The Squibber

THE BOB DAVIDS CHAPTER E-NEWSLETTER

Winter 2008

This newsletter is produced by the Bob Davids Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), which serves SABR members in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Visit the chapter’s official website at www.sabrdc.org.

This quarterly newsletter is distributed electronically to members. The deadline for material for the next newsletter is May 1, 2008. Submissions can be sent to Squibber editor Walt Cherniak at wcherniakjr@aol.com. Keep sending us those squibs, and those ideas for squibs!

CONTENTS – Winter 2008

1. Annual Chapter Meeting a Big Hit Large Crowd Marks 35^th Consecutive Gathering, by D. Bruce Brown

1. Talkin’ Baseball: Baseball Authors Scheduled to Speak, by David Paulson

3. An Artful Touch: Exhibits at New Ballpark will Honor Washington’s Baseball History, by Frank Ceresi

4. Vintage Base Ball Day: BaySox Welcome Chesapeake and Potomac Club, by Jeff Turner

5. “Gettysburg Eddie”: Documentary Filmmaker Seeks Old Pa. Photos, by Stephen Johnson

6. Report From Bethesda: Big Train Plans 10-Year Anniversary Celebration, by Bill Hickman

7. From the BioProject: Closing in on 600 Entries, by Jan Finkel

8. Baseball and Baltimore: New Book Will Trace One Family’s Journey Through the Game

9. South-Central Pennsylvania Report: News from York, Lancaster, Harrisburg and More, by Barry Sparks

1. ANNUAL CHAPTER MEETING A BIG HIT: Large Crowd Marks 35^th Consecutive Gathering – By D. Bruce Brown

The Bob Davids Chapter, SABR’s first regional chapter, met in Columbia, MD on Saturday, January 26, 2008. This is the 35^th consecutive year that the chapter has thus assembled. Approximately 120 members and friends enjoyed a full day of speakers and camaraderie.

The principal speakers were Nicole Sherry, head groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles, and Brent Gambill, a producer on XM Radio’s MLB Home Plate. Sherry gave an entertaining and informative talk on her first year on the job, with photos of the park. She discussed the makeup of the field, including the grass, warning track and drainage system, and told the group about the upcoming scoreboard change. Her combination of technical savvy and personality were warmly received

Gambill discussed XM Radio’s baseball operation, including the various shows and hosts on the air. He told the group about how most of the hosts are in various parts of the country and not in the XM studios in Washington, D.C. and also talked about the range of celebrities who come to the XM headquarters, such as Paul McCartney.

Five chapter members gave presentations.

Steve Walker talked about the 1969 Senators and played parts of interviews he conducted with some of those players

Cort Vitty discussed Hall of Famer Goose Goslin, a key member of the 1920s Senators championship teams. Impressively, Cort presented entirely without notes.

Mark Pankin used a Markov model to analyze Bobby Bragan’s unconventional lineups while he was the manager of the 1956 Pirates.

David Vincent shared umpire news from the 2007 calendar year, including the retirement of long-time crew chief Joe Brinkman.

Dave Smith finished the day with his entertaining talk about requests he received during 2007 from teams and the media.

David Vincent showed the group photos he took in November at the new Nationals Park and talked about the placement of various components within the park. Scott Rogers summed up the year for the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club, which plays vintage ball in the Baltimore/Washington area.

Organizers of the event included meeting chairman Barry Sparks and chapter secretary Don Seaman, who handled the business end of the event; Barb Mantegani, who ran the very successful auction of baseball items (with help from her husband and chapter vice-president Dave Raglin); and, as he has done every year since 1997, David Vincent assembled the speakers and presenters and then and emceed the program.

It was announced that The Bob Davids Chapter will host the SABR 2009 National Convention from July 30 through August 2 at the J. W. Marriott in Washington, D.C., two blocks from the White House.

2. TALKIN’ BASEBALL: Baseball Authors Scheduled to Speak, By David Paulson

Here is the schedule for "Talkin' Baseball" presentations by baseball authors over the next three months:

Feb. 9: Bob Luke: Willie Wells: El Diablo of the Negro Leagues

March 8: Clay Davenport: Baseball Prospectus, 2008

April 12: Willie Meaux and Jeff Herberger: The Game Comes Home (documentary film)

The “Talkin’ Baseball” group meets at 9 A.M., usually on the second Saturday of each month, at the Owen Brown Community Center, 6800 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD.

3. AN ARTFUL TOUCH: Exhibits at New Ballpark will Honor Washington’s Baseball History – By Frank Ceresi

The Washington Nationals’ new stadium will be opening on March 30, 2008, and SABR members might be interested that Frank Ceresi, long-time SABR member and President of FC Associates, was engaged by the Nationals to curate several photo exhibits for patrons to enjoy at the new ballpark.

There will be a Washington Baseball Timeline in two areas of the ballpark, along with several specific photo exhibits covering many topics of interest to anyone who loves baseball history.

Some of the special photo exhibits will cover:

• Presidential first pitches;

• Classic images of great ballplayers from the Washington Senators and Homestead Grays;

• A special exhibit covering great graphic color shots from the pages of Sport magazine from the 1950s and 1960s.

Other areas will contain vintage covers from Baseball magazine, images from the wonderful T-3 (Turkey Red) Tobacco Card set, classic baseball movie posters and much more.

Special thanks go to Hank Thomas, Jim Hartley, Mark Stang, our friends at the Hall of Fame and others. Anyone seeking information about some of the historical images that can be enjoyed at the ballpark can call Frank at (703) 558 3699 http://www.fcassociates.com .

Also of interest to baseball memorabilia collectors:

Sotheby's Sports Auction is taking consignments for its big live spring auction. The auction will take place at Sotheby’s main office in New York City on April 24, 2008. If anyone would like to discuss the possibility of auctioning any of their sports cards or other memorabilia please contact Frank Ceresi, Director of Collections and Acquisitions for the East Coast, at (703) 558 3699. All inquiries will remain confidential.

4. VINTAGE BASE BALL DAY: BaySox Welcome Chesapeake and Potomac Club, By Jeff Turner

The Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club will be playing an exhibition game before the Bowie BaySox Eastern League game against the Connecticut Defenders on Sunday, May 18 at Prince George’s Stadium.

The exhibition is part of the BaySox’ Vintage Baseball Day.

For additional information, please contact: Jeff Turner, captain of the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club, at turnerstorm@comcast.net .

5. “GETTYSBURG EDDIE”: Documentary Filmmaker Seeks Old Pennsylvania Photos, By Stephen Johnson

Stephen Johnson, creator of the documentary Gettysburg Eddie about Hall of Fame pitcher Eddie Plank, is looking for old pictures of Pennsylvania, especially near the Gettysburg area, from 1875 to 1926, and also from 1926 through the 1950s.

If you have family albums showing with pictures of old houses, street shots, landscapes, scenery, outdoor sporting events, or local town baseball games, contact Johnson at (410) 324-0088 or e-mail him at gettysburgeddie@aol.com

Also, if you have conducted research on Plank, or have pictures of Plank, his former teammates, or Connie Mack, feel free to send them along. Johnson’s also interested in old Philadelphia pictures.

To help Johnson with the project, you can copy the photos or scan them onto a disk and mail them to: Stephen Johnson, 1807 Forrest Road, Baltimore, MD 21234

6. REPORT FROM BETHESDA: Big Train Plans 10-Year Anniversary Celebration, By Bill Hickman

It's the off-season for Bethesda Big Train, but fans are engaged in a special activity. The 2008 summer season will be the 10th year of existence for Big Train.

In celebration of that mark, we are developing an all-time all-star team representing the first nine years of play. The four Big Train players who made it to the major leagues will automatically be part of that all-star team. They are John Maine, Charlton Jimerson, Bobby Livingston and Steve Schmoll. The first three are currently on the 40-man rosters of major league teams.

Fans will select the next 15 players. Each week, we will present three nominees for a particular position. For instance, the first week we nominated three first basemen. The fan voting will determine which of the three makes the all-star team.

When we get to outfielders and pitchers, we will combine them so fans can choose three outfielders and seven pitchers. After the voting has concluded, the nominating committee will reconvene and may select one or two more players who are deserving of recognition, but lost out in the voting because competition was so stiff at their position. The final team will be announced in the spring and the all-star players will be invited to a special awards ceremony later in 2008.

In the meantime, Big Train is assembling its roster of players for the 2008 season.  At this point, six players will be returning to Big Train from previous seasons.

The first exhibition game will take place on May 31, and the official season opener for league play will occur on Friday, June 6.  Anyone interested in attending Big Train games is encouraged to check our website, www.bigtrain.org for the full schedule and directions to Shirley Povich Field.

7. FROM THE BIOPROJECT: Closing in on 600 Entries, By Jan Finkel

As of late January, the BioProject is closing in on its 600^th biography, many of them written or edited by members of the Bob Davids Chapter.

In addition, the BioProject has extended its scope to include bios of ballparks and members of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.

To me, though, the most exciting prospect is our involvement with the team and (for lack of a better word) thematic projects. Under the leadership of Bill Nowlin, collected biographies of the 1967 and 1975 Red Sox have seen the light of day. Bill is now directing projects on the 1948 Braves and Red Sox, the 1939 Red Sox, and the 1918 Red Sox.

In less than a year, Bob Davids Chapter members David Raglin and Mark Pattison compiled a volume on the 1968 Tigers that will come out in April. They stopped to breathe for about five minutes before embarking on a similar collection of the 1984 Tigers.

David and Mark are hardly alone. George Skornickel has started work on the 1960 Pirates. Stephen Roney’s writers are memorializing the 1961 Angels. John Stahl is heading up a project on the 1964 Cardinals.

A group led by Ken Samuelson and Matt Silverman is working on the 1969 Mets, while Stew Thornley’s contingent is working on natives of Minnesota. And our own Lyle Spatz -- even though he’s in Florida -- has agreed to steer a crew of writers through the 1947 Dodgers.

The possibilities are limitless. How about all the expansion teams of the Sixties and Seventies? The 1953 or 1955 Dodgers? The 1954 Giants or Indians? The 1950 Phillies and Yankees? The 1929-31 Athletics?

Perhaps going way back to the 1903 Pilgrims and Pirates, the 1906 Cubs and White Sox, the 1909 Pirates and Tigers, or the 1919 Reds and White Sox?

Closer to home, the 1969-71 Orioles or 1924-25 Senators would be fertile ground. There are always natives of, say, Indiana or Maryland or Virginia or Delaware or a large city like New York or San Francisco.

There are a lot of great stories out there. Many of the best aren’t of Hall of Famers or big stars. They’re often of the last guy on the bench or in the bullpen, the ones watching it all unfold.

8. BASEBALL AND BALTIMORE: New Book Will Trace One Family’s Journey Through the Game

Bob Davids Chapter member Jimmy Keenan has spent 12 years researching and writing a book of biographies about five members of his family who played organized baseball, four of whom who played professionally.

This summer, that hard work will result in the publication of The Lystons - A Story of One Baltimore Family and Our National Pastime.

Keenan completed the research in December, and the book is now being formatted. He has created website www.Keenanbaseball.com that he’s using to provide updates on the book.

Keenan also is the principal writer for an upcoming documentary about the International League Baltimore Orioles called The Forgotten Birds. The website for the documentary is www.Forgottenbirds.com. He hopes to have the film ready by the summer or early fall.

Keenan also has started a biography of Baltimore’s Clarence "Lefty" Russell for the SABR BioProject. His Cupid Childs biography is already posted on the BioProject site.

In conjunction with Ken Lemkelde, who is a York County native, Keenan also has begun researching the history of professional baseball in York, PA.

9. SOUTH-CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA REPORT: News from York, Lancaster, Harrisburg and More, By Barry Sparks

YORK:

York Revolution manager Chris Hoiles and pitching coach Tippy Martinez will return for the 2008 season. Hoiles, a rookie manager in 2007, received praise for the way he handled the club. Al Bumbry, who served as the club’s outfield and base-running coach, has not announced whether he’ll return. Hitting coach Ryan Minor has accepted a coaching job with the Delmarva Shorebirds in the South Atlantic League.

York drew 218,000 fans, averaging 3,709 in its inaugural Atlantic League season. Attendance is expected to increase in 2008, now that Sovereign Bank Stadium is completed. The York Revolution spent the first month of last season on the road, and the stadium was never completely finished. Players had to endure the entire home season without a clubhouse, as well as many other amenities.

Tike Redman, who was in the York Revolution’s 2007 Opening Day lineup, became the first Revolution player to make it to the majors. Redman played seven games for York before Class AAA Norfolk purchased his contract. The Orioles called him up in August. Look for him to stick with the major league club this season.

HARRISBURG:

Michael Reinsdorf paid $13.3 million, an Eastern League record, for the Harrisburg Senators, a Class AA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in the fall of 2007. Reinsdorf, whose father owns the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox, also owns a minor league hockey team and an indoor football squad.

Betting on $18 million in previously promised city support and up to $18 million in state funding for improvements to Commerce Bank Park, Reinsdorf expects to double attendance in 2009. The club drew 229,240 fans in 2007, the third-lowest in the league. Reinsdorf signed a contract that will keep the Senators in Harrisburg for 29 years.

John Stearns, who managed the Senators in 2006, has been named to pilot the club for the 2008 season. Stearns managed Class AAA Columbus in 2007. Stearns was drafted No. 2 overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973. He became a four-time All-Star catcher with the New York Mets.

Randy Whitaker, a former executive with WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, has been named the general manager. He becomes only the third general manager since the team returned to the Eastern League in 1987.

The Sports Business Journal ranks the Harrisburg/Hershey market as No. 2 among all minor league markets.

LANCASTER:

The Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League named former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Von Hayes its manager for 2008. Hayes, a 12-year major league veteran, previously managed for four seasons in the Arizona and Oakland minor league systems. He won two championships and was twice named manager of the year, as he compiled a record of 318-237.

Hayes beat out a stellar field to become the Barnstormers’ manager. Others in contention included Gary Carter, Tom Herr, Wally Backman, Butch Hobson and Andy Etchebarren.

Rick Wise will remain as the club’s pitching coach. He has been with the Barnstormers since their inaugural season. He served as interim manager last season after Frank Klebe was fired.

Lancaster attracted 347,000 fans in 2007, averaging 5,100 per game.

In other Atlantic League new, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, based in Waldorf, MD., are the newest entry in the eight-team league. Former Red Sox player and manager Butch Hobson has been named the team’s manager.