2012 SABR Convention

I went to the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) convention in Minneapolis, June 27-July 1, 2012.  I had never been a member before, and joined specifically to go to the convention.  The Marriott City Center was a good location, as it was within walking distance of Target Field and visiting KC Royals stayed there.  Sabremetrics refers to newer methods of statistical analysis.  But, SABR members care deeply about all aspects of baseball, not just statistics.

I instantly became famous because I asked a question at the first night panel discussion about ballparks.  Members of the the press, including David Beal, for many years the Pioneer Press business writer and John Rosenboro, SI.com, came up to talk to me.  I said hello to Aaron Gleeman.  As a relatively young member-- at least I appear to be younger than fifty-- my pictures showed up in the photo gallery more than by statistical chance.   

One faux pas was wearing a KC Royals shirt.  The Twins shirt, Albuquerque Isotopes shirt and the Baseball Project shirt (see the photo above) were fine choices.  The KC Royals shirt, however, implied that I was a KC Royals fan, and as KC Royals management is incompetent-- Jeff Francoeur is on the roster-- that was a bad choice.  Also, I was not prepared to discuss the 1984 I-70 World Series.

At the players panel, the first question to Rocky Johnson was "who hit the first homerun in RFK stadium?"  Rocky said, "I did."  Most of the time, Rocky would misunderstand the question, and often Frank Quilici would whisper in his ear to help correct him.  Nonetheless, more than 100 baseball researchers (half the crowd) stood around after the presentation hoping for autographs from aging non-Hall of Fame players.

Gary Thorn spoke at the luncheon.  As official historian of the Hall of Fame, he prepared poetry.

One presentation was about Warren Spahn.  Spahn was the subject of a book aimed at a young audience.  Spahn's problem was that the author filled in the blanks with details that were not accurate, such as precisely how he behaved during wartime.  As Spahn "did what any soldier would do", he did not desire that flattering stories were made up about him.  Eventually, as their was no malice, the case was settled out of court.  The Supreme Court later settled the question.

Alan Nathan presented ten years of bat research.  Weight of the bat is not important as a person swinging a lighter bat can swing it faster.    The momentum is about the same with a light bat as with a heavy bat.  With aluminum, there is a trampoline effect that will make a ball travel further.  But, wood-- even if the wood is just an outer layer-- is not compressible like aluminum.  So, cork in a wooden bat is not important.   How a person grips a bat is not important as the ball only contacts the bat for a very short time, and the ball is gone before any interaction with grip can occur.  Todd Frazier's May, 2012  homerun with neither hand on the bat when contact was made proves that point. 

University of Chicago economics students presented a winning case study.  Sadly, the case was contrived such that it was too much of a math problem, not enough of a judgment question.  As a huge fan of math, I think the writers of the case study missed the point.  The best math should still win, but how a student deals with ambiguity is the really interesting part rather than how a student deals with made up facts.  Nonetheless, this presentation was hugely popular.

David St. Peter talked about radio, the Twins Caravan and filling seats.  He is happy that the team no longer plays in "the corner of a football stadium," a phrase the team likes to use about the Metrodome which I do not agree with.  Twins values include hustle and fun.

Terry Ryan impressed all with his no wasted words delivery.  He was the lone presenter on the "general managers' panel."  He talked about how GMs come from varying backgrounds and described his responsibilities clearly.   He told us that "baseball is a grind."  Thus, players who grow up around major leaguers have an advantage since they have lived the lifestyle before.  Someone asked if Drew Butera should be a pitcher, where he displays talent, rather than a weak hitting catcher.  Terry Ryan said that was a question Drew Butera had to answer.  People management and "make up" was emphasized over talent evaluation.  It was announced that Terry Ryan will receive the 2013 Roland Hemond award as GM of the year.  Ryan replied, "The team is not doing well.  Philadelphia?  I might be there."

Chuck Chalberg gave a one man play about Branch Rickey.  I learned Jackie Robinson played the 1946 season in Montreal.  I had seen a Jackie Robinson statue in Montreal, which did not previously make sense to me.  Likewise, I now understand that Willie Mays spent a season as a Minneapolis Miller.  Who knew?

To sum up the conference, I will go back to a trivia question asked on the very first day at the welcome reception.  The question was "Which seven Dodgers became 1962 New York Mets?"   Gil Hodges and several other names were recognizable.  One name was very obscure, that of a utility infielder who was a Dodger in 1957.  "How did you know that name?"  The answer from the audience: "I wrote the biography of that player."   The SABR convention is designed for people who love baseball more than life itself.