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.

The November chapter meeting will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at Serranos Cocina and Cantina, at MoPac and Ben White/71. Click here for directions.

Please RSVP to Gilbert D. Martinez by email (gmartinez46@mac.com).

Hope to see you there! We’ll likely talk about the World Series, Gold Glove winners, candidates for MLB awards, hot stove transactions, dreams of next season, and more!

October Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Sixteen chapter members and guests gathered to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks bounce back in World Series Game 2 on Saturday to even the Fall Classic with the Texas Rangers.

Thanks to generous host Jim Baker, watch party revelers got to enjoy delicious snacks, pizza and desserts while discussing the finer points of the lopsided Diamondbacks win, the enjoyment (or not) of broadcasters Joe Davis and John Smoltz and opinions about the line between players celebrating a great play and those who go too far.

With the longer commercial breaks and little drama in Game 2, Ira Siegel brought a wide-ranging trivia quiz that got us thinking more about mid-century baseball and less about Diamondback Merrill Kelly’s masterful seven innings with nine strikeouts and one earned run. Much like Kelly silenced the Rangers’ offense in Game 2, Ira shut most of us down with his confounding trivia questions.

Host Jim Baker took top honors with 23 points, easily outdistancing second-place runner-up Tom Thayer (16) and third-place and fourth-place finishers Jerry Miller (15) and Ryan Pollack (13). Take your swing at Ira’s hodgepodge quiz below. The answers immediately follow the questions.

This was the 203rd consecutive month in which the chapter has met. Ryan Pollack also shared that his first Hornsby Chapter meeting was 10 years ago when he attended the World Series Watch Party at Jim’s house in 2013. For the record, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 that night. Ryan said he was a little nervous attending that first meeting since he didn’t know anyone else in the chapter but said he was glad he did. He thanked everyone for welcoming him to the chapter. We’re glad to have you, Ryan!

Predictatron Champions

Predictatron impresario Jim Baker announced the winners of the regular season and postseason prediction contests. Since the outcome of the World Series would not change the outcome, Jim announced that Raeanne Martinez won the regular season contest, her fourth title. Her final score of 742 outpaced contest runner-up Ryan Pollack (734) and Brian Rogers (733). As the highest scorers in their respective divisions, both Raeanne and Brian will have divisions named in their honor next season, while hard-luck runner-up Ryan gets nothing but a shake of the hand and a pat on the back. Jim noted that last year’s division winners – Gilbert Martinez and Chuck Kaufman – both finished last in their divisions, demonstrating the unpredictability of forecasting. The disappointing and underperforming seasons by the Padres, Mets and Yankees, among others, caused considerable damage to our predictions.

Jim also announced Frank Rechtorovic as the winner in the postseason Predictatron contest. This is most fitting as he was the only one to pick the Rangers to make the World Series. It’s also notable that not one of us foresaw the rise of the Diamondbacks. Jerry Miller shared that his postseason ballot has been filled with nothing but duds, incorrectly naming the winner in each series so far. For the record, he has the Rangers to win the World Series in five, which may suggest the exact opposite outcome. “Bet the house on the Snakes,” he recommended in an email to the list.

For their prognostication skills, both Raeanne and Frank will receive Predictatron trophies to adorn their homes for the upcoming year.

Baseball Reminiscence Update

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. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted some of our programs and forced others to go online, we’re happy to report that all our local programs are now back in action and serving more participants than ever before.  We currently have more than 50 attendees and care partners spread across programs in Kerrville (partnering with the VA Hospital there), Round Rock (at AGE of Central Texas, a licensed adult day care facility), Georgetown (working with volunteers from Sun City), and in Austin with some of our original participants.

Along the way, 15 Hornsby Chapter members, and several spouses, have volunteered to facilitate or 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.       

Next month: Sunday, Nov. 12

We’ll gather in November to reflect on the 2023 season and the MLB awards at lunch on Sunday, Nov. 12. We haven’t yet decided on a location, but we’ll post an announcement on the email list and on the chapter website in early November.

Hornsby Trivia Contest – Hodgepodge

By Ira Siegel

There are 21 questions. Each answer is worth one point. A perfect score is 50 points. Good luck!

1—In 1956, when Mantle won the AL triple crown, who finished second in batting average? Home runs? RBI? Two are HOFers and one was involved in a famous at bat.

2—Also in 1956, who were the 3 pitchers who threw regular season no hitters? Two of them played for a NY team and the other, a two-time 20-game winning lefty in his final season, pitched all 10 years of his career with the same AL team.

3—In any order, name the 4 leading total home run players during the 1950s decade.

4—In any order, name the players with the top 5 home run totals during the 1970s.

5— Name the HOF first baseman who was the first player to hit 2 HRs in the same inning twice in his career.

6—In 1999, Fernando Tatis hit 2 grand slams in one inning, but who has the AL record for 7 RBI in one inning? It happened on the last day of the season and got him to exactly 30 HR and 100 RBI. He is not in the HOF and hit .358 (in his first full season) to win his only batting title.

7—Which was the only one of the 8 original AL teams that Eddie Robinson did not play for?

8—If Mazeroski did not homer to end the 1960 season, who was due to hit next?

9—During the 1960s, who was on the field for all 4 World Series games that his team won but did not have any official at bats?

10 – In 1966, when Frank Robinson won the AL triple crown, who finished second in batting average? Home runs? RBI? The man 2nd in batting hit only .307. (It wasn’t Kaline, who was 3rd at only .288.)

11—The 1973 Oakland A’s used 11 players at second base. Excluding Billy Conigliaro, Jay Johnstone, and Gene Tenace, name 4 of the other 8. Note that 4 of those 8 have a last name that starts with “m”.

12—Name 5 of the 9 players who were on all 3 of the SF Giants’ World Series-winning teams in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

13—Babe Ruth is the all-time leader with 8 runs scored titles. What current player is tied for 11th?

14—In any order, who are the top 5 active players in games played while also being on only one team in their career?

15—Jason Varitek set the record of catching 4 no hitters during his Red Sox-only 15-year career. Name the 4 pitchers.

16—Name the catcher who, in 2015, tied Varitek after he caught his 4th no hitter. This question is intended to help prevent any perfect scores.

17—Which team has won all 5 of its World Series titles in 7 games? Also, name the first 2 years.

18—Who hit the only walk-off inside-the-park grand slam? He is a deceased HOFer.

19—Name 3 of the 5 HOFers who played for only one manager, who was also a HOFer, in their career.

20—Name the only one of the 16 teams from the modern two-league era that never won more than 100 games in a season.

21—Who won the AL batting title without hitting any home runs? This happened between 1950 and 2000.

Tiebreakers:

The leaders in career world series at bats only includes two players who never played for the Yankees who are in the top 10.

#1—Who is 4th on the list?

#2—If needed—who is 9th?

ANSWERS

1—Ted Williams .345, Vic Wertz 32 HR, Al Kaline 128 RBI

2—Carl Erskine, Sal Maglie, Mel Parnell

3—Snider 326, Hodges 310, Mathews 299, Mantle 280

4—Stargell 296, Jackson 292, Bench 290, Bobby Bonds 280, Lee May 270

5—McCovey in 1977

6—Alex Rodriguez in 2009

7—Red Sox

8—Harvey Haddix, who pitched after Law, Face, & Friend

9—Ray Oyler in 1968, who walked in his only plate appearance

10—Oliva .307, Killebrew 39 HR, Killebrew 110 RBI (.281 was 5th)

11— Mike Andrews, Dick Green, Ted Kubiak, Angel Mangual, Gonzalo Marquez, Dal Maxvill, Rich McKinney, Manny Trillo

12—Jeremy Affeldt, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Santiago Casilla, Tim Lincecum, Javier Lopez, Buster Posey, Sergio Romo, Pablo Sandoval

13—Trout (with Billy Hamilton, Lou Gehrig, & Pete Rose)

14—Votto (2,056), Altuve, B. Crawford, Blackmon, Trout

15—Nomo, Lowe, Buchholz, Lester

16—Carlos Ruiz

17—Pirates in 1909 (Tigers) & 1925 (Senators)…also, 1960, 1971, & 1979)

18—Clemente in 1956 vs Cubs’ Jim Brosnan

19—Drysdale & Koufax (Alston), Ross Youngs (McGraw), Harry Wright (player-mgr), Alston (Frisch)

20—White Sox only 100 in 1917

21—Rod Carew, .318 in 1972 (hit 92 HRs IN 19 years)

Tiebreakers:

#1—Frankie Frisch 4th

#2—Pee Wee Reese 9th

The Hornsby Chapter will hold a watch party for World Series Game 2 at the home of generous host Jim Baker on Saturday, Oct. 28!

Please RSVP to him directly at <jimbaker1066@yahoo.com> by Thursday, Oct. 26.

September Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Eleven chapter members trekked to Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium on Sunday to watch the San Antonio Missions drop their regular season finale to the Springfield Cardinals.

Though the Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, lost 7-5 to Springfield, the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, most of us enjoyed the shady seats and comfortable breeze for the afternoon matinee of baseball under partly cloudy skies.

This was the chapter’s first outing to a baseball game in San Antonio, which was part of an effort to cater to members in the area. Thirty percent of Sunday’s participants were from San Antonio, so the chapter may explore more outings to Wolff Stadium in the future.

Upon arriving, San Antonian Cy Morong sprung a question on the group, asking if we knew what happened on Sept. 17, fifty-five years ago. It roused the group with a series of guesses until we narrowed down the answer: Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals and out-dueled Bob Gibson in 1968.

Mike Lassman shared a little bit of the history of the Missions, including when it was a Dodgers farm team and saw players such as Pedro Martinez, Fernando Valenzuela, Dennis Eckersley and Adrian Beltre. Some of the illustrious alumni of the Missions are features on banners around the ballpark.

We also welcomed 14-year-old Torin, who said he joined SABR in February and was attending his first Hornsby meeting. An eighth grader from Austin, he pitches and plays shortstop for a travel baseball team and hopes to make the Westlake baseball team when he reaches high school. At the game with his parents, he shared that he’s a Texas Rangers fan and enjoys collecting baseball cards.

This was the 202nd consecutive month in which the chapter has met, a streak dating to December 2006.

Home stretch for Predictatron

Jim Baker’s Predictatron contest continues to its inevitable conclusion just as the baseball season winds down. Our predictions made in the pleasant temperatures as winter gave way to spring before the start of the season have endured the hard summer rays, beating many of us into oblivion. Or maybe just the author, who – despite lifting himself out of the cellar for one week (or was that a mirage?) – is nearing the end of a campaign in which he has anchored the entire contest, and not in a good way! But who cares about him. We all bow to Ryan Pollack, who led his division and the entire contest as of Sept. 10, and Jan Larson, leader of his division. With just weeks to go, we’ll soon find out if they’ll hold on to their leads, or if upstarts such as Brian Rogers or Raeanne Martinez will catch them before the end. Hold on to your caps, folks!

Research spotlight

Chapter leadership sometimes receives email inquiries about baseball or Rogers Hornsby or the like. We received one such email from Scott Henson, who lives in East Austin and is working on a book about the Austin Black Senators, a team that once played near where he lives now. He shared that he’s done some research and spoken with experts such as Bill Staples, Jr., an independent baseball historian who has researched and studied Black baseball organizations. We put Scott in touch with chapter member Eric Robinson, who has also done his share of research of the Negro Leagues. If you have information or contacts that may be useful to Scott’s research for his book, please contact him by email at <gritsforbreakfast@gmail.com>.

Next month: World Series Watch Party!

Save the evening of Saturday, Oct. 28, on your calendar! Predictatron impresario and host extraordinaire Jim Baker will throw his annual World Series Watch Party with a scrumptious spread of food while we watch Game 2 of the World Series (teams to be determined). All members are invited, and there’s really no excuse to miss the chapter’s biggest party of the year. One acceptable excuse would be if you’re actually attending World Series Game 2, like, in person. But other than that, you should join us for the watch party! We’ll share more details in mid-October.

 

 

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter’s September meeting will involve an outing to Wolff Stadium in San Antonio where we will be afforded the opportunity to mingle and watch baseball with chapter members from the southern end of the Hornsby Chapter’s coverage area.  The game will be played on Sunday, September 17 against the visiting Springfield Redbirds starting at 1:05 pm.  Don’t worry, we can sit in the shade in section 200 directly in front of the suite/press box area.  Please login to the Missions’ website (https://www.milb.com/san-antonio), select “Tickets and Schedule” from the drop down menu, then select “Schedule” and “September” and then the September 17 game.  Select your seats near the “seed” seat in section 200, row V (last row), seat 12.  If you already have an account with the Round Rock Express, you may have to create another account for the Missions.

August 2023 Newsletter

By Gilbert D. Martinez

Eleven chapter members and guests joined an award-winning author on Zoom on Saturday to discuss baseball in the mid-20th century.

Steven Gietschier, author of “Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years,” shared how he was inspired by the work of Dr. Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills, including their three-volume history of the early days of baseball: “Baseball: The Early Years,” “Baseball: The Golden Age” and “Baseball: The People’s Game.”

“I asked Dorothy what she would think if someone picked up the ball where she and her late husband had laid it down and wrote a solid narrative and analytical history of the game since 1930,” Gietschier said. “Without hesitation, she said this was a good idea. She heartily approved.”

He looked for others who might be interested in taking on this project, but everyone turned him down. However, he was told over and over again, “Steve, you should do it.”

Gietschier, who presented at SABR 51 in Chicago last month and won the Henry Chadwick Award, saw an opportunity to write about the next phase of baseball in the context of history, politics, economics and other broader themes from the Great Depression to post-World War II. He focuses on baseball owners, executives and players to tell the story of baseball.

As a longtime archivist and archival consultant for The Sporting News, Gietschier had access to lots of resources, including the notes and notecards created by Seymour and Seymour Mills.

He also shared baseball owners were initially against broadcasting games in the early days of radio for fear that it would decrease attendance. The same fear arose during the widespread adoption of televisions. He noted that a similar dilemma is playing out today with regional sports networks, cable, streaming and blackouts.

You can watch Gietschier’s presentation and Q&A session at this link on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7ghgjOdtLDI

You can learn more and purchase his new book on the University of Nebraska Press website: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496235374/

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule

As the baseball season continues during the dog days of summer, the chapter has plans to attend a minor league game in San Antonio in September and a World Series watch party in October.

Please save Sunday, Sept. 17, for next month’s meeting. At 1 p.m., the San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, will host the Springfield Cardinals at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. We’ll share details in early September about where the group plans to sit and how you can purchase tickets.

In October, chapter member and Predictatron showrunner Jim Baker will continue a long tradition to host a watch party for a World Series game. Mark your calendar for the evening of Saturday, Oct. 28, for World Series Game 2 (teams to be determined). Regardless of the competing teams, the group has a fun time jointly watching the World Series with great food, commentary and insight.

Also, we have set Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, as the date for the 18th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting at Texas State University in San Marcos. Winter meeting coordinator Jerry Miller is working on the schedule. If you are interested in making a presentation about baseball, please contact Jerry.

Research Spotlight

Two chapter members – Mike Lassman and Monte Cely – are working on contributions to the Spring Training Anthology, edited by David Krell, chair of SABR’s Spring Training Committee. Lassman is focusing his essay on spring training in San Antonio while Cely is expanding earlier research about spring training in Marlin, Texas.

Baseball Memories Program

Monte Cely reported volunteers continue to work with AGE of Central Texas and Kerrville VA Medical Center to help Alzheimer’s patients, family and caregivers. AGE is also opening a new facility in South Austin and efforts are being made to bring a program to San Antonio. Anyone interested in helping out should reach out to Monte Cely. More information about the program can be found on the information page: https://www.sabrhornsby.org/about-basebalz/

Jan’s Excellent Ballpark Tour

Jan Larson reported that with his visit to Truist Park in Atlanta earlier this season, he has now attended a game at all 30 of the current ballparks. This brings his overall MLB ballpark total to 59. He’s planning a presentation about his ballpark journey at the winter meeting in January.

Caribbean Series in Miami

Monte Cely, a veteran of past Caribbean classics, shared that the Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) is coming to loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins in February. The series, which features teams from the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Mexico, and one representative each from Panama and Colombia), puts on 25 ballgames in nine days (Feb. 1 to 9).

Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo

I shared that I was able to attend a Tokyo Yakult Swallows game at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo in June. It’s renowned for being one of the few remaining active stadiums where Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other Major League ballplayers participated in a baseball tour in 1934. This tour and its immense popularity gave birth to Nippon Professional Baseball. However, there are plans to demolish the stadium and the surrounding area in the face of intense local and international opposition.

Steven Gietschier, author of “Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years,” will join us on Zoom at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, for the August monthly meeting.

Based on the member survey earlier this year, we heard from some respondents to include more Zoom meetings throughout the year. And, if you haven’t noticed, it’s been so hot that maybe staying inside to talk baseball isn’t such a bad idea!

To join the Zoom meeting on Aug. 5, please register at this link: https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIucemgpj4oHtSWKf4MM2tDyS8NKG94JT2N

Gietschier, a long-time archivist and archival consultant for The Sporting News, presented at SABR 51 in Chicago earlier this month and won SABR’s Henry Chadwick Award at the awards luncheon. You can learn more about his new book on the University of Nebraska Press website: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496235374/

With the trade deadline just days away, we’ll also talk about which teams had the best deals and which teams didn’t do enough to improve their chances for October/November glory.

July 2023 Newsletter

Monthly Meeting Summary

On July 23rd, 12 chapter members braved the 102-degree heat and 65-degree dew point to watch the Round Rock Express host the Reno Aces at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX.

The game was a tense affair that the Aces won by a score of 3-1. They took an early 1-0 lead and threatened to expand it with 10 hits, but failed to actually increase the lead until Pavin Smith hit a two-run home run in the 8th inning. In the bottom half, the Express managed to load the bases with a few walks but could push across only one run. The Aces won, 3-1. Here’s the box score.

The gathering was the 200th consecutive monthly meeting of the chapter, dating from December 2006. Hornsby Chapter Commissioner Gilbert Martinez was unable to join the meeting but praised chapter members for their dedication and commitment. “This streak demonstrates the strong community that founder Bill Gilbert created and that we have all maintained for more than 16 years during the streak,” Martinez said. “We’ve fostered strong friendships built around all aspects of baseball.”

Here’s a photo of attendees gathered around a commemorative “200” sign comprising two baseball jerseys:

The #20 jersey is from a Josh Gibson Homestead Grays jersey; behind it is the “0” from a #10 worn by chapter member Jerry Miller.  

While watching the game unfold, members discussed many baseball topics including the Orioles’ takeover of first place in the AL East (and conversely, the once-dominant Rays falling to second place), speculation on whether the Angels will trade Shohei Ohtani, the absence of 15+ inning games due to the automatic runner on second base, and LSU’s recent victory at the College World Series. Additionally, several on-field challenges to balls and strikes prompted discussion about whether this challenge system should be used instead of automated balls and strikes, or even at all!

Prior to the game, chapter member Nancy Finley threw out the first pitch. Here she is walking off the mound:

Nancy’s book, Finleyball, is an excellent history of the A’s move from Kansas City to Oakland under owner Charles Finley. Nancy is Charles’ niece and had a close-up view; her father Carl helped run the team for many years. 

Chapter News

Hornsby Chapter Named as One of Best

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter proudly received the “Starting Lineup” certification from SABR HQ. It’s one of only eight chapters, out of more than 80 worldwide, to receive one of the available “Starting Lineup”, “All Star”, or “MVP” certifications. SABR HQ now certifies chapters nationwide who do things like elect officers and establish chapter bylaws.

“We’re thrilled with this recognition from SABR,” Commissioner Gilbert Martinez said. “We’ve long known that we’re a good, active chapter with great members, but it’s encouraging to be recognized by the national organization.”

In addition to having regular monthly meetings, an annual winter meeting and baseball prediction contests and trivia quizzes, the Hornsby Chapter took major steps to meet criteria created by SABR. For example, the chapter held its first election for chapter commissioner in May. In addition, the chapter is working on bylaws to meet another requirement by SABR.

“We look forward to doing more to achieve a higher ranking in the coming years,” Martinez added.

Research Highlights and Discussions

Chapter members utilize the email listserv to share research and socialize between meetings. Here’s some of what we shared since the last update:

• Syd Polk kept us apprised of the Oakland A’s chances at being a historically bad team. He’s been updating us on their chances all season! And he had plenty to write about: not only did the A’s win seven in a row to start June, but the team may not even finish with the sport’s worst record, thanks to the fumblings of the we-thought-they’d-be-bad-but-not-this-bad Kansas City Royals.
• Tom Thayer quizzed the group with the question: “Who is the only player who played at least 10 years in MLB with an OPS+ of 125 or more each year in the majors?” (You can find the answer at the bottom of this post.)
• The group panned the A’s seemingly finalized move to Las Vegas. The main discussion revolved around the fact that Las Vegas is not only a much smaller market than the Bay Area, the city also has popular NHL and NFL teams that will compete for fans’ attention and dollars.
• Jerry Miller shared an informative New York Times article about Carl Erskine, still going strong at age 96. 
• Don Dingee started a lively discussion about the rule that prevents catchers from blocking home plate if they don’t have the ball in hand. The rule reared its head on back-to-back days in June; first Texas’ Jonah Heim was called for violating it, then San Diego’s Gary Sanchez was called the very next day.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg! We talked about many more things. If you’re a chapter member, email Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com to participate in the discussions. 

Baseball Memories Project Update

On July 19th, Monte and Linda Cely, Ira Siegel, Jerry Miller and Mike Dillon facilitated a Baseball Memories session at the Round Rock AGE of Central Texas for a diverse group of 29 attendees at the facility. The Baseball Memories project, active since 2015, is a community service outreach program that uses baseball as a theme to improve the quality of life for those living with dementia, isolation, loneliness, and other long-term health issues. The program is resuming in-person sessions after a hiatus caused by the pandemic.

Likewise, Jim Kenton and the “Baseball Guys” team are now back in person at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Kerrville.  This program is a big hit with the resident veterans, and Jim advises that twelve vets attended the most recent gathering.

For more information or to get involved, visit the website.

Predictatron Update

Jim Baker runs the chapter’s Predictatron contest, wherein members submit pre-season predictions of teams’ end-of-season win totals and predict who will make the playoffs. Jim updates the standings weekly as teams’ records change.

In the most recent update, he shared how he had gained enough points recently to tie Ryan Pollack for the most points in not just his division, but also the entire contest. Many other players improved their scores as well, a contrast to earlier updates in which many players lost points overall.

Awardatron Update

The Awardatron contest challenges chapter members to predict the four major BBWAA awards in both leagues: MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year. Members submit predictions prior to the season’s first pitch and receive points for how their picks place in the voting. Members can change one pick during the All-Star Break in exchange for reduced points.

At the Break, two categories shuffled around the most. Perhaps owing to a large amount of uncertainty around pitchers’ value, three members changed their AL Cy Young pick and three also changed their NL Cy Young pick. In the AL, two participants changed to Framber Valdez; one changed to Shane McClanahan. In the NL, Spencer Strider, Marcus Stroman, and Zac Gallen got midseason votes of confidence. Shohei Ohtani remains the AL MVP favorite, Ronald Acuña Jr. remains the NL MVP favorite, Gunnar Henderson remains the AL ROY favorite, and Corbin Carroll remains the NL ROY favorite.

Next Meeting

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter isn’t satisfied with 200 consecutive monthly meetings! The 201st is planned for Saturday, August 5th at 1 PM. It will be an online Zoom meeting; link details will be shared on the Google Group listserv soon.

Trivia Answer: “Indian” Bob Johnson who played for the A’s and Red Sox in the 30’s and 40’s.

The July meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will be at the Dell Diamond on SUNDAY, July 23 to see the home standing Round Rock Express take on the Reno Aces.  The first pitch will be at 6:05 pm.  With the pitch clock speeding up games, there is a good chance that the game will wrap up before 9:00 pm.  This will mark the 200th consecutive monthly meeting for the chapter and we will take group photos to commemorate this milestone.

For anyone interested, we will gather at the adjacent Salt Lick restaurant at 4:00 pm (don’t be late!) for a late lunch/early dinner.  Anyone at the Salt Lick by 4:00 pm is welcome to join the group to kick off our 200 meeting festivities.

Game tickets may be purchased ON YOUR OWN from the Express’ website.  We will be sitting at the rear of section 121 which is under cover, close to restrooms and concessions and usually is situated where a welcome (especially in July) south breeze can be easily felt and enjoyed.  Get your tickets at the link below.  The group is centered on sec. 121, row 23, seats 11 and 12, so if you get seats near these, you’ll find yourself in the middle of our group.

https://mlb.tickets.com/?orgId=22433&agency=MILB_MPV&eventId=22625&tfl=#/event/E22625/seatmap/?seatmapId=9504&selectBuyers=false&minPrice=13&maxPrice=72&quantity=2&sort=price_desc&ada=false&seatSelection=true&onlyCoupon=true&onlyVoucher=false