Society for American Baseball Research, Rogers Hornsby Chapter

April 2024 Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

A baseball novel that weaves a tale spanning rural Arkansas, the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, the start of the 2024 season, the (seeming) exoneration of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and a challenging quiz about baseball’s expansion teams gave us a lot to talk about at the April meeting on Sunday.

Our fantastic hosts – Bailey Hall and her parents, Nicole Bryan-Hall and Brian Hall – provided the perfect venue for 14 members and guests to hear author and Larry Dierker Chapter member Mike Vance tell us about his recently published book, “Wingo: The Remarkable Life of an Unremarkable Man.”

Vance read from “Wingo,” the first of a duology, depicting a fictional character interacting with baseball legends and locations in New York. Among the tales he shared included one of Wingo’s most challenging assignments in baseball: keeping Babe Ruth on the straight and narrow.

Vance signed books and took questions about his duology. He plans to publish the second book this summer and continue Wingo’s journey to Cincinnati and Houston.

“Wingo” can be purchased at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Wingo-Remarkable-Life-Unremarkable-Man-ebook/dp/B0CVP96ZW8

Vance also shared with us his work on the Astros Hall of Fame Committee and gave insight into how Reid Ryan and Mike Acosta were inspired by other teams’ halls of fame to bring attention to great Astros players, broadcasters and staff.

Jim Baker sprung on us a quiz focusing on expansion clubs in MLB. Jerry Miller (pictured below, left), unbothered by the revelations involving Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, easily dominated the contest with 43 points out of a maximum of 57. Special guest Mike Vance placed second with 24, and Jan Larson (pictured below, right) was third with 23. Jim generously offered prizes in the form of gift cards to Serranos, a chapter favorite, to the first- and second-place winners. Because Mike lives in a Serranos-less area between Austin and Houston, he graciously passed the gift card to Jan.

Try your hand at Jim’s quiz below and see if you can top Jerry.

 

Expanding Horizons Quiz

By Jim Baker

I was going to do a Tax Day-themed quiz, but ran out of ideas after Bobby Pfeil and Scott “Internal Revenue” Service. Instead, everything in this quiz pertains to the 14 teams that were added to the original 16 in the latter half of the 20^th Century, with an emphasis on their inaugural seasons.

Team section (1 point each; 21 total points)

1. Which of the expansion teams hosted the very first game ever played by an expansion team?
2. No expansion team ever came close to playing .500 ball, but one did manage to win 70 games in their inaugural year (and then shocked everyone by finishing third the next season). Which team was it?
3. Which current non-expansion team abandoned its old city only to be immediately replaced by a team with the same name playing in the same stadium?
4. Which expansion team won 100 games the soonest after their expansion year?
5. Which was the first expansion team to win a World Series?
6. Which expansion team won a World Championship the fastest?
7. Name the five (5) expansion teams that still haven’t won a World Championship.
8. These two expansion teams—which share a birth year—have never won a division title.
9. Three expansion teams have relocated. Name them. For an extra point, name the expansion team that no longer uses the place name it was born with. (For purposes of this question, the Angels do not count.)
10. In addition to those four teams, two other expansion teams later either changed or altered their original names. Name them.
11. Of the 14 teams that started play in the expansion era, only one currently has a historic record over .500 (and it’s by only 21 games as of yesterday). Name that team.
12. Which expansion team served as the backdrop for one of the best-selling and most-beloved baseball books of all time? Need both city and team name to be correct.

Player section (2 points each, unless specified; 37 total points)

13. These two teammates on the 1993 Rockies broke and hold the record for most RBI on a first-year team with 98 each. One was a big first baseman who came from the Expos organization and would total 399 homers in his career and the other was a third baseman with a 14-year career who was yelled at by Kramer in the Seinfeld episode “The Letter.”
14. The most home runs hit by a member of a first-year expansion team was 32 by this player whose career would later be overshadowed by a Hall of Famer with the exact same name. Who was he? For an extra point, which expansion team did he play for?
15. According to b-WAR, the best season ever by a player on a first-year expansion team was 7.2 by this Houston pitcher (a lack of support left him with a 10-20 record, however). No other pitcher is close!
16. The best b-WAR ever posted (by far) by a position player on a first-year expansion team was 6.2 by this player who became the previous player’s teammate in 1963. The stellar season in question came with his new team—to which he was traded, and not given up in the expansion draft.
17. These four men played for two different first-year teams. Match the players with the inaugural teams they toiled for:
    Ron Fairly                              Houston and Seattle
    Bob Cerv                                 Montreal and Toronto
    George Brunet                      Los Angeles and Houston
    Chris Cannizzaro                 New York and San Diego
18. The best-ever b-WAR by a catcher on a first-year team (1.8) was achieved by this Angels backstopper who shares a name with his Hall of Famer father, a 1930s Cleveland Indians slugger who hailed from Snohomish, Washington.
19. The best-ever b-WAR by a left fielder (3.7) and a center fielder (4.1) on a first-year team was achieved by two men named Jones. What were their first names? For an extra point each, name their teams.
20. Only five future Hall of Famers ever played for a first-year expansion team. Interestingly, they were confined to just three teams. Here are the teams: 1962 New York, 1993 Marlins, 1998 Tampa Bay. Name the five players.

Answers appear at the bottom of the newsletter.

Hornsby Chapter Bylaws

As you may know, SABR has dedicated time and resources in recent years to improve the membership experience by encouraging chapters to formalize how they operate. Examples of improvements include having chapters conduct elections for chapter leadership positions and engage in membership recruitment and retention.

SABR HQ has also recommended that chapters adopt bylaws. As you may recall, the chapter held its first chapter commissioner election last May, with Gilbert Martinez being elected to a three-year term. He also appointed directors who make up the chapter leadership team, which includes Jan Larson, Monte Cely, Ryan Pollack, Jerry Miller and Don Dingee.

Now, the chapter leadership is ready to propose bylaws to the membership. The bylaws formalize the chapter commissioner role and duties, provide for requirements for the commissioner and give details about the director roles. The bylaws also address procedures in the event a commissioner or director is no longer able to serve. In addition, the bylaws provide instructions on how to amend the bylaws.

You can download the proposed bylaws here: April 2024 Hornsby Chapter Bylaws

The chapter will conduct an election on the bylaws from May 1 to 10. Members will have the opportunity to vote yes or no on the bylaws. Please look for a formal announcement to the Google Group and through the SABR chapter list. Only current SABR members affiliated with the Hornsby Chapter are eligible to vote. The results will be shared on the chapter email lists.

Predictatron 2024

By Jim Baker

Sunday, April 7, 2024, edition

AND WE’RE OFF!

The running of the 2024 Hornsby Chapter Predictatron is underway and with 23 participants, this is our largest field in the 18-year history of the contest. Mr. Larson has taken the bit and moved to the head of the pack, running up a very decent total of 278 points. He leads his next-closest pursuer—rookie Mr. Crombar, who is also in second in the Brian Rogers Division—by 16. Being the first leader also means Mr. Larson is our first Player of the Week.

Leading things in the Raeanne Martinez Division (named for our defending champion) is Mr. Robinson with a score of 253, eight points better than current runner-up, Mr. Polk. Mr. McNulty rounds out the Top 5 with a score of 248.

It must be remembered, of course, that this is a very volatile time of year in this contest and wild swings can and will take place. Despair not if you currently find yourself at the bottom of the standings, for big changes are bound to come as soon as the next update.

One of the things we take a measure of after everyone has submitted their ballots is who is taking chances and who is playing it safe. One way to gauge this is to check picks compared to last season’s MLB outcomes. The further a player is from last year’s standings, the “wilder” their ballot is considered. The closer, the “milder.”

In other words, if a player submitted a ballot that was exactly the same as last year’s final standings, their score would be 1,000—a very mild approach to be sure. This is this year’s Mild or Wild tabulation. The Wildest score is at the top:

Mike Dillon	742
Michael Harrell	758
Gilbert Martinez	779
Tom Wancho	804
Dan Walsh	808
John Rechtorovic	808
Eric Robinson	808
Don Dingee	814
Brian Rogers	823
Jan Larson	826
Mike McNulty	826
Raeanne Martinez	832
MEDIAN	832
Jim Baker	834
Frank Rechtorovic	834
Team Hall	834
Ryan Pollack	839
Syd Polk	839
Michael Bass	842
Jerry Miller	842
Gary McIntosh	844
Chris Crombar	856
Scott Gay	866
Ira Siegel	887

It’s something to keep in mind as the season progresses: who fares better, the risk taker or the risk averse?

Through games of Sunday, April 7, or 5.9 percent of the 2024 season:

	PLAYER	Points	PB
1	Jan Larson*	278	0
2	Chris Crombar	262	16
3	Mike McNulty	248	30
4	Tom Wancho	241	37
5	Brian Rogers	235	43
6	Frank Rechtorovic	216	62
7	Dan Walsh	201	77
8	Gilbert Martinez	200	78
9	Jim Baker	198	80
9	Gary McIntosh	198	80
11	Ryan Pollack	187	91
12	Mike Dillon	124	154
	*Player of the Week

	PLAYER	Points	PB
1	Eric Robinson	253	0
2	Syd Polk	245	8
3	Scott Gay	241	12
4	Ira Siegel	239	14
5	Jerry Miller	224	29
6	John Rechtorovic	214	39
7	Michael Harrell	192	61
8	Raeanne Martinez	191	62
9	Team Hall	183	70
10	Michael Bass	164	89
11	Don Dingee	156	97

Awardatron

(Shared via email to the chapter Google Group list on April 3)

By Ryan Pollack

www.ryanpollack.com

Greetings and salutations, baseball fans! Welcome to the 2024 season of Awardatron — I mean, err, Major League Baseball. We have just under a week’s worth of games in the books, meaning of course we can make 100% accurate predictions about who will win all the awards.

First things first, some housekeeping:

• We have 17 participants this year, the most ever! So like last year, I’ll be splitting the field into 2 divisions. Because this is Awardatron, I name the divisions after BBWAA award winners. Last year the divisions were named for the first-ever BBWAA MVP award winners: Frankie Frisch and Lefty Grove. This year I’ve chosen the 1973 Cy Young winners as our division names. When the time comes, you’ll be in either the Jim Palmer or Tom Seaver Division. I alternated division assignments based on the order in which you submitted your ballot. (For the record, I am not playing.) 
• Speaking of ballot submissions, the earliest submission was Syd Polk who submitted his ballot on March 17th at 11:34 AM, a full 9 days before the season started. The last ballot was submitted by Jimmy Miller on March 27th at 7:27 PM. I think a bunch of stuff happened
• Schedule:
  • I will send email updates throughout the season; roughly one per month. I keep the email lists open (non-BCC) to encourage commentary and trash talk. In each update I give a brief overview of whom I think the top 3 candidates are for each award. I sometimes base this on Vegas odds, sometimes on mathematical projections, sometimes on gut feel. I may go deeper on one or more candidates depending on how much time I have. Typically I will wax more loquacious about the Orioles, given my obvious bias.  
  • YOU CAN CHANGE ONE (1) PICK DURING THE ALL STAR BREAK. Doing this will reduce the point total you get for that pick, but it’s a way to keep yourself in the race! I’ll remind you as the deadline approaches and make it clear what & when will happen. 
  • After the awards are announced in mid November, I tally up everyone’s scores and send out the final standings.

With that said, let’s see whom we all think will win!!

Soto and Rodriguez are the clear favorites among this group, with longtime stalwart Mike Trout still inspiring some love. I love me some Kyle Tucker; I saw him bash 2 HRs in a Round Rock Express game several years ago and I continue to think he’s one of the more underrated players in the game. Despite being on the Astros who get a lot of media attention, King Tuck is a pretty bland looking guy who doesn’t generate a lot of buzz himself. When he stepped to the plate against Felix Bautista on August 7th last year with the bases loaded and the Astros losing 6-3 in the top of the 9th, my wife was like “Who’s that guy? He looks like a huge dork.” And I was like “He does look like a huge dork, but he’s a really good hitter, very underrated, so I’m nervous.” Turns out I had good reason to be, as Tucker blasted a grand slam that gave the Astros a 7-6 lead they held onto to win. Ugh.

Great, now I’m depressed. So I’ll cheer myself up by being happy there are 2 Orioles on this list. Thank you for your votes of confidence. I’m not positive either will win, but I sure would love it if they did. I think they have the skillset to do it.

Our field in the NL seems much narrower. Many of us think there will be a repeat of last year’s “Acuña Jr. or Betts?” discussion. I can see that happening. The interesting name here for me is Trea Turner. He’s been continually excellent but has never had that dominant season, and he struggled much of last year with Philly. He did turn it on in the last month or so of the season and took that into the playoffs (.347 AVG, 3 HR, 9 runs scored). We shall see.

I’m so excited for Corbin Burnes on the Orioles this year. I know the rigors and randomness of baseball well, but his first start was a gem and he’s been consistently very good to excellent for the past couple of years. ALSO, we didn’t give up much of anything to get him. Joey Ortiz was like our 5th best infield prospect and DL Hall struggles enough with command to have ‘future reliever’ written on him instead of “future starter”. These guys have a chance to be good in Milwaukee, for sure, and I’m rooting for them. But Burnes is way more valuable to us now than these guys are. Love love love what Mike Elias & Sig Mejdal are doing for our club. 

Speaking of Orioles and pitching, I’ve loved watching Kevin Gausman get better over the past 3 years. He showed flashes of being good when he was with the Orioles, but our pitching development was still a trash fire at that point and so he understandably never reached his full potential (See: Arrieta, Jake). He’s a borderline ace in Toronto, maybe an actual one, and I would love to face him in the playoffs. (Actually not really, I’d be scared.)

I think George Kirby has a chance to be great too. He doesn’t walk anyone (2.5% walk rate in 2023, vs. the major league average of ~8.5%) and that is a huge recipe for success. Run prevention is worth more than run scoring; for this reason I think Seattle has a chance to be sneaky good this year (although in Jim Baker’s Predictatron contest, I have them missing the playoffs).

I’ll leave with — given that Blake Snell signed with an NL team, I think it’s highly unlikely he wins the AL Cy Young award this year 😉 But who knows, CC Sabathia was nails for the Brewers in the second half of 2008 after being traded from the AL to the NL, so anything could happen … 

Speaking of the NL Cy Young, most of us think this will be Luigi’s — I mean, Strider’s — year. (Sorry, the baseball mustache trend is getting to me.) I think Strider had a much stronger NL Cy Young case last year than Blake Snell did. I prefer FanGraphs WAR over Baseball Reference WAR and by this measure, Strider was basically tied with Zach Wheeler for the NL lead. Snell was closer to 4th. He wasn’t bad by any means, but other guys were better. This year, maybe Strider’s new curveball will put him over the top. I would not bet on Snell repeating or even finishing Top 5 this year.

Pretty much consensus on the field here. I haven’t read much at all about Langford, but I saw a lot of Carter in the playoffs last year so I’m excited about him. Also, he looks exactly like a co-worker of mine who is NOT ONLY a Rangers fan, BUT ALSO whose name is ALSO Evan. Uncanny.

So uh — yeah, two facts for you here. Yesterday the Orioles started Tony Kemp at second base. Meanwhile Jackson Holliday has hit 2 HR in Triple-A this year already and owns a 1.080 OPS. I get that the whole ‘gaming service time’ thing isn’t truly stamped out, but this just makes me sad. Hopefully new Orioles owner David Rubenstein has a different philosophy when it comes to extending young talent than John Angelos did. I’m happy Angelos hired Elias and stayed out of his way, but excuse me when I say that thank fuck I don’t have to think about him and his decisions for our team ever again. 

Over in the NL, you have the Dodgers’ other Japanese offseason megadeal in Yamamoto. I’ll be honest, I’m on the fence about whether NPB imports should be eligible for MLB rookie awards, I know technically it’s their first year in MLB. So technically yes, they are rookies. But it just doesn’t sit quite right with me. 

That said, Yamamoto is the heavy favorite for a reason. He didn’t have a great first start, but he was much better in his second one. For a quick look at pitcher dominance I look at strikeout rate minus walk rate — K-BB% for short. By this measure Yamamoto’s 23.1% is well above last year’s MLB SP average of 14.2%.

I’m intrigued by the Kyle Harrison pick. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know who this was. Turns out I was mentally confusing him with another Giants pitching prospect, Kyle Crick. It also turns out that Crick was a Giants prospect back in 2016-ish and has since rotated through the Pirates and White Sox. This shows you how much I pay attention to the Giants, but hopefully I can burn this into my brain to land an awesome rarity score on a future Immaculate Grid. 

Speaking of Kyles, whatever happened to Kyle Freeland? He was awesome in, what, 2018? And how he sucks. Kyle Hendricks is still around and doing well, right? Kyle Lewis is my sneaky ROY pick in Immaculate Grid whenever I can land him because it happened in 2020 and no one remembers what happened during that season. Okay, I promise I’m done with Kyles now. 

Here we get into the category of “team that is the most positive surprise” which can sometimes be “team that most overperforms its run differential to sneak into the playoffs”, which is how I correctly predicted late last season that Skip Schumaker would win the award.

Many of us think that this is the Mariners’ year — for real this time. Will it be? It’s been “this is the year, for sure!” for many years now, going back to I think like 2015. Except for 2022, the M’s regularly finish just out of the playoffs. They can never seem to quite get that push to get over the line. They do however have a legitimate MVP contender in Julio Rodriguez as well as a great 1-2-3 rotation in Castillo, Kirby, and Gilbert. 

The Rangers lost the handle on the division last year. While the Astros are still very good and can never be counted out, they seem a step below their days of guaranteed 95+ wins every year. Will this be enough for Servais?

Ron Washington … I love the guy, especially his energy and his candor. Living in Austin, I was rooting hard for the Rangers in 2010 and 2011. But I just don’t think the Angels have what it takes to make a run this year. Their pitching is okay, but Mike Trout probably won’t play a full season. Even if he did, it wouldn’t be enough.

Craig Counsell gets the “Bob-Melvin-takes-over-last-year-‘s-underperforming-team” pick here. Mike Shildt says “Hold up, that’s my underperforming team.” And Bob Melvin says “… first time?”

=====

Thanks for playing y’all! Settle in and enjoy the season! We’ll be in touch throughout. 

Frank Deford Lecture on Sports Journalism

Earlier this year, Dr. Michael Butterworth, the director of the Center for Sports Communication & Media at UT-Austin, shared an event of interest to our chapter. The center sponsored the Frank Deford Lecture on Sports Journalism on March 27. This year’s speaker was Dr. Gerald Early, a distinguished professor at Washington University of St. Louis and one of the foremost writers on baseball. Dr. Early is consulting with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on changes to their Black Baseball exhibit, which was the subject of his talk.

Chapter member Bailey Hall attended and shared this summary with the chapter on the group email list:

I just wanted to give a quick summary of the Dr. Gerald Early talk given today at the UT Dealey Center for New Media. My mom and I went, and it was super interesting, so I figured I’d share some of my favorite parts with everyone.

As a little bit of background, Dr. Early is a professor of African and African American Studies at WASHU in St. Louis, and he has appeared in I believe all of the Ken Burns baseball documentaries. He also just seemed to be a baseball enthusiast and fan.

His talk was about the reimagining and design of the updated Negro Leagues exhibit at the Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown. He talked about quite a few interesting details like how they arrived at a name for the exhibit, what needed to be updated (because the exhibit hadn’t been changed since the 1997), and how to portray the players. He talked also gave a bit of history about the Negro Leagues in general, and said something very interesting: he explained that for the Negro Leagues, the game that drew the biggest turnout was the all star game, and not the World Series. If anyone knows why that is, please let me know, because I was super curious about that! He also explained the nuances of how to portray Jackie Robinson because the board was concerned with how to, or if they should, display his political ideals. Robinson, according to Early, was a pretty vocal republican, and apparently there were board members who thought that this would “tarnish” Robinson’s legacy as a hero in civil rights. Early explained that he disagreed with this, believing that the point of a museum is to display all of the facts regardless of how people will take it. He then talked about the discussions that led to the naming of the book that goes with the exhibit. They landed on the name “Play Harder”, and explained that this was a really meaningful phrase in the Negro Leagues and for black players in general; many famous black major leaguers and Negro leaguers have been quoted saying “play harder” as an expression of perseverance and as a response to the racial backlash they faced.

There were tons more of these little anecdotes like these, so if anyone is curious, please let me know!

Many thanks to Bailey for attending and sharing!

Next meeting: Round Rock Express game at the Dell Diamond!

The May meeting will be our first baseball outing of the year. We’re attending the 7:15 p.m. Saturday, May 11, game between the Round Rock Express and the Las Vegas Aviators. There will be a post-game Star Wars-themed drone show. As is the chapter’s custom, we’ll plan to meet for barbecue at 5:30 p.m. at Salt Lick, located near the Dell Diamond. A call for RSVPs will go out in early May. Hope you can join us!

If you plan to join us, please purchase your own ticket in Section 121, Rows 23 and 24. I’ve purchased seats 21 and 22 in Row 24. Here’s the link: https://mlb.tickets.com/?orgId=22433&agency=MILB_MPV&eventId=26031#/event/E26031/seatmap/?seatmapId=9504&selectBuyers=false&minPrice=15&maxPrice=67&quantity=2&sort=price_desc&ada=false&seatSelection=true&onlyCoupon=true&onlyVoucher=false 

Quiz Answers

Team section (1 point each)

1. The “new” Washington Senators, 4/10/1961 vs. Chicago White Sox
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Arizona Diamondbacks, year 2 (100-62)
5. New York Mets, 1969
6. Arizona Diamondbacks, year 4
7. a, Pilots/Brewers Mariners  c. Tampa Bay  d. Rockies e. Padres
8. Marlins b. Rockies
9. WAS/TEX b. MTL/WAS   c. SEP/MIL   d. FLA/MIA Marlins
10. Houston Colt .45s/Astros b. Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays
11. Houston Colt .45s/Astros; 4925-4904 through Saturday
12. Seattle Pilots, Ball Four by Jim Bouton

Player section (2 points each)

13. Andres Galarraga and Charlie Hayes
14. Frank Thomas, 1962 Mets
15. Turk Farrell
16. Rusty Staub
17. Fairly MTL-TOR (AS); Cerv, LAA-HOU; Brunet HOU-SEP; Cannizzaro NYM-SDP
18. Earl Averill (his father was known as the “Earl of Snohomish”)
19. Rupert Jones, 1977 Mariners b.  Mack Jones, 1969 Expos
20. Gil Hodges/Richie Ashburn, 62NYM; Trevor Hoffman, 93FLA; Wade Boggs/Fred McGriff, 98TBR

The best time of the year has arrived – baseball season! It is a joyous time for many, and nerve-racking for some. But whether your team is off to a great start, or not, we can all agree that we’re happy that baseball is back!

We are in for special treats for the April meeting. It will be hosted by Bailey Hall and her parents Nicole Bryan-Hall and Brian Hall at their home in Central Austin. The meeting will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 14. Please RSVP to Gilbert Martinez (gmartinez46@mac.com) by Thursday, April 11, if you plan to come. The home address will be shared via email.

Please bring a beverage of your choice or a dessert to share with the group, and you’re invited to bring swimwear and a towel to enjoy the swimming pool. The hosts will provide hot dogs with all the fixings.

In addition, Dierker Chapter member and author Mike Vance will join us for a book reading of his just-published first novel in a duology about baseball called “Wingo: The Remarkable Life of an Unremarkable Man.”

March 2024 Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

The Seoul Series, Opening Day on Thursday, and the cloud over Shohei Ohtani and MLB were some of the topics we discussed at the March meeting on Sunday.

Fourteen members and guests gathered at Serranos in Southwest Austin to chew on Mexican food and speculations about Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who was suddenly fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers soon after the conclusion of the two-game series in Seoul, South Korea. After an initial statement by Mizuhara that Ohtani had paid off the interpreter’s gambling debts to the tune of $4.5 million, Ohtani’s representatives have since said the superstar was the victim of a massive theft. Late Friday, MLB announced that it has begun an official investigation into the matter, leading to lots of discussion online and at our meeting.

We also talked about Blake Snell signing with the San Francisco Giants. The National League Cy Young winner from last season was connected to the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, among others, before choosing a West Coast team.

This was the 208th consecutive month in which the chapter has met, extending a streak that began in 2006.

Norman Macht’s Icebreaker

Longtime SABR member, former member of the SABR board of directors and author of the definitive biography about Connie Mack, Norman Macht shared an icebreaker via email with me a few months ago. We used it as a group activity at the start of our meeting. See how many of the given first names of Hall of Famers you know.

Hall of Fame Quiz

By Norman Macht

What’s the given first name of these Hall of Famers?

Lefty Grove                              Babe Ruth                               Sparky Anderson        

Yogi Berra                                Chief Bender                           Three-Finger Brown   

Mickey Cochrane                    Whitey Ford                            Lefty Gomez               

Goose Goslin                           Goose Gossage                       Gabby Hartnett

Whitey Herzog                        Catfish Hunter                         Chipper Jones

Pee Wee Reese                       Red Schoendienst                   Duke Snider                

Arky Vaughan                         Pie Traynor                              Hack Wilson               

Cy Young

Answers appear at the end of this newsletter.

News from SABR HQ

In a recent virtual meeting for chapter leaders, SABR announced it was doing something differently for the upcoming board of directors’ election. Eight candidates for two open board spots will have a chance to introduce themselves to members during a virtual meeting on April 10. SABR said members should be on the lookout for an email soon with more information.

I also learned about an interesting exhibit at Camden County College in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, called “A League Apart: Showcasing the Legacy of Philadelphia Negro League Baseball.” The exhibit runs through May 20. Here’s the link: https://aleagueapart.org/

Predictatron and Awardatron

Chapter members should check their recent email for invitations to participate in Jim Baker’s Predictatron, in which members are tasked with predicting division standings, playoff seeding and eventual World Series Champion. Can anyone knock off last year’s successful prognosticators? Raeanne Martinez won the season-long contest, while Frank Rechtorovic won the post-season contest. This year, divisions will be named for Raeanne and Brian Rogers, who won his division in the season-long contest. Please see Jim’s email for instructions and the spreadsheet with which to submit your predictions. Entries are due by midnight (Central Time) on Thursday, March 28 (Opening Day).

Members should also look for the email from Ryan Pollack for the Awardatron Contest. Your goal is to predict who’ll win the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year awards in both the AL and the NL during the 2024 MLB season. Last year, Mike Cohen won the Lefty Grove Division and took the title with 94 out of a possible 120 points. Jerry Miller won the Frankie Frisch Division and finished runner-up overall with a still-impressive 89 points.

Entries are due by 9 p.m. (Central Time) Thursday, March 28. For directions and submission instructions, go to this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqmQxc9x0pkS8J-5ldYzlO7ehL4rkRqMp8WeE99gyGhVQEMw/viewform

Starting Pitchers on Opening Day 2024 Quiz

Congratulations to Ryan Pollack (pictured below, left) and Cy Morong for acing the challenge to name the starting pitchers for Opening Day on Thursday. Ryan more than doubled the score of the second-place finisher with 19 points, followed by Cy with eight points. Ryan won “The Long Ball: The Summer of ’75 – Spaceman, Catfish, Charlie Hustle, and the Greatest World Series Ever Played” by Tom Adelman. Cy won “Coopertown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame” by Zev Chafets.

The group noticed how many of baseball’s best pitchers are starting the season on the injured list, which made it especially challenging to name Opening Day starters.

Think you’re ready for Opening Day? Take a stab at the quiz below. The answers appear at the end of this newsletter.

Starting Pitchers on Opening Day 2024

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Information available as of March 23, 2024. Each blank is worth one (1) point. Maximum score is 28 points (because the Dodgers and Padres had not yet listed their starting pitchers as of March 23).

Brewers at Mets

______________ vs. ________________

Angels at Orioles

______________ vs. ________________

Braves at Phillies

______________ vs. ________________

Nationals at Reds

______________ vs. ________________

Giants at Padres

______________ vs. _____TBA________

Cardinals at Dodgers

______________ vs. _____TBA________

Blue Jays at Rays

______________ vs. ________________

Twins at Royals

______________ vs. ________________

Tigers at White Sox

______________ vs. ________________

Pirates at Marlins

______________ vs. ________________

Yankees at Astros

______________ vs. ________________

Cubs at Rangers

______________ vs. ________________

Guardians at Athletics

______________ vs. ________________

Rockies at Diamondbacks

______________ vs. ________________

Red Sox at Mariners

______________ vs. ________________

Next Meeting on April 14

Our next meeting will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 14, at the home of Bailey Hall and her parents, Brian Hall and Nicole Bryan-Hall. SABR Dierker Chapter member and book author Mike Vance will be a special guest. A call for RSVPs will go out to the email list in early April.

Norman Macht’s Icebreaker

Hall of Fame Quiz Answers

What’s the given first name of these Hall of Famers?

Lefty Grove (Robert)               Babe Ruth (George)                Sparky Anderson (George)

Yogi Berra (Lawrence)             Chief Bender (Charles)            Three-Finger Brown (Mordecai)

Mickey Cochrane (Gordon)     Whitey Ford (Edward)             Lefty Gomez (Vernon)

Goose Goslin (Leon)               Goose Gossage (Richard)        Gabby Hartnett (Charles)

Whitey Herzog (Dorrel)          Catfish Hunter (James)           Chipper Jones (Larry)

Pee Wee Reese (Harold)         Red Schoendienst (Albert)      Duke Snider (Edwin)

Arky Vaughan (Joseph)           Pie Traynor (Harold)                Hack Wilson (Lewis)

Cy Young (Denton)

Starting Pitchers on Opening Day 2024 Answers

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Brewers at Mets: Peralta vs. Quintana

Angels at Orioles: Sandoval vs. Burnes

Braves at Phillies: Strider vs. Wheeler

Nationals at Reds: Gray vs. Montas

Giants at Padres: Webb vs. TBA

Cardinals at Dodgers: Mikolas vs. TBA

Blue Jays at Rays: Berrios vs. Eflin

Twins at Royals: Lopez vs. Ragans

Tigers at White Sox: Skubal vs. Crochet

Pirates at Marlins: Keller vs. Luzardo

Yankees at Astros: Cortes vs. Valdez

Cubs at Rangers: Steele vs. Eovaldi

Guardians at Athletics: Bieber vs. Wood

Rockies at Diamondbacks: Freeland vs. Gallen

Red Sox at Mariners: Bello vs. Castillo

February Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Pete Rose – a polarizing ballplayer during his playing days and long after his suspension from baseball – continues to dominate conversations of die-hard and casual baseball fans alike. A New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist and SABR member joined us on Zoom for SABR Day on Saturday to remind us of Rose’s great baseball accomplishments and the poor choices and gambling addiction that derailed his legacy.

Keith O’Brien, author of “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball,” helped us celebrate SABR Day by explaining why now is the right time to revisit Rose’s career, the gambling scandal and his continued exile from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“This was a man who we only care about his fall because we cared about his rise,” O’Brien said. “One thing I wanted to do with this book is reconstruct that. Bring us back to that time when we cared and why we loved him. Bring him to the mountaintop and let him fall as he does.”

About a dozen SABR members and guests joined us for the conversation with O’Brien. The meeting was recorded is available on YouTube at this link and below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWyHnloOh6Y

Many thanks to O’Brien for previewing his book, which is scheduled to be published on March 26. He offered to share bookmarks and a signature plate for those who reach out to him with proof of purchase (please email Gilbert Martinez for more details at gmartinez46@mac.com).

You can find more information about Keith O’Brien and links to order his book on this website: https://keithob.com/

Caribbean Series in Miami

Chapter members Monte Cely and Mike Dillon are in Miami watching the Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park, home of MLB’s Miami Marlins. Monte has been sharing dispatches from Miami with the Google Group list.

“For 2024, there is a field of seven league champions – the permanent members Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico, joined by invitees Panama, Curacao, and Nicaragua,” Monte wrote.  “They will play a single round robin (three games daily for seven days with each team having a ‘bye’ day).”

Semifinals are scheduled for Feb. 8 and will be broadcast on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. The third-place game will be on Feb. 9, followed by the Caribbean Series Championship.

Research Spotlight

Chapter member Dan Walsh noticed that Joe Mauer’s election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame made him the second Hall of Famer, joining Paul Molitor, from Cretin High School in St. Paul. Dan posed a question and a hint for our email list: “Can you name any other HOFers who went to the same high school?  Hint: Think California.”

What followed was a robust discussion with spot-on guesses and near misses. The next day, Dan shared the list with us, and included some on the horizon.

Here’s the complete list of HOF members from the same high school.  Following high school and city, other notable players from the school are shown in brackets.

Walter Johnson / Arky Vaughn – Fullerton Union HS, Fullerton, CA (Vern Stephens, Steve Busby) (Note: Vern Stephens attended Long Beach Poly High School, not Fullerton)

Joe Cronin / Harry Heilman – Sacred Heart Cathedral HS, San Francisco (Dolph Camilli, Jim Gentile)

Paul Waner / Lloyd Waner – Harrah HS, Harrah, OK

Frank Chance / Tom Seaver – Fresno HS, Fresno, CA (Jim Maloney, Dutch Leonard)

Joe DiMaggio / Tony Lazzeri – Galileo HS, San Francisco (Dom & Vince DiMaggio, Bobby Brown)

Frank Robinson / Ernie Lombardi – McClymonds HS, Oakland (Vada Pinson, Curt Flood, Lee Lacy)

Eddie Murray / Ozzie Smith – Locke HS, Los Angeles (HS teammates)

Barry Larkin / Ken Griffey, Jr. – Archbishop Moeller HS, Cincinnati (Buddy & David Bell)

Tony LaRussa / Fred McGriff – Thomas Jefferson HS, Tampa, FL (Luis Gonzalez, Tino Martinez)

Paul Molitor / Joe Mauer – Cretin HS, St. Paul, MN (Jake Esch – Who? Esch is the only other major leaguer from this school, appeared in 4 games)

The Future:  If Chase Utley gets elected, he will join Tony Gwynn – both played at LB Poly HS in Long Beach, CA.

If Manny Ramirez ever gets in, then he will join Rod Carew – both went to George Washington HS in New York City.

Next meeting on Sunday, March 24

With the start of spring training just days away, our next chapter meeting comes after the official start of the season with the Seoul Series. We’ll meet at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 24, at Serranos Cocina and Cantina, at MoPac and Ben White/71.

We’ll have a lot to talk about – from the Seoul Series, featuring the new-look Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, with games in South Korea to kick off the season and opening day on March 28 for the rest of the teams.

We’ll put out a call for RSVPs in early March.

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter will celebrate SABR Day at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, on Zoom with Keith O’Brien, a best-selling author and journalist who has written the forth-coming book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball.”

To register for this Zoom meeting, please go to this link: https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMof-qqrDouE9LsK2J3Hqxi0dBhqUL7Dxfb

The book can be pre-ordered on the author’s website: https://keithob.com/

Hope to see y’all on Zoom on Feb. 3!

January Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Details of two baseball stadium tours, one author talking about the circumstances in which professional ball players got the call and another detailing 19th century baseball, a national baseball writer noting a turning point in the Texas-New York team rivalries, and an MLB trainer tasked with preparing the next generation of umpires filled a full day of presentations and discussions at the Rogers Hornsby Chapter’s 18th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting on Saturday.

More than 30 chapter members and guests attended the winter meeting at Texas State University on Saturday in person and on Zoom. The meeting also featured the Round Rock Express general manager and the team’s longtime broadcaster giving updates on the Triple-A affiliate of World Series Champions Texas Rangers and one chapter member seeking to determine which is worse: a leadoff walk or a leadoff single?

Developing the next generation of umpires

Jason Starkovich, a former minor league umpire who now works as an umpire development observer for Major League Baseball, joined us via Zoom to talk about how the pathway for umpires to reach the big leagues has changed. With four years of experience as a minor league umpire, including at Dell Diamond, Starkovich trains and develops umpires in MLB’s rookie league in Arizona.

He said recent changes in the game such as the pitch clock and replay review have reduced arguments between managers and players and umpires. He noted that aspiring major league umpires are similar to baseball prospects – doing everything they can to make the big leagues. He said training often involves helping young umpires develop good instincts and quick judgments with an eye on getting the call right. He said the umpires who demonstrate these skills best are the ones who get called up.

A product of the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School, Starkovich said the path of aspiring umpires is different nowadays. Those interested apply directly to MLB and can participate in a one-month training in Florida. Those who make the cut develop their skills at rookie and low-A ball.

He shared that when he was working a game as an umpire, he and his crew were laser-focused on getting the call right. He also said he spent every second on the field “absolutely waiting for something to explode.” He added that there’s little time for idle chitchat since everyone involved – players, coaches, managers and umpires – are all trying to make the big leagues, so it felt very much like a business.

Teams from Texas vs. Teams from New York

Joe Sheehan, national baseball writer and contributor to The Athletic, joined us via Zoom to focus on the rivalry between teams from Texas (the Rangers and the Astros) and New York. Noting the recent run of success since 2017 by the Astros with two World Series Championships, four pennants, six division titles and seven consecutive trips to the American League Championship Series, Sheehan said, “For me, the Astros are a dynasty.” And, with the Rangers winning the 2023 World Series, Sheehan noticed how the script has flipped when Texas teams face New York teams, particularly the Yankees.

Sheehan said he’s fascinated by turning points and focused on an at-bat in 2010 by Texas Ranger Bengie Molina (traded from the San Francisco Giants that year).

Up to that point, Texas teams (Astros and Rangers combined) had zero playoff series wins against the Yankees, but when Molina hit a three-run homer in Yankee Stadium to even the ALCS, Sheehan said that marked the turning point in the rivalry between the two states. The Rangers dispatched the Yankees to go on to their first World Series as a franchise. For the Yankees, they’ve since suffered playoff losses to the Astros in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022 and missed the playoffs in 2023 for the first time since 2016.

In a conversation with chapter member Ryan Pollack and with questions from the audience, Sheehan shared his thoughts about other baseball issues. He believes that revenue sharing between the teams and broadcasting issues will dominate the next collective bargaining agreement with the players. He said he thinks MLB wants to get to a point where it sells everything, but it can’t get there because some teams have highly profitable deals with broadcasting companies. Like many baseball fans, he’s been saddened by what John Fisher has done with the Oakland Athletics.

For more information about the Joe Sheehan Newsletter, click here: http://www.joesheehan.com/

Getting the call

Zak Ford, chair of SABR’s Dusty Baker Chapter in Sacramento, joined us via Zoom to share highlights from his book “Called Up: Ballplayers Remember Becoming Major Leaguers” (Oct. 27, 2023).

His book includes more than 100 major leaguers such as Bobby Grich, Bobby Witt and Ryan Rowland-Smith. He includes how each player found out they were going to the show, including who told them and the circumstances in which they were told. He also includes details about their first game in uniform and first game appearance.

To learn more about his book and how to purchase, click here:

https://www.amazon.com/Called-Up-Ballplayers-Remember-Becoming/dp/1476692793

Which is worse: Leadoff walk or leadoff single?

Building on a presentation at last year’s winter meeting about baseball statistics, chapter member Bailey Hall sought to focus on a particular baseball question and to see if she could prove her father wrong. She wanted to know which was worse: a leadoff walk or a leadoff single? Her father, Brian Hall, and other family members had long told her that a leadoff walk was much more detrimental to the pitcher and the team on defense.

She didn’t know if she could arrive at an answer to the seemingly simple question, so she asked Keith Hernandez, former New York Mets great and current team broadcaster, and former Astros pitching phenom Larry Dierker to get perspectives from both sides of the diamond. Both told her that the leadoff walk was way worse.

But Hall didn’t stop there. With help from her parents, fellow chapter member Ryan Pollack and others, she learned how to read and combine datasets from Statcast and Retrosheet and found that in 2023, leadoff walks led to 0.9836 runs while leadoff singles led to 0.9549, which was not a significant statistical difference. However, she dug deeper and found that in the 9th inning, leadoff singles (which led to 0.8829 runs) were worse than leadoff walks (0.8378 runs).

For more about Hall’s findings and how she disproved her dad, download her presentation here:

Bailey Hall Baseball Statistical Analysis Project 2024-1

Round Rock Express update

Express General Manager Tim Jackson and voice of the Express and chapter member Mike Capps gave their updates on the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Jackson said he noticed that even casual fans started to make the connection between the minor league and major league clubs as the Rangers led the American League West for much of the season. As a minor league team with connections to both the Rangers and the Astros in recent years, he noted that more than 20 players on the rosters for the ALCS in 2023 spent some time at the Dell Diamond.

Jackson said he’s looking forward to Dell Diamond hosting the Round Rock College Classic from Feb. 23 to 25, featuring Texas State University, the University of Kansas, the University of Kentucky and Washington State University. The Express, which opens its season on March 29, will unveil a new scoreboard. Jackson said he’s looking forward to partnering with the big league club to tie in to its World Series promotions and plans to bring the World Series trophy to Dell Diamond during the season.

Mike Capps, the voice of the Express and author of “Grinders: Baseball’s Intrepid Infantry,” shared how he gets to know the minor league players, many of whom are doing everything they can to achieve their dream of making the big leagues. During a tough stretch for the Express during the season, the players sought Cappy out to talk to them and give them a boost. He said he didn’t understand at first why they wanted him to speak, but he encouraged them to play hard and lay it all on the line. His connection with the players, and this talk, was a “crowning moment of my life,” he said. “They had a huge impact on me.”

Among the Express players to watch for, Cappy said, is Justin Foscue, who’s on the Rangers’ 40-man roster. He expects that if there’s an injury on the Rangers, Foscue is likely to be the first one called up. He also recounted how Evan Carter spent a few weeks with the Express before being called up in 2023 and breaking out for the Rangers in their drive to win the World Series. He doesn’t expect him back in Round Rock anytime soon.

Baseball stadium tour

Chapter members Syd Polk and Jan Larson recounted details from their respective tours of baseball stadiums. Larson shared that he hadn’t planned to see every major league stadium, but after a baseball trip with friends to Atlanta in 1985, they decided to make it an annual thing. Over the course of 47 years (including a visit to Royals Stadium in 1976 and Arlington Stadium in 1984), Larson has visited 59 ballparks to watch an MLB game, including a few international sites and minor league parks filling in for a major league park. Because of time constraints, Larson plans to share more about his tour at next year’s winter meeting.

While Larson’s tour spans decades, Syd Polk’s was much briefer. He recounted how he planned to visit 24 stadiums in 11 weeks in 1994. He wrote a computer program to determine his itinerary and did it the old-fashioned way with paper maps and without modern conveniences such as smart phones with mapping apps. He had an impressive display of stadium cups, scorecards and other memorabilia from his trip. He noted that he didn’t make it to the Kingdome in Seattle in 1994 because the Mariners were forced to play the rest of the season on the road after ceiling tiles had fallen on the field before a game that July, closing the stadium. But he did see a game there the previous year so he counted it as part of his tally for the 12-month time period.

Baseball in the 19th century

Justin Mckinney transported all of us to the 19th century when the Union Association struggled to compete against other professional baseball leagues. Mckinney, joining us from Calgary via Zoom, shared details from his book, “Baseball’s Union Association: The Short, Strange Life of a 19th-Century Major League,” about the short-lived Union Association and ill-fated clubs that folded partway through the season, such as the Mountain Citys of Altoona, Pa., still the smallest city to host a major league baseball team. He told us about founder Henry V. Lucas, a 26-year-old millionaire from St. Louis, and how he monopolized the best players to lead the St. Louis Maroons to a .832 winning percentage.

To learn more about his book and how to purchase, click here:

https://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Union-Association-Strange-19th-Century/dp/1476680604

Mock HOF vote

A winter meeting tradition for many years, the National Baseball Hall of Fame voting by Hornsby Chapter members and guests has often predicted what the Baseball Writers’ Association of America actually does with the vote.

This year, chapter members elected only Adrián Beltré to the Hall of Fame. Of 22 ballots submitted, Beltre appeared on 21, garnering 95.4% of the vote, easily surpassing the 75% threshold for induction.

The player with the next highest vote total was Todd Helton, who received 15 votes for a 68.1% share. Joe Mauer and Billy Wagner each received 13 votes, a 59% share. Chase Utley received nine votes for a 40.9% share. On his 10th and final ballot, Gary Sheffield received eight votes for a 36.3% share.

The following players received one or zero votes and thus would be eliminated from future ballot consideration for failing to accrue 5% of the vote: Jose Bautista, Bartolo Colon, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Torii Hunter, Victor Martinez, Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins and James Shields.

At 5 p.m. Central Time on Jan. 23, the BBWAA will announce the results of its 2024 Hall of Fame vote live from Cooperstown on MLB Network.

Highs of ushering at Rockies games

Chapter member Peter Myers, who splits time between San Antonio and Denver in his retirement, joined the ushering staff at Coors Field in 2023. He shared some of his highlights in experiencing the game from an usher’s perspective and working with other retirees and college and high school interns. He also shared what some fans have tried bringing into the stadium and how his supervisors helped him manage potentially volatile situations. He also recalled visits to the mile-high stadium in downtown Denver by his late wife’s family from Canada as well as by fellow chapter members such as Ira Siegel and Gilbert and Raeanne Martinez.

Predictatron trophy presentation

Predictatron contest-runner Jim Baker presented trophies to four-time winner Raeanne Martinez for winning the season-long prediction contest and Frank Rechtorovic for nailing the post-season contest (with what Frank noted was the “largest margin of victory”). Both had their names added to their respective trophies and have the honor of displaying their trophies at home for 2024.

But the battle to see if they will defend their titles or if other members will flex their prognostication skills to nab the trophies is just around the corner. Keep an eye out for Baker’s invitation to join the next Predictatron contest in an email to the Google group list in March before the start of the regular season.

Bill Gilbert

At the beginning of the meeting, we took a moment to remember Bill Gilbert, who founded both the Rogers Hornsby Chapter and the Larry Dierker Chapter in Houston. It was his idea to host a winter meeting to feature prominent baseball figures and presentations about baseball. Since his passing in 2018, we miss him and remain grateful for the vibrant baseball communities he helped to create.

Appreciation

Much appreciation to all presenters and speakers, and to everyone able to join us in person at Old Main on the Texas State University campus in San Marcos! Special thanks to Jerry Miller, who organized the winter meeting, Monte and Linda Cely for providing the hot dogs, chips and Cracker Jack lunch and snacks for an affordable fee, and Ryan Pollack for bringing Joe Sheehan for our meeting and leading the conversation with him and for running our mock HOF voting.

Next meeting: SABR Day on Feb. 3

SABR has designated Saturday, Feb. 3, as National SABR Day, so we plan to have a meeting on Zoom to celebrate the day and anticipate the start of spring training. More details to come on the chapter website and email list later this month.

We hope y’all are having a great holiday season with the new year just around the corner. And you know what that means?

It is almost time for the 18th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Texas State University in San Marcos (directions below). As some presentations will be virtual, Zoom details are provided below.

A full day of exciting hot stove action awaits you at the winter meeting, sponsored by the Rogers Hornsby (Central Texas) Chapter of the Society for
American Baseball Research. Named after Bill Gilbert, our late chapter founder and president, it is our chapter’s signature annual not-to-be-missed
event. The meeting will feature a series of presentations and speakers, from both chapter members and others, on a variety of baseball topics, as well as traditional events touching upon both the past year, recent baseball history and the upcoming 2024 season. Our tentative schedule includes the following:

Morning sessions:
• Presentations by chapter members Syd Polk and Jan Larson on their visits to all of the extant Major League ballparks. Although similar in some respects, those presentations will be offered from two radically different perspectives, as Jan’s journey encompasses a lifetime 47-year quest, while Syd’s took place during a single season, i.e. the abortive 1994 campaign.
• Chapter member Bailey Hall will attempt to answer the age-old question: Which is worse: A leadoff hit or a leadoff walk? What does the data suggest?
• Chapter member Peter Myers will share (via Zoom) his experiences as an usher at Coors Field in Colorado, including what it’s like to see a future MVP knocked over by two overzealous fans.
• Zak Ford (via Zoom), the chair of SABR’s Dusty Baker (Sacramento) Chapter and author of the new book “Called Up: Ballplayers Remember Becoming Major Leaguers,” will explore the memories and experiences of over 100 ballplayers when they got the call to The Show.

Afternoon sessions:
• We will have our annual presentations by Round Rock Express General Manager Tim Jackson (via Zoom) and broadcaster and chapter member Mike Capps, who will recall the 2023 season and the numerous Express members that played a role in the Texas Rangers’ historic World Series championship.
• Joe Sheehan (via Zoom) is a respected baseball analyst whose work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, and Baseball Prospectus and who now authors the Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, which offers weekly analysis and opinion on all things baseball.
• Justin McKinney (via Zoom) is a SABR member from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the author of “Baseball’s Union Association: The Short, Strange Life of a 19th-Century Major League,” the first and only history of a league that, although it only lasted a single season, featured several Hall of Fame players and is considered by many as a “third major league.”
• Jason Starkovich (via Zoom) is an umpire for the Pac-12 (soon to be Pac-2) conference and umpired AAA baseball for four years, as well as MLB spring training. He will discuss his experiences, recent and future rules changes, and other matters from the arbiter’s perspective.

Our meeting will also include the traditional anointing of the winners of chapter member Jim Baker’s annual Predictatron contests and our mock preview of what promises to be a particularly interesting and contentious Hall of Fame voting. We also encourage members to bring their baseball memorabilia for show and tell and baseball-related books for exchange with other members. (All non-claimed books will be donated to local libraries).

Lunch

In keeping with the spirit of the day, chapter members Linda and Monte Cely will again be offering a baseball-themed lunch. For the inflation-busting price of only $5, you’ll get two ballpark hotdogs, Cracker Jack, a bag of chips and a bottle of water. You can also buy an additional hotdog, chips, Cracker Jack or water for $1 each – while supplies last. CASH ONLY AND EXACT CHANGE WILL BE APPRECIATED.

Directions to Old Main on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos

1. From I-35, take exit 206 (Aquarena Springs Dr.)
2. Travel west on Aquarena Springs Drive.
3. After crossing the San Marcos River, you will come to a traffic light. Turn right onto Sessom Drive.
4. At the first light, turn left on State Street and go up a steep road toward Old Main.
5. Go through a gate (the gate should be up) and continue up the hill.
6. At the top of the hill, make a sharp left turn and drive up to Old Main (pictured above).
7. Look for parking on the road that winds around the side and back of Old Main.

You do not need a parking pass to park on campus – however, do not park in spaces not marked as parking spaces or in handicapped parking (unless you have the appropriate tag displayed).

The meeting room is on the third floor of Old Main in Room 320. There is an elevator on the first floor or you can take the stairs.

A note about the Zoom sessions

The above-marked presentations with Peter Myers, Zak Ford, Tim Jackson, Joe Sheehan, Justin McKinney and Jason Starkovich will be conducted on Zoom. To receive the Zoom details, please use this link to register for the event:

https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErcuurrDIoH9X6F-1EJsZ3gmTcXbGpC3BM

Regardless of your level or range of fandom or your rooting interests, we promise an enjoyable and informative morning and afternoon. We look forward to seeing you on Jan. 6, 2024!

 

December Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

A day after news that Shohei Ohtani had signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the richest professional sports contract in history, chapter members gathered in Cedar Park on Sunday to consider the implications for baseball and beyond.

Sixteen members and guests pondered the frantic news of the preceding days about a private jet flying from Southern California to Toronto and the wild speculation that another team in blue would be landing the most sought-after free agent of the offseason.

But by midafternoon on Saturday, the world learned that Ohtani picked another team in blue, make that Dodger blue.

One of our resident Dodger fans, Jerry Miller, was delighted. Your humble author, meanwhile, was glad to see Ohtani leave the American League West!

Another member, Jan Larson, he of the many MLB caps, sported a Yankees cap in anticipation that Juan Soto being traded to the Yankees would be the talk of the meeting. Indeed, the Yankees acquired Soto in a trade with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night, but that quickly became old news when we found out about Ohtani.

In addition to a Mexican food lunch at Serranos on Pecan Park Boulevard, Linda and Monte Cely brought delicious home-baked treats for everyone. We munched on them along with chips and salsa and had small gift bags with a sampling of the desserts to take home with us. We had plenty of leftovers, which were enjoyed by the hardworking staff at Serranos. Thanks so much to the Celys for the yummy confections!

As winner of last month’s monthly quiz, Cy Morong fashioned a quiz that had us span decades of baseball history. Quiz extraordinaires Jim Baker (40 points) and Jerry Miller (36) took top honors, surprising no one with their baseball knowledge. Chris Crombar, a friend of Tom Wancho and prospective SABR member, came in third with 35 points with his brother, Rob, notching 33 points. Longtime member Jan Larson, able to join us after a few absences, came in fifth with 32 points.

For their victories, Jim (pictured above, right) took home “The Baseball Maniac’s Almanac (Sixth Edition),” edited by Bert Randolph Sugar with Ken Samelson, and Jerry won “The National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection” with an introduction by Cal Ripken, Jr.

Test your knowledge and memory by taking a swing at Cy’s quiz below. The answers immediately follow the questions.

This was the 205th consecutive month in which the chapter has met, a streak dating to December 2006.

Next meeting: Our biggest of the year

Please make plans to join us on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, for the 18th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting at Texas State University in San Marcos! It’s our biggest event of the year. Winter Meeting Coordinator Jerry Miller is putting the finishing touches on the meeting agenda. We’ll share more information about the meeting a few days after Christmas.

Also, we’re planning on having a Zoom meeting on Saturday, Feb. 3, to celebrate National SABR Day. More details to come.

Baseball Memories update

By Monte Cely

In 2015, Hornsby Chapter volunteers led by Jim Kenton started SABR’s first baseball reminiscence program.  Reminiscence, recalling pleasant memories of the past, has proven to be an effective way to improve the quality of life of those dealing with dementia, chronic health problems, isolation, or loneliness.  Since then, the number of programs using baseball as a reminiscence topic has grown both locally and nationally. 

2023 marked a year of getting back to normal as local volunteers have been able to resume in-person sessions with participants, care partners, and supporting staff at partner organizations.  “The Baseball Guys” have been back at the Kerrville Veterans Administration Hospital for several months now.  Their 90-minute monthly program is serving 10-15 veterans and supporting staff.  Jim reports that the Kerrville staff have recommended the program to their colleagues at the Audie Murphy VA in San Antonio as well, opening the door for potentially another VA program.

Likewise, since February the “Baseball Memories” team has been presenting a 90-minute monthly program at Williamson County AGE of Central Texas in Round Rock.  The audience at this adult day care facility is a large, diverse group – usually numbering around 30 participants and staff.  We have an excellent relationship with the AGE management team, and they are very supportive and enthusiastic about the program.

Over the past eight-plus years, 15 Hornsby Chapter members, along with several spouses, have volunteered to facilitate or otherwise assist with these programs.  Everyone involved has found this to be a worthwhile and rewarding experience. 

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in this valuable community service program.  In addition to plenty of baseball (of course), we also add music, video, history, and other sports in order to invoke a broad range of pleasant memories from a diverse audience.  If you’d consider volunteering, have an idea for a new program in your community, or just would like to learn more, please contact Monte Cely at cely@swbell.net.       

Bill Veeck foresaw Statcast… in 1965

Cy Morong shared on the email list something he saw on social media. It’s a page out of “The Hustler’s Handbook” by Bill Veeck with Ed Linn, in which Veeck essentially describes a perspective on baseball analytics that has become commonplace today. The catch? He did it in 1965, when this book was published.

Here’s a link to the tweet: https://twitter.com/bhayes162/status/1732943065323655527

Decade batting titles and home run titles quiz

By Cy Morong

For each decade, name one player (and only one player) who won at least two batting titles. You will get 2 points if he did indeed win at least two batting titles. You will get one bonus point if the player you named also won the most batting titles in that decade.

1900-09

1910-19

1920-29

1930-39

1940-49

1950-59

1960-69

1970-79

1980-89

1990-99

2000-09

2010-19

For each decade, name one player (and only one player) who won at least two HR titles. You will get 2 points if he did indeed win at least two HR titles. You will get one bonus point if the player you named also won the most HR titles in that decade.

1900-09                                                                      

1910-19

1920-29                                                                      

1930-39

1940-49                                                                      

1950-59

1960-69                                                                      

1970-79

1980-89                                                                      

1990-99

2000-09                                                                      

2010-19

Tie Breaker 1. How many career HRs did Jeff Bagwell hit?

Tie Breaker 2. How many career hits did Craig Biggio have?

Answers

For each decade, name one player (and only one player) who won at least two HR titles. You will get 2 points if he did indeed win at least two HR titles. You will get one bonus point if the player you named also won the most HR titles in that decade.

1900-09) Honus Wagner 7, Lajoie 4, Cobb 3

1910-19) Cobb 8, Daubert 2, Roush 2

1920-29) Hornsby 7, Heilman 4, Sisler 2

1930-39) Foxx 2, Al Simmons 2, Paul Waner 2

1940-49) Ted Williams 4, Musial 3

1950-59) Musial 4, Ted Williams 2, Aaron 2, Ashburn 2, Fain 2

1960-69) Clemente 4, Yastrzemski 3, Runnels 2, Oliva 2, Rose 2, Tommy Davis 2

1970-79) Carew 6, Madlock 2, Dave Parker 2

1980-89) Boggs 5, Gwynn 4, Madlock 2

1990-99) Gwynn 4, Larry Walker 2, Edgar Martinez 2

2000-09)  Joe Mauer 3, Ichiro Suzuki 2, Bonds 2

2010-19) Miguel Cabrera 4, Altuve 3, Yelich 2

For each decade, name one player (and only one player) who won at least two HR titles. You will get 2 points if he did indeed win at least two HR titles. You will get one bonus point if the player you named also won the most HR titles in that decade.

1900-09) Harry Davis 4, Crawford  2, Tim Jordan 2

1910-19) Gavvy Cravath 6, Baker 4, Pipp 2, Ruth 2, Schulte 2, Dave Robertson 2

1920-29) Ruth 8, Hack Wilson 3, Cy Williams 2, Hornsby 2

1930-39) Ott 5, Foxx 4, Klein 3, Gehrig 3, Ruth 2, Greenberg 2

1940-49) Ted Williams 4, Kiner 4, Mize 3, Greenberg 2, Bill Nicholson 2

1950-59) Mantle 3, Kiner 3, Rosen 2, Doby 2, Mathews 2

1960-69) Killebrew 5, Aaron 3, Mays 3, McCovey 3                                 

1970-79) Schmidt 3, Dick Allen 2, Reggie Jackson 2, Rice 2, Bench 2, Stargell 2, Foster 2

1980-89) Schmidt 5, Reggie Jackson 2, Dale Murphy 2

1990-99) Griffey 4, McGwire 3, Cecil Fielder 2, Juan Gonzalez 2

2000-09) AROD 4, Sosa 2, Ryan Howard 2                                                                

2010-19) Arenado 3, Bautista 2, Chris Davis 2, Stanton 2

Tie Breaker 1. How many career HRs did Jeff Bagwell hit? 449

Tie Breaker 2. How many career hits did Craig Biggio have? 3,060

 

 

You’re invited to join us at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at Serranos at Lakeline (11100 Pecan Park Blvd., Cedar Park) for our December meeting!

This meeting is open to the public, so if you have a friend or family member that loves baseball, please bring them with you.

Please RSVP to Chapter Commissioner Gilbert D. Martinez by email (gmartinez46@mac.com) by Friday, Dec 8.

November Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Hot stove topics, highlights of the 2023 season and a veterans-themed quiz dominated the November meeting less than two weeks after the Texas Rangers won the World Series.

Eleven members and guests gathered at Serranos on Sunday to speculate about free agent Shohei Ohtani’s future. According to recent news reports, Ohtani was going to meet with the Toronto Blue Jays, including fellow countryman Yusei Kikuchi. Some at the table thought that the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants may be among the favorites to land the coveted superstar.

Having won Ira Siegel’s hodgepodge quiz at the World Series Watch Party at the end of October, Jim Baker crafted a clever Veterans Day Quiz asking questions about players who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War (including some who participated in multiple conflicts).

Cy Morong eked out a narrow victory with 17 points over Jerry Miller’s 16 points. Ira, 13, and Monte, 12, were the only others in double figures. For their first and second place achievements, Jim generously awarded Cy and Jerry gift cards to Serranos.

Take your turn with Jim’s quiz at the bottom of this page. The quiz answers immediately follow the questions.

This was the 204th consecutive month in which the chapter has had a meeting, a streak that began in December 2006.

Research Spotlight

Jim Baker noticed a graphic during World Series Game 5 that showed that Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien set an MLB record with 835 plate appearances during the season and postseason. Baker compiled the all-time list of most plate appearances in a season and shared it with chapter members on the chapter email list.

“Of course, that includes the postseason as well, and, since they keep adding layer after layer to the playoffs, it’s no surprise the record was broken,” Baker wrote. “Not to take away from what Semien did, but the real record is what happens in the regular season (where, to his credit, Semien had the 18th-highest total in 2023). I thought I’d show the evolution of the record, which Jimmy Rollins has now held for 16 seasons. 

“The increase in the number of games helped drive up the number, although it took until 1974 for someone to really blow away the 154-game record set by Frankie Crosetti in 1938 (Maury Wills only broke it by two with his additional eight games).”

PAs      Year                 Player

778      2007                Jimmy Rollins

773      1993                Lenny Dykstra

771      1974                Pete Rose

759      1962                Maury Wills

757      1938                Frankie Crosetti

755      1930                Woody English

752      1928                Taylor Douthit

747      1922                Rabbit Maranville

731      1921                Jack Tobin/Whitey Witt

722      1898                George van Haltren

712      1892                Tom Brown

Upcoming Meetings

We’ve set the December meeting for 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at Serranos at Lakeline (11100 Pecan Park Blvd., Cedar Park). Hope you can join us!

Also, please save Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 – it’s the date of our 18th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting at Texas State University in San Marcos. We’d love to see you there!

Veterans Day Quiz

By Jim Baker

We know by now that Abner Doubleday definitely did not invent baseball, but he did fight in the Civil War. On which side was he in that conflict?

WORLD WAR I

Three of these Negro League Hall of Famers served in the military during World War II and one during World War I. Which one was the latter?

Buck O’Neil     Leon Day     Jackie Robinson     Bullet Rogan

Name the two World War I veterans who both ended up with 373 career victories:

Which of these World War I vet Cooperstowners came up 13 hits shy of collecting 3,000 for his career?

Sam Rice     George Sisler     Harry Heilmann     Tris Speaker

Which of these World War I vet Hall of Famers registered the most career victories?

            Rube Marquard     Eppa Rixey     Herb Pennock     Waite Hoyt

WORLD WAR II

This 300-game winner was a combat engineer in World War II and took part in the famous Battle of Remagen Bridge in 1945. (He also famously said he played for Casey Stengel, “before and after he was a genius.”)

This legendary catcher definitely played for Stengel while he was a genius. He was also present on the Normandy coast on D-Day in 1944, bombarding the Germans from a rocket boat.

Famous team owner Bill Veeck, Jr., (Indians, Browns, White Sox) lost what while serving in the Marine Corps during the Bougainville Campaign in the Pacific Theatre in World War II?

Among these slugging World War II veteran Hall of Famers, which one had the most career home runs?

Joe DiMaggio     Hank Greenberg     Ralph Kiner     Johnny Mize

This Hall of Fame pitcher was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and carried a piece of shrapnel in his back even while still an active major leaguer over a quarter-century later. His military service earned him the nickname “Old Sarge.”

This HOFer would have most probably won 300 games (instead of 266) and struck out over 3,000 men (instead of 2,581) had he not spent the better part of four seasons in the military during WWII.

KOREA

Hall of Famer Ted Williams served in both World War II and the Korean conflict. In which branch of the service was he?

Which two of the following Hall of Famers did not serve in the military during the Korean War?

Ernie Banks     Hank Aaron     Willie Mays     Whitey Ford     Mickey Mantle

This Yankee infielder saw action in both World War II and Korea as a Marine pilot. He later became a long-time broadcaster and the broadcast booth at Petco Park is named in his honor.

VIETNAM

A first baseman-outfielder primarily with the White Sox and Yankees from 1968 to 1977, this player lost part of his thumb in a mortar misfire while training with the Marine Reserve. In 1969, he and his brother became the first siblings to face off in an All-Star Game. Oh, and he’s the only player in MLB history to have his birthday on the back of his jersey!

In Vietnam in 1967, Indians minor leaguer Phil Hennigan was awarded for gallantry while serving as an artilleryman. He made his big league debut two years later and was traded to the Mets in 1972 for this former Astros pitching coach.

This famous executive was never a player but served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. He was at the helm for the Bash Brothers-era Oakland A’s, mentored Billy Beane, and helped lead the Mets to their last pennant.

This career Oriole outfielder (except for 68 games with the Padres in 1985) was the Rookie of the Year in 1973 and was on the championship team for 1983 in their triumph over the Phillies. He was also a platoon leader in Vietnam where he won the Bronze Star.

The previous player’s opposite number in centerfield for the Phils in the ’83 World Series was this player, who began his career as a Giant. When he found out they were paying other minor leaguers more money, he quit, joined the army and volunteered for duty in Vietnam. He later went on to win eight Gold Gloves and amass a career WAR of 36.8.

TIE BREAKER

This former Reds/Phillies/Giants infielder was a captain in the American Expeditionary Forces and was killed in action 37 days before the Armistice that ended the Great War. A monument honoring him was erected in center field of the Polo Grounds in 1921. This plaque famously disappeared when the crowd stormed the field after the Giants last game in 1957.

Answers

He was a general in the Union army. There is a statue of Doubleday at Gettysburg.

World War I

Bullet Rogan; he was nearly 50 when the WWII started.

Christy Mathewson and Grover Alexander

Sam Rice-2987, Harry Heilmann-2660, Tris Speaker-3514, George Sisler-2812

Eppa Rixey-266, Herb Pennock-241, Waite Hoyt-237, Rube Marquard-201

World War II

Warren Spahn

Yogi Berra

His leg. Foot is also acceptable.

While a co-owner of the Brewers, Veeck served for nearly three years in the United States Marine Corps during World War II in an artillery unit. During this time a recoiling artillery piece crushed his right leg, requiring amputation first of the foot, and shortly after of the leg above the knee. Over the course of his life he had 36 operations on the leg.^[3] He had a series of wooden legs and, as an inveterate smoker, cut holes in them to use as ashtrays. Veeck also used the wooden leg in props such as a recreation of iconic Revolutionary War soldiers during the Bicentennial year of 1976. At other times, engaged in intensive trade talks with competing owners, Veeck would complain they were demanding “an arm and a leg” in negotiations, then unbuckle the leg and throw it on the desktop for dramatic effect.

369 Kiner, 361 DiMaggio, 359 Mize, 331 Greenberg

Hoyt Wilhelm, who pitched until 1972

Bob Feller

Korea

He was a Marine aviator.

Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle

Jerry Coleman

Vietnam

Carlos May; vs. Lee May of the Reds. His jersey read MAY 17

Brent Strom

Sandy Alderson

Al Bumbry

Garry Maddox

Tie Breaker

Eddie Grant. The plaque was finally located 40 years later in a New Jersey attic.