Sixteen chapter members and guests, gathering for the first time since the passing of chapter founder Bill Gilbert, paid tribute to him on Saturday and remembered his contributions to our community.
We had an empty chair, a World Series edition Astros cap and some fresh garden flowers at the head of the table in Bill’s remembrance. We owe so much to him, not least of which his hand in creating our vibrant baseball community. May he rest in peace.
Jan Larson recounted how Bill contacted SABR members in the Austin area for regular lunch meetings, starting in 2003. Three years later, the group officially became a SABR chapter. Later, Bill worked hard to create the chapter’s annual winter meeting, starting in 2007 and has become a recurring signature event for the chapter every January since.
As we sometimes do at our monthly meetings, we had a trivia quiz; this one supplied by Jim Baker. The theme of the quiz was teenagers who have played in the big leagues, and it was won by Tom Thayer, earning him the prize of the movie poster from the baseball movie, “Bang the drum slowly.”
In addition, Dan Walsh brought his collection of baseball stadium postcards to share with the group. It included major and minor league team stadiums, and even a few from Japanese ball clubs.
The next chapter meeting will be the World Series Watch Party at Jim Baker’s house on Saturday, Oct. 27. World Series Game 4 is scheduled for that evening. More details to follow next month.
A dozen chapter members and guests endured the dog days of summer with large slabs of baseball talk and sides of post-season prognostications on Saturday.
The group gathered at County Line on the Lake for delicious barbecue, meeting for the 141st consecutive month. A wide range of professional team logos were represented at the meeting, including the Astros, Dodgers, Indians, Rockies and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Ryan, who attended the Sabermetrics, Scouting and the Science of Baseball conference in Boston earlier this month, sported a shirt from the conference – a periodic table of baseball statistical abbreviations. While he’s bummed at the tough season his Orioles are having, he’s hoping his team will hold on to secure the first pick in next year’s draft. Meanwhile I sported an Ichiro Suzuki shirt that featured a chart showing his 1,000th, 2,000th, 3,000th, and 4,000th hits. Jan grabbed one of his many caps and sported one of the Washington Nationals, a team rapidly fading from contention.
Speaking of contention, some in the group see the Boston Red Sox as the strongest team in the American League while the National League is a complete toss-up. One attendee said he hoped the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners slip past the Houston Astros for playoff qualification, though there were others who disagreed with this outcome!
The group also welcomed first-time Tom to the group. He’s an Indians fan, just like another Tom in the group, so we all agreed that this will help us remember his name. Jeremy traveled the furthest to join us for lunch, having driven from San Antonio and planning on taking in a Round Rock Express game that evening.
Ira shared how much he enjoyed touring Wrigley Field during a trip to Chicago earlier this month. He said he was surprised at how close second base looked from the center field bleachers.
Next meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Serranos (5030 W. U.S. 290 service road) in Southwest Austin. A request for RSVPs will be forthcoming.
A dozen chapter members and guests beat the heat and enjoyed an afternoon of baseball with sides of sandwiches, desserts and beverages in air conditioned comfort on Saturday.
Many thanks to Ryan Pollack for providing a sandwich platter and hosting the July meeting, the 140th consecutive month in which the chapter has had a meeting. Other members brought beverages, desserts and homemade side dishes for a nice food spread. We watched the Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals, and then saw part of Aroldis Chapman’s meltdown in the ninth inning against the Mets (Yankees held on for the win).
Later, Ryan showed the many facets of game play in the Playstation 4 game “MLB – The Show 18,” a realistic-looking baseball simulation game that allows a player to build a team and player from scratch and play full-length baseball games. The game also offers challenges and accomplishments to earn a variety of virtual items, including player cards and uniforms. When Ryan’s not working or attending chapter meetings, he’s likely testing his mettle in this game.
In addition, Gilbert Martinez (pictured above) returned after having spent five weeks in Japan. Wearing a Chunichi Dragons shirt and cap, he brought homemade chocolate cupcakes. The Dragons play in the Central Division of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 25. More details to follow next month.
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.
A dozen chapter members and guests enjoyed an Italian lunch and caught up on the young season at the monthly meeting on Saturday.
Topics included the extended conversation on SABR-L about Ichiro Suzuki’s new role in the Mariners’ front office and whether his playing career is done, Shohei Ohtani’s early success as a two-way player and the early lead by the Martinezes in Jim Baker’s Predictatron contest.
We also welcomed new member Adam, who hails from Des Moines, Iowa. He shared with us that he’s a Chicago Cubs fan and worked in the front office of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs while in high school and college.
We also congratulated member and author Anne Keene for the publication in May of her book, “The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team that Helped Win World War II.” She’s planning on attending SABR 48 in Pittsburgh in June to discuss her book, which is available online and at local bookstores. In addition, her book was named as this month’s Statesman Select, making it the top recommended read in Austin. You can catch Ms. Keene discuss her book at BookPeople at 7 p.m. Friday, May 25. Click this link for more information: https://www.bookpeople.com/statesman-selects
This was the 138th consecutive month in which the chapter has meet, a streak dating to December 2006. Tom Thayer wondered when our streak might match Cal Ripken’s consecutive-game streak; Jim Baker calculated that we’re 208 years away from that!
With that in mind, our next meeting has been set for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at Serranos in southwest Austin (MoPac and 290). Jan Larson will send out a request for RSVPs as we get closer to that date.
Before- fog photo by Frank RechtorovicAfter-fog photo by Frank Rechtorovic
Nineteen Hornsby Chapter members and guests witnessed something at Dell Diamond that had never happened there before – a fog-induced delay of game. Fog rolled in quickly, making it difficult for fans to see outfielders and read the big board, but the Round Rock Express broke a 1-1 tie with the Colorado Sky Sox on a big five-run inning before the delay was called.
The fog delayed the game for about 30 minutes. Once the direction of the wind changed, the fog dissipated almost as quickly as it had blanketed the ballpark. The Express went on to win 6-1.
We probably should’ve known that we were in for an interesting night when the Express leadoff hitter, Jose Cardona, was called out on an automatic strike for taking too long to be ready to hit in the batter’s box. Without an announcement by the stadium announcer, we were left to decipher what had just happened. It wasn’t the only time that occurred.
Later in the game with Sky Sox second baseman Nate Orf on first, it appeared that Sky Sox third baseman Shane Opitz flied out to center. But the home plate umpire called a balk, wiping out the flyout to center and placing Orf on second. The at-bat for Opitz continued with a single. Later, Orf scored, but this caused confusion among our group as there was no announcement by the stadium public address announcer.
Other ominous happenings at the park included a seemingly friendly tug-of-war between Spike the mascot and kids. Shortly after the contest of strength began, Spike fell over and lost his head – literally! The mascot’s head popped off, bringing a quick end to the tug-of-war.
After enjoying a barbeque dinner at the Salt Lick, many of us made it through the gates in time for the Express giveaway – a replica of the Nolan Ryan statue that stands outside of the Dell Diamond and Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Many thanks to Frank Rechtorovic for sharing his before-fog and after-fog photos. Some members who recall many ballgames in San Francisco remarked that they had never attended a game in which fog suspended play. As we often say, you never know when you’ll see something at a ballpark that’s never (or rarely ever) happened before.
Before the Express’ five-spot in the 7th inning, we wondered if we might see the new extra innings rule that automatically places a runner on second. Alas, for better or worse, it didn’t come to that, but we think we got to see a pretty interesting game, nonetheless.
Next monthly chapter meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at Romano’s Macaroni Grill at the Arboretum in north Austin. Requests for RSVPs will be forthcoming in early May.
Raeanne Martinez shows off her lucha libre mask, the prize for winning Monte Cely’s trivia quiz about the 2018 Caribbean Series. (Photo by Gilbert D. Martinez)
Ten chapter members and guests gathered for a Mexican lunch in southwest Austin on Sunday, Feb. 18, and welcomed back Monte Cely, freshly returned from the Caribbean Series. In return, Monte unleashed a Baseball Latinamericano trivia quiz on us.
Two-time Predictatron champion Raeanne Martinez won her first quiz at a monthly meeting, besting the field with 22 out of 28 points and securing a lucha libre mask as the grand prize from Monte (see photo above). Ira Siegel, like the rest of us, struggled on the quiz, but he did receive the last-place-finisher prize of a two peso note.
As all MLB teams are on the verge of full camp workouts, our discussions related much more to the coming season and less on 2017. The group discussed the most recent free agent signing — Eric Hosmer joining the San Diego Padres for an eight-year, $144 million deal. In some ways, the 11th hour signing suggests the overarching discussion happening in baseball – how to value a player’s worth in a long-term contract? It seems that the days of rewarding a player for past performance are over with as teams appear to prefer shorter term contracts that they think more accurately value a player’s worth in the next few seasons.
Monte also talked about attending the Caribbean Series and watching the team from Puerto Rico win it all. You can read more about Monte’s dispatches about Serie del Caribe 2018 by clicking on this link: http://www.sabrhornsby.org/2017/08/serie-del-caribe-2018/
This was the 135th consecutive month in which the chapter has had a monthly meeting, a streak that dates back to December 2006.
We’ve set the next chapter meeting for 12:45 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at County Line on the Lake on FM 2222 in North Austin. A request for RSVPs will be forthcoming in the mid March.
Fourteen chapter members and guests joined SABR members around the globe to celebrate the Ninth Annual SABR Day on Saturday in Austin.
While the group enjoyed a hot Italian lunch at Macaroni Grill in the Arboretum, the lack of free agent signings during the Hot Stove offseason dominated the conversation. Some commented on the Milwaukee Brewers activity – trading for Christian Yelich and signing Lorenzo Cain in recent days, bringing some warmth to the stove
Speaking of the offseason, some of us wondered whether many of the current free agents would sign one-year deals to play this season. With spring training just around the corner, time appears to be running out for these free agents.
The group also discussed the Hall of Fame announcement, revisiting familiar topics such as who’s deserving and who’s not.
In addition, SABR headquarters asked chapter leaders to get feedback about a proposed name change to the organization. The name change – from the Society for American Baseball Research to the Society for the Advancement of Baseball Research – would retain the acronym, but proponents say the new name would more accurately describe the organization as a whole and recognize baseball as an international sport.
Lunch attendees had a variety of views about the proposal, and perhaps in typical baseball fashion, you could describe our views as 1-6-3. 1: Mike Dillon said he was happy either way. 6: Jim Baker, Ryan Pollack, Raeanne Martinez, Monte Cely, Jan Larson and this author – were all in favor of the name change, with some suggesting that if a change was going to be made, perhaps a more dramatic change would be warranted. 3: Tom Wancho, Ira Siegel and Chuck Kaufman preferred the current name and would rather that the name not change.
This feedback will be shared with SABR headquarters. Other Hornsby members may contact me (email: gmartinez46 AT mac.com) with their thoughts.
To see how other chapters around the nation and the world celebrated SABR Day, check out this link: http://sabr.org/sabrday
Our next chapter luncheon will be at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at Serranos (MoPac and U.S. 290 in southwest Austin). More details and request for RSVPs will be forthcoming in early February.
Baseball memories dominated the 12th Annual Winter Meeting on Saturday – reminiscing about the Houston Astros’ memorable World Series win, hearing about beisbol in Cuba, learning about volunteer opportunities with RBI Austin and electing just one player in our mock Hall of Fame vote.
Keynote speaker Branch B. Rickey (pictured above), president of the Pacific Coast League, returned to the winter meeting to share anecdotes about his career in Major League and Minor League Baseball. He talked about the difficulty of enforcing rules, such as those that punish players for leaving the dugout during brawls. He also shared some background in how San Antonio will feature a Triple-A team in 2019, and what that means for the other PCL teams.
Anne Keene, author of The Cloudbuster Nine
Nearly 50 chapter members and guests also heard from author Anne Keene (pictured above), the daughter of former professional baseball player Jim Raugh. She 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 forthcoming book, The Cloudbuster Nine, is scheduled to be published on May 1 and can be pre-ordered on amazon.com.
LIsa Carter, digital content producer with KHOU and Texas State alumna
KHOU Digital Content Producer and proud Texas State alumna Lisa Carter (pictured above) shared her perspectives and photos from the 2017 World Series, in which she covered every game in Los Angeles and Houston. She talked about receiving a call from her editor immediately after the Astros won the American League Championship Series, which gave the Astros their ticket to the World Series. Little did she realize that she would be on a plane the next day to cover the first game of the World Series in Los Angeles.
Monte Cely, Caribbean World Series correspondent
Chapter member Monte Cely (pictured above) talked about his week-long trip to Cuba in September with other SABR members to watch baseball and learn about the Caribbean island nation, noting that even though politics may divide our countries, it’s beisbol that unites us. Highlights of his trip included meeting the son of legendary Cuban player Martin Dihigo and Cuban national team star pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo.
Mike Capps, the voice of the Round Rock Express
Award-winning journalist, broadcaster and voice of the Round Rock Express, Mike Capps (pictured above), returned to the winter meeting to give his insight about the Express and outlook for the Texas Rangers in the upcoming season. He said he’s looking forward to adding San Antonio to the travel schedule for the Express in 2019 and beyond. He expressed concern for the Rangers’ chances, especially in a division with a strong Astros team and an improved Angels squad. He suggested that Rangers fans hope that their team can play .500 ball during most of the season, giving them a shot at a Wild Card spot, that Rougned Odor returns to form and that the Rangers find effective starting pitching, whether through trades, free agent acquisition or from the farm system.
As has been the practice at the winter meeting recent years, Jan Larson conducted a Hall of Fame election for everyone in attendance at the meeting. At the end of the meeting, he shared that our meeting participants elected only one player to the Baseball Hall of Fame – Chipper Jones, who was selected on 27 of the 31 ballots. Twenty-four votes (or 75 percent) were needed to be elected. Close calls on our ballots included Jim Thome (19 votes) and Curt Schilling (18 votes). Roger Clemens, Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina all had 16 votes. Barry Bonds and Vladimir Guerrero had 15 votes each, and Trevor Hoffman had 12 votes. All other names on the ballot were in single-digit vote totals or had zero votes. Also, there were an average of 7.1 selections (out of a maximum of 10) on each ballot. The official Hall of Fame vote is scheduled to be revealed on Jan. 24.
Ira Siegel (right) and Jordan Boessling, volunteers with RBI Austin
Chapter member Ira Siegel talked about his volunteer work with RBI Austin, an affiliate of MLB’s RBI program. In addition, Jordan Boessling, who also volunteers with RBI Austin, talked about working with underserved communities in Austin and helping teach baseball and provide opportunities for young people. More information about RBI Austin can be found at their website: http://www.rbiaustin.org/
Jim Baker, ice-breaker extraordinare
Jim Baker (pictured above) kicked off the meeting with an entertaining group activity – Name the Player, Name the Car, which featured advertisements and promotions of baseball players posing with motor vehicles.
Many thanks to everyone who attended another very successful day of baseball chatter at the Winter Meeting! Also, well wishes are in order for Ryan Pollack, who coordinated the agenda for the Winter Meeting but was unable to attend because of illness. Get well soon, Ryan! And, much appreciation to Raeanne Martinez for arranging and organizing lunch from Which Wich.
This was the 134th consecutive month in which the chapter has met, a streak dating to December 2006.
In honor of the Ninth Annual SABR Day, the chapter is planning on gathering for lunch at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at Macaroni Grill at the Arboretum in north Austin. More details of this and other SABR Day events around the country can be found at this link: http://sabr.org/sabrday
More pictures from the winter meeting:
Mark Wernick’s Houston Colt .45’s official programJeremy Schmidt brought two baseballs signed by Houston Buffs playersAnne Keene brought Ted Williams memorabiliaGilbert D. Martinez brought his scorecard from World Series Game 5 in which the Astros outlasted the Dodgers, 13-12, in 10 innings
Ten chapter members and guests munched on delicious homemade treats and pondered two surprising moves in baseball — Shohei Otani joining the Los Angeles Angels and Giancarlo Stanton landing with the New York Yankees.
Thanks to Linda Cely, the group enjoyed her homemade desserts before, during and after lunch at Serranos in southwest Austin on Saturday, Dec. 9. Thanks so much, Linda!
We talked about looking forward to Astros-Angels matchups in Houston in 2018, which will give us a chance to see the defending World Series champions and the pairing of Mike Trout and Otani with the Angels.
In addition, Gary McIntosh shared some details of the Great American Fantasy League, a board game adapted from Statis-Pro Baseball that realistically simulates the career performances of baseball greatest players, using only stats with their primary teams. Gary shared with us that in their league, the Los Angeles Dodgers recently won Game 1 of the World Series over the Kansas City Royals. To read a summary of that game, click here: http://www.sabrhornsby.org/2017/12/great-american-fantasy-league-season-3-world-series-game-1/
This led to a discussion about all-time best players for various teams. For example, it would seem that Jose Altuve has surpassed Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio at second base, but Gary pointed out that a GAFL manager of the Astros could place Biggio at catcher or outfield. We also discussed which team might best use Nolan Ryan, as his best years were with the Astros, but not with the Mets or Angels.
The group was also anticipating the announcement from the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee, but we had yet to hear at lunchtime about the selection of Alan Trammel and Jack Morris.
Meanwhile, Raeanne and I are still celebrating the Astros’ World Series Championship. I wrote a song, The Twelve Days of Astros! You can read the lyrics on the chapter website by clicking here: http://www.sabrhornsby.org/2017/12/the-twelve-days-of-astros/
For the next meeting, it’s something we’ve been waiting all year for – the 12th Annual Rogers Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting! It will be on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in Old Main at Texas State University in San Marcos.
Also, the chapter plans to take part in the 9th Annual SABR Day on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018.
Ten chapter members and guests munched on delicious homemade treats and pondered two surprising moves in baseball — Shohei Otani joining the Los Angeles Angels and Giancarlo Stanton landing with the New York Yankees.
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