Halsey Hall Chapter - SABR: Chapter Book Club

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The Halsey Hall Chapter book club meets bi-monthly, usually on the second weekend of even-numbered months.

The book club was started in August 2002 and has drawn anywhere from five to 12 members at any event. The club meets either in a coffee shop or at the home of a book club regular.

The book club is open to all chapter members, whether or not they have read the book (there are no quizzes). Future book selection suggestions are always welcome.

For more information about the book club, contact moderator Tom Dolen via phone, information found in the online SABR directory at www.sabr.org. Or check the current issue of Holy Cow! for the upcoming meeting.

cover of Sandy Koufax book The first book selection was "Hitter," a biography of Ted Williams written by Ed Linn. The club has since read an eclectic mix of baseball nonfiction and novels, including "The Great American Novel" by Philip Roth; "The Power and the Darkness," a biography of Josh Gibson by Mark Ribowsky; "Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train" by Henry Thomas; "Play for a Kingdom" by Tom Dyja; "Moneyball" by Michael Lewis; "The Duke of Havana" by Steve Fainaru; "A Whole Different Ball Game" by Marvin Miller; and "Paths to Glory," co-authored by chapter member Dan Levitt.

The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club met on Saturday, July 31, to discuss "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy" by Jane Leavy. Regulars present included Rich Arpi, Jim Sexton, Art Mugalian, Greg Omoth, Stew Thornley, Tom Swift, visiting longtime member Alan Holst, first-time attendee Dan Vatterott, and new SABR members Kyle Eliason and Josh Leventhal. As usual, a lively discussion ranged from various themes in the book to topics related and not.

Cover of The Numbers Game book The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club met on Saturday, Oct. 9, to discuss "The Numbers Game" by Alan Schwarz, a senior writer of Baseball America magazine and a frequent contributor to The New York Times. Regulars and semi-regulars present at the meeting included Rich Arpi, Art Mugalian, Stew Thornley, Bob Tholkes, Jim Wyman and Tom Swift. As usual, a lively discussion ranged from various themes in the book to topics related and not.

Cover of 9 Innings book The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club met on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004 to discuss "Nine Innings" by Dan Okrent. Present were Rich Arpi, Art Mugalian, Stew Thornley, Bob Tholkes, Jim Wyman, Greg Omoth, Tom Dolen, Kyle Eliason and Tom Swift.

As suggested by Mr. Dolen, the club is striving to incorporate a modicum of structure to meetings in order to better focus discussion on the selected book (there's still no punishment for tangents, especially if they are funny). Members were encouraged to submit to the book club moderator questions/discussion points related to the book in advance of future meetings. Such items are also welcome at the start of each meeting.

cover of book Brushbacks and Knockdowns The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club met on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2005, to discuss "Brushbacks and Knockdowns" by Allen Barra. Present were Art Mugalian, Stew Thornley, Bob Tholkes, Jim Wyman, Greg Omoth, Tom Dolen, Dan Levitt and Tom Swift.

The club has been striving to incorporate a modicum of structure to meetings in order to better focus discussion on the selected book (there's still no punishment for tangents, especially if they are funny). The discussion of "Brushbacks" was especially lively as the book discussed a number of typical baseball debates (and some obscure ones).

The Halsey Hall Chapter Book club met on Saturday, April 16, to discuss "Rogers Hornsby" by Charles Alexander. Members present were Gregg Omoth, Art Mugalian, Stew Thornley, Tom Dolen, Dan Levitt, Rich Arpi, Bob Tholkes, Tom Swift, Jim Sexton, book club member emeritus Mark Johnson and newcomer Jodi Elowitz (welcome to SABR).

The Halsey Hall Chapter Book club met on Saturday, June 11, to discuss "3 Nights in August" by Buzz Bissinger in collaboration with Tony La Russa.
Members present were Gregg Omoth, Art Mugalian, Stew Thornley, Dan Levitt, Rich Arpi, Jodi Elowit and Tom Swift.

The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club met on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005, to discuss "Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life" by Richard Ben Cramer. Present were members Stew Thornley, Dan Levitt, Tom Dolen, Gregg Omoth, Art Mugalian, Jim Sexton and Tom Swift.

The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club met on Oct. 8 to discuss "Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball." The group did not solve baseball's real/perceived steroid problem but did have a constructive discussion that included a diversity of views on the book and related topics.
Members present: Jim Sexton, Art Mugalian, Gregg Omoth, Stew Thornley, Dan Levitt, Jim Wyman, Tom Dolen and Tom Swift.

The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club met on Dec. 10 to discuss the "The Book on the Book" by Bill Felber. Present were members Kyle Eliason, Dan Levitt, Art Mugalian, Tom Dolen, Jim Wyman, Rich Arpi, Gregg Omoth, Stew Thornley and Tom Swift.