Seoul Series, Opening Day and a cloud over MLB figures in March meeting

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