SABR 50 at 50 : the Society for American Baseball Research's fifty most essential contributions to the game

Sabr 50 At 50 Celebrates And Highlights The Society For American Baseball Research's Wide-ranging Contributions To Baseball History. Established In 1971 In Cooperstown, New York, Sabr Has Sought To Foster And Disseminate The Research Of Baseball--with Groundbreaking Work From Statisticians, Historians, And Independent Researchers--and Has Published Dozens Of Articles With Far-reaching And Long-lasting Impact On The Game. Among Its Current Membership Are Many Major And Minor League Baseball Officials, Broadcasters, And Writers As Well As Numerous Former Players. The Diversity Of Sabr Members' Interests Is Reflected In This Fiftieth-anniversary Volume--from Baseball And The Arts To Statistical Analysis To The Deadball Era To Women In Baseball. Sabr 50 At 50 Includes The Most Important And Influential Research Published By Members Across A Multitude Of Topics, Including The Sabermetric Work Of Dick Cramer, Pete Palmer, And Bill James, Along With Jerry Malloy On The Negro Leagues, Keith Olbermann On Why The Shortstop Position Is Number 6, John Thorn And Jules Tygiel On The Untold Story Behind Jackie Robinson's Signing With The Dodgers, And Gai Berlage On The Colorado Silver Bullets Women's Team In The 1990s. To Provide History And Context, Each Notable Research Article Is Accompanied By A Short Introduction. As Sabr Celebrates Fifty Years This Collection Gathers The Organization's Most Notable Research And Baseball History For The Serious Baseball Reader. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 10 Acknowledgments 14 Editors’ Note 16 1. Ernie Lanigan—Patron Saint of SABR 20 2. Relative Batting Averages 24 3. The Best Games Pitched in Relief 30 4. The First Negro in Twentieth-Century O.B. 36 5. Average Batting Skill through Major-League History 41 6. Runs and Wins 50 7. Ladies and Gentlemen, Presenting Marty McHale 55 8. In Pursuit of Bull Durham 65 9. Out at Home 69 10. The Federal League and the Courts 96 11. J. Lee Richmond’s Remarkable 1879 Season 123 12. Roy Tucker, Not Roy Hobbs 136 13. Zane Grey’s Redheaded Outfield 151 14. Honus Wagner’s Rookie Year, 1895 158 15. Four Teams Out 172 16. Jackie Robinson’s Signing 181 17. Locating Philadelphia’s Historic Ballfields 195 18. Smokey and the Bandit 200 19. The Evolution of the Baseball Diamond 205 20. The Book 226 21. Cricket and Mr. Spalding 232 22. Lifting the Iron Curtain of Cuban Baseball 238 23. The Colorado Silver Bullets 245 24. Cy Seymour 251 25. Free Agency in 1923 271 26. Hack Wilson’s 191st RBI 276 27. John McGraw Comes to New York 293 28. Underestimating the Fog 305 29. Which Great Teams Were Just Lucky? 315 30. Why Is the Shortstop “6”? 339 31. Do Batters Learn During a Game? 345 32. New Light on an Old Scandal 352 33. Roberto Clemente’s Entry into Organized Baseball 367 34. The Effects of Integration, 1947–86 378 35. Pots & Pans and Bats & Balls 389 36. History vs. Harry Frazee 397 37. The Quest for Dick McBride 424 38. Zooming In on a Great Old Photo 427 39. The Georgia Peach 435 40. Babe Ruth, Eiji Sawamura, and War 471 41. Lou Gehrig’s RBI Record 487 42. Clutch Hitting in the Major Leagues 494 43. Do Hitters Boost Their Performance during Their Contract Years? 503 44. The Double Victory Campaign and the Campaign to Integrate Baseball 519 45. The Black Sox Scandal 525 46. Bill McKechnie 544 47. The Roster Depreciation Allowance 561 48. Professional Woman Umpires 578 49. The Struggle to Define “Valuable” 591 50. From Usenet Joke to Baseball Flashpoint 610 SABR 50 at 50 celebrates and highlights the Society forAmerican Baseball Research's wide-ranging contributions to baseballhistory. Established in 1971 in Cooperstown, New York, SABR hassought to foster and disseminate the research of baseball-withgroundbreaking work from statisticians, historians, and independentresearchers-and has published dozens of articles with far-reachingand long-lasting impact on the game. Among its current membershipare many Major and Minor League Baseball officials, broadcasters,and writers as well as numerous former players. The diversity ofSABR members' interests is reflected in this fiftieth-anniversaryvolume-from baseball and the arts to statistical analysis to theDeadball Era to women in baseball. SABR 50 at 50 includes the mostimportant and influential research published by members across amultitude of topics, including the sabermetric work of Dick Cramer,Pete Palmer, and Bill James, along with Jerry Malloy on the NegroLeagues, Keith Olbermann on why the shortstop position is number 6,John Thorn and Jules Tygiel on the untold story behind JackieRobinson's signing with the Dodgers, and Gai Berlage on theColorado Silver Bullets women's team in the 1990s. To providehistory and context, each notable research article is accompaniedby a short introduction. As SABR celebrates fifty years thiscollection gathers the organization's most notable research andbaseball history for the serious baseball reader