Category: Event Summaries

The fifth annual Winter Meeting of the SABR Rogers Hornsby Chapter was held on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.  A group of 30 chapter members, guests and baseball fans enjoyed a full day of baseball-related talks and presentations.  There was also a memorabilia display and a book exchange.

Chapter member Norman Macht kicked things off with one of his one-of-a-kind trivia quizzes.  Questions such as identifying the five individuals in the team photo of the 1948 Oakland Oaks (PCL) that never played Major League Baseball are what make Norman’s quizzes unique.  Chapter member Steve Braccini correctly identified four of the five.

Norman also polled the assembled group asking which pitcher, hitter and manager each would like to spend one day with if they could.  Those receiving multiple votes were pitchers Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Satchel Paige and Cy Young; hitters Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Ty Cobb; and managers Connie Mack, Casey Stengel, John McGraw, Sparky Anderson and Billy Martin.

Houston Astros broadcaster Bill Brown presented a summary of the mostly forgettable 2010 Astros season and a look ahead to 2011.  He also shared his thoughts on the recently completed Hall of Fame voting, particularly as it applied to former Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell.

Round Rock Express broadcaster Mike Capps discussed the transition of the Express as a ten-year affiliate of the Houston Astros to their new affiliation with the American League champion Texas Rangers.  The Rangers currently have a highly regarded minor league system and Mike suggested that Central Texas baseball fans should expect to see an upgrade in the talent level and more wins in Round Rock in the coming seasons.

Hornsby Chapter member Steve Fall presented an analysis of post-season results from the period of 1969-1993 when just four teams qualified for the post-season versus the period from 1995 to the present during which eight teams qualify for post-season.  The question was whether more playoff teams makes it less likely that the team with the best regular season record ultimately wins the World Series.   The statistics bear out what most would expect – more playoff teams means a reduced likelihood of the “best” team winning the World Series.

Dallas resident Craig Budner presented a very interesting account of his great-grandfather Hyman Pearlstone’s long association with Connie Mack and Pearlstone’s multi-decade tradition of accompanying Mack’s Philadelphia A’s on one western road trip per season.  On these trips, Pearlstone would dutifully occupy a seat on the bench immediately to Mack’s left for each game.

Norman Macht also played audio excerpts from his 1992 interview of the recently deceased Bobby Thomson, the former New York Giant best known for his 1951 “shot heard ’round the world” home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Part 1 of the interview details Thomson’s memory of the historic home run while Part 2 details his life after baseball. To listen, click here.

The featured speaker of the day was former Colt .45’s, Mets and Dodgers catcher Jerry Grote.  Grote, who now works as a color commentator alongside Mike Capps on Round Rock Express radio broadcasts, regaled the group with tales of his playing days, highlighting that magical 1969 season he spent as the starting catcher for the World Series champion New York Mets.

For the fourth consecutive year, the winter meeting was held in historic Old Main, the oldest building on the Texas State campus and home to the School of Journalism & Mass Communication and the College of Fine Arts & Communication.  The meeting also marked the 50th consecutive monthly meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter.

For the 49th consecutive month, 11 chapter members met to discuss baseball, including such topics as Cliff Lee’s surprise signing with the Phillies and the passing of Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller.

Bill Gilbert brought a trivia quiz covering the 2010 season, which caused some of us to groan when we realized that we had forgotten more about this past season than we had remembered. Cy Morong easily won the contest with 28 out of a total 41 points.

Bill also passed around a card with Bob Feller’s autograph — a souvenir he had obtained during SABR 38, the annual convention held in Cleveland in 2008.

Chuck Kaufman brought copies of a press release from the Baseball Hall of Fame that included quotes from notable Hall-of-Famers Gaylord Perry, Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Dennis Eckersley and Bobby Doerr, who is now the oldest living Hall of Fame player.

Monte Cely shared his plans for a trip with his sons to the Caribbean World Series in Puerto Rico in February. There will be six consecutive days of double-header baseball before they crown a champion. The twelve-game round robin tournament dates back to 1949.

We also discussed some details about the Rogers Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011, at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Also, we talked about holding a gathering on SABR Day, which will be Jan. 29. More details to be announced at the Winter Meeting.

Twelve chapter members were entertained at the November monthy meeting with the 1944 World Series program, the official score book for the first all star game in 1933 (shown above), and a baseball quiz in which members had to name one baseball player for each letter of the alphabet.

Norman Macht brought the program and score book, which elicited oohs and aahs from the group.

Jan Larson brought an interesting quiz — using last names, name active or retired baseball players for each letter of the alphabet — and it came with a 10-minute time limit. Ira Siegel and Mike Dillion tied for first, with Siegel winning on a tie-breaker. His prize was “Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour of the Baseball Parks Past and Present.” Mike, a Boston Red Sox fan, turned down the second place prize — the 2010 New York Yankees Media Guide, which went to the next runner-up, Norman Macht.

The group also discussed Monte Cely’s Cy Young Prognosticator Poll, in which members made their guesses on Sept. 1 for the winners and runners-up to the award. The poll was won by Jim Baker, followed by Craig Lukshin. Jim took home the book, “The Last Days of Shea: Delight and Despair in the Life of a Mets Fan” for his crystal-ball skills.

We also discussed the announcement of Felix Hernandez as the American League Cy Young Award Winner. Some thought it was a victory for sabermetrics because Hernandez won on the strength of leading the league in earned run average (2.27) and innings pitched (249 2/3) and being second in strike-outs (232), despite having a 13-12 record for the offense-challenged and last place Seattle Mariners. One member thought Hernandez was undeserving because he pitched in meaningless games with the Mariners falling out of contention early in the season.

Tentative plans were made for the meeting in December — it will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, with location to be announced.

 

 

Four Hornsby Chapter members got a chance to watch Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Pictured, from left, are Cy Morong, Monte Cely, Jan Larson and Gilbert Martinez.

As the first ALCS game in Texas Rangers franchise history, the atmosphere at the game was electric. Team President Nolan Ryan threw out the first pitch with his signature leg kick and fast ball. After the Yankees went down in order on the top of the first, the crowd really went wild when Josh Hamilton smoked a line drive down the right field line for a three-run home run and early lead.

The Rangers later increased their lead to 5-0, but the Yankees showed they weren’t done. With a solo home run by Robinson Cano in the 7^th inning, the Yankees brought their bats to bear in the 8^th inning. In that inning, they had seven batters reach base safely – a single, a double, two walks and three singles – before the Rangers recorded an out. The Rangers used five pitchers that inning, but the damage was done as the Yankees scored five runs that inning to take the lead.

Some of the Rangers fans lost faith and headed for the exits, but many were still around, hoping for a response by the home nine. When Ian Kinsler reached first on a walk to start the bottom of the 8^th inning, many in the crowd sensed a come-back. But alas for the Rangers, Yankees reliever Kerry Wood picked off Kinsler at first. The Yankees held on to win Game 1, 6-5.

 

Thirteen members and guests of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter enjoyed League Championship games at Gilbert and Raeanne Martinez’s house on Saturday, Oct. 16. The Rangers won Game 2 of the ALCS to even their series and the Giants topped the Phillies in Game 1 of what was supposed to be a pitching duel that instead turned into a homerun derby with four long balls.

 

Cy Morong won the award for traveling the furthest (from San Antonio) to attend the 2^nd Annual Playoffs Watch Party and Cookout.

 

Steve and Katty Fall won the award for most consecutive hours awake among the party participants – some 17 hours (!), thanks to prior commitments throughout the day.

 

Chuck and Jennifer Kaufman took home the prize for most sporting-related events during the weekend, which included watching part of the Rangers-Yankees game, a Texas State Bobcats football game and a Texas Stars hockey game the next night!

 

After the baseball games, we watched the latest episode of The Simpsons, an animated show that depicts Lisa becoming manager of Bart’s little league baseball team and injecting sabermetrics and statistical analysis. It’s well worth watching if you haven’t seen it. Look for appearances by Bill James and Mike Scioscia. The episode, called “MoneyBART,” can be seen on the Fox website, or by clicking here.

 

No date was set for the November meeting, but it will probably be in mid-November. More details soon.

Seven chapter members gathered at Third Base in Austin for dinner and to discuss the pennant races as well as favorites for the MVP and Cy Young awards.  No formal votes were taken, but the consensus was that Joey Votto of Reds and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers are the likely favorites for MVP.  There was some discussion of the changing SABR demographics, "reversion to mean," fielding independent pitching (FIP) and batting average on balls in play (BABIP).

We also discussed some items related to the Winter Meeting scheduled for January 2011 and tentative plans for a League Championship Series watching party next month to be hosted by Gilbert and Raeanne Martinez.

For the 45th consecutive month, 10 members of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter met to discuss baseball, and this time, a little football. Jim Baker shared his newly published book, The Most Memorable Games in Giants History: The Oral History of a Legendary Team (Bloomsbury USA, 2010). That would be the New York (football) Giants. The group also welcomed new member Steve Fall, a New York native who pulls for the Mets and the Braves.

The date for the 5th Annual Winter Meeting at Texas State in San Marcos is set for Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 — please save the date! If you’re interested in giving a research presentation or have suggestions for guest speakers, please contact Gilbert Martinez, Jan Larson or Monte Cely.

The next Hornsby Chapter meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 28, at Third Base.

The Rogers Hornsby Chapter met for the 44th consecutive month on Saturday, July 24, at the Iowa Cubs-Round Rock Express extra-inning affair.

Sixteen members and guests watched the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano pitch two scoreless innings out of the bullpen and hit a single in his only at-bat. This was Zambrano’s second minor league "rehabilitation" appearance since his meltdown in the Cubs dugout last month.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Express tied up the game at 1-1. The teams exchanged runs in the 10th inning.

Brad Snyder of the Cubs hit a massive two-run home run to straightaway center over the green shed. Members surmised that the shot probably traveled some 450 feet. The Cubs held on to win in 13 innings, 4-2.

Heavy afternoon rain and lots of traffic did not deter chapter members from returning to Third Base with the largest turnout for a monthly meeting in more than two years. Fourteen members and guests were treated to a Dan Walsh quiz, College Baseball and the College World Series.

Bill Gilbert, showing no ill effects from his stint on the DL last year, won the trivia quiz with 28 total points. It should also be noted that for the first, and perhaps last time, Gilbert Martinez bested Jim Baker by two points in the quiz.

Tentative plans for the July meeting include dinner at the Salt Lick followed by a Round Rock Express game (versus the Iowa Cubs) on Saturday, July 24. More details to follow.

Nine members gathered at Cover 3 for the May chapter meeting. Jim Baker wrote a quiz, 30 Teams/30 Questions, featuring multiple choice and open-ended questions on all 30 current Major League franchises (Look under the Contests tab above to view the quiz and answers). Cy Morong, who traveled the farthest to attend the meeting, also left as the winner of the quiz, answering 23 questions correctly.

Next meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, with location to be determined.