Lazzeri in 1925, Mosse Clabaugh in 1926, Joe Hauser in 1930 and 1933, and Dick Stuart and Frosty Kennedy in 1956. You'll get the year-by-year home run leaders by leagues and much more.

The pre-publication price is only $16 when you order through the SABR store, but hurry, the pre-publication discount expires March 27, 2009.

New Membership Brochure Arrives; Member-Get-a-Member Campaign Ends Soon


The 2009 Member-Get-a-Member campaign ends on March 31, 2009, so time is running out to persuade your friends and associates to join SABR. Each time you refer a new member you have an entry in a drawing in which the prize is to have all convention and events fees paid for the SABR convention in Washington DC (and if you are not able to attend, you can choose to extend your SABR membership by three years). Ask Eileen for a batch of the new brochure or download the information section and the application from the SABR site.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc, Executive Director

We're pleased to make two major announcements to the SABR membership and the baseball community at large:

1) SABR is now the publisher of The Emerald Guide to Baseball, and
2) SABR is making the PDF version of The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009 available as a FREE download from the members-only section of the website (and be sure to direct friends and family to sabr.org so they can get a copy too).

Edited by acclaimed baseball historians (and SABR members) Gary Gillette and Pete Palmer, The Emerald Guide distills the 2008 season down to 586 fact-filled pages that contain the pitching, fielding, and hitting statistics for every player active in the major and minor leagues in 2008. The Emerald Guide fills the hole in the baseball record left by the 2006 demise of the Sporting News Baseball Guide and contains all of the same features and then some, such as team-by-team daily results, a directory of important contacts, and a synopsis of the just-completed season. A bound version of The Emerald Guide is available via print on demand at Lulu.com for $23.94.

Making the PDF of The Emerald Guide available fre to anyone with accesss to a computer is a direct way for SABR to fulfill its mission of disseminating the history and record of baseball. And you, our members, help the organization fulfill this mission each and every day. One of our objectives is for sabr.org to be bookmarked by everyone with a serious interest in baseball. The Emerald Guide offers a step in that direction.

SABR plans to publish The Emerald Guide annually. Gillette and Palmer also authored 2007 and 2008 editions of The Emerald Guide (co-published with Sports-Reference). Free PDF versions of these editions are also available from the SABR website.

Thank you for your commitment to SABR and its mission.. We hope you enjoy The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009.

Sincerely,

John Zajc, Executive Director

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
  
Greetings to Baseball fans....just think......one month from today...April 10th will be Brewers Opening Day!

Fellow SABR, and MBHA member Bill Povletich has a busy schedule this week, with the release of his book, and an advanced screening of a video....details follow below:


In 1953, the Boston Braves became the first major league team in fifty years to relocate and for the next thirteen seasons, they never experienced a losing season in Milwaukee. Award-winning documentary producer William Povletich captures the history, drama, excitement, and surprises the Milwaukee Braves had in Milwaukee and the world of baseball with a new book from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press entitled Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak and a new documentary film A Braves New World from Milwaukee Public Television.


Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10 will premiere A Braves New World, on Sunday, March 15th at 3:00pm. The 60-minute documentary focuses on how the Braves relocation from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953 served as the catalyst for baseball to reexamine itself as a big business – resulting in a flurry of franchises relocating west, multi-league expansion and cities held hostage to build civically funded stadiums. Please check local listings for additional broadcasts.


Povletich - a Mequon native and UW-Oshkosh graduate - will also be participating in several events throughout Wisconsin to promote the book and film this week. As a fellow Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter Member of SABR, he would appreciate your support by attending any of these events to help preserve the legacy of the Milwaukee Braves.




Launch Event for "Milwaukee Braves"
Open to the public, the mutual launch event for "Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak" and "A Braves New World" will include an advanced screening of Milwaukee Public Television's "A Braves New World" promptly at 7:00pm. Immediately afterwards, there will be a panel discussion with the filmmaker and friends at 8:00pm, with a book signing to follow.
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin
Street: 500 N Harbor Drive
City/Town: Milwaukee, WI



BOOK SIGNINGS
William Povletich at Brown County Public Library
Date: Friday, March 13, 2009
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Brown County Public Library
Street: 515 Pine Street
City/Town: Green Bay, WI



William Povletich at Apple Blossom Books
Date: Friday, March 13, 2009
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: Apple Blossom Books
Street: 513 North Main Street
City/Town: Oshkosh, WI



William Povletich at Conkey's Bookstore
Date: Friday, March 13, 2009
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Conkey's Bookstore
Street: 226 East College Ave
City/Town: Appleton, WI



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William Povletich at Creekside Books
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009
Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: Creekside Books
Street: W62n596 Washington Ave
City/Town: Cedarburg, WI



William Povletich at Barnes and Noble-West in Madison
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Barnes and Noble at West Towne Mall
Street: 7433 Mineral Point Road
City/Town: Madison, WI

UPCOMING MEETING



The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will take place at Long Wong's Chinese-American Sportsbar on Saturday May 2nd at 11 AM SHARP! Our Guest Speaker will be one of the TV broadcasters for the Arizona D iamondbacks, Daron Sutton. Daron has always been a great speaker at our meetings, and we look forward to hear how he's doing, since he and his family have moved to the warm weather!

We will also have a showing of "Bob Uecker: A Baseball Life" by Bob Buege, and Rick Schabowski at the meeting.

Any one interested in making a presentation can contact me.

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

                        MILWAUKEE BRAVES HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION BANQUET

Tickets are going fast for the next MBHA Banquet honoring Bob Uecker at Potowatomi Bingo Casino on Monday May 11. Tickets are $125 and include an excellent meal, great speeches, and an autographed Bob Uecker baseball. If interested contact me.

                         WEBSITES

Two great websites are www.midwestdiamondreport.com, a must go to site to stay abreast of our midwest teams, and www.57braves.com. to stay in-touch with the activities of the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association

Thanks....and I hope to see you soon!

Rick

Great meeting Saturday!!!

To get the Borchert Field Project going......I've sent a e-mail out to the person who will get the info out on the web (Gregg), the editor, ( Tom) and the person with, right now, the most info available to forward (Paul).

Whatever you gentlemen feel is the best method to get this out on the site for Baseball fans would be fantastic.....Paul has some great info he's willing to share, and I'm sure the web readers will love it!

Rick

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Don Larsen’s Perfect Game
 
Saturday, February 28, 2009
11:00 AM
Long Wong’s Chinese American Sports Bar
5230 W. Bluemound Rd.
 
On Saturday February 28, 2009 the Ken Keltner=2 0Badger State Chapter of SABR, with the help of Doak Ewing, President of Rare Sportsfilms, will be showing Don Larsen’s Perfect Game. Doak has graciously offered to show the perfect game pitched by Don Larsen on October 8, 1956. This is an event which is unique! Professor James Walker, Author of the book, "Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television", co-authored with Richard Bellamy. will also give a brief presentation prior to the show ing.This game has been shown publicly only on a few occasions, and we THANK Doak for offering to do this!! 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 recommended for this event, as seating is limited. You can reserve a spot to watch this historic game by sendi ng an e-mail to Rick Schabowski at RICKIU76@aol.com or by calling at 414-322-4997.
 
Admission is FREE and open to all baseball fans. Lunch and beverages will be available for purchase. We will also have a 50/50 raffle, and will have interesting things for sale.

Hope to see you!

Rick Schabowski

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In case you missed it, the latest issue of the SABRZine contains an article about a couple of prominent SABR members in the news.

Most chapters are having or just had their Hot Stove meetings. I was fortunate enough to attend the Bob Davids Chapter meeting in Washington, DC, the weekend of January 31-February 1 during a visit to the JW Marriott, the SABR 39 convention site. I had the opportunity to attend the Magnolia Chapter meeting last weekend during a site visit in preparation for SABR 40 in Atlanta. As always, it was a pleasure seeing SABR meetings old and new at these meetings.

Please remember that the SABR convention or one of several smaller SABR-sponsored conferences are another way to gather with like-minded baseball fans to share research presentations, talk baseball, and learn more about the game we each love. The Winter 2009 Bulletin lists details about SABR 39, the Seymour Medal Conference, the 19th Century Base Ball Conference, and the Jerry Malloy Conference. Be sure to bookmark the convention website at: http://convention.sabr.org/ for updates.

SABR is grateful to all members who made a 2008 donation to the Society. SABR would not exist without the support of its members. Please note that SABR members can also donate to the organization by taking advantage of the recent extension of tax-free rollover gifts. During these difficult economic times, taking advantage of a tax-free IRA gift is an innovative way to support the ongoing work of the Society for American Baseball Research.

The newly signed Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 extends tax-free rollover gifts from traditional or Roth IRAs to 501(c)3 nonprofits such as SABR into 2008 and 2009. Under the rules:

     donors who are 70 1/2 or older may contribute
     contributions may not exceed $100,000 in 2008 and 2009
     transfers from an IRA directly to SABR
    eligible donors to contribute through 2008 and 2009
As was the case in 2006 and 2007, this legislation does not permit an IRA Charitable Rollover to fund life income gifts such as Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Remainder Trusts or to make gifts to private family foundations and donor-advised funds. However, a donor can use these funds to pay a pledge made to a charity.

In order to properly complete the gift, your IRA administrator must make the check payable directly to the Society for AMerican Baseball Research. We would appreciate your thoughtful and generous consideration. Gifts should be made to:
 

Society for American Baseball Research
812 Huron Rd E, #719
Cleveland, OH 44115

For more information, please speak wtih your tax or financial planning profession. SABR's office staff and board cannot provide tax or financial planning advice.

Thank you for your continued support of SABR and its programs.

John Zajc
Executive Director

As I have recently added a number of people to this list (basically everyone who has written a biography and is still in SABR), I thought I would update you on a few things.

1. We have a Yahoo! discussion list, which is where one would go to ask questions about researching a biography or about some of the common issues we might have. To subscribe, send a blank email to SABRBioProject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.


2. As you all know, our project has spawned a number of book projects of late, five of which have been published. In order to better recognize this, I have added a new page to our web site:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=cms,c,1522,69
which highlights each of these books, as well as a couple of books which came before us. As new books are published (four more this year!), they will move to the front of the page.

[Yes, I know the menu name is wrong--I am working on this.]

Note that the last four books also contain a link which will allow you to read the bios that have already been posted. As new books are posted (generally a year after publication), these links will be added.

On a related note, those four books are now "categories" that you can find by browsing. For example, here is the 1967 Red Sox book:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=l&br=cat&catID=6&sctID=26


3. For those of you who have written at least one bio, you should have an author's page at this link:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=w&m=62

Click on your name. If there is no blurb there about you, send me one and I will post it for you.


We have 952 published bios. If you get working, you could be number 1000.

Best,
Mark Armour

As announced in Saturday's meeting, the Bob Davids Chapter of SABR has a new
site. Its content will grow more robust and more useful as members send in
electronic photos and stories of interest, but most of all ideas.
 
You can already see:
- A list of previous chapter meetings, including our recent successful 36th;
- Archive and current copies of our chapter's official organ, The Squibber;
- Information and submission requests; and
- A list of professional baseball teams who play their home games in our
chapter.
 
Much more will be added in the coming weeks and we thrive on participation from
members and nonmembers alike.

 
Fans of the minor leagues
should order their pre-publication
copy of Going for the Fences.
The latest edition should be
ready this spring, and it
includes many lists of minor league home run leaders and feats.
 
Order today from the SABR Store
 
Also, keep an eye on the SABR
website and future mailings of
"This Week in SABR"
for ordering information on the
2009 Emerald Guide to Baseball.
    
 


Everyone in the SABR office was saddened to hear of the death of Raymond Gonzalez, who was one of SABR’s original 16 members. Born on October 27, 1919 in Havana, Cuba, Gonzalez had, at various times, been a baseball player, umpire, and score keeper, but his real love was records and analysis. He reportedly had a record of every Yankees game as well as home run records, triple plays, and thousands of other statistics.
 
A retired accountant, he served as SABR’s treasurer from 1975-77 and was co-recipient of the SABR Salute in 1988. He lived in Hialeah, Florida, and was a member of the South Florida Chapter. When chapter co-chair Sam Zygner spoke with him by phone in the fall, Gonzalez said that he always believed he "was born with little baseballs running through my veins." He will be greatly missed.
 
Some news items that may be of interest or amusement:
 
The SABRzine features an article on member Gary Cokins’ forty-year-old baseball gaming computer program, which has been donated to the Hall of Fame.
 
In case you missed a few recent news announcements, SABR has a new research committee on the Black Sox Scandal and the Minor Leagues Committee has a new chair. Read about it HERE.
 
Applications are now being accepted for the Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research Grant Program. More details HERE.
 
The Naples, FL chapter welcomed Carlos Alfonso, the Tampa Bay Rays Director of International Relations, as the guest speaker at their last meeting. Read about it HERE.
 
At least one staffer was amused that even one of the biggest stars in Hollywood can still be swayed by the prospect of meeting two of his heroes, in this case, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. Just goes to show you how strong a hold this game can have on its fans.
 
Please note several upcoming deadlines:
 
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 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, 812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland, OH, 44115.
 
Nominations for the position of President, Secretary, and Director must be received by February 1. Contact one of the nominating committee members for more information: Dan Levitt, Mark Armour, Norman Macht.
 
As always, thank you being a part of SABR and helping to preserve baseball’s history.
 
John Zajc
Executive Director
Society for American Baseball Research

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Don Larsen’s Perfect Game
 
Saturday, February 28, 2009
11:00 AM
Long Wong’s Chinese American Sports Bar
5230 W. Bluemound Rd.
 
On Saturday February 28, 2009 the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR, with the help of Doak Ewing, President of Rare Sportsfilms, will be showing Don Larsen’s Perfect Game. Doak has graciously offered to show the perfect game pitched by Don Larsen on October 8, 1956. This is an event which is unique! Professor James Walker, Author of the book, "Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television", co-authored with Richard Bellamy. will also give a brief presentation prior to the show ing.This game has been shown publicly only on a few occasions, and we THANK Doak for offering to do this!! 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!
                           &nbs p;
Reservations are recommended 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 by calling at 414-322-4997.
 
Admission is FREE and open to all baseball fans. Lunch and beverages will be available for purchase.
 
PITCH AND HIT CLUB
 
Thome to receive the Pitch and Hit Club Lou Boudreau Hall of Fame Award.
 The largest and best awards sports dinner in Chicago, do not miss it, you want to be part of this great event. Meet everyone in the baseball world here at the 63rd annual Pitch and Hit Club Awards Dinner.

Date
January 25th, 2009, Sunday.
Place
Donald E. Stephens Rosemont Convention Center
Time
Cocktails and Autographs start at 4 pm, Doors open 4 pm
Tickets
Call Chip Sobek for tickets, (219) 865-9442 or e-mail him i22chipster@sbcglobal.net
Tickets $60, Table of 10 is $600

Signing autographs prior to the dinner will be Dan Pasqua, Ron Kittle, Donn Pall, Pat Hughes, M arvin Freeman, Tim Stoddard, Buzz Capra, Bill Pierce, Bill Campbell, Bill Sharpe, Gene Hiser, Dave Otto and many more. Autographs are part of the dinner price along with free parking.
 
Come see Jim Thome receive the Pitch and Hit Club Lou Boudreau Hall of Fame award along with Assistant GM of the Cubs Randy Bush and Rick Hahn Assistant GM of the White Sox talk about their respective teams. Nancy Faust will be playing during the autograph cocktail hour during 4-5:30 pm and Wayne Messmer singing the national anthem and announcing the award winners into the dinner all.
 
Lots of excitement with area pro team mascots mingling during the cocktail hour , sponsors exhibiting their items and a great silent auction of sports memorabilia from all over the sports world. The largest and best Baseball dinner in Chicago.
 
Celebrity media people presenting awards, Bruce Levine of WMVP radio, Dave Kaplan WGN radio, and Tom Shaer President of Tom Shaer sports media and George Ofman of Score radio.
Website can be found at www.pitchandhitclub.org.
HEAR JEFF GRAYSON: FOX SPORTS
The Education Foundation of Wauwatosa (EFW) is inviting the community to a special night to honor the foundation’s 2008-09 grant recipients and celebrate the great things happening in Wauwatosa’s public schools.
The EFW will hold its Annual Celebration on Thursday, Jan. 29 at the Blue Mound Country Club, 10122 W. North Ave.
The Annual Celebration will recognize the 17 grants funded by the EFW. The grants were awarded to teachers in the Wauwatosa School District to fund creative and innovative classroom programs.
“This is a special night because we get to turn the spotlight on the educators in Wauwatosa that have brought some very special programs into their classrooms,” said Maureen Kenfield, EFW president. “The EFW is honored to help these20educators continue the exceptional work they are doing in Wauwatosa’s schools.”
 
"The evening will feature guest speaker Jeff Grayson. Grayson is
 
an anchor on Fox Sports Net and a 1983 graduate of Wauwatosa
 
East High School.
 
The Annual Education Foundation of Wauwatosa (EFW)
 
Celebration is on Thursday, Jan. 29 at the Blue Mound Country
 
Club, 10122 W. North Ave. It will get started at 5 p.m. with
 
registration and heavy hors dʼoeuvres. The program will begin at
 
6 p.m. Cost is only $25 and benefits the Education Foundation.
 
Contact Laura Wainscott at (414) 773-1062 for tickets."
 
 
 
      MILWAUKEE BRAVES BANQUET
 
The next Milwaukee Braves Historical Association Banquet will be
 
 held at Potowatomi’s Northern Light’s Banquet room on Monday
 
May 11, 2009. The Guest of Honor is Bob Uecker. Tickets cost
 
$125 and include meal and a Bob Uecker autographed baseball.
 
 Attendees must be 21 years or older, and no other autographs .
 
If you’re interested in purchasing a ticket contact Rick Schabowski
 
at RICKIU76@aol.com or calling 414-322-4997.
 
PRIDE AND PASSION EXHIBIT
 
The Milwaukee Public Library will be featuring an exhibit this
 
Summer titled “Pride and Passion” which will deal with the Negro
 
Leagues. Request for research follows:
 
 
 “ I am contacting you to see if anyone in your organization has information on the Bears or on an earlier team in the late 1800’s called the Reds. The Reds came up as a mention in an article with no other information offered. I have not heard of them. Also do you in your Borchert Field research have materials on the Bears use of Borchert Field and how those games were handled. Our staff is doing some research on some of our earlier African American newspapers to see what might show up on the Negro Leagues. If you have any information on your end I would appreciate it if we could make copies of what you have.”
 
This is an excellent opportunity to further our Chapter’s Borchert
Field Project. Research could concentrate on the games played at
Borchert Field!
 QUESTIONS?
Feel free to contact me with any questions at 414-322-4997, or by
e-mail at RICKIU76@aol.com.
 
81 Days ‘till the Brewers Home Opener!!

The SABR office is getting back to normal, after two holiday-shortened weeks and a flurry of renewals and last-minute early bird registrations for SABR 39. You should receive the Winter 2009 issue of The SABR Bulletin in the next few weeks. The SABR Bulletin has a new look and some new features. We hope you like it. The first of two issues of Baseball Research Journal is due out in the late spring.


By now, all members from the 2008 membership year should have received the 2008 edition of Baseball Research Journal. We hope you are enjoying it. New members for 2009 can order a copy at the University of Nebraska Press web site.


A few news items/articles you might be interested in:


Member Joe Palladino, a sportswriter and columnist for the Waterbury, CT, Republican American, recently wrote a column on SABR’s BioProject in which he interviewed members Joe Cizik and Bill Nowlin about their work on the BioProject’s monumental goal of writing a biography of every man who has played major league baseball. My favorite line of the article: “Visit bioproj.sabr.org …and you can see the completed bios for yourself. They are all in the “public” section of SABR, for all you slackers who have not joined up.”


Amid all the discussion and speculation about the Hall of Fame selections, member Mike Lynch took an informal poll of members on the SABR-L listserv and other Seamheads Facebook fans asking for their votes for the HoF. While SABR and other fans agreed on Henderson to a greater percentage than the actual HoF voting, they disagreed everywhere else. Mike’s article is HERE:


The Boston Herald notes that SABR member Tom Tippett has been hired as Director, Baseball Information Services by the Boston Red Sox. He’s been consulting with that organization since 2003. This hiring, along with Tony Blengino’s new job at the Seattle Mariners, shows SABR members are making their mark in more front offices and baseball operations.


Finally, two new items in the online SABR zine that you might have missed. The first notes members Art Stewart and Gib Bodet, who each received Scout of the Year honors at the winter meetings. The second article gives an overview of some recent updates to the Protoball section of the Retrosheet website.


As always, thank you for your continued support of and participation in SABR.


John Zajc

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HOLIDAY SEASON

Happy Holidays to All! I hope you're enjoying the warm weather........only 15 weeks and 5 days to Brewers Opening Day! Think the snow will be gone by then?

HOLIDAY GET-TOGETHER

We'll be having our annual Holiday get-together at Long Wong's, 5230 West Bluemound Road on Monday December 29th at 5:30 PM. Stop down and socialize, enjoy your choice of beverage, and a bite to eat.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The Emil Rothe Chapter ( Chicago) is holding a meeting in January. Here's all the info:
Chicago (Emil Rothe) Chapter
 
   
 
   
Meeting Announcement
 
Date: Saturday January 10, 2009
 
Time: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
 
Location: Eisenhower Public Library, 4613 N. Oketo Ave., Harwood Hei ghts, IL
         (Near the Northwest Side of Chicago -- one block south of Lawrence; two blocks west of Harlem)
 
Web Site: http://www.eisenhowerlibrary.org/
 
Driving Directions: If you're coming to the library on Route 294 (Tri-State), you should take Route 90 (Kennedy) to Chicago and then exit at either Cumberland going south or at Harlem going south. Take Cumberland or Harlem south to Lawrence. Make a left on Lawrence from Cumberland or make a right on Lawrence from Harlem. The library is approximately two (2) blocks west of Harlem and a block south of Lawrence.
 
Program: -- Amber Buchanan of the Chicago Baseball Museum will show the organization’s recently completed documentary “Buck O'Neil and Black Baseball in
Chicago”. Written and produced by John Owens, the film offers a unique look at the early days of local minority baseball, much of it through the eyes of O'Neil, the one-time Negro League legend.
 
                   -- Jim Walker will discuss his book “Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television”. Co-authored with Robert Bellamy, the book traces the history of baseball telecasts from the earliest experimental efforts to the present day.
 
                   -- R.J. Lesch is the co-editor of an upcoming SABR BioProject book on the 1959 White Sox entitled “Go-Go to Glory”. The book will co ntain biographies of all of the players on the team in addition to background articles. R.J. will discuss the efforts made to ensure that a quality product was produced while still getting the book out in time to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the pennant-winning team.
 
For More Information: Contact Richard Smiley at (312) 525-3606.


Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter Meeting

The next meeting of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR will be held on Saturday February 28th. Here's all the info:
Don Larsen’s Perfect Game
 
Saturday, February 28, 2009
11:00 AM
Long Wong’s Chinese American Sports Bar
5230 W. Bluemound Rd.
 
On Saturday February 28, 2009 the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR, with the help of Doak Ewing, President of Rare Sportsfilms, will be showing Don Larsen’s Perfect Game. Doak has graciously offered to show the perfect game pitched by Don Larsen on October 8, 1956. This is an event which is unique! Professor James Walker, Author of the book, "Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television", co-authored with Richard Bellamy. will also give a brief presentation prior to the show ing.This game has been shown publicly only on a few occasions, and we THANK Doak for offering to do this!! 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 recommended 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 by calling at 414-322-4997.
 
=0 A
Admission is FREE and open to all baseball fans. Lunch and beverages will be available for purchase.

SABR NATIONAL CONVENTION

The SABR National Convention is rapidly approaching. You can access the latest developments, including booking the hotel, and saving money by pre-registering before New Years by going to the SABR website at www.sabr.org, and clicking the Convention hyperlink.


 
SABR 39
July 30 – August 2, 2009, Washington, D.C.
Please visit the SABR 39 Convention Website for updates on the convention (including research presentation submissions), hotel information, and lots to do in and around Washington.
Time is almost up for early bird registration sign up before December 31st and save $30!

Questions????

Don't hesiatate in calling me at 414-322-4497, or e-mailing me at RICKIU76@aol.com if you have any comments or questions. Hope to see you soon.

Rick Schabowski

SABR 39 Convention Website Is Live

Do you know what you’re doing July 30 to August 2, 2009? How does attending SABR
39 in Washington, DC sound? Find out more about the convention, the hotel, and
nearby attractions on the new SABR 39 Convention website, http://convention.sabr.org


Be sure to bookmark the site for frequent updates.

Register for the convention before December 31 and save $30 (you can use the
extra money to buy books and souvenirs in DC). Head to the SABR store
(http://store.sabr.org/) and join the 164 members who’ve already taken advantage
of this discount.

If you had not paid your 2009 dues before October 24, you should have received a
renewal notice in the mail (or will receive it very shortly). If you haven’t
already paid your dues for 2009, please renew online via SABR’s safe and secure
website. Annual membership is $65, with a discounted rate of $45 for those under
age 30 or over age 65. You can cut down on the number of renewal notices you
receive and save a few dollars if you renew for three years. A regular
three-year renewal is $175; senior three-year renewal is $129. Keep SABR in your
life by renewing today.


Board Nominations Open until February 1

The SABR Nominating Committee is still seeking nominations for candidates for
the 2009 election as well as your input for questions to ask candidates on the
Candidate Statement Form. All candidates must have been members of SABR for at
least the preceding four years in order to be eligible for election.

The deadline for nominations is February 1, 2009. Nominees must prepare the
Candidate Statement Form, which is available from any Nominating Committee
member (in January). Candidate Statement Forms must be received by the
Nominating Committee Chair no later than February 15, 2009. The offices to be
filled at: President (two-year term), Secretary (three-year term), Director
(three-year term). If you would like to nominate yourself or another member or
suggest a question for the candidates, please contact a member of the nominating
committee:

Dan Levitt (Chair) at danrl@attglobal.net
Mark Armour at markarmour@comcast.net
Norman Macht at nlm@grandecom.net

Thank you for your continued participation in the SABR community, and happy
holidays!


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

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You only have 20 days left to take advantage of the discounted registration for
SABR 39 in Washington, DC!

Register before December 31, 2008, for only $85. On January 1, 2009, the price
goes to $115. 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 well-stocked
convention goody bag. Sign up today for SABR 39 at the SABR Store,
http://store.sabr.org. 114 members have registered through yesterday.

While you are at the SABR store, please consider renewing your SABR membership
at the same time.

Membership dues provide more than 70% of SABR’s operating expenses, thus every
renewal helps SABR fulfill its mission and maintain its programming. Your SABR
membership gives you two issues of Baseball Research Journal, the National
Pastime convention journal, the quarterly SABR Bulletin, and access to a variety
of online resources, such as SABR-L and the online encyclopedia. More than
that, it provides a true gathering place and community for all baseball fans,
regardless of age, gender, location, or background. Please return your renewal
notice via postal mail or renewal securely and quickly online at the SABR store.


Now through March 1, 2009, SABR is conducting a member-get-a-member campaign.
For each member you recruit, you get one chance to win a random drawing for all
convention events fees paid for the Washington Convention. If you recruit five
new members, you will automatically receive a one-year extension to your SABR
membership.

Thank you for your continued participation in the SABR community.

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 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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.”

 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

How i may contact admin this site? I have a question.
iijiivei

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

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

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Do you want buy Warhammer gold and Warhammer Power leveling?
you can to the website:www.gold-warhammer.com
湖南留学网

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

 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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 ½ 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

Bob Koehler has passed away after a long bout with cancer........remember him in your thoughts and Prayers!

Rick

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

 
> 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

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

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 ½ 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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