Resources
Dan Levitt Becomes SABR President
Dan Levitt became president of the Society for American Baseball Research December 22. Along with years of service to the Halsey Hall Chapter and the authoring of numerous celebrated baseball books, Dan was elected to the SABR board in 2020 and appointed treasurer the following year.
Dan promises to use his new powers for good and not evil and adds, “I owe a huge thank you to the Halsey Hall Chapter for allowing me an outlet to explore my baseball history passion within a wonderful community. SABR is a terrific organization, and I look forward to building on our strong foundation.”
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Upcoming Events
The Fred Souba Hot Stove Saturday Morning, an informal breakfast gathering for the purpose of talking baseball, will be Saturday, January 10 at 9:00 a.m. at the Shortstop Bar and Grill, 1298 East Moore Lake Drive, Fridley 55432.
For SABR Day on January 29, the chapter has lined up a zoom meeting with Willie Steele, who will talk about W. P. Kinsella at 7:00 p.m.. Registration for Halsey Hall Chapter SABR Day
The next Book Club meeting will be Saturday, February 7 at Barnes & Noble in Har Mar Mall at 9:30 a.m. The book selection is Bats: The Man Behind the Miracle and/or My Wild Ride in Baseball and Beyond by Davey Johnson.
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 annual outing to see the Minnesota Gophers will be Sunday, March 1 when they play the Kansas Jayhawks at U. S. Bank Stadium at 12:05 p.m. A pre-game breakfast gathering at 9:30 will be at the Hen House Eatery (formerly Peter’s Grill), 114 South 8th Street in Minneapolis. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-994-5217.
The Halsey Hall Chapter Spring Meeting will be Saturday, April 25 at a to-be-determined location. Members are invited to submit a proposal to make a research presentation at the meeting. Proposals may 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.
One presentation slot is always reserved for a first-time presenter until four weeks before the chapter meeting (March 28). If a slot remains after that, any member can submit a proposal until April 11, two weeks before the meeting, when the Research Committee will wrap up the schedule of presentations.
One presentation has been approved so far:
The 1937 St. Paul Kohn’s: Minnesota’s First National Baseball Champions by Armand Peterson
The 2026 SABR convention in Cleveland will be Wednesday, July 29 to Sunday, August 2 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown. The Arizona Diamondbacks will be in town to play the Guardians during the convention.
Keep up to date with chapter activities on social media:
SABR Halsey Hall Chapter Facebook page
SABR Halsey Hall Chapter Bluesky page
Halsey Hall Chapter Twitter page
Please visit the pages, and, if you haven’t yet, “Like” the Facebook page and “Follow” the Bluesky page and set your notifications to be alerted to new posts. (The Bluesky page has 109 followers, the Facebook page 330 members, and the Xwitter page 807 followers. Bob Komoroski has established rules—essentially, don’t be a dink. The page is still public although Bob has set up a series of questions for new members to cull out spammers, wankers, trollers, and other degenerates.)
Also:
Regular Events
Video Archives of Past Events
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How Willie Mays Became the Catalyst for A Charlie Brown Christmas
On December 18 the New York Giants Preservation Society hosted Mark Mancini with a presentation on Willie Mays led to a beloved Christmas classic. The presentation is available at Mark Mancino on Willie Mays and Charlie Brown XMAS—New York Giants Preservation Society—12/18/2025.
A summary of how it all happened is provided in an article Mark wrote: How Willie Mays Became the Catalyst for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
The upshot is that Lee Mendelson did a documentary, A Man Called Mays, which aired in the San Francisco area in 1963 and followed up with an animated show, A Boy Called Charlie Brown, which never aired but did lead to an opportunity to do A Charlie Brown Christmas, which became the first of many animated specials with the Peanuts gang. The documentary on Mays, well-worth watching, is at
A Man Named Mays ©1963 Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.
Editor’s note: Of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Mancini said, “It’s not loud and bombastic. It’s quiet, it’s subtle. That original special looks even more special . . . because it doesn’t question the audience’s intelligence. It trusts the audience to stick with it even through the quiet moments.” If only sports teams and their “game production” people could have the acumen to learn such lessons.
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Transition Plan Adopted for By-Laws Amendment
At the October chapter meeting, the membership passed an amendment to the chapter by-laws that changes the structure of the board of directors and officers. Each spring the chapter will have a direct election of a president-elect. This person will automatically ascend to president the following year and then to immediate past president, the latter being an ex-officio, non-voting member of the board of directors. Election of a secretary and appointment of a treasurer will occur every three years. Three directors will serve rotating three-year terms with one director elected by the membership every year.
The amended by-laws: By-laws of the Halsey Hall Chapter, Society for American Baseball Research
The change in the board structure and elections process requires a one-time transition, which the board of directors approved at its December 8 meeting, to wit:
The following process will be used for the Spring 2026 election with all terms being effective with the new fiscal year starting July 1, 2026.
The current president will become the immediate past president. The vice president will become president. A president-elect will be elected.
Four members were elected to two-year terms in the spring of 2025, the terms beginning July 1. Although these terms are to extend to 2027, they will be terminated June 30, 2026. (All members affected by this have agreed to this.) Two of the members elected in the spring of 2025 were the secretary and treasurer. Their terms will continue for two more years, through June 30, 2028.
The other two are directors Howard Luloff and Jacob Sayward. Howard will become the director with a term to end in 2028. Jacob will stay as a director with a term ending in 2027. An election will be held at the spring meeting in 2026 for a director to begin a three-year term, to end in 2029, with the term beginning July 1, 2026. In addition, the membership will elect a president-elect at the spring 2026 meeting.
In subsequent years, an election will be held each year for a president-elect and for a director for a three-year term. Every three years (starting in 2028), an election will be held for secretary and a treasurer will be appointed.
The minutes from this and other meetings are available at Minutes & Reports.
A list of current board members and their board expiration date are available at Halsey Hall Chapter: Officers and History.
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Research Roundtable
Research projects, web pages, and blogs of chapter members are highlighted on the home page of the Research Committee.
On November 14-15, 2025, the University of St. Thomas School of Law held a Baseball Salary Arbitration Competition at its downtown Minneapolis campus. The goals of the competition were to give the students an opportunity to present cases for either the team or the player and to choose a three-person team to participate in the 19th Annual Tulane International Baseball Arbitration Competition (TIBAC). The TIBAC Competition will be held in New Orleans from Thursday, January 15, 2026, to Friday, January 16, 2026. Ed Edmonds is one of two coaches for the St. Thomas team. Ed created a list of comparable players to be used in the St. Thomas competition for the case of Cincinnati Reds centerfielder T. J. Friedl. During the St. Thomas competition, Ed and fellow-Halsey Hall member Kris Hard served as arbitrators and participated in the selection of the Tulane team.
The project to erect a marker on the site of the St. Paul Downtown Ball Park (aka The Pillbox) made it through another hoop with more to come (hoops, not erections).
Mike Haupert et al. is working on a banner and fact sheet to promote SABR scholarships at the annual conference of the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies in February.
Mike is also the editor of the Outside the Lines newsletter for the SABR Business of Baseball Research Committee, which just issued its latest edition: Outside the Lines Fall 2025.
Kris Hard is co-chair of the SABR Official Scoring Research Committee, which just issued its latest newsletter: Winter 2025 Get Ya Scorecard Here!
SABR has made available archives to The Sporting News.
A recording of the November 19 presentation by Mark Armour on Satchel Paige is on-line at
SABR Virtual: Mark Armour, “Satchel Paige in Minnesota”.
Rich Arpi reports that additional years of the St. Paul Globe and St. Paul Pioneer Press are available through the Minnesota Historical Society at Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub. This link has been added to the chapter’s Baseball Research Primer.
The next Research Committee meetings, via Zoom, will be January 19 and February 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Research Committee members are co-chairs Dave Lande or Gene Gomes as well as Brenda Himrich, Sarah Johnson, Dan Levitt, Doug Skipper, Stew Thornley, Rich Arpi, Hans Van Slooten, Mike Haupert, Bob Tholkes, Daniel Dorff, Darryl Sannes, Tom Swift, David Karpinski, Glenn Renick, John Buckeye, Terry Bohn, Ed Wehling, John Gregory, Art Mugalian, John “Sparky” Seals, Ed Edmonds, Mike Zarling, Chrstian Towalski, and Bob Komoroski.
Let a committee member know if you would like to attend a meeting and/or join the committee.
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Our 50th Themed Quiz, Courtesy of Dave Lande
Here is the quiz from the December Research Committee meeting from Dave Lande.
- In his acting career, he played both good guys and bad guys. In a notable early role, he carried a wood club and was “stepping high. ” He passed away in 2025.
- This actress won an Academy Award as best actress in a supporting role. At the time, she was married to actor, Alec Baldwin.
- Notable for his walrus mustache and thick eyeglasses, he generally played the good guy in films. One exception was as a bad guy with a gun pursuing an attorney played by Tom Cruise in a film based on a book written by John Grisham.
- This actress has been nominated for an Academy Award eight times but has yet to win one. In a notable film role, her character boiled a pet bunny.
- This actor won an Academy Award for best supporting actor. One of his earlier movie roles was as a consigliere to a mob boss in a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
- In a remake of a heist movie that starred Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, this actor acted in the role played by Slim Pickens in the original film.
- She has one Academy Award nomination for best actress in a supporting role. For several years, she acted under the last name of Seagull.
- Generally, cast as a tough guy, he was cast as Mr. Blonde in a Quentin Tarantino film. His sister, Virginia, also acts in Hollywood. He passed away in 2025.
- In a long and versatile career in television and movies, his roles ranged from a newspaper reporter in a short-lived horror series on tv to a buffoonish father in a Christmas movie where he cherished his “leg” lamp.
- This actor won an Academy Award for best director. Two of his most notable roles as an actor were in movies co-starring his actor friend, Paul. He passed away in 2025.
Answers below
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Membership
Katherine “Kat” Emley is from New Hampshire and became a Twins fan two years ago when she moved to Minneapolis, where she is an account manager for a mental health technology company. She has been to many games at Target Field with her favorite Twins memory being Byron Buxton hitting for the cycle.
Her first baseball memory is the 2004 World Series. “I was young, and seeing how my Dad reacted, I fell in love with the game. I got the chance to really celebrate the Red Sox when my family went to the 2007 World Series parade in Boston (and got our car towed after parking on an interstate off-ramp!). I also randomly had a chance to meet my favorite Red Sox player, Dustin Pedroia, in KC at a Royals game in May of this year. We spotted him in the stands sitting with his family and he signed a Pedroia shirt I was wearing!”
Kat shares her March 8 birthday with Dick Allen, Jim Rice, the Twins’ own David Festa, Tommy Pham, Win Remmerswaal, Jim Bouton, Carl Furillo, Bob Grim, Lance McCullers, Mark Salas, Al Gionfriddo, Jack Bentley, James Van Der Beek, Freddie Prinze Jr. Alan Hale Jr. (“The Skipper”), Cyd Charisse, Micky Dolenz, Mickey Spillane, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Laura Beavers, and Chief Tecumseh.
Also new to the Halsey Hall Chapter: Jay Bendfeldt
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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Thoughts of the Month
Sincerity is the key to success. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made.
—Groucho Marx
The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.
—Charles Bukowski
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Cow Pies
The SABR BioProject has an article by Terry Bohn on Kid Camp.
The SABR Games Project has new game stories by chapter members:
The December 2025 edition of Keltner’s Hot Corner, the newsletter of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter, is on-line:
Keltner’s Hot Corner, December 2025
Past Keltner’s Hot Corner newsletters:
Keltner’s Hot Corner
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Answers to Our 50th Themed Quiz, Courtesy of Dave Lande
- Joe Don Baker
- Kim Basinger
- Wilford Brimley
- Glenn Close
- Robert Duvall
- Richard Farnsworth
- Barbara Hershey
- Michael Madsen
- Darren McGavin
- Robert Redford
Theme: Players turned announcers
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Calendar
January 10—Fred Souba Hot Stove League Saturday Morning, 9:00 a.m., Shortstop Bar and Grill, Fridley. For more information, contact John Buckeye.
January 19—Research Committee meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m. via Zoom. For more information, contact Dave Lande or Gene Gomes.
January 29—Zoom meeting with Willie Steele on W. P. Kinsella.
February 7—Book Club, Barnes & Noble, Har Mar Mall, Roseville, 9:30 a.m., Bats: The Man Behind the Miracle and/or My Wild Ride in Baseball and Beyond by Davey Johnson. Contact Ed Edmonds for more information.
February 15—Halsey Hall Chapter Board of Directors meeting, 7:00 p.m. For more information on attending, contact Ed Edmonds.
February 16—Research Committee meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m. via Zoom. For more information, contact Dave Lande or Gene Gomes.
March 1—Minnesota Gophers versus Kansas Jayhawks, U. S. Bank Stadium, 12:05 p.m. with pre-game debauchery at the Hen House Eatery at 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-994-5217.
April 25—Spring Chapter Meeting, 8:45 a.m. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-994-5217, or Bob Komoroski.
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Board of Directors 2025-2026
President—Ed Edmonds
Vice President—Mike Haupert
Secretary—John Buckeye
Treasurer—Rich Arpi
Terry Bohn
Howard Luloff
Jacob Sayward
Events Committee Co-Chairs—Howard Luloff, Bob Komoroski
Research Committee Co-Chairs—Dave Lande, Gene Gomes
Membership Committee Co-Chairs—Stew Thornley, John Buckeye
MVP Chapter Committee Chair—Gene Gomes
The Holy Cow! Editor—Stew Thornley
Ass. Editors—Jerry Janzen, Brenda Himrich, and John Buckeye
Webmaster—John Gregory
Ass. Webmasters—Hans Van Slooten and Stew Thornley
Social Media Directors—Bob Komoroski, Facebook and Bluesky; John Buckeye, 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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