The next meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18, at Third Base located at 1717 West 6th Street in Austin. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com.
Hornsby members take in Game 1 of the ALCS
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 7th inning, the Yankees brought their bats to bear in the 8th 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 8th 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.
October Meeting Summary
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 2nd 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.
Astros Begin Reloading in 2010 Season
October Meeting/Playoffs Watch Party
It’s time for the 2nd Annual Rogers Hornsby Chapter Playoff Watch Party and Cookout! We’ll watch Game 2 of the ALCS and Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday, Oct. 16.
The times for the games have not been announced, but one game will probably start in mid-afternoon and the other will be in the evening. A follow-up email will be sent out once start times are announced.
This will serve as the monthly meeting for the chapter.
For those who were able to attend last year, you may remember the fun time we had at Gilbert’s house. We saw the Dodgers close out the Cardinals in a three-game sweep and would’ve watched the second game, but it was snowed out in Colorado!
Gilbert will grill hamburgers and veggie burgers. You can bring a side dish, or dessert, or beverages. Please email me directly with what you plan to bring so we have a variety.
Please RSVP directly to Gilbert and he will send you his home address and home phone.
Questions? Dietary needs the cook should know about? Email Gilbert off list at gmartinez46@austin.rr.com.
September Meeting Summary
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.
2011 Winter Meeting
You may contact any member of the organizing committee if you have any questions:
Gilbert Martinez : gmartinez46@austin.rr.com
Monte Cely : cely@swbell.net
Jan Larson : jan.a.larson@gmail.com
Book Review: The Baseball Codes
The Baseball Codes:
Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls:
The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime
The Baseball Codes is a fun and entertaining read about episodes, many highly hilarious, throughout baseball’s history. The authors do a good job sprinkling stories from just about every era of the game, giving casual and passionate fans of the game something new to read.
The book opens with a recounting of the infamous decision by Robin Ventura of the White Sox to charge the mound in Arlington after being hit by Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan in the last year of his Hall of Fame pitching career in 1993.
I’ve seen photos of Ryan holding Ventura in a neckhold with his fist pulled back, cocked, just an instant from pummeling Ventura’s unfortunate face. This incident is often used to described Ventura’s ill-advised decision to challenge one of the greatest and hardest-throwing pitchers of all time. Jokes are made about how Ventura’s face served as a punching bag.
But the authors of the book focus on the backstory, which they find much more interesting. They say that baseball’s unwritten rules are what compelled Ventura to rush the mound, whether he wanted to or not.
Three years before, Ryan had given up back-to-back home runs by Craig Grebeck and Ozzie Guillen in the second game of a double-header, which the White Sox swept. Seven days later, Ryan nailed Grebeck in the back and knocked Scott Fletcher down one pitch after Fletcher asked the umpire to inspect the ball for scuff marks.
Before the fateful game, the White Sox players talked about Ryan and agreed that enough was enough. The only thing they could do, they agreed, was something extreme, like charge the mound, to try to put an end to Ryan’s intimidation tactics.
So, when Ventura was hit, he really had no choice but to charge the mound. Either way, he couldn’t win. If he failed to respond, he risked alienating his teammates; if he did rush the mound — well, we know he took his beating.
The Baseball Codes is filled with similar stories about the quirky traditions and customs of baseball. Anecdotes about not running up the score, playing the game the right way, not showing up your opponents, retaliation and sign stealing. There are also stories about how players don’t talk to the pitcher when he takes a no-hitter or perfect game into the late innings.
Though the book is not filled with Sabermetric-type numbers, it makes for a nice complement by providing insights into baseball behavior that go beyond OPS+ and WHIP.
Here are the key statistics:
Book: The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime
Authors: Jason Turbow and Michael Duca
Authors’ credentials: Turbow is a regular contributor to Giants Magazine and A’s Magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, SportsIllustrated.com, Popular Science and the San Francisco Chronicle. Duca works in the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball as an official scorer and for mlb.com. He has written for Sports-Ticker, Giants Today in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press and was the first chairman of the board of Bill James’s Project Scoresheet.
Published: 2010, Pantheon Books (New York)
Length: 304 pages
Price: Retail list – $25.00; Online – from $12.49 (used) plus shipping
September Meeting
The September meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 28, at Third Base located at 1717 West 6th Street in Austin. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com.
August Meeting Summary
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.
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