Society for American Baseball Research
Rogers Hornsby Chapter
Central and South Texas
Annual Report, June 2017 – May 2018
By Gilbert D. Martinez
Chapter Commissioner
Rogers Hornsby Chapter
The Rogers Hornsby Chapter continued a long run of regular monthly meetings, celebrated three years of BasebALZ, a baseball-themed program for Alzheimer’s patients in Central Texas, took outings to the Round Rock Express and gathered for a World Series game watch party.
The chapter hosted the 12th annual Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting, which featured memories of the historic regular- and post-season run of the World Series champion Houston Astros. The meeting also featured a presentation by Monte Cely about his visit to Cuba with other SABR members. The keynote speaker was Branch B. Rickey, president of the Pacific Coast League and grandson of Branch Rickey. Chapter member Anne Keene, the daughter of former professional baseball player Jim Raugh, talked about baseball in the 1940s and a little-known Navy team that featured Ted Williams. Her father was a batboy on that team, which also featured Johnny Pesky and Johnny Sain. Her book, The Cloudbuster Nine, was published in May 2018 and she plans to discuss her book at SABR 48 in Pittsburgh in June. The meeting was held at historic Old Main, the oldest building on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos.
BasebALZ organizers Jim Kenton and Monte Cely have been in touch with other SABR members across the country who are interested in replicating the baseball-themed program for Alzheimer’s patients elsewhere. The Hornsby Chapter continues to partner with Alzheimer’s Texas to help Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers recover baseball memories. The therapy program involves six bi-weekly meetings, which include discussing favorite players and teams, remembering details of attending a ballgame, and handling baseball items such as gloves and memorabilia. In addition to Kenton and Cely, other Hornsby Chapter members volunteer to participate in this valuable program.
The chapter had several outings to see the Texas Rangers Triple-A affiliate Round Rock Express, including a game in April 2018 in which fog delayed the game for 30 minutes. Express officials later said that the fog-induced delay was the first in franchise history.
Monte Cely also attended and filed dispatches about the Caribbean Series 2018 from Jalisco, Mexico. Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic to take the Serie del Caribe crown.
In May 2018, the chapter met for the 138th consecutive month, a streak dating back to December 2006.
Many of the monthly meetings include lunch at a restaurant in the Austin area, sometimes involving baseball trivia quizzes.