Category: Event Summaries

Fifteen members and guests enjoyed “Moneyball” Saturday evening, finding lots to like for die-hard baseball fans and nonfans alike. The statistical approach to baseball gets the royal treatment — with mentions of Bill James, the importance of having players reach base and small-market tactics against big, rich ballclubs.

Scouts don’t get portrayed real well, but as you may have heard, this movie, which is based on the book, “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” by Michael Lewis, focuses on Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane. The movie opens with the A’s losing to the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series, after a 102-win season in 2001. In the off-season, the A’s lose stars Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Jason Isringhausen to free agency. Looking for a different strategy, Beane recruits a sabermetrician who argues that players with high on-base percentages can help a small-market team compete against the richer clubs.

Beane’s relationship with his daughter also figures in the story-telling, providing character development to balance out the baseball talk. But it is a baseball movie, so it’s no surprise that the film devotes a lot of time to the team’s 20-game winning streak in 2002, which is still an American League record.

Afterward, we were joined by Brian McNulty (pictured above, center), a production manager on a number of Hollywood films, including “A Perfect Storm,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” and most recently, “The Help.” While he was not involved with “Moneyball,” he gave his insight into the movie making process and discussed what he liked about the film.

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, he said he was impressed with the movie’s accurate depiction of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. He also noticed the sharp work on art design. Brian is a friend of Jim Baker’s and participates in Jim’s fantasy baseball league. Brian’s wife, Jennifer, and a couple of their friends also joined us at Hyde Park Bar & Grill.

Much thanks to Brian for visiting with us to share his insight about the movie, and to everyone who turned out for our change-up meeting, a movie and dinner.

In other news, Connie Larson announced that she won a week-long Caribbean cruise in a drawing at the Dell Diamond. She is taking a good friend of hers who missed an Alaska cruise earlier this year when her friend broke her foot. No word yet if Winter League games are on the cruise schedule. We hope Connie and her friend have a great time.

We’ve not yet set the October meeting, but we’re thinking of having a playoffs watch party. More details soon.

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter met for the 57th consecutive month in August, “breaking” Joltin’ Joe’s consecutive game hitting streak.

Twenty-one members and guests enjoyed a tight 8-7 game won by the visiting Tacoma Rainiers. The back-and-forth game featured impressive homeruns by Carlos Pequero and Johan Limonta of the Rainiers and Val Majewski of the Express. Rainiers starting pitcher, Nate Robertson, got the win and had once started a game in the 2006 World Series for the Detroit Tigers against the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

For the 56th consecutive month, the Rogers Hornsby Chapter met to talk baseball, thereby “tying” Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak. In addition, chapter founder Bill Gilbert was presented with the Rajah Award for significant achievements with the Hornsby Chapter. A number of members chipped in and gave input on the design of the trophy, named after Hornsby’s nickname.

An active member of the Larry Dierker Chapter in Houston, Bill moved to Central Texas and, using the SABR member directory, he invited other SABR members in the area for a meeting in December 2003. In January 2006, members signed a petition for chapter recognition and the Rogers Hornsby Chapter was born.

As chapter commissioner, Bill encouraged regular meetings, founded the annual winter meetings at Texas State University that allowed for special guests and research presentations and organized occasional trips to watch Round Rock Express games. Though he stepped down as chapter commissioner last year, he has remained an active and vital part of the Hornsby Chapter.

The plaque on the trophy reads: “Bill Gilbert is hereby presented the inaugural Rajah Award for lifetime achievement.” The SABR logo and the date of the winter meeting in 2011 are also on the plaque. Members intended to present the award at the winter meeting, but when Bill was unable to attend, the presentation was postponed until the July meeting.

At the meeting, fourteen members and guests enjoyed BBQ and discussed a wide-range of baseball topics such as Ichiro Suzuki’s off year and the historically bad season of the Houston Astros, which is one of just three franchises that has not lost 100 games in a season. Most agreed that the Astros appear on track to fall out of that club this season (the other two are the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).

In honor and memory of Joe DiMaggio, Bill Gilbert recounted a time when he and his son saw Joltin’ Joe at the airport in Dallas. Coincidently, Bill was reading Roger Kahn’s book, “Joe & Marilyn: A Memory of Love,” which recounts DiMaggio’s relationship with Marilyn Monroe. Bill encouraged his son to ask DiMaggio’s for his autograph. DiMaggio, agreed, but when presented with this book, he declined to sign it.

Bill Gilbert brought a trivia quiz about home run and pitching leaders. Dan Walsh, fresh from a Hawaiian vacation, scored the most points with 21. You can take your stab at the quiz by clicking here.

One member brought late-breaking news that Houston Astros Second Baseman Jeff Keppinger had been traded to the San Francisco Giants for two minor league pitchers. Those of us who are Astros fans also noticed that the trade allowed for the call-up of Second Baseman Jose Altuve, who was most recently with the Corpus Christi Hooks and played in the 2011 All-Star Futures Game last week in Phoenix. According to media reports, Altuve could get his major league debut as soon as tomorrow, Wednesday, July 20.

In addition, Dan Walsh and Gilbert Martinez recounted some of their experiences at SABR 41 in Long Beach, California earlier in the month. A native of Long Beach, Walsh especially enjoyed hearing former Dodgers first baseman Wes Parker speak. Walsh and Martinez both thought that super-agent Scott Boras gave a very interesting and insightful keynote address. Martinez brought back some of the extra items from the conference bag to share with members at the meeting, including programs for the Angels and the Dodgers, a book entitled, “How Bill James Changed Our View of the Game of Baseball,” a catalog of sports books published by McFarland, among other items.

 

Fifteen members and guests of the Rogers Hornsby SABR chapter met Saturday, June 25 at Salt Lick in Round Rock for BBQ and then enjoyed an evening of baseball at Dell Diamond.

There was a large crowd at the game, partly due to it being Nolan Ryan bobblehead night.  Although it was hot, our seats were in the shade and there was a pleasant breeze at the ballyard.  The hometown nine sent the fans home happy with a run in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Oklahoma City Redhawks 4-3.

Discussion topics included the MLB standings at mid-year, who’s hot and who’s not, movements in Predictatron, the probability of Ichiro reaching 200 hits this year, prospects for the Astros franchise moving forward, and preparations of chapter members for attending the SABR National Convention in July.  Gilbert Martinez reported that his presentation on pitcher "no-decisions" has been accepted and he’s on the agenda at the Convention.

Speaking of Ichiro, Frank Rechtorovic presented Gilbert with a framed Japanese newspaper page picturing Suzuki in his days with the Orix Blue Wave.  Frank had kept this from an army tour of duty in Japan in the ’90s.

A big "Thanks" to Jan Larson for arranging the dinner and game tickets!  This was the 55th consecutive month that the Hornsby chapter has held a meeting.  A meeting date and location for July will be announced shortly.

 

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.

 

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.

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.

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 52^nd consecutive month in which the chapter has met. Plans are underway for the August meeting, which will be the 57^th 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.

 

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.

A total of 12 members and guests of the Rogers Hornsby chapter gathered at the home of Jan and Connie Larson in Cedar Park, Texas for a SABR Day pot luck dinner, baseball talk and general socializing.  Craig Lukshin distributed unopened 48-card packs of 1987 series Topps baseball cards to all guests as “party favors.”  The group also enjoyed a screening of the baseball classic “Field of Dreams” (which featured Mystery Science Theater 3000-type commentary by Jim Baker – a stickler for historical accuracy) and for the night owls in the group, the second feature was “The Natural.”

Hornsby Chapter members.  Back row (left to right):  Craig Lukshin, Mike Dillon, Jim Baker, Raeanne Martinez.  Front row (left to right) : Gilbert Martinez, Jan Larson, Michael Hammon, Monte Cely.  Not pictured:  Michael Bass.