will be at the Twins-Astros game Saturday, April 8 and would welcome a message from anyone else who will be there.
John Rosengren is having a book launch party for The Greatest Summer in Baseball History: How the 73 Season Changed Us Forever, a reissue of Hammerin Hank, George Almighty and the Say Hey Kid, originally pubilshed 15 years ago. Sourcebooks figured there would be renewed interest on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 season, John says, so it gave the book a new title and cover. The contents remain the same that made the book a CASEY Award finalist in 2008.
That season was the year Hank Aaron closed in on Babe Ruths 714 amidst racist resistance; George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees, bringing big money into the game; the American League allowed designated hitters, extending the career of players like Tony Oliva; in the World Series, Willie Mays of the Mets (who came from last place on August 30) passed the torch to Reggie Jackson of the As (who survived the meddling of their iconoclastic owner Charlie Finley), who with his ego and swagger redefined the image of the modern superstar.
The party is open to all from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 16 at The Open Book, 1011 South Washington Avenue in Minneapolis. RSVPs are appreciated but not absolutely necessary to john@johnrosengren.net.
The Fred Souba Hot Stove Saturday Morning, an informal breakfast gathering for the purpose of talking baseball, will be at Mannings at 22nd and Como in southeast Minneapolis on Saturday, May 13 at 9:00 a.m. We can get tables reserved if we have some idea of how many are coming. Please RSVP to me, stew@stewthornley.net, if you plan to attend. This is an informal RSVP, so feel free to show up even if you havent RSVPd and/or dont sweat it if you RSVP and cant make it (although an un-RSVP, if possible, would be appreciated).
The next Research Committee meeting, via Zoom, will be Monday, May 15. Contact co-chairs Dave Lande or Gene Gomes if you would like to attend. Other Research Committee members are Brenda Himrich, Sarah Johnson, Dan Levitt, Doug Skipper, Stew Thornley, Rich Arpi, Anders Koskinen, Hans Van Slooten, Mike Haupert, Bob Tholkes, Daniel Dorff, Darryl Sannes, Tom Swift, David Karpinski, Glenn Renick, John Buckeye, Terry Bohn and Bob Komoroski.
Justin Mckinney gave a presentation about the 1884 St. Paul team in the Union Association on March 9. It was recorded and soon will be available on our Video Archives of Events page. Justin is the author of Baseballs Union Association: The Short, Strange Life of a 19th-Century Major League.
Keep up to date with chapter activities on social media:
SABR Halsey Hall Chapter Facebook page
Halsey Hall Chapter Twitter page
Please visit both pages, and, if you havent yet, Like the Facebook page and Follow the Twitter page and set your notifications to be alerted to new posts.
Also:
Regular Events
Video Archives of Past Events
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New Members
New to the Halsey Hall Chapter and SABR: John Bonnes, Jason Parker, and Brent Hokeness
The Halsey Hall Chapter has welcomed eight new members since our previous chapter meeting and has 234 members, 162 of whom have the Halsey Hall Chapter listed as their primary chapter.
Know a potential member? Here are resources for getting that person happily involved in SABR:
Membership application
Get more out of your membership experience by checking out SABR Member Benefit Spotlight Series.
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Quiz by Darryl Sannes
The March Research Committee meeting included a quiz submitted by Darryl Sannes. There is a double-theme to the quiz.
- He was born in Canada, was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies, played with them for one year and was traded. With his new team, he had a losing record in his first year, but then rattled off six consecutive 20+ win seasons. He pitched for this team eight seasons, was traded and promptly won 25 games in his first season with his new team. He returned to the team he had the most success with for his final two seasons. He was the first Canadian born player to be inducted into the Baseball HOF.
- On September 28, his home run in the bottom of the ninth, with the scored tied, two outs and a 0-2 count; vaulted his team into first place and a eventual National League pennant. He played in four World Series, but never won. He played 19 of his 20-year MLB career with the same team. He was an All-Star six times in consecutive seasons. His 20 home runs were the most in a season for a player at his position and later hit 24. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame based on his solid play defensively and offensively, and his long career.
- He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins but never played for them. He was taken in the 24th Round the next year in the MLB June Amateur Draft and played in the majors with that team for thirteen years. He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. He collected 2445 hits and 511 doubles in his career. He received four Gold Gloves and was a three-time All-Star. He and Pete Rose are the only players to lead the major leagues in hits during a decade and not be in the Baseball HOF.
- His season fielding percentage in his first year was .939, was never lower for the next nine years and ending his career with a lifetime .968. He holds the NL records for most putouts in a season for his position and led the league in putouts seven times. He is rated the second best all time, for his position and his team. In one season he led the National League in hits and doubles and one season had five hits on opening day. In his first MLB at bat, he knocked himself out when the ball hit the plate and then him in the head. He was a seven time All-Star and played in three World Series.
- Traded from the Cincinnati Reds, he promptly led the National League in hits in his first year with his new team. In the next two seasons he would help his team win back-to-back World Series Championships. While baseball fans through the decades remember the names of his infield teammates, he has long been forgotten, even though his offensive and defensive stats were comparable.
- Cardinals manager, Whitey Herzog, said of this player, Now I know why _______ was drafted ahead of Gooden. He has a better arm. In his senior year of high school, he hit .790, with 10 home runs and 37 stolen bases without ever being caught. He played the bulk of his career with one team, but played with five others. While never quite living up to expectations, he was a two-time All-Star and was part of a very effective double-play combination.
- He was named National League Rookie of the Year in his first full season, hitting 25 home runs and driving in 86. He led the National League in hits one season and had over 200 three times. He missed very few games during his MLB career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame and has a statue outside of his home ballpark.
- While looking like anything but a major league ballplayer, he led the National League in home runs four times and runs batted in twice. His drinking and fighting made him one of the most colorful sports personalities of his era. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame thirty-one years after his death. One of his season totals is still an MLB record today.
- One of the movie props from Kong: Skull Island (2017) was a signed baseball by this player. He led the National League in home runs and RBIs in back-to-back years. He is only one of six players intentionally walked in a game when bases were loaded. His nickname was Swish.
- He played for seven different major league teams over 15 years and finished his career by winning the World Series. It was his second ring. He hit a home run in game seven, becoming the oldest player (age 39) to homer in the World Series. The next year he was put to work by the team he finished his career with, eventually becoming the Skip.
- The only person to hit the scoreboard here with a ball was Sam Snead. It was part-time home to the Sting for ten years. It was home to the Bears for fifty years. It opened as Weeghman Park and didnt take its current name until 1926. It didnt have lights until 1988.
Quiz answers below
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Cow Chips
Gene Gomes, Tom Merrick, and another member have contributions in the forthcoming SABR Book, Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: Americas First Modern Ballpark.
Terry Bohn has written an article on Raleigh Aitchison for the SABR BioProject.
The SABR Games Project has new entries by chapter members:
Minor Treasures: Diamond Gems from the Glory Days of Minnesota Baseball has been named a finalist in the category of interior design by the Independent Book Publishers Association for its Benjamin Franklin Awards Ceremony May 5 in Coronado, California. It contains items from the collections of chapter members Pete Gorton, Randy Krzmarzick, and Tom Flynn as well as a profile of Damian Schaab with his baseball art displayed.
Last year, the Minnesota Twins planned a weekend tournament at Target Field for women and girls. The event wasnt held because of a lack of participants. Chelsey Fanzone of the Twins has hopes of making it happen in the future. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball announced a Trailblazer Series for girls to be held at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. The three-day event for girls 11-to-13 years old will compete and develop skills with their peers. The event will include panel discussions featuring former professional baseball players from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, Jeneane Lesko and Maybelle Blair, and will feature instruction from notable women baseball athletes, including Mone Davis, Veronica Alvarez, Kelsie Whitmore, Ila Borders, Rachelle Henley, and Bianca Smith, as well as members of the Women's National Team.
The March 2023 edition of Keltners Hot Corner, the newsletter of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter, contains is on-line:
Keltners Hot Corner, March 2023
For past Keltners Hot Corner newsletters:
Keltners Hot Corner
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Answers to Quiz by Darryl Sannes
- Ferguson Jenkins
- Gabby Hartnett
- Mark Grace
- Billy Herman
- Harry Steinfeldt
- Shawon Dunston
- Billy Williams
- Hack Wilson
- Bill Nicholson
- David Ross
- Wrigley Field
The theme is, of course, the Cubs, and if you look closely you may note that the numbers of the first nine questions correspond to the fielding position of each player.
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Calendar
March 30Watch Party for Twins Season Opener, 3:00 p.m., Grumpys Northeast.
April 1Book Club, Barnes & Noble, Har Mar Mall, Roseville, 9:30 a.m., The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series by Tyler Kepner.
April 2Season Opening Meeting with SABR Chapters in American League Central Division, 7:00 p.m.
April 15Spring Chapter Meeting, 8:45 a.m., Faith Mennonite Church, Minneapolis. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-922-5036.
April 16Book Event, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Open Book, Minneapolis. For more information, contact John Rosengren.
May 13Fred Souba Hot Stove League Saturday Morning, 9:00 a.m., Manningss, Southeast Minneapolis.
May 15Research Committee
meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m. via Zoom. For more information, contact