Rogers Hornsby Chapter

Eighteen chapter members and guests – including SABR members from across the country – joined the Hornsby Chapter’s first-ever virtual meeting on Zoom on Saturday.

With stay-at-home orders for most of us, meeting monthly at our favorite local barbecue, Italian and Mexican food restaurants is on hold until it will be safe to do so. As a result, we took to Zoom to set aside our coronavirus concerns and enjoy nearly two hours pondering baseball trivia and contemplating the 2020 season.

Tom Wancho prepared an Opening Day-themed quiz for March that worked perfectly for us in our virtual meeting. I read questions one by one, giving participants a chance to write their answers.

It was a close call – Jerry Miller took top prize with a score of 22. Cy Morong was second with 21. Mike Dillon and Don Dingee were next with 20 apiece. Try your hand at the quiz with questions and answers below.

We also considered what favorite ballpark food and beverage we missed most. Popular favorites include hot dogs (with a special shout-out to the Dodger Dog), Cracker Jack, garlic fries, peanuts, brats with Budweiser, tater tots with burnt ends (a new culinary offering at Minute Maid Park last season) and pretzels.

We also considered how many games in a shortened season would be necessary to provide a competitive schedule. Some thought at least half (81 games) of a normal season, while others figured 50 or 60 might do. Ryan Pollack said whatever happens at the end of the shortened season shouldn’t be called the World Series.

Another question that came up was whether the delay of the 2020 season might suppress the anger directed at the Astros because of the sign-stealing scandal. Some think that when baseball returns, most people will just be happy to celebrate the return of baseball, while others weren’t so sure that ire directed at the Astros will subside.

This was the chapter’s 161st consecutive month with a meeting and first virtual meeting. Our meeting streak dates to December 2006.

We were glad to welcome SABR members from other chapters. We had members from the Larry Dierker Chapter, the Emil Rothe/Chicago Chapter, the Casey Stengel/New York Chapter, the Central Pennsylvania Chapter and the Indianapolis Chapter.

We’re planning another Zoom chapter meeting in May, as it seems likely we’ll still be unable to meet safely in person. More details to follow next month on our email list and on this website.

OPENING DAZE

By Tom Wancho

1. Whenever this season begins, Clayton Kershaw will start his ninth consecutive Dodgers Opening Day, extending his club record. Which pitchers, who share a first name, are tied for second in Dodgers history? (one point for each correct answer)

2. On April 8, 1975 Frank Robinson debuted as the first black manager in the major leagues. Robinson, who was actually a player/manager, hit a home run in his first at-bat off of this Yankees pitcher. Name that pitcher. (one point)

3. Name the 17 sitting U.S. Presidents who threw out an Opening Day first pitch (one point for each correct answer).

4. Name the pitcher who has the most Opening Day starts? (one point)

5. This team sports an MLB-best .661 Opening Day winning percentage. Name them. (one point)

6. This National League team set an Opening Day attendance record of 80,327. Name the team (one point), the stadium (one point), and the year (one point).

7. This pitcher started seven Opening Days for three different American League teams Blue Jays, Yankees, and Orioles) and won all of them, retiring in 1998 with an unblemished 7-0 record in season lidlifters. Name him. (one point)

8. These two teams (one NL, one AL) hold the record for most consecutive Opening Day wins with nine. Name them. (one point for each correct answer).

9. This career National Leaguer collected a record 31 Opening Day hits. Name him. (one point)

10. Two of the three players who share the record for most home runs hit on Opening Day (with 8 apiece) are in the Hall of Fame. The third makes his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2020. For one point each, name each of these three players.

11. Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record of 714 with his first swing of the 1974 season against what team (one point) in what stadium (one point)?

Answers (33 total points)

1. Don Drysdale, Don Sutton
2. Doc Medich
3. (Robert Taft, 1910; Woodrow Wilson, 1913, 1915-1916; Warren Harding, 1921, 1922, 1923; Calvin Coolidge, 1924, 1927, 1928; Herbert Hoover, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931; FDR 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941; Harry Truman 1946, 194, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952; Dwight Eisenhower 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960; John Kennedy 1961, 1962; LBJ 1964, 1965. 1967; Richard Nixon 1969, 1970; Gerald Ford 1976; Ronald Reagan 1984, 1986; George H. W. Bush 1989, 1990,1991, 1992; Bill Clinton 1993, 1994, 1996; George W. Bush 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008; Barack Obama 2009, 2010.
4. Tom Seaver – 16
5. The Mets, even though they lost their first eight Opening Days, have gone 39-20 since they began playing in 1962. New York has won 39 of its last 51 Opening Days.
6. Rockies, Denver’s Mile High Stadium, 1993
7. Jimmy Key
8. Reds 1983-1991) and Tigers (2009-2017
9. Pete Rose
10. Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Robinson, and Adam Dunn
11. The Reds in Riverfront Stadium

We hope you and your loved ones are safe as we all endure the effects of the coronavirus. We’re missing a lot more than baseball.

We have a plan to continue our monthly meeting streak by having a video conference on Zoom later this month. At 1 p.m. Saturday, April 18, you can join our call with a desktop or laptop computer, electronic tablet or smartphone. If your device has a camera, then you can be part of our video conference, or you can be on the call with audio only.

To ensure a secure call, we’ll send out the meeting details and instructions to those who RSVP to Jan Larson (jan.a.larson@gmail.com). If you intend to join the video conference, please let Jan know by Friday, April 17.

Even though there’s no baseball (yet) and we can’t gather at our favorite local restaurants, we can still connect and talk baseball. Hope you can join us!

After taking the unprecedented step of cancelling the “official” March lunch meeting in the interest of caution due to the coronavirus pandemic, three chapter members decided to meet at the County Line BBQ anyway to (1) keep the 160 month streak of consecutive monthly meetings intact, (2) enjoy the BBQ and talk baseball and (3) enjoy what might be the end of the aforementioned streak.  No one knows what conditions might be like next month so if this is the end, well there are probably more important things to be worried about.

The atmosphere at the County Line was understandably different than usual.   The crowd was smaller and diners were seated at dispersed tables to ostensibly reduce person-to-person contact.  Each of the three attendees followed prescribed protocols by refraining from the usual handshakes and, after handling the menus and placing orders, excused themselves to the men’s room to take advantage of the hot water and soap.

The baseball-related conversations included the delay of the start of the season, the proposed expansion of the playoffs, the Astros on-going sign stealing saga and Trevor Bauer’s “sandlot” game.   Although baseball was discussed and all would have preferred to discuss baseball exclusively, the conversation always seemed to return to the virus.  The consensus was to be safe out there!

In light of the coronavirus pandemic and given the fluid nature of the situation, it has been decided to cancel the lunch meeting in the interest of caution.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

The March meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will be once again held at the birthplace of the Chapter – the County Line BBQ located at 5204 Ranch Road 2222 in Austin (a short distance east of Hwy 360 on 2222) at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 15.  With spring training in full swing and the season rapidly approaching, there should be plenty to discuss.  Members, guests and baseball fans in general are welcome to attend.

Please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Thirteen Hornsby Chapter members gathered for lunch at Serranos Cocina  y Cantina, one of the restaurants in the chapter’s regular restaurant rotation, on Saturday, February 22.  A total of nine teams were represented via shirt and/or cap by the 13 attendees including the Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Mets and Indians from the Major Leagues, the Durham Bulls of the International League and Naranjeros de Hermosillo of the Mexican Pacific League.  Conspicuously absent was any representation for the Houston Astros.

Discussions centered upon the upcoming season in which various individuals expressed optimism for their team, cautious optimism, pessimism or, in some cases as previously coined by member Tom Wancho, cautious pessimism.

Also discussed were the Astros’ ongoing sign stealing saga, the performance of Commissioner Rob Manfred in his handling of said saga, proposed playoff changes and on the bright side, Monte Cely discussed his recent trip to Puerto Rico for the Serie del Caribe or Caribbean Series.  Winners of the Series this year was the Toros del Este, champions of the Dominican Winter League.

Saturday’s meeting marked our chapter’s 159th consecutive monthly meeting.

Information on the March meeting is TBD and will be forthcoming.

With the 2020 Major League Season around the corner and thus plenty to talk about the February Hornsby Chapter lunch meeting will be held on Saturday, February 22 at 12:30pm at Serranos-Mopac at 5030 Highway 290 West, Austin, TX 78735 (near intersection of MoPac & 290).  Please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Thirteen chapter members and guests celebrated SABR Day on Saturday with a hearty Italian lunch and plenty of baseball talk.

We discussed the election of Derek Jeter and Larry Walker to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and noted that our own Hall of Fame vote at our winter meeting two weeks ago perfectly matched that of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced last week.

Another major topic was the continuing fallout from the Houston Astros cheating scandal, which, so far, has claimed the jobs of a general manager and three managers. Meanwhile, the Astros reportedly have cast a wide net in search of a replacement skipper.

Thanks to the Larry Dierker Chapter, we tried our hand at one of their trivia quizzes about home run leaders by letters of the alphabet. Jerry Miller dominated the quiz, scoring 79 points with Ira Siegel in second with 63 points. For their acumen, they were given a hearty handshake and congratulations.

Among the Major League ballclubs represented were the Chicago White Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cleveland Indians, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. We also had a Round Rock Express cap, an Arizona spring training shirt, a SABR 44 (Houston) shirt and an El Paso Chihuahuas cap. I paired a National Baseball Hall of Fame shirt with a Nippon Professional Baseball Seibu Lions ballcap.

The lunch was part of the 11th Annual SABR Day, a coordinated international event to celebrate the organization and baseball. You can read more about other SABR Day events at this link: https://sabr.org/sabrday

The next monthly meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at Serranos (MoPac and 290) in Southwest Austin. We’ll make a call for RSVPs on the email list in mid-February.

As per our usual custom we will gather at the Macaroni Grill in the Arboretum in Austin to celebrate SABR Day on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Former White Sox player and Astros coach Deacon Jones (pictured above) and founding editor of ESPN Magazine Jon Pessah highlighted a robust day of baseball at the 14th annual Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 11.

In addition, more than 30 attendees got an update on the Rogers Hornsby Chapter’s BasebALZ, a baseball-themed therapy program for Central Texas residents with early stage Alzheimer’s, and heard from Round Rock Express General Manager Tim Jackson and broadcaster Mike Capps.

The group also heard presentations about competitive balance throughout professional baseball history, new baseball rules in the upcoming season, Chinese players in independent baseball striving to improve their country’s chances in international play, and an ongoing scavenger hunt related to a curious card signed by several baseball greats.

Thanks to Mike McCroskey of the Larry Dierker Chapter, our winter meeting included Deacon Jones, who played for the Chicago White Sox in the 1960s and later served as a coach for the Houston Astros (1976-82) and San Diego Padres (1984-87). He’s currently special assistant to the president of the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League.

Jones shared several stories about his baseball career, including reflections on meeting his idol Jackie Robinson. As an 18-year-old, he recalled how thrilled he was to work out with the Brooklyn Dodgers. On the third and final day of the workout, Jones said that Robinson told him, “You’re going to play in the big leagues someday.” He also credited Robinson with encouraging him to go to college.

Jones also recalled a highlight from one spring training when Ted Williams said, “Young man, you have a good swing.” They talked hitting and Williams gently offered suggestions for improvement.

In the afternoon, winter meeting coordinator Ryan Pollack arranged a video conference with Jon Pessah, journalist and founding editor of ESPN the Magazine. Author of “The Game: Inside the Secret World of Major League Baseball’s Power Brokers,” Pessah shared stories about his interviews with former baseball commissioner Bud Selig and union leader Donald Fehr. In a wide-ranging interview, he talked about the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the steroids era of baseball.

Pessah also talked about his upcoming book, “Yogi: A Life,” set to be published in April. When asked about Jackie Robinson’s steal of home in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Yogi’s New York Yankees, Pessah said Yogi insisted that the safe call was wrong. In later years, whenever he saw Robinson, he would greet him simply with “out.”

Tim Jackson, general manager of the Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, discussed the ongoing negotiations between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball. While he said he agrees with some of MLB’s stated concerns about compensation for minor leaguers and the inadequate state of some minor league stadiums, Jackson said the negotiations and discussions with MLB have gotten tense and contentious ever since MLB floated a plan to eliminate 40 minor league clubs. Even though the Express isn’t one of the teams being considered for contraction, Jackson said he felt a responsibility to support the threatened clubs while also being a good partner with the Astros. During his talk, he made reference to this Baseball America article about Minor League Baseball’s response to the tension with MLB: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/minor-league-baseball-issues-its-response-to-mlb-in-pba-spat/

Longtime journalist and broadcaster Mike Capps gave his outlook for the Express and expects a highly competitive club with players that might soon make the big leagues.

Several Hornsby Chapter members contributed interesting presentations to fill out the program. Monte Cely updated the group about the new baseball rules and how they might impact the game. New rules to watch for in the upcoming season include expanding the active roster to 26 players; designating players as pitchers, position players or “two-way” players; and requiring relief pitchers to face at least three batters (or pitch to the end of the inning), unless an injury or incapacity occurs. In addition, Cely took a look at experimental rules in the independent league (such as the use of “robo-umps,” stealing first base and others) that may make it to the big leagues in the years to come.

Tom Thayer researched professional baseball history to examine the competitive balance of each season based on the total number of games teams were cumulatively over and under .500. He also considered whether attendance at games may have been related to competitive balance and found that, generally speaking, attendance tended to drop during noncompetitive seasons. He said competitive balance has ebbed and flowed through professional baseball and found that the most competitively balanced season occurred in 2006. In the three most recent seasons, the leagues have become less competitive, especially in 2019, with four teams winning more than 100 games (Astros, Dodgers, Twins and Yankees) and four teams losing more than 100 games (Marlins, Orioles, Royals and Tigers).

Peter Myers took a close look at Baseball Hall of Fame weekend in 1953, when Dizzy Dean and Al Simmons were inducted. His Uncle Bob worked at the Otesaga Hotel, the site of the Hall of Fame dinner, and took photos and secured signatures of most of the attendees on a hotel menu. Signatures on the menu include those of Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby and Connie Mack. There are other signatures Myers is investigating as he continues his research on the players who were at the dinner. Myers noted that his uncle, who gave him the photos and signature-filled menu, passed away last April.

Mike McNulty shared an update on the Hornsby Chapter’s BasebALZ program, which kicked off its fifth year on Jan. 6 at Sun City Texas. This collaboration with Alzheimer’s Texas supports those with early stage Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. The program uses baseball memories to connect with these participants and talk about baseball players and seasons from early in their lives. McNulty noted that the group reached a milestone in April: they had their 100th meeting. He was also encouraged to see that BasebALZ is inspiring other SABR chapters to start their own programs, including the SABR Allan Roth Chapter in Los Angeles. McNulty also said that Jim Kenton, founder of the Hornsby Chapter’s BasebALZ program, promoted the program at the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball & American Culture last year.

Honorary Hornsby Chapter member Eric Robinson, who hails from the Ernie Banks-Bobby Bragen DFW Chapter, told the story of the Chinese baseball players who came to play for the Texas AirHogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. With a three-year partnership that began in 2018, the team includes Chinese players to help them improve their baseball skills and contribute to Team China’s efforts in international competition. Though the team has had a rough go in the early going, Robinson noted it improved from year one to year two and expects that the players will continue to improve this coming season. He said that China making the 2020 Summer Olympics is possible but unlikely, and with baseball academies getting started in China, he thinks prospects and players from China reaching MLB are on the horizon.

At the beginning of the meeting, we remembered and paid tribute to Bill Gilbert, the founder of the Hornsby Chapter and the Dierker Chapter in Houston, as well as the creator of the Hornsby Chapter’s first winter meeting in 2005. Gilbert, who passed away in 2018, would’ve enjoyed the broad diversity of baseball topics at this winter meeting.

Another tradition in our winter meetings is to take a stab at the Hall of Fame ballot. We anoint ourselves as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and vote our hearts’ desires. As a group, we have often been less generous than the actual body of sports writers, so it’s always interesting to see how we vote as a group and what it might portend for the HOF vote. The class of 2020 is scheduled to be announced by the real BBWAA on Jan. 21.

Jan Larson, who prepares the ballot and counts votes with Raeanne Martinez, announced our results. With 31 ballots, players needed 24 votes (or 75%) to trigger selection in our mock election. Only two achieved that threshold – Derek Jeter with 93.5% and Larry Walker with 80.6%. In fact, only three more players reached higher than 50%: Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling tied at 61%, and Barry Bonds had 55%.

Many thanks to all the attendees and presenters at the winter meeting.

Our next meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at Romano’s Macaroni Grill (9828 Great Hills Trail at the Arboretum in Austin) to celebrate SABR Day. A call for RSVPs will be forthcoming.