Category: Event Summaries

Ten Hornsby Chapter members and guests gathered today to celebrate Norman Macht and bid him a fond farewell before his departure to San Diego later this month.

Many in the SABR community know Norman for his past involvement as a SABR board member and as a baseball historian and author of the definitive biography of Connie Mack. In the Hornsby Chapter, we have been fortunate to have had him as an active member of our chapter since 2006. He was especially involved with our annual winter meetings in January, often contributing creative and fun trivia ice-breakers with a flair for the witty.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Norman brought a trivia quiz for this special get-together in his honor. Active members of the Hornsby Chapter will notice a special theme of this quiz – the first and last names of the answers were inspired by the names our members! Look for Martinezes, Montes, and a guys named Larson, Cy, Dillion, Bass, Kaufmann, Baker and others. Click here to try your hand at it.

Jim Baker took top prize (a Juan Gonzalez biography) with 10 points and Bill Gilbert was runner-up, scoring 9 points.

Norman also brought two posters depicting the first pitch at Camden Yards in Baltimore on April 6, 1992. One went to one of our newest members, Ryan Pollack, a die-hard Orioles fan.

Norman also shared with us that his most memorable interview was with Ferris Fain, a back-to-back American League batting champion in 1951 and 1952 with the Philadelphia Athletics. Norman said he believes Fain has gone unappreciated.

Steve Braccini brought his signed copy of “Rowdy Richard: A Firsthand Account of the National League Baseball Wars of the 1930s and the Men Who Fought Them,” co-authored by Norman and Dick “Rowdy Richard” Bartell. Steve already had Bartell’s signature and asked Norman for his. Norman kindly obliged.

I know I speak for everyone in the chapter when I say how much we’re going to miss Norman. I’ve noted that we’ll miss Norman’s big bat in our lineup, but after seeing his author’s bio that described his aspirations to be a big league pitcher, perhaps I should be talking about how we’ll miss his big arm in our rotation.

Bat or arm, we’ll certainly miss all of Norman’s contributions to the Hornsby Chapter.

Pictured above are (front) Bill and Evelyn Gilbert, Norman Macht, Raeanne Martinez and Annette Braccini; (back) Ryan Pollack, Jim Baker, Jan Larson, Gilbert Martinez and Steve Braccini.

Hornsby Chapter member Jim Baker hosted his annual World Series watch party on Saturday, October 26.  A group of nine members and guests enjoyed sausage and meatball subs and then enjoyed Game Three of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

Bill Gilbert presented a mid-game Houston Astros-centric trivia quiz that was won by Jan Larson who edged Gilbert Martinez on the second tie-breaker question. Click here to try your hand at the quiz.

The Cardinals won by a score of 5-4 in a game that will likely be remembered for years to come for the way the winning run scored –  on an obstruction call at third base – in the bottom of the ninth inning.  The win gave St. Louis a two games to one lead in the Series.

 

A dozen Hornsby Chapter members enjoyed conversations about the playoff picture and the brief but heavy rainfall in downtown Austin while munching on Iron Works BBQ on Thursday, Sept. 19.

 

Topics of discussion included the fine season of the Boston Red Sox, the recent swoon by the Texas Rangers and the National League West Champs Los Angeles Dodgers, who clinched during our meeting.

 

Gilbert Martinez brought a quiz that challenged members to name, by position, the all-time winningest managers who also had Major League Baseball playing experience. Tom Thayer paced the group with a total score of 20 points (out of a maximum 36 points). For his fine performance, he won a J.R. Richard bobblehead. Try your hand at the quiz by clicking here.

 

We also scheduled the next meeting of the Hornsby Chapter – it will be at Jim Baker’s house in Cedar Park to watch Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday, Oct. 26. More details to come.

Pictured above: George Springer of the Oklahoma City RedHawks belts a double in the first inning against the Round Rock Express on Saturday, Aug. 24. (Photos by Gilbert D. Martinez)

 

Ten chapter members and guests gathered at the Dell Diamond for the Round Rock Express’s penultimate home game of the season on Saturday, Aug. 24, and saw the hometown nine drop one to their league rivals, the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 6-3.

A few of the Astros fans in the group were eager to see top prospects George Springer and Jon Singleton, and they did not disappoint. With 37 home runs and 41 steals combined in play with the Corpus Christi Hooks and the RedHawks this season, Springer stretched what should have been a single into a double in the first and later in the game picked up his 42nd steal of the year. He’s trying to become the first minor leaguer to hit at least 40 home runs and steal 40 bases since the 1950s.

Jon Singleton, among the players acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for Hunter Pence in 2011, has been closely watched this year in the Astros’ farm system. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI. In addition to Singleton, the Astros also acquired pitcher Jarred Cosart from the Phillies for Pence; Cosart was called up last month and has pitched well thus far for the Astros.

Midway through the game, a few of us visited with Mike Capps (pictured below), director of broadcasting for the Express, and his booth partner, former major leaguer Travis Driskill. Many thanks to them for sharing their vantage point during the 5th and 6th innings.

Prior to the game, many in the group enjoyed a barbeque dinner at the Salt Lick.

Pictured below: Mike Capps calls it as he sees it in the Round Rock Express radio booth at the Dell Diamond on Saturday, Aug. 24.

On Saturday, July 20 a group of 30 descended upon the Salt Lick BBQ restaurant in Round Rock for a raucous couple of hours of good food and baseball talk followed by a short trek to the nearby Dell Diamond for the Iowa Cubs vs. Round Rock Express game.

The group of 30 was comprised of 17 members and guests of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter and 13 members of the "Universal Baseball Association," a collection of SABR members from around the country that have gathered at a different minor league site each year since 1991.

With the Express’ 3B Mike Olt’s inning to remember, the Express prevailed in an entertaining game by the score of 5-2.  Olt helped to squelch a Cubs’ threat in the top of the second inning by starting an around-the-horn 5-4-3 triple play and then followed that with a three run home run in the bottom of the frame that pushed the Express’ lead to 4-0.  The Cubs were stymied despite amassing 11 hits and drawing four walks.

Another outing to the Dell Diamond is on tap for Saturday, August 24 as the Express’ wrap up their home season.

 

A group of 13 members and guests gathered at Iron Works BBQ in Austin to discuss baseball and eat meat.  Both were accomplished in mass quantities.

Topics included the surprising performances thus far in the 2013 season by the Houston Astros (positive surprise), Los Angeles Angels (negative), Washington Nationals (negative), Pittsburgh Pirates (positive) and a few other clubs.  This ties into the results recorded thus far in Jim Baker’s on-going "predicatron" contest in which the person that most accurately predicts the season records for each club is the winner.  Tom Thayer is the current leader in the Hornsby Chapter predictatron contest.

Another topic that was discussed in depth was the recent on-field brawl between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers.

Bill Gilbert presented a relatively benign sounding quiz, "Home Run Leaders by Franchise" that ultimately confounded more than a few attendees.  Jim Baker was the winner correctly naming 21 of the 30 players.

The next meeting will be held on Saturday, July 20.  We are welcoming SABR members from the Chicago area to Austin and will be joining them for a game at the Dell Diamond between the Round Rock Express and the Iowa Cubs following dinner at the Salt Lick BBQ in Round Rock.  Details will be forthcoming.

Six enthusiastic and dedicated chapter members met on Thursday, May 16, to catch up on recent umpire (mis)rulings and judgment calls, the change in Astros leadership, the resiliency of Rick Ankiel and an update on SABR 44, which will be co-hosted by the Larry Dierker Chapter and our chapter in summer 2014 in Houston.

I thought that the Reid Ryan hiring as the new Astros president was a good move, though Monte Cely suggested I may be overly optimistic about what impact the hiring will have. Indeed, Jan Larson wondered what, exactly, does a team president do? The hope is that the team president will address and prevent some of the very bad instances of public relations by the Astros front office in recent months. Perhaps the first order of business is taking care of the ongoing diaster involving getting the Astros on cable television in Houston and around Texas.

I gave an update on the national SABR conference. I attended a meeting in Houston earlier this week with Marc Appleman, SABR executive director and Deb Jayne, SABR membership and events manager, along with the leadership in the Dierker Chapter. Appleman and Jayne toured several hotels in downtown Houston as potential sites for the convention. We won’t have a date for the convention until late August after the 2014 MLB schedule is known. The plan is to pick a weekend in which the Astros are in town. Organizers also hope to include an outing to see the independent-league Sugar Land Skeeters.

Dierker and Hornsby Chapter members will be needed as volunteers, mostly as room monitors for research presentations throughout the conference. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, please speak to me.

The next chapter meeting will be on Thursday, June 13.

Nine members and spouses met at Bill and Evelyn Gilbert’s home in Lakeway for the April chapter meeting.

Among the appetizers, delicious dinner and sumptous dessert, we did manage to talk some baseball.  Topics of conversation were:  the recent release of the movie 42 (which several chapter members had viewed the preceeding weekend), early-season surprises among MLB teams’ performance, the status of the Astros’ TV contract and personnel issues, and much more.

A date will be determined for the May chapter meeting and a general announcement will be forthcoming.

A big "Thank You" to Bill and Evelyn for hosting the meeting at their beautiful home.

A group of 11 members and guests gathered for dinner at Iron Works BBQ to discuss the World Baseball Classic, the upcoming 2013 season and various other baseball-related topics.

Jim Baker discussed his heretofore unsuccessful attempt to monetize his "Predictatron" contest.  New member Mike McNulty described the elation that long suffering Red Sox fans felt when the Sox finally won a World Series championship in 2004.  Other topics discussed included the Astros’ 2013 outlook, the preponderance of retired Yankee uniform numbers, Nelson Figeroa’s career, Ted Williams’ managerial career and Joe Dimaggio.

Dan Walsh presented a fun Hall of Fame quiz.  Bill Gilbert took first prize with a score of 17 of 20 correct.

Bill and Evelyn Gilbert graciously offered to host the April meeting at their home in Lakeway, TX.  The date has been tentatively set for Tuesday, April 16.  More information will be forthcoming.

Thirteen members and friends of the Rogers Hornsby SABR Chapter met at Iron Works BBQ in downtown Austin Thursday night, February 21. 

Jan Larson reported on his visits to spring training sites in Arizona earlier this week.  Jan was at the Reds/Indians complex in Goodyear and the Diamondbacks facility in Scottsdale.  Jan brought a batting-practice home-run ball that he corraled, plus spring training rosters.  Jan had opportunities to speak to sports reporter Tim Kurkjian and Indians OF/1B Nick Swisher, among others.

Monte Cely reported on his visit to Hermosillo, Mexico for the 2013 Serie del Caribe.  Highlights included the new Estadio Sonora, sell-outs on all seven days of the tournament, and Mexico’s dramatic 18-inning victory in the final game to take the title on their home turf.

Jim Griffin will be visiting Kissimee, Florida for a collegiate softball tournament and some Astros spring training.

The quiz topic, in keeping with the Caribbean Series having been hosted in Mexico, was "Beisbol Latinoamericano, con un sabor mexicano" (Latin American baseball – with a Mexican flavor).  Jim Baker took the prize, an official 2013 Serie del Caribe – Hermosillo ball cap, with a very good score of 15 correct answers out of a possible 25.  See the quiz here.

Other topics included remaining free agents to be signed and the prospects for everyone’s favorite teams.

Our March meeting will be Tuesday, March 19 at 6pm back at Iron Works BBQ.