200th Consecutive Meeting Sees First Pitch, Tight Game, and Baseball Talk Galore

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.

16th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting of the SABR Rogers Hornsby Chapter

Announcing the 16th annual Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting!

We’ve once again assembled a Hall of Fame lineup of baseball speakers and presenters for your viewing and listening pleasure. This year features former executives, trailblazing pioneers, and good old fashioned baseball talk.

Due to COVID concerns, the meeting will be held virtually. Registration information is below.

Information

WHEN: January 8th, 2022 at 9:00 AM.

WHERE: Zoom. Click here to register for the meeting. Once registered, you will receive the meeting URL in an email. Use that link to join the call.

Lineup

TAL SMITH is a former baseball executive with tenure in the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees organizations. But he is perhaps best known for his time with the Houston Colt .45’s and Astros, for whom he’s served as Farm System Director, General Manager, and President of Baseball Operations. He was so involved in the creation of Minute Maid Park that until 2017, Tal’s Hill was a defining feature of the stadium. In addition, he built a successful business advising MLB clubs on salary arbitration cases.
PERRY BARBER started umpiring little league baseball with her identical twin sister Warren in 1981, when women on the diamond were few and far between. In the four decades since that fateful day when she called her first strike, Perry has umpired every level of amateur and professional baseball all over the world, including major league exhibitions in the United States and Japan, the fabled Cape Cod League, Division I college ball, the independent Atlantic League, and international competitions abroad. Her goal now is to ensure that women umpires who follow in her plate shoes will have a gynocentric infrastructure of support and upward progress that until now has been lacking, so they too can one day defer to the robots.
TIM JACKSON is the General Manager of the Round Rock Express. He joined the Express staff in March of 2010. He was promoted to General Manager in October 2015 after serving as Assistant GM, Baseball Operations for one season. Tim oversees the day-to-day business and baseball operations of the team.
MIKE CAPPS serves as the Director of Broadcasting for the Round Rock Express and has been the voice of the Express since day one. An author, reporter and T.V. anchor, Mike brings over 25 years of news experience to the Express. He has been broadcasting baseball for the last 19 years, including three major league games with ESPN Radio, one in 2005 and two in 1998.
Additional presentations from Hornsby Chapter members Dan Walsh, Jim Baker, and Jan Larson.
Activities including mock Hall of Fame balloting and memorabilia sharing.

15th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter

This email is the official announcement for the 15th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting. Details are below.

WHAT: A fun-filled day of baseball and baseball-related content with like-minded folks

WHEN: Saturday, January 9th 2021 @ 9:00 AM. The official schedule starts at 9:30 but we wanted to give folks time to wander “in” and mingle. The schedule has us ending around 3:15 PM, but we may go a tad longer as needed.

WHERE: Pre-register for the Zoom call here: https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwudeytrz0jGdAmmGA2ahyOahZ0Yc6-a0yd

WHO: This year we have two, count ‘em TWO Major League Baseball players headlining the event!

ROSS OHLENDORF pitched from 2007–2016 for the Diamondbacks, Yankees, Pirates, Red Sox, Padres, Nationals, Rangers, Royals, and Reds. He ended his career in 2017 with the Yakult Swallows in Tokyo and while with MLB, he also pitched locally for the Round Rock Express. Since retiring he’s remained close to the game but also raises longhorn cattle at Rocking O Longhorns. His primary interests are how teams acquire and develop talent, player/coach communications, and the overlap of analytics and traditional scouting.

TONY KEMP is a second baseman and outfielder for the Oakland Athletics. He’s also played for the Chicago Cubs but is probably most known (around these parts) for his role on the Houston Astros, for whom he played from 2016-2019.

We’ll also have plenty of trivia, an interactive warmup session from Jim Baker, mock Hall of Fame voting, and our usual informative chat with Mike Capps. Given the upheaval in the minor league system this year, I expect there to be plenty for him to discuss.

==== WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU ====

Yes, that’s right, this is a participatory event! Here’s how you can come prepared:

Bring your questions for Ross and Tony. There will be time during both chats for you to ask!
Find one piece of memorabilia to show everyone! Spend a few minutes telling us about one treasured piece from your collection.
Do your Hall of Fame research! Towards the end of the meeting we’ll be holding a vote like we always do, so make sure you have your selections ready. Here’s a handy link showing career stats for everyone on the ballot: https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof_2021.shtml.> Remember: “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”
Prepare some lunch! At noon we’ll take a lunch break, leaving the call open for people to chat as they eat.

===============================

Hope to see you “there”, and by “there” I mean: https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwudeytrz0jGdAmmGA2ahyOahZ0Yc6-a0yd

Schedule:

— The Winter Meeting Steering Committee (Ryan, Gilbert, Jan, and Monte)

14th Annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter of SABR

On Saturday, January 11th 2020 we’ll gather at Old Main Building on the Texas State University campus in San Marcos, TX for our 14th annual Winter Meeting, the second to be named in honor of chapter founder Bill Gilbert.

We cordially invite all SABR members and their guests to join us.

Keynote: Jon Pessah

Jon Pessah was a founding editor of ESPN the Magazine. He has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, managed the sports departments for Newsday and the Hartford Courant, and edited, wrote, and ran the investigative team for ESPN the Magazine.

Jon is the author of two baseball books:

The Game — an insider’s account of the run-up to 1994 player’s strike that cancelled the World Series and set the tone for future labor/owner relations in MLB. Featuring Bud Selig, Don Fehr, and current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred as well as a supporting cast of owners and players.
Yogi: A Life Behind the Mask — a forthcoming biography of Yankees icon Yogi Berra. Releasing Spring 2020.

Jon will join us remotely via video chat.

Featured Speakers: Tim Jackson & Mike Capps, Round Rock Express

Tim Jackson is the General Manager of the Round Rock Express. He joined the Express staff in March of 2010. He was promoted to General Manager in October 2015 after serving as assistant GM, baseball operations for one season. Tim oversees the day-to-day business and baseball operations of the team.

Mike Capps serves as the Director of Broadcasting for the Round Rock Express and has been the voice of the Express since day one. An author, reporter and T.V. anchor, Mike brings over 25 years of news experience to the Express. He has been broadcasting baseball for the last 19 years, including three major league games with ESPN Radio, one in 2005 and two in 1998.

Tim and Mike will discuss all things Astros, major and minor leagues, and provide commentary on the ongoing Professional Baseball Agreement negotiations.

Member Presentations

In addition to our keynote and featured speakers, our agenda includes the following:

Eric Robinson will talk about the Chinese national baseball team’s experience with the Texas AirHogs
Monte Cely will discuss the new rules that apply to the 2020 season
Tom Thayer will present on competitive balance throughout baseball history
Mike McNulty will update us on the BasebALZ group
Peter Myers will talk about the 1953 Hall of Fame Game

And as always we will have quizzes, trivia, mock HOF voting, a baseball book exchange, memorabilia show and tell, and more!

Remember to Bring

$12 cash for lunch from Which Which. Exact change is preferred. Checks are not accepted.
Any memorabilia you’d like to share or discuss. We’ll have a table for display and have scheduled time for people to present their items to the group.
Any baseball-related books you’d like to exchange.

Timeframe

We plan to begin at 9:30 AM and envision ending around 4:30 PM. There will be a 45-minute break for lunch as well as a 15-minute afternoon break.

Directions

From I-35, take exit 206 (Aquarena Springs Dr.)
Travel west on Aquarena Springs Drive, which turns into University Drive.
After crossing the San Marcos River, you will come to a traffic light. Turn right onto Sessom Drive.
Just before the first light, turn left on State Street and go up a steep road toward Old Main.
Go through a gate (the gate should be up) and continue up the hill.
At the top of the hill, make a sharp left turn and drive up to Old Main.
Look for parking on this road that winds around the side and back of Old Main.

You can find additional parking at the Pleasant Street Garage, located at the corner of N. LBJ and Pleasant Street. To reach this garage, after you pass through the gate, continue up the hill, then down the hill to the stop sign on Pleasant Street. Turn left; the entrance to the parking garage will be on your left.

You do not need a parking pass to park on campus – however, do not park in spaces not marked as parking spaces or in handicapped parking (unless you have the appropriate tag displayed).
The meeting room is on the third floor in Room 320. There is an elevator on the first floor, or you can take the stairs.

Tell your friends! Hope to see you there!

12th Annual Winter Meeting: January 13th, 2018

On Saturday, January 13th we’ll gather at Old Main Building on the Texas State University campus in San Marcos, TX for our 12th annual Winter Meeting. We cordially invite all SABR members and their guests to join us.

Our keynote speaker, Branch B. Rickey, president of the Pacific Coast League, will highlight a fun-filled day of baseball talk, pictures, and memorabilia.

Announcing the 11th Annual Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting

For ten years the Hornsby chapter has held an annual Winter Meeting where Central and South Texans can talk baseball during the offseason. It’s a full day of baseball content, and it’s always a blast. This year’s conference will be no different!

Details

When: Saturday January 14th, 2017
Time: 9:45 AM – 4:30 PM
Where: Old Main Building, third floor. Texas State Campus, San Marcos TX
You’ll have the opportunity to purchase lunch for $10 from Which Which as you enter the meeting. Please bring cash for this purpose.
Directions:
From I-35, take exit 206 (Aquarena Springs Dr.) Travel west on Aquarena Springs Drive, which turns into University Drive. After crossing the San Marcos River, you will come to a traffic light. Turn right onto Sessom Drive. Just before the first light, turn left on State Street and go up a steep road toward Old Main. Go through a gate (the gate should be up) and continue up the hill. At the top of the hill, make a sharp left turn and drive up to Old Main. Look for parking on this road that winds around the side and back of Old Main.

You can find additional parking at the Pleasant Street Garage, located at the corner of N. LBJ and Pleasant Street. To reach this garage, after you pass through the gate, continue up the hill, then down the hill to the stop sign on Pleasant Street. Turn left; the entrance to the parking garage will be on your left.

You do not need a parking pass to park on campus – however, do not park in spaces not marked as parking spaces or in handicapped parking (unless you have the appropriate tag displayed).

The meeting room is on the third floor in Room 320. There is an elevator on the first floor, or you can take the stairs.

Lineup

Dr. Bobby Brown

Former player, New York Yankees
President, American League, 1984-1994

Dr. Bobby Brown is a national baseball treasure. Born in 1924, he played for the New York Yankees from 1946-1952 and again in 1954. He is a lifetime .279 hitter but will be known mostly as a four-time World Series champion (1947, 1949, 1950, 1951) who hit .439 in the Fall Classic.

After retiring as a player, Dr. Brown settled in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to practice cardiology. But his passion for baseball could not be extinguished. He became an executive with the Texas Rangers, and in 1983 he was elected president of the American League. He remained in that position for ten years, resigning in 1994.

In addition to his baseball and medical accomplishments, Dr. Brown served in both World War II and the Korean War, earning medals for his valor and bravery. We are honored to have him speak at this year’s Winter Meetings.

Mike Acosta

Authentication Manager, Houston Astros

Mike Acosta is historian and official MLB authenticator for the Houston Astros. He started as a broadcast intern with the Astros in 1999 and has worked in a variety of departments since then, including customer service. For about 13 years, he has been in charge of the Astros archive. In 2009, he became the team’s authenticator, verifying game-used items such as baseballs, bats and uniforms.

Mike Capps

Director of Broadcasting, Round Rock Express

Mike Capps is the only play-by-play broadcaster the Round Rock Express has ever had. He’s beginning his 18th season with the team, having broadcast over 2,500 games. He’s a two-time minor-league broadcaster of the year and has done fill-in major league work with ESPN Radio, the Texas Rangers, and Houston Astros.

Mike is also a former award-winning CNN correspondent, having covered the Gulf War and the siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. He is a co-author of The Scout: Searching for the Best in Baseball, with Red Murff, the Texas-based scout who signed Nolan Ryan, and three other members of the 1969 World Champion New York Mets.

Mark Saccomanno

Former first baseman, Houston Astros

Mark Saccomanno is a native Texan who played baseball in the Houston Astros organization. At age 17, Mark was awarded the Klein Forest High School Golden Glove Award and was selected to the 17-and-under AAU National All-Tournament Team. At 18, Mark was named to the Second-Team All-District 16-5A as a shortstop and received the National Scholar Athlete Award.

After playing baseball for Baylor University, Mark was drafted by the Houston Astros in 2003. He made his major-league debut on September 8, 2008 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is one of the select few major leaguers who homered on their first major-league pitch. Mark’s came off Ian Snell in the bottom of the 5th to give the Astros a 1-0 lead. They would go on to win the game by that same margin, 3-2.

Bo Carter

Co-author, Dizzy: Dean of Baseball and My Podnah

Bo Carter, a veteran of 40-plus years in college media relations, is no stranger to college athletics, communications and the business world. Carter has worked with college athletics since September 1970 and also has taught journalism and worked as a syndicated columnist for the last two decades. He also has been a consultant and columnist with the National Football Foundation since August 2006 after working with the Big 12 Conference for 10 years and the Southwest Conference from 1986-96 as media relations director. Carter, a native of Sheffield, Ala., and 1974 cum laude graduate in classics at Vanderbilt, was was named to the College Sports Information Directors Hall of Fame in July 2005 and completed a Masters degree in journalism at the University of North Texas in Aug. 2006.

Bo will have books for sale for $27 (includes tax). He will also be signing copies.

Activities

In addition to the these speakers, we’ll have the following activities planned:

Quiz Bowl / Trivia hosted by Jim Baker
Mock Hall of Fame balloting hosted by Jan Larson
Baseball Alzheimer’s Project update by Jim Kenton
Memorabilia show-and-tell presentations
Donated baseball books you can take home

This event is open to all. You do not have to be a SABR member or a member of the Hornsby chapter to attend. Come hang out and have fun talking baseball!

April Meeting Wrap-Up

Six Hornsby Chapter members met at the County Line by the Lake for a Saturday afternoon lunch and to talk baseball. A wide range of topics were discussed including the Astros’ slow start, the PED suspension of Marlins’ second baseman Dee Gordon as well as the pros/cons of some of the Sabermetric statistics, in particular WAR.

Jim Baker, the proprietor of the Predictaron, conducted a drawing to determine the membership in the "Raeanne Martinez" and "Michael Bass" divisions for the purposes of the contest.

Watch this space for an announcement on the date/location for the May meeting and mark you calendars for June 25 when we have our first chapter outing of the season to the Dell Diamond for the Express vs. Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

April Lunch Meeting

We will be gathering for our first in-season lunch of 2016 at the County Line BBQ at 5204 Ranch Rd 2222 (just east of RR 2222 and Hwy 360) on Saturday, April 30 starting at 12:30 p.m. We will have some exciting news about the chapter website. Please RSVP so we can provide an accurate headcount for seating purposes to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com.

Serie del Caribe and Dominican Baseball 2016

Serie del Caribe y Beisbol Dominicano 2016

(presented at the monthly chapter meeting on Feb. 20, 2016)

(Move the mouse over the blank space to see the answer)

1.	The stadium in Santo Domingo was recently renamed to honor the first Dominican player to enter the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame. Name him.	Juan Marichal
2.	A second Dominican player was recently inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame. Name him.	Pedro Martinez
3.	Match the 2016 Serie del Caribe teams with the countries that they represent: Teams: Leones del Escogido, Venados de Mazatlan, Tigres de Ciego de Avila, Cangrejeros de Santurce, Tigres de Aragua Countries: Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic	Leones del Escogido, DR Venados de Mazatlan, Mexico Tigres de Ciego de Avila, Cuba Cangrejeros de Santurce, PR Tigres de Aragua, Ven.
4.	The Dominican manager, Luis Rojas, is a member of a Dominican royal family of baseball. His father was a three-time all-star during a 17 year MLB career. His brother was a six-time all-star that also played 17 years in MLB, plus had a close encounter with a fan named Steve. Name Luis Rojas’ father and brother.	Felipe Alou Rojas and Moises Alou
5.	No hablan ingles a la Serie del Caribe. There are six teams in the Dominican winter league. Match the Dominican team name with its meaning (or synonym) in English. Team names: Licey, Estrellas Orientales, Escogio, Aguilas Cibaenas, Gigantes del Cibao, Toros del Este (Loose) translations: The Chosen Ones; The Big Ones in the Valley; Bright lights from the East; Bulls from the East; A river in the Dominican; A Majestic Bird over the Valley	Licey – a river Estrellas – bright lights Escogido – the Chosen Ones Aguilas – majestic bird Gigantes – big ones Toros – bulls
6.	Gigantes del Cibao play in San Francisco de Macoris, in central Dominicana. Their stadium is named after a former MLB second baseman, a native of that city, who was a two-time all-star and played in the 1964, ’67, ’68, and ’72 World Series. Name him.	Julian Javier
7.	Two well-known MLB relievers, pitching for the Dominicans, combined for two blown saves and a loss as the Dominican team was swept from Serie del Caribe 2016. Name them.	Fernando Rodney and either Rafael Soriano or Joel Peralta
8.	Which team won Serie del Caribe 2016 ? Which team was the runner-up ?	Venados de Mazatlan, Mexico Tigres de Aragua, Venezuela
	— 20 total points —
	Tie breaker (if needed) – The two Dominican pitchers in the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame have combined for how many regular season pitching wins? (hint – they each had between 200 and 250 career wins)	462 Juan Marichal 243 and Pedro Martinez 219

March meeting summary

Ten chapter members gathered in southwest Austin on Saturday to discuss a wide range of baseball topics – from the Chisox brouhaha involving Adam LaRoche to Goose Gossage’s recent comments about sabermetrics and bat flipping.

Also, Bill Gilbert gave an update and shared impressive statistics from his grandson, Caleb Gilbert, a freshman right-handed reliever for Louisiana State University.

The group also discussed the new slide rules implemented last month, spurred in part by Chase Utley’s leg-breaking slide in last year’s National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets.

Gilbert and Raeanne Martinez shared that they’ll be in St. Petersburg in June for a journalism teaching workshop. Coincidentally, the Rays will host the Houston Astros that weekend, so one can be sure that the Martinezes will catch a game or two.

The chapter is planning an outing to the Dell Diamond in June to see the Round Rock Express; more details to come.

Meanwhile, the next chapter meeting will be at County Line on the Lake (2222 and 360) on Saturday, April 30. More details as we get closer to the date.