Seven Hornsby chapter members spent an enjoyable Saturday afternoon and evening at the home of Gilbert and Raeanne Martinez watching the Kansas City Royals’ 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game Two of the 2015 ALCS followed by the New York Mets’ 4-2 triumph over the Chicago Cubs in Game One of the 2015 NLCS.

The entire time was spent discussing baseball, from the 2015 playoffs, in particular the Houston Astros’ surprising run to the post-season and their disappointing exit to speculation on which curse would be broken – the Cubs’ famous "Curse of the Billy Goat" or the Mets’ not-quite-as-well-known "Curse of Bobby Bonilla."

It was noted that if the Mets go on to win the NLCS and appear in the World Series, this year’s Series will be the first between expansion teams.  There had been 21 previous appearances by expansion teams in the Fall Classic but in each case, their opponent was one of the "original 16" AL or NL clubs.

Thanks to all attendees for their respective contributions to the bountiful assortment of food and snacks, especially Mike McNulty and Ryan Pollack for their homemade contributions.  Although the attendees were not polled when the gathering broke up, it seemed apparent that no one went home hungry.

The next monthy meeting has been tenatively set as a lunch meeting on Saturday, November 14 at a place and time to be determined.  Watch this space for more details.

Eight chapter members and guests gathered to talk about the waning baseball season and playoff chase over a Tex-Mex lunch on Sunday, Sept. 27. It was the 106th consecutive month in which the chapter has met.

In addition to discussing the prospect of a Yankees-Astros Wild Card matchup, we also talked about the hard-charging Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, as well as the disappointing season of the Washington Nationals.

Ryan Pollack brought a friend and prospective SABR member to lunch. Ryan also talked about how much he enjoyed the Inaugural Fall Forum in Waco last month.

Members were also reminded to mark Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, at Texas State University for the 10th Annual SABR Rogers Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting. More details to follow this fall.

Also, inspired by my visit to the HOF Induction Weekend, I brought a quiz about the 2015 Class of Biggio, Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz. Jim Baker won a copy of the latest issue of “Memories and Dreams,” the official publication of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It features the 2015 Class. He won by scoring 8 points out of a possible 26. Try your hand at the quiz by clicking here.

For October, we are planning a double-header playoff watch party on Saturday, Oct. 17. That day features Game 1 of the National League Championship Series and Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. We usually schedule a gathering for a World Series game, but because Game 4 of the World Series is scheduled for Halloween night, we opted for an earlier playoff watch party. Location to be determined. More details soon.

(Photo by Raeanne R. Martinez)

Nine chapter members and guests had a pre-game meal at Dell Diamond’s Intel Club and then watched the Round Rock Express come-from-behind late to win 4-3 against the Salt Lake Bees on Sunday, Aug. 23.

We had some of the best seats in the park, located directly behind home plate. We also had the benefit of the cool air conditioning in the Intel Club when we needed a break from the warm summer night.

For September, we hope you consider attending the Inaugural Baseball History Forum on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Waco. Click here for more details.

This was the 105th consecutive month that the chapter has had a monthly meeting.

Later in the month, the chapter will have its regular monthly meeting at lunch in southwest Austin on Sunday, Sept. 27. More details to come.

Nineteen Hornsby Chapter members and guests gathered in north Austin on Saturday, July 11, to chatter about baseball over an Italian lunch. This was the 104th consecutive month that our chapter has had a monthly meeting.

After a long string of regular monthly meetings during the week in downtown Austin at a barbeque restaurant, we decided to try meeting on a Saturday away from the traffic congestion and construction in downtown. This first effort proved promising, with nearly 20 in attendance.

Over the remainder of the year, we’ll endeavor to move the meeting around some in the Austin metro area.

For the meeting in August, we’ll return to the Dell Diamond for a 6 p.m. game on Sunday, Aug. 23. The Round Rock Express take on the Salt Lake Bees, the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California.

More details to come on next month’s meeting.

A total of 19 members and guests gathered for BBQ and baseball on Saturday, June 6.  The group enjoyed a pre-game meal at the Salt Lick BBQ and then ventured to the nearby Dell Diamond where we watched the hometown Round Rock Express fall to the visiting Oklahoma City Dodgers by a score of 9-6.  The game featured not only six home runs but also six errors.

Starting in July, we will be changing our chapter meetings from the traditional Tuesday or Thursday evening dinner meetings to Saturday lunch meetings.  These will be held at various locations around the Austin area in order to make it easier for more people to attend.  Watch this space for details.