Resources
Fall Chapter Meeting Set for November 5
The Fall Chapter Meeting will be at Faith Mennonite Church, 2720 E. 22nd Street in south Minneapolis on Saturday, November 5.
Registration for the meeting is at 8:30 with introductions and research presentations beginning at 8:45. A business meeting will be held during lunch with a featured guest and Howard Luloff’s always-a-hit trivia contest to follow.
The cost for the meeting and lunch is $10. The meeting only is $5. Those wanting lunch are asked to RSVP to Howard Luloff, 952-922-5036. People can pay by cash (with correct change appreciated) or check at the door.
The meeting will include up to five oral research presentations. Two have been approved so far:
Sam Sundermeyer, Dawn of the Long Night: The Origin of Baseball’s Color Barrier, which Sam will also be presenting at the SABR convention in Baltimore. Here is the abstract submitted for the convention: “The tangled origin of the color barrier in Organized Baseball has been resistant to historical study since the publication of the foundational text in our subject, Baseball: The Early Years, by Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour. There exist the arguments of the ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ and individual players willing the barrier into existence; the historiography of the subject is fractured and incomplete. Sundermeyer examines the origin of the color barrier in Organized Baseball. He argues that the barrier originated from, and carried direct ties to, business and cultural precedent from Reconstruction-era America, and will show how the color barrier was born of far more precedent and intention than has previously been acknowledged. He studies the careers of pioneering African-American players of the era, who played on organized teams for years before the barrier emerged, through this lens of intention and precedent in the barrier’s origin.”
Ed Edmonds, Baseball’s Misunderstood Antitrust Trilogy. Abstract: “This year marks the centennial anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Federal Baseball Club v. National League. The general understanding of Justice Holmes’ opinion misses a major legal point, and many scholars acknowledge that the decision matched the general understanding of antitrust law in 1922. The case was followed by Toolson v. New York Yankees in 1953, and Earl Toolson’s life and court challenge are also subject to fundamental misunderstandings. Finally, this year is also the fiftieth anniversary of Flood v. Kuhn, a case where Minnesota’s Justice Harry Blackmun’s first sentence is marked by a significant error that serves as an introduction to a lengthy historical paean to baseball.”
Members are invited to submit a proposal to make a research (oral or poster) presentation at the meeting. Proposals must be sent to Research Committee co-chairs Dave Lande or Gene Gomes and include a title and brief outline of what the presentation will consist of with emphasis on the research that will be included. Standard oral presentations are 20 minutes (with an additional eight minutes for questions) although the duration may be longer or shorter depending on the needs of the presenter and of the schedule. The Research Committee will finalize the schedule of research presentations by October 22, two weeks before the meeting, so proposals must be submitted by then.
One presentation slot is always reserved for a first-time presenter until four weeks before the chapter meeting, which is October 8. If a slot remains after that, any member can submit a proposal until October 22, two weeks before the meeting, when the Research Committee will finalize the schedule of presentations.
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Upcoming Events
SABR members from various chapters will descend on Beloit to see the Beloit Sky Carp play the West Michigan Whitecaps Saturday night, August 13. If you want to go, please send me (Stew Thornley, 1082 Lovell Avenue, Roseville 55113) $11 for each ticket. Include your email address because your electronic tickets will be transferred to you that way. Howard Luloff is trying to line up pre-game activities at the ballpark. Stay tuned for more details
Brenda and I have booked a room at the Super 8, 2790 Milwaukee Road, Beloit 53511. It’s right off the interstate and a few miles from the ballpark. With a AAA membership, our rate (for a room with two people) was $102.63, which includes tax. You can reserve a room through the toll-free number, 800-454-3213, or directly with the hotel at 608-365-6000.
Phil Lowry is looking for someone who has room for a passenger in the car. If you are going and can accommodate Phil, contact him at philip.lowry7777@gmail.com.
The New York Giants Preservation Society has been having mostly weekly Zoom events every Thursday at 6 p.m. Central Time, some of which are by Halsey Hall Chapter members. On August 4, Tom Flynn will talk about his great-great uncle, Tom Sheehan, a longtime member of the Giants as a scout and manager. To get notifications of these meetings, contact Gary Mintz, giantsguru@gmail.com.
The book club will meet at Barnes & Noble in Har Mar Mall at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 6 and discuss Game Time by Roger Angell. Any other Roger Angell book will be considered appropriate fodder for the discussion.
Brent Heutmaker has organized a list of all the book selections since the book club started in August 2002: Halsey Hall Book Club Selections
The Fred Souba Hot Stove Saturday Morning, an informal breakfast gathering for the purpose of talking baseball, will at Bunny’s, 5916 Excelsior Blvd, St Louis Park 55416, 952-922-9515 on Saturday, September 17 at 8:45 a.m. (Note the different location: Bunny’s Northeast has closed, so we are now going to Bunny’s in St. Louis Park, which is on the north side of Excelsior Boulevard just west of Highway 100.) The time has been moved up to 8:45 a.m. to make it easier to get a large table.
The next Research Committee meeting, via Zoom, will be Monday, August 22. 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, and Bob Komoroski.
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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 haven’t 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
Ed Edmonds grew up as a military brat. “I was born at Offutt Air Force Base, just south of Omaha, Nebraska. I lived in Arlington and Fairfax County, Virginia; Salina, Kansas; Springfield, Massachusetts; Hampton, Virginia; and Wichita Falls, Texas. Because my father is from the Cincinnati area, I am a lifelong Reds fan. I have degrees from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, and the University of Toledo.”
Family: “My mother was from Texas, and the family can be traced to the Republic period, and my father was from Ohio. My wife Brigid is from suburban Pittsburgh, and I have children and grandchildren in Houston, Texas; Eagle, Idaho; and Edina.”
What do you do? “I am a retired law librarian and professor of law who taught a sports law seminar for many years.”
Notable stuff about your life in baseball (in whatever way you’ve participated). This includes your career as a fan. When did you go to your first game? What significant baseball events have you witnessed? “I am notably devoid of nearly any athletic ability, so I was a manager in high school and as an undergraduate. I was a member of a few intramural softball championship teams. I am a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan. The first professional game that I attended was a Peninsula Grays doubleheader, and my first major league game was a Los Angeles Angels at Washington Senators game on Saturday, August 15, 1964, before an announced crowd of 2,597. Claude Osteen won his twelfth game while slamming a double and home run. The big attraction for me was an autograph session on the field. My most cherished signature is from Senators manager Gil Hodges, who finally achieved Hall of Fame status this year.”
Other notable stuff about you: “I was one of the founding faculty members of the University of St. Thomas School of Law. I am a regular presenter at the Nine Spring Training Conference and the Cooperstown Symposium. My scholarly interests include contracts, labor, and antitrust issues in baseball, salary arbitration, the reserve system, Curt Flood, Earl Toolson, Roy Face, Bob Purkey, Frank Robinson, George Powles, Gilbert Patten and juvenile literature, and Helene Hathaway Robison Britton. Feel free to ask me about anyone on that list that you have never heard of.”
Born in 1951, Ed shares his March 3 birthday with John Montgomery Ward (who, like Ed, has a law degree), Willie Keeler, Paul Schaal, Woody English, Jesse Jefferson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jessica Biel, Jean Harlow, Alexander Graham Bell, George Mortimer Pullman, Julius Boros, Kittens Reichert, and Simone “Sam the Plumber” DeCavalcante.
Also new to the Halsey Hall Chapter and SABR: Alexander Rothschild and Dennis Lange
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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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
The July 18 Research Committee meeting included this fun quiz from Dave Lande:
- What do Bob Dylan and Roger Maris have in common?
- What do Roger Maris and Hal Newhouser have in common?
- What do Hal Newhouser and Albert Pujols have in common?
- Of the nine players who hit more than 600 home runs, what do Albert Pujols and Jim Thome have in common that sets them apart from the other seven players?
- Of all the players in the Hall of Fame, what do Jim Thome and Reggie Jackson have in common that sets them apart from the other Hall of Famers?
- What do Reggie Jackson and Barry Bonds have in common?
- What do Barry Bonds and Lee Smith have in common?
- Of the six pitchers in the Hall of Fame who appeared in more than 1,000 games, what do Lee Smith and Trevor Hoffman have in common that sets them apart from the other four pitchers?
- Of the 14 pitchers in major league history who appeared in more than 1,000 games, what do Trevor Hoffman and John Franco have in common that sets them apart from the other 12 pitchers?
- What do John Franco and Frank Viola have in common?
Bonus question!
What else do Bob Dylan and Roger Maris have in common?
Quiz Answers below
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New Stuff: Landmarks Committee Site and Research Committee Minutes
The SABR Landmarks Committee is now live with its site and map to help fans find baseball sites of significance in travels around the world.
Minutes for the meetings of the Halsey Hall Chapter Research Committee are now included on the page for minutes of our chapter and board of directors meeting.
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Cow Chips
Howard Luloff (left) and Jeff Lenz worked at the Stars and Strikes Legion Baseball Tournament July 3, Jeff as the scoreboard operator and Howard as the public-address announcer.
Gene Gomes, en route to South Carolina, passed through Kentucky and had the chance to examine a load of lumber at the Louisville Slugger factory.
Dan Levitt and Mark Armour were guests on Rob Neyer’s July 5 SABRcast to talk about their new book, Intentional Balk: Baseball’s Thin Line between Innovation and Cheating.
Dan and Mark held an on-line launch party for the book July 12 and had a book signing in Cooperstown on induction weekend. Information about other appearances is at Intentional Balk Appearances.
Eric Gray is following up his first book, Bases to Bleachers, with Backyards to Ballparks, and he will be doing a reading at Magers & Quinn Booksellers (3038 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis 55408, 612-822-4611) on Monday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m. Attend if you can. Eric will also be in town a few days prior to this and would love to get together with SABR members, perhaps one of the Twins-Giants games August 27-28. If you’d like to attend a game or anything else with a visiting SABR member, contact Eric, eric.baseballstories@gmail.com, 415-971-5370, or Events Chair Howard Luloff, hfan77@centurylink.net, 952-922-5036, who may try to organize a trip to one of the games.
Tom Flynn’s nephew, Jack Pineda, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals.
The SABR Games Project has new entries from chapter members:
October 4, 1913: Zany Senators Defeat Red Sox in Slapstick Finale Despite Hal Janvrin’s Two Homers by Tom Merrick
March 12, 2017: Mexico Beats Venezuela, but Not by Enough to Stay Alive in World Baseball Classic by Stew Thornley
Brent Peterson attended the induction of Bud Fowler into the Hall of Fame. On the way to Cooperstown, he visited Fowler’s grave and left a note.
The July 2022 edition of Keltner’s Hot Corner, the newsletter of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter is on-line:
Keltner’s Hot Corner, July 2022
For past Keltner’s Hot Corner newsletters:
Keltner’s Hot Corner
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Quiz Answers
- Hibbing, Minnesota, was the hometown of Dylan and Maris.
- Maris and Newhouser are two of seven players who were awarded back-to-back American League Most Valuable Player Awards—Newhouser in 1944-45 and Maris in 1960-61.
- Both have the nickname of Prince—Prince Hal for Newhouser and Prince Albert for Pujols.
- Both played a majority of their games at first base—2,012 for Pujols and 1,106 for Thome.
- They are the only current Hall of Famers who struck out more than 2,000 times—2,548 for Thome and 2,597 for Jackson.
- Jackson and Bonds are distant cousins. (They also both attended Arizona State University.)
- They are both credited with four sacrifice bunts—Bonds in 12,606 plate appearances and Smith in 71 plate appearances
- They are the only two with a losing won-loss record—71-92 for Smith and 61-75 for Hoffman.
- Hoffman and Franco never started a game.
- Franco and Viola both attended St. John’s University in New York and were drafted in 1983.
Bonus question!
The number 61. Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961, and Dylan’s album, Highway 61 Revisited, was released in 1965.
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Calendar
August 6—Book Club, Barnes & Noble, Har Mar Mall, Roseville, 9:30 a.m., Game Time by Roger Angell.
August 13—West Michigan Whitecaps at Beloit Sky Crap. For more information, contact Stew Thornley.
August 14—Halsey Hall Chapter Board of Directors meeting, Perkins, 394 and Louisiana Avenue, St. Louis Park, 6:00 p.m. For more information on attending, contact Gene Gomes.
August 22—Research Committee meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m. via Zoom. For more information, contact Dave Lande or Gene Gomes.
September 17—Fred Souba Hot Stove League Saturday Morning, 8:45 a.m., Bunny’s, St. Louis Park.
November 5—Fall Chapter Meeting, 8:45 a.m., Faith Mennonite Church, Minneapolis. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-922-5036.
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Board of Directors 2022-2023
President—Gene Gomes
Vice President—David Karpinski
Secretary—Sarah Johnson
Treasurer—Jerry Janzen
Daniel Dorff
John Swol
Bob Tholkes
Events Committee Chair—Howard Luloff
Research Committee Co-Chairs—Dave Lande, Gene Gomes
Membership Committee Chair—Stew Thornley
The Holy Cow! Editor—Stew Thornley
Ass. Editors—Jerry Janzen and Brenda Himrich
Webmaster—John Gregory
Ass. Webmasters—Frank Kadwell, Hans Van Slooten, and Stew Thornley
Social Media Directors—Bob Komoroski, Facebook; Hans Van Slooten and Tom Flynn, Twitter
Halsey Hall Chapter Web Page
Past issues of The Holy Cow! are available on-line.
Chapter History
Chapter Procedures and By-Laws
Society for American Baseball Research
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Resources
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