May Meeting Wrap-up

Nine members of the Rogers Hornsby SABR chapter met Tuesday evening, May 17 at Iron Works BBQ in downtown Austin.

Those present raised a toast in memory of Hall-of-Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew, who had just passed away earlier in the day.  Members recollected their impressions of Killebrew, as well as some of his teammates over the years.

Other topics of discussion included Michael Bass’s recent online poll about the top Dominican pitchers.  Members were able to come up with the "Top Three" in MLB wins — Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, and Bartolo Colon.  We struggled with naming the other five Dominicans that had won more than 100 MLB games (that answer is left as an exercise for the reader).  The just-announced purchase of the Astros franchise by Houston businessman Jim Crane generated a lot of discussion.  It was generally viewed that this would be a positive going forward.  The hot start for the Cleveland Indians has Tom Wancho wondering how long the good times will last.

It was decided that the June chapter meeting will be held at Dell Diamond for a Round Rock Express game.  Saturday June 25 is the most likely date, with more information to follow.

 

Hornsby members get the owner’s experience at Whataburger Field

A dozen SABR members and guests were treated like baseball royalty last weekend at Whataburger Field, the gorgeous home of the Houston Astros AA affiliate Corpus Christi Hooks.

 

During the “Owner’s Experience,” the Hooks gave us a tour behind the scenes, including visits with the front office, the ticket office, operations, the clubhouse, radio booth, press box and scoreboard control room.

 

Perhaps the only thing that members of the Rogers Hornsby and Larry Dierker chapters did not see was a win by the hometown nine, but the tour and treatment was first class. The Hooks dropped the Saturday night game to the Frisco Rough Riders, 5-3.

 

Organized by Jan Larson and suggested by Craig Lukshin, who did the Owner’s Experience last year with his dad, 10 members and guests of the Hornsby Chapter were joined by Bob and Peggy Dorrill of the Dierker Chapter.

 

We all agreed that the cost ($75 per person) was well worth it. In addition to the behind-the-scenes tour and pre-game dinner, we had opportunities to visit with Michael Wood, the Hooks general manager. He shared a story about how the Hooks, which have been playing in Corpus since 2005, honored the surviving members of the Corpus Christi Giants, the Texas League Champs in 1958.

 

We also met the voice of the Hooks, Matt Hicks, who shared stories about his broadcast career, including a time when an attentive SABR member wrote him a long letter correcting something Hicks said during a radio broadcast. He said he’s always aware that his audience may include everyone from a newcomer listening to baseball for the first time to the most die-hard SABR member.

 

Partway through the game, we left our first- and second-row seats next to the visitors’ dugout to meet Brad Starr, the Hooks clubhouse manager. A 12-year veteran, including a year with the Astros a few years ago, he was helping an assistant fill water balloons to be used by the team mascots during on-field entertainment between innings. That’s just one of a long list of duties for this clubhouse “mom.” He washes uniforms, scrubs out grass and dirt stains, prepares pre- and post-game meals, and stocks a dining room with snacks and beverages for all other times of the day.

 

One visit that may be of particular interest to our members occurred in the press box. David Krebs, who is also the mayor of nearby Portland, was the official scorer for the Saturday night game. Krebs is one of a few official scorers for the Hooks games. We briefly chatted with him and the beat reporters, discussing plays from earlier in the game.

 

We also got to meet a tight-knit group that controls the large scoreboard, sound effects, speed gun readings and video entertainment. During live game play, we watched them work closely to announce the next batter, update the scoreboard with videos and photos, add sound effects for foul balls and play videos between batters.

 

Most of the group stuck around for the Sunday afternoon game, in which the Hooks lost to the Rough Riders, 9-2.

 

Much thanks to Bryan Mayhood, Hooks director of season ticket services, who led our tour and made sure we had a great experience. In fact, everyone we met – ushers, attendants and employees at the ballpark – made us feel welcomed and comfortable. We had such a good time that we left Corpus Christi with two thoughts in mind: Let’s do this again, and let’s see which other ballclubs do this.

 

Below are photos from the visit.

Book Review: 1921

1921

The Yankees, The Giants, & the Battle for Baseball Supremacy
 in New York
 
by Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg
 
A Baseball Book Review
Monte Cely
(512) 310-9777
                                               
Do we really need another book about New York City baseball? 
 
Apparently so, as 1921 is the winner of SABR’s 2011 Seymour Award, honoring the year’s best book on baseball history or biography. The Seymour Medal Selection Committee released the following statement about the winning book:
 
"1921 describes the pennant races in both the National and American Leagues in that year. For the first time, New York had a subway World Series with the Giants and Yankees hooking up. Obviously, with Babe Ruth versus John McGraw, the World Series takes on added meaning given McGraw’s style of play and Ruth’s home runs. The book’s structure in taking the readers through the season, alternating between the two teams and leagues, is to be commended. The authors also provide significant insight into the thinking of the two great managers, John McGraw and Miller Huggins. In their descriptions and also with the help of quotes from the leading baseball columnists of that period, Spatz and Steinberg provide a rich and colorful description of baseball and life in 1921. This is an important addition to baseball literature.”
 
Some insights and facts from the book that I found interesting:
  • 1921 was the Yankees’ first AL pennant. 
  • 1921 was the last year that the best-of-nine World’s Series format was used.
  • The Polo Grounds was the first venue to host all of that year’s World Series games. (The Yankees were the Giants’ tenant.) This repeated itself in 1922. The only other occurrence was St. Louis’ Sportsman’s Park in 1944.
  • Babe Ruth often coached third base and enjoyed doing so.
  • Although a proponent of "inside baseball", John McGraw did not like to sacrifice.
  • The authors contend that Babe Ruth helped popularize baseball with immigrants, because the home run was easier to understand than the "scientific" approach to inside baseball.

I think the Seymour Medal committee got it right.  This is a well-researched and well-presented book.  Make sure to read the end-notes, as they add a lot of background to each chapter.

Yes, I guess we do need another book about New York baseball !

 
Here are the key statistics:
Book: 1921 – the Yankees, the Giants, & the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York
Authors:  Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg
Authors’ Credentials: Lyle Spatz is the author of many baseball books including Bad Bill Dahlen and Yankees Coming, Yankees Going. Steve Steinberg is the author of Baseball in St. Louis, 1900-1925 and numerous articles on early 20th Century ball.
Published: 2010, University of Nebraska Press; ISBN: 978-0-8032-2060-7
Length: 515 pages.
Price: Retail list – $31.95; Online – from $15.00 (new) + shipping.
           

George Will’s Opening Day Quiz

George Will’s Opening Day Quiz

(presented at the monthly meeting on Apr. 19, 2011)

(Move the mouse over the blank space to see the answer)
1. Which two players hold the record for most seasons played with the same team?

Brooks Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski
2. What two managers had 6 100-win seasons? Bobby Cox and Joe McCarthy
3.

 Who was the player and in what year who led the league in HRs and RBI, started every World Series game, and never crossed the Mississippi?

 Larry Doby
4. Who is the only catcher to lead the league in batting average, OBP, and slugging in the same season? Joe Mauer
5.

What two players share the record for most hits in a month?

 Ty Cobb (July ’22) and Tris Speaker (July ’23)
6.

 From 2000-2009 Roy Halladay led pitchers with 14 shutouts. Who led the decade of the 70s with 44?

 Jim Palmer
7.

What pitcher won World Series games in three decades?

 Jim Palmer
8.

What player won batting titles in three decades?

George Brett
9.

Since 1900, what two pitchers won at least 20 games in a season 13 times?

Warren Spahn and Christy Mathewson
10. Who had at least 200 hits and 100 walks in four straight seasons? Wade Boggs
11. Who got ten hits in a World Series with two different teams? Paul Molitor
12. Bobby Richardson set a record with 12 RBI in the ’60 series. Within five, how many did he have during the season? 26
13. Name the six pitchers who struck out 3,000 without or before issuing 1,000 walks. Ferguson Jenkins, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling, John Smoltz & Roger Clemens
14.

What team has won its last nine World Series games?

 Cincinnati Reds

 

 

April Meeting Wrap-up

Twelve chapter members gathered at Iron Works BBQ for traditional Texas barbeque and baseball talk.  Chapter "godfather," Bill Gilbert made a triumphant return after an extended stint on the disabled list.

Michael Bass presented a challenging trivia quiz that had been written by Washington Post columnist George Will.  Bill showed no signs of rust in taking the first place prize.

Topics of discussion included the Orioles’ hot start to the 2011 season but recent woes, Norman Macht’s forthcoming second edition of his Connie Mack trilogy, Gilbert Martinez’ research project on pitcher no-decisions that he will present at the SABR41 convention and Jim Baker’s "predictatron" contest.

Norman Macht also posed a question for discussion, that being whether pitcher wins, losses, saves and ERA are obsolete measures of pitcher effectiveness.

The May meeting will be held at Iron Works on Tuesday, May 17 starting at 6:00 p.m.

March Meeting Summary

A dozen chapter members and guests met at Iron Works BBQ in downtown Austin for dinner and baseball chatter. It was the group’s first meeting at this location, and most members reported little traffic problems and found convenient parking nearby. One member walked to the meeting from work downtown and another rode his bike to the meeting.

 

Thanks to Norman Macht and Monte Cely, the tables were arranged in a square so that the group could see each other and take part in a large group conversation. Our location on the back patio plus the pleasant spring weather made for an enjoyable combination.

 

Several topics were discussed: the New York Mets releasing Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo in recent weeks (and eating their salaries), the update on Albert Pujols’ contract situation with the St. Louis Cardinals (the update is there is no update), the future of data analytics in making game strategy decisions, how the Houston Astros might fare this season, and other topics.

 

Norman Macht updated the group about Volume 2 of Connie Mack’s biography. It is written and currently undergoing copy editing. He expects the book to be published early next year. Norman is turning his attention to Volume 3. (For those not familiar, you should check out the first volume, “Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball,” published in 2007 by the University of Nebraska Press).

 

This was the 52nd consecutive month in which the chapter has met. Plans are underway for the August meeting, which will be the 57th consecutive month with a meeting, thereby “breaking” Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak.

 

The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at Iron Works BBQ in downtown Austin. We’ll send out a reminder and request for RSVPs closer to the meeting.

 

March Meeting Announcement – New Location!

We will be gathering at Iron Works BBQ located at 100 Red River in downtown Austin on Tuesday, March 22 starting at 6:00 p.m.  NOTE:  The meeting date has been moved to Tuesday the 22nd from the originally announced Thursday the 24th to avoid conflict with the NCAA tournament.

There is a small parking lot on-site and large pay lots across the street.  Please RSVP to Norman Macht at nlm@grandecom.net if you plan to attend.

 


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February Meeting Wrap-Up

Eleven members and guests gathered at Third Base in Austin for the chapter’s 51st consecutive monthly meeting.  Monte Cely presented a quiz on the Caribbean World Series which he and his son recently attended in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.  Norman Macht was the quiz winner and took home a Caribbean World Series official cap.

Topics of discussion included Albert Pujols’ contract situation with the Cardinals, some recent MLB Network programs and the chapter’s April trip to see the Corpus Christi Hooks.

Given that Third Base tends to be loud which makes conversation difficult, it was tentively decided to try a new venue for the March meeting.  Further details will be forthcoming.