SAN DIEGO TED WILLIAMS SABR CHAPTER

http://sandiego.sabr.org

March 9, 2003 e-NEWS, Issue No. 9

§ NEXT REGIONAL MEETING: Saturday, March 29th

§ Lane Field Plaque Dedication Set for Sunday, March 30^th

§ Flame Delhi SABR Chapter Meets in Phoenix, March 15-16

§ Baseball Research Center-Library--New Acquisitions

§ SUMMER REGIONAL MEETING Set for Saturday, July 5, 2003

§ APRIL 10^th DEADLINE: 2^nd Annual Boynton Baseball Research Award—Papers Invited from Area High School Students

OUR NEXT REGIONAL MEETING

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“’THE KID’ FROM SAN DIEGO:

A CELEBRATION OF TED WILLIAMS”

Date: Saturday, March 29, 2003

Place: San Diego Hall of Champions in Balboa Park, lower level theatre

Time: 9:00 a.m. doors open…9:30 a.m. program starts. The multi-faceted program will continue into the afternoon and will end between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. There will be a one hour break for lunch and it will be on your own. You can eat at the Hall’s cafeteria or bring your own “brown bag” and make use of the Park’s picnic facilities.

Admission: Free

This program is one you won’t want to miss. We will have four panels, two before lunch and two after. Here is a summary of the panels as they are shaping up:

· “Ted’s Family and Growing Up in San Diego” will be moderated by Bill Nowlin, and include Jay Walker, Dennis Donley, Bob Breitbard, Les Cassie, and Joe Villarino.

· “ ‘The Kid’ – A Variety of Views” will be moderated by Andy Strasberg, and include Fred Rodgers, Ray Boone, Jack Harshman, and Max West.

· “Ted’s Minor League Career” will be moderated by Bill Swank, and include Frank Myers, Dan Boyle, James D. Smith III, and Carlos Bauer.

· “Ted’s Other Pursuits” will be moderated by David Kinney, and include Todd Anton, John Bolthouse, Andy Strasberg, and Roger Engle.

Bill Nowlin, author of the book Pursuit of Perfection, Ted Williams, will be doing a book signing during lunch. In addition, we will have videos and special exhibits on display...and our trivia contest and raffle. So, you can see we have a full day of interesting things to see and hear…all related to ‘The Kid’ from San Diego!

Post-event, we are planning to publish the papers presented, plus some that will not be presented, and summaries of a few of the panel discussions.

A SABR BASEBALL WEEK-END CONTINUES

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LANE FIELD HISTORICAL PLAQUE UNVEILING ON SUNDAY, MARCH 30^th

Date: Sunday, March 30, 2003

Place: At the site of Lane Field…the northwest corner of Broadway and Pacific Highway in Centre City San Diego (adjacent to where the Lane Field right field corner was located)

Time: 12 noon

Join us for the dedication ceremony on the day following our regional meeting. With the assistance of the San Diego Unified Port District, and contributions from many of you, the plaque is ready for unveiling. March 30^th is one day before the 67^th anniversary of the first professional ballgame in San Diego…March 31, 1936.

Your Chapter’s Steering Committee expresses our thanks to everyone who contributed a donation to help fund manufacture of the plaque. Also, thanks to Bill Swank for his assistance with the wording and Ron Andreassi who managed the project.

Related to Lane Field, we received this note from Richard (Dick) Rogers:

“I am interested in attending the Historical Plaque ceremony at the old Lane Field location. I worked for the AAA Padres in the early fifties. I started working in the Center Field Scoreboard with the additional duties of wrapping up and moving the batting cage from home plate to a place in front of the scoreboard.

“The following year I moved to the press box where I worked with Ray Blair PA announcer and Jerry Magee who was the local papers beat writer. I also helped set up the booth for Al Schuss and also the out of town announcers from the LA and Hollywood teams. We also had to help take down a fishing net that was put up above the right field fence to prevent balls from being hit into Hiway 101 during batting practice. Luke Easter and Jack Graham among others used to launch a lot of them into the street. We would roll up the net then put it on the hood of a cushman scooter and take it into the center field area. I have many fond memories of my first job.”

FLAME DELHI SABR CHAPTER

11^TH ANNUAL SPRING TRAINING WEEK-END

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

Bill Suphan of the Flame Delhi Chapter invites Ted Williams Chapter members to their 11^th Annual Spring Training week-end. Some of our members have attended these week-ends in past years and are always made to feel welcome. If you are planning to be at Spring Training next week-end here is another baseball activity to put on your itinerary.

Their spring training weekend is March 15 and 16. On Saturday they will have a tailgate party at the southwest corner of the parking lot at Phoenix Municipal Stadium followed by the Seattle vs. Oakland game. They are meeting at 10:30 a.m. for the tailgate with the game starting at 1:05 p.m. Cost is $18 including meal and game ticket. Contact Andrew Zinner at 602-506-5083 or azinner@cox.net.

On Sunday their breakfast meeting features Bill Kirwin of Nine: The Journal of Baseball History and Josh Suchon, who covers the San Francisco Giants for the Oakland Tribune and is author of a book on the SF Giants. Cost for the breakfast is $12. Once again, Andrew Zinner is the person to contact for further information.

Bill also noted that this summer they are planning (date to be determined) a trip to Bisbee (in southern Arizona) to see some games in the newly formed Arizona-Mexico league.

SAN DIEGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

SAN DIEGO SABR BASEBALL RESEARCH CENTER, BRC -- NEW ACQUISITIONS

Our chapter’s library liaison, Vic Cardell, has announced new acquisitions in the Central Library and Branches during the three-month period, October-December 2002. All holdings are at Central Library and branches unless noted otherwise.

BOOKS

Adair, Robert Kemp. The Physics of Baseball. 3^rd ed. New York: Perennial, 2002. 796.35701/Adair

Barra, Allen. Clearing the Bases: The Greatest Baseball Debates of the Last Century. New York: T. Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, 2002. 796.357/Barra

Berra, Yogi. What Times Is It? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002. 796.357/Berra

Brown, Warren. The Chicago Cubs. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 2001. 796.35764/Brown

Bryant, Howard. Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston. New York: Routledge, 2002. 796.35764/Bryant

Buckley, James. Perfect: The Inside Story of Baseball’s Sixteen Perfect Games. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2002. 796.357/Buckley

Conroy, Pat. My Losing Season. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2002. B/Conroy

Cottrell, Robert C. Blackball, the Black Sox, and the Babe: Baseball’s Crucial 1920 Season. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2002. 796.35709/Cottrell

Cottrell, Robert C. The Best Pitcher in Baseball: The Life of Rube Foster, Negro League Giant. New York: New York University Press, 2001. B/Foster (Central)

Giglio, James N. Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man. Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 2001. B/Musial

Gola, Mark. Winning Softball for Girls. New York: Facts on File, 2002. 796.3578/Gola (Central)

Kavanagh, Jack. Ol’ Pete: The Grove Cleveland Alexander Story. South Bend, Ind.: Diamond Communications, 1996. B/Alexander (Central)

Korr, Charles P. The End of Baseball As We Knew It: The Players Union, 1960-81. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 2002. 331.89041/Korr (Central)

Leavy, Jane. Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. B/Koufax

Lester, Larry. Black Baseball’s National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933-1953. Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 2001. 796.35764/Lester

Lieb, Fred. The St. Louis Cardinals: The Story of a Great Baseball Club. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 2001. 796.35764/Lieb

Lorimer, Lawrence T. Baseball Desk Reference. New York: DK Pub., 2002. R796.357/Lorimer

Reaves, Joseph A. Taking in a Game: A History of Baseball in Asia. Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. 796.357/Reaves

Reisler, Jim. Before They Were the Bombers: The New York Yankees’ Early Years, 1903-1915. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2002. 796.35764/Reisler

Robinson, Brooks et al. We Played the Game: Memories of Baseball’s Greatest Era. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2002. 796.35709/We

Robinson, Ray. Matty: An American Hero, Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. B/Mathewson (Central)

Robinson, Ray. Pennants & Pinstripes: The New York Yankees 1903-2002. New York: Viking Studios, 2002. 796.35764/Robinson

Smith, Curt and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. What Baseball Means to Me: A Celebration of Our National Pastime. New York: Warner Books, 2002. 796.357/What

Sullivan, Dean A. ed. Late Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1945-1972. Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. 796.35709/Late

Thomas, G. Scott. Leveling the Field: An Encyclopedia of Baseball’s All-Time Great Performances As Revealed through Adjusted Statistics. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2002. 796.35702/Thomas

Wilbert, Warren N. The Best of Baseball: The 20^th Century’s Greatest Players Ranked by Position. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001. 796.357/Wilbert

PERIODICALS

The Baseball Research Journal: Volumes 1 through 3. Cleveland, Ohio: Society for American Baseball Research, 1998. R796.357/Baseball (Central)

The Minor League Baseball Research Journal. Cleveland, Ohio: Society for American Baseball Research, 1996- . Vol. 1 (1996) and vol. 2 (1997). R796.35705/Minor (Central)

AUDIO–SPOKEN WORD

Leavy, Jane. Sandy Koufax: [A Lefty’s Legacy]. New York: Harper Audio, 2002. AC B/Koufax

VIDEO

Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Knute Rockne. Norwalk, Conn.: Easton Press, 1989. VC 796.357/Babe (Central)

Baseball, Funny Side Up. South Hackensack, N.J.: Major League Baseball Home Video, 1987. VC 796.357/Baseball (Central)

Baseball’s Greatest Games: 1952 World Series Game 6—New York Yankees/Brooklyn. [U.S.]: Major League Baseball Home Video, 1994. VC 796.35764/Baseball’s (Central)

Baseball’s Greatest Games: 1975 World Series Game 6—Boston/Cincinnati. [U.S.]: Major League Baseball Home Video, 1994. VC 796.35764/Baseball’s (Central)

Baseball’s Greatest Games: 1986 World Series Game 6—New York Mets/Boston.. [U.S.]: Major League Baseball Home Video, 1994. VC 796.35764/Baseball’s (Central)

Baseball’s Greatest Moments. [U.S.]: Major League Baseball Home Video, 1991. VC SPA 796.357/Baseball’s (Central)

Generations of Heroes. New York: PolyGram Video: 1999. VC 796.357/Generations (Central)

Greatest World Series Moments. New York: PolyGram Video, 1998. VC 796.35764/Greatest (Central)

The History of Baseball. [U.S.]: Major League Baseball Home Video, 1992. VC 796.35764/History

Latino Superstars. New York: USA Home Entertainment, 2000. VC 796.357/Latino (Central)

Major League Baseball: All-Century Team. [U.S.]: USA Home Entertainment, 1999. VC 796.357/Major (Central)

Major League Baseball: 1999 World Series, New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves. [U.S.]: USA Home Entertainment, 1999. VC 796.35764/Major (Central)

MLB ’99, a Season of Heroes. New York: USA Home Entertainment, 2000. VC 796.357/MLB (Central)

Now It Can Be Heard. [U.S.]: Major League Baseball Home Video, 1992. VC 796.357/Now (Central)

Roberto Clemente. South Hackensack, N.J.: Phoenix Communications, 1993. VC B/Clemente (Central)

Roberto Clemente. South Hackensack, N.J.: Phoenix Communications, 1993. VC SPA B/Clemente (Central)

Superstar Shortstops. New York: PolyGram Video, 1999. VC 796.357/Superstar (Central)

This Week in Baseball: 20 Unforgettable Moments. Los Angeles, Calif.: Orion Home Video, 1996. VC 796.357/This (Central)

The Ultimate Blooper Collection: From 25 Years of This Week in Baseball. [U.S.]: Q Video, 2002. VC 796.357/Ultimate (Central)

Unhittable: No-Hitters, Perfect Games, & Near Misses. [New York]: Major League Baseball Properties, 2001. DVD 796.35722/Unhittable (Central)

The World Series: New York Yankees 2000 New York Mets. [U.S.]: Q Video, 2001. VC 796.35764/World (Central)

CALIFORNIA ROOM

San Diego Padres Box Scores Scrapbook Collection. 1969- . RCC 796.357/San (Central)

SUMMER REGIONAL MEETING

QUALCOMM STADIUM

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2003

On Saturday morning, July 5^th we will have our traditional summer meeting in the Qualcomm Stadium press box. The San Francisco Giants are in town that evening against the Padres. So far we have two speakers lined up:

· Kerry Yo Nakagawa who is author of a book entitled Through a Diamond, 100 Years of Japanese American Baseball. He writes on the importance that baseball had to the Japanese-American internees in the camps during WWII. If you are interested in his book, or just want a fascinating look into this aspect of baseball history…plus links to Japanese baseball subjects, then check out his website at http://www.niseibaseball.com .

· Josh Suchon, who covers the San Francisco Giants for the Oakland Tribune . He authored a book titled, This Gracious Season: Barry Bonds & The Greatest Year In Baseball. You can find out more information about the book at www.winterpublications.com.

2^nd ANNUAL

BOYNTON BASEBALL RESEARCH AWARDS --

PAPERS INVITED

Do you know of some high school student with an interest in baseball? Perhaps you have a high school student in your family? Named after one of our Chapter’s founding members, Bob Boynton, San Diego County high school students (grades 9-12) are invited to submit baseball research essays for the 2003 Boynton Baseball Research Awards. The first prize award is a cash honorarium of $250. A $100 cash honorarium will be awarded for second prize. The award is sponsored by our Chapter and seeks to recognize excellence in academic research on the subject of baseball.

The research may cover any topic on the subject of baseball using a wide variety of research methods. Some possible approaches are:

o Historical - research/discussion of baseball in a particular time period or place

o Biographical - the life of a particular player, manager or an executive and the impact they had

o Point of View - discussion or defense of a particular opinion, topic or theme with supporting arguments

o Statistical - development and analysis of measures to evaluate player or team performance

o Game strategy - theory, analysis or evaluation of how the game is played

Topics may include, but are certainly not limited to the following: