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Handouts

The 2012 SABR convention (June 27-July 1) will feature a tour of former Twin Cities ballpark sites (Athletic Park, a block away from the convention hotel, and a bus tour to Nicollet Park in Minneapolis, Lexington Park and The Pillbox in St. Paul, and Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington). Here are links to handouts with information on these and other ballparks:

• Minneapolis and St. Paul Ballpark Sites - one page (PDF - 234 KB)
• Twin Cities Ballparks - ten pages (PDF - 3.1 MB)
• Twin Cities Ballparks - slide presentation (PowerPoint - 6.4 MB - tested with MS PowerPoint 2003, may or may not work with other software)

SABR 42

Holy Cow! Do we have a great event coming up in 2012. SABR 42 will be back in Minneapolis, 24 years after a convention that is still remembered fondly by those who attended. The Halsey Hall Chapter of SABR will be hosting the event (and, in case you weren't aware, Halsey Hall was using Holy Cow! as his trademark expression long before those imitators in St. Louis and New York), and the chapter has been busy for many years planning for a great time.

When SABR last came here, the group saw a game at the Metrodome. Now the venue will be Target Field, on the other side of downtown Minneapolis. In addition to a Twins game, a trip for food, fun, and baseball is planned to see the St. Paul Saints.

Other events:

• Various panels, including ones with executives, former players, and official scorers.
• A special session with a slideshow of various Minnesota professional and amateur ballparks.
• A Women in Baseball panel, possibly with former players from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
• A presentation on baseball memorabilia by Minnesota Twins curator Clyde Doepner.
• A session and display on black baseball in Minnesota, hosted by Frank White, a longtime Minnesota sports official whose dad played on black teams in the state.
• A one-man show about Branch Rickey.
• A tour of the Minneapolis Central Library (for both the architecture and resources) hosted by principal librarian Connie Hill

A suburban attraction for many visitors is a shopping center known by several names, including MegaMall, Mall of America, Sprawl of America, and the shopping center on steroids. Baseball fans will appreciate that this was the site of Metropolitan Stadium, and we will have a tour of this and two other ballpark sites: Nicollet Park and Lexington Park. If it works, the tour will include Lakewood Cemetery and the gravesites of many baseball players and personalities as well as a great view of Lake Calhoun (see below). Those wanting to go to the megamall on their own can easily do so on the light rail.

The Twin Cities has a lot of other attractions, including:

• The Mississippi River: The downtown side has the Mill City Museum, which highlights the citys history as a milling center. On the other side are restaurants and watering holes along historic Main Street. Either side of the river is great for a walk. You can cross the river on the Stone Arch Bridge (a former railroad bridge now used for bicycles and pedestrians also the site of a 1996 wedding between two SABR members) and come back on the suspension bridge, the site of the first permanent crossing of the Mississippi River. Along that route, stop off on Nicollet Island, one of the citys treasures.
• The city's jewels: Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, and Cedar Lake. The lakes, with trails for biking, running, and walking, are connected. A complete circuit is 12 miles although they can be enjoyed individually. The lakes arent far from downtown although probably a little too far to walk, but not to run. We have a member who has volunteered to organize a run, and others have volunteered to drive people down and around the lakes. Bike rentals are available, too (check out https://www.niceridemn.org).
• Art museums and theaters: The Guthrie Theater on the river, the Walker Art Center on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts are among the biggies. St. Paul has some notable attractions, as well, including the Minnesota History Center, the capitol, and Landmark Center.

Summer in Minnesota is usually pleasant, and the weather can't be any hotter than it was in 1988. But the convention will be. You betcha.

Convention Update for the Fall Halsey Hall SABR Chapter Meeting:

SABR 42
What’s Up?
October 8, 2011

The 2012 Society for American Baseball Research 42nd annual convention will be at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Minneapolis next summer, starting Wednesday, June 27, 2011 and ending on either Saturday, June 30 or Sunday, July 1.  Here is an update:

The Halsey Hall Chapter has had a committee in place since before the it even became official that the convention would be in Minneapolis.  The members include Jerry Janzen (overseeing financial issues), Art Mugalian (in charge of apparel, goody bag, selection of all-region team, leader of ballpark sites tour), Dan Levitt (editor of the convention publication), Kevin Hennessy (liaison with Twins, on-site hotel liaison during the convention), Rich Arpi (lining up a night at the St. Paul Saints game), Brenda Himrich (organizer of the historic bus trip for a trolley ride and Lakewood Cemetery tour), and Howard Luloff (on-site volunteer coordinator).

Any SABR members willing to help during the convention may contact Howard (952-922-5036).  Howard will be supervising the greeters, registration helpers, and moderators during the convention.  We will also need some drivers for a Wednesday night event in St. Paul (and drivers need not be SABR members; however, to be a part of the local convention group, you will have to be a SABR member and registered for the convention).

The group will attend the Twins-Royals game on Friday night.  A trip to a St. Paul Saints game will be offered Saturday night.  Also planned for the convention:

• Research and poster presentations (someone from SABR will issue a Call for Papers for those wanting to submit an abstract to present at the convention).
• Awards Lunch.  Tentatively the keynote speaker is Bert Blyleven.
• Various panels: former players, executives, official scorers.
• Saturday morning tours: one will go to former ballpark sites in the Twin Cities; the other will go to Lake Harriet for a trolley ride between Lakes Harriet and Calhoun and then to a tour of baseball graves in Lakewood Cemetery.
• A tour of the downtown Minneapolis Central Library.
• A tour of the baseball exhibit at the Minnesota African American Museum.
• Target Field tour.
• Wednesday night author event and a reception at the home and Victorian museum of chapter member Seth C. “Dr. Fan” Hawkins.  (These are separate, not concurrent events, so members will have to choose which one to attend.)
• Committee meetings, SABR business meeting.
• Vendors room and memorabilia room with a presentation by Twins curator Clyde Doepner.
• Trivia.
• One-man show about Branch Rickey by Chuck Chalberg.

Deb Jayne from the SABR office will be coming to Minneapolis the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and will be at the meeting of the local convention committee on November 20.

More information on the convention is available at http://halseyhall.org/National_Convention.html.

Stew Thornley
651-415-0791