Author: Ryan Pollack

About the Chapter

The Rogers Hornsby chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research serves members in Central and South Texas. We were officially recognized as a SABR chapter in early 2006 (our members having previously been part of the Houston chapter). 

Our membership is active in baseball research, including recently published books, articles, and active blogs. We meet monthly for dinner to talk baseball. We also hold an annual Summer Meeting (usually at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, home of the Rangers’ AAA affiliate, the Round Rock Express).

The big event for our chapter is our annual Winter Meeting, held at Texas State University in San Marcos. The Winter Meeting features presentations and panel discussions by baseball insiders, as well as research presentations by our members.

In addition to this web site, the Rogers Hornsby chapter also operates its own email group list and Facebook page to facilitate discussion among chapter members.

Chapter Info

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a member-driven, nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster the research, preservation and dissemination of the history and record of baseball. SABR members number over 7,000 world-wide. While SABR does include historians, statisticians, journalists, and professional baseball players, most “SABR-ites” are baseball fans that enjoy watching and discussing the National Pastime.

The Rogers Hornsby chapter of SABR serves Central and South Texas. Our members live in Austin, Belton, San Antonio, San Marcos, the Rio Grande Valley, and all points in between.

For more information about the chapter, please see:

Rogers Hornsby(1)

Photo courtesy of Dean Hendrickson

Book Review: The Numbers Game

The Numbers Game is a book that should appeal to many SABR members. Although the theme of the book is baseball statistics, the stories are really about the history, people, and organizations behind the numbers. There is actually very little mathematics in the book, so if you’re turned off by polynomials you should not let that deter you from reading this well-told story.

Schwarz tells the tale of baseball statistics, beginning with “Father” Henry Chadwick in the 1850s, through Bill James in the 1970s and ‘80s, and coming current with the likes of Billy Beane, Theo Epstein and Paul DePodesta in the 21st century. The histories of many of the statistics-oriented sports organizations are also told – the Elias Sports Bureau, STATS, Inc., Project Scoresheet, Retrosheet, MLB.com, and baseballprospectus.com, among others.

Of course, SABR is prominently featured in several of the chapters.

A theme that runs throughout the book is the battle for recognition faced by the statistics proponents. On one level, there’s the battle for acceptance of statistical analyses by “traditional” baseball men. But also, on another level, there’s the battle between those that “control” the official statistics and those that are challenging the meaning, and often-times the accuracy, of those statistics.

I found the book to be an easy, enjoyable read. This book would be especially useful for new SABR members to familiarize themselves with the statistical landscape of the sport.

Here’s the key statistics:

  • Book: The Numbers Game – Baseball’s Lifelong Fascination with Statistics
  • Author: Alan Schwarz
  • Author Credentials: Baseball America writer, ESPN.com columnist, contributor to New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other national publications.
  • Published: 2004, St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-3222-4
  • Length: 254 pages; Foreword by Peter Gammons
  • Price: Retail list – $24.95; Online: new from $12.99 + ship; used from $4.25 + ship.

Two Exclusive Clubs

“Two Exclusive Clubs” is a Powerpoint presentation given by Jan Larson at the January 2009 winter meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter.

You can download the presentation for viewing on your computer: Two Clubs

Jan can be reached at jan.a.larson@gmail.com.

Authors notes:

The presentation asks the audience to determine what qualifies the players and umpires in the two groups for membership in one of the two respective “clubs.”  The term “clubs” in this context refers to groups such as the “30/30 club,” the “3000 hit club” and the like.

The nature of the clubs is revealed in subsequent slides.

Kansas City Royals Trivia

Kansas City Royals Trivia

(presented August 2008)

(Move the mouse over the blank space to see the answer)
1. The Kansas City Royals began play in the American League in 1969. Name the current National League clubs that also began play in 1969.

San Diego, Washington (Montreal), Milwaukee (Seattle – AL)
2. Which current major league manager was AL Rookie of the Year for Kansas City in their inaugural season? Lou Piniella
3. Name the other current major league manager(s) that played for the Royals. Clint Hurdle, COL, Bud Black, SD, Bob Melvin, ARI
4. In what year did the Royals have their first winning season?  Bonus:  What was their record? 1971, 85-76
5. On August 17, 1976, Hall-of-Famer George Brett became the only Royals player to accomplish this feat.  What did he do? Game ending steal of home
6.

Diminutive (5’5") former Royals shortstop Fred Patek had a game to remember while playing for the Angels on June 20, 1980.  What did Patek do?

A. Went 5 for 5 including a cycle.
B. Completed an unassisted triple play.
C. Stole five bases.
D. Hit three homeruns.

 D.  Patek hit three homeruns on June 20, 1980 at Fenway Park as a member of the California Angels.
7. The Royals have participated in two World Series.  Name the Royals manager and opponent for each. Jim Frey, Philadelphia (1980) and Dick Howser, St. Louis (1985)
8.

Which of these players did NOT play for the Royals?

A. Gaylord Perry
B. Vida Blue
C. Kirk Gibson
D. Bert Blyleven
E. Willie Mays
F. Willie Mays Aikens
G. Willie Mays Hayes
H. Bill Buckner
I. Orlando Cepeda
J. Harmon Killebrew
K. Julio Franco
L. Bob Boone

D (Blyleven)

E (Mays)

G (Hayes)

K (Franco)
9. The starting shortstop for the Royals first World Series team was U. L. Washington.  What did the initials "U. L." stand for?  Bonus:  What unusual habit did Washington have? Nothing.  Washington kept a toothpick in his mouth while playing.
10. Name the Royals pitcher who threw two no-hitters in his relatively brief career.  Steve Busby
11. Kansas City had three consecutive dismal seasons from 2004-2006.  How many total games did they lose during those seasons. 310
12. Name the current Royals player that was selected as the collegiate player of the year and the Baseball America minor league player of the year the following season. Alex Gordon
13. List the four uniform numbers retired by the Royals. 5 – George Brett, 10 – Dick Howser, 20 -Frank White, 42 -Jackie Robinson
14. The Royals have been affiliated with just one AAA franchise during their history.  In what stadium does the Royals’ AAA franchise play their home games? Rosenblatt Stadium
15. Who was the Royals head groundskeeper during the years that Kauffman Stadium had an artificial turf surface? George Toma
16. What was George Brett’s final batting average in 1980; the season in which he flirted with batting .400? .390
17. What Royals player was named MVP of the 1989 All-Star game? Bo Jackson
18. List the Royals Cy Young Award winners.  Bonus: What year(s)? Bret Saberhagen (1985, 1989), David Cone (1994)
19. List the Royals MVP Award winners.  Bonus:  What year(s)? George Brett, (1980)
20. Former Royals speedster Willie Wilson holds the record for most inside-the-park homeruns for a player playing since 1950.  How many did hit? 13
21. Which pitcher was a 20-game winner three times during his Royals’ career? Dennis Leonard

 

 

Rogers Hornsby Chapter Annual Report for 2007

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter, serving Central and South Texas, was officially recognized as a SABR chapter early in 2006. The Chapter held 12 meetings in 2007 with one meeting in each month. Nine were dinner meetings, held on a monthly basis, with an average attendance of eleven people. In addition to baseball talk, these meetings allowed members to discuss areas of their research and were also used to plan chapter activities. Members are encouraged to bring guests to these meetings and some new active members have been added as a result.

The first annual winter meeting of the chapter was held in January 2007 on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos. Thirty four people were in attendance at the meeting which included 4 research presentations by Chapter members and guest appearances by former major league pitcher, Carl Scheib, former player and scout, Al LaMacchia, Texas League President, Tom Kayser and San Antonio sportswriter, David King.

After the successful annual meeting in January 2007, another successful meeting was held in January 2008, again at Texas State University in San Marcos, midway between Austin and San Antonio. Thirty one people were in attendance and four chapter members made research presentations. Guest speakers included Kansas City Royals Scout, Gene Watson, Round Rock Express Broadcaster, Mike Capps, Minor League Pitcher, Chris Young and Texas State Baseball Coach, Ty Harrington. Norman Macht presented a trivia quiz. A new feature was a book exchange with several members bringing baseball books to exchange with other members. Remaining books were donated to the library at Texas State University.

Two meetings in 2007 were held at Dell Diamond, the home of the Triple-A Round Rock Express. Both meetings included a pre-game get together and attendance at a game as a group. At the first meeting, attended by 21 people, three members gave research presentations.

The Chapter is continuing a project to identify and commemorate former major league spring training sites in Texas. Norman Macht and Tom Wancho are co-leaders of this project which also involves the other 3 SABR chapters in Texas. Chapter member Monte Cely researched the spring training history of Marlin, Texas, resulting in an article that was published as a three-part series in the local newspaper. A baseball display has also been developed at the Marlin Public Library.

The chapter has continued the monthly meetings in 2008 including a trip to a game in Round Rock. The Winter Meeting is expected to be an annual affair.

Rogers Hornsby Chapter Annual Report for 2006

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter, serving Central and South Texas, was officially recognized as a SABR chapter early in 2006. The Chapter held 11 meetings in 2006. Ten were lunch or dinner meetings, held on a monthly basis, with an average attendance of eight people. In addition to a lot of baseball talk, these meetings allowed members to discuss areas of their research and were also used to plan chapter activities. Members are encouraged to bring guests to these meetings and some new active members have been added as a result.

The biggest meeting of the year was at Dell Diamond, the home of the Triple-A Round Rock Express. This was a Saturday afternoon meeting in June that featured three research presentations and an appearance by former Round Rock pitcher, Denny McDaniel, talking about his professional career. There were 22 people in attendance who attended the game that night as a group.

The Chapter has undertaken a project to identify and commemorate former major league spring training sites in Texas. Norman Macht and Tom Wancho are co-leaders of this project which will also involve the other 3 SABR chapters in Texas.

The first annual winter meeting of the chapter was held in January 2007 on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos. Thirty four people were in attendance at the meeting which included 4 research presentations by Chapter members and guest appearances by former major league pitcher, Carl Scheib, former player and scout, Al LaMacchia, Texas League President, Tom Kayser and San Antonio sportswriter, David King.

The chapter has continued the monthly meetings this year and plans to have another get-together in connection with a ball game in the summer. The Winter Meeting is also expected to be an annual affair.