SABR Minor League Encyclopedia Update

The next update for the SABR Minor League Encyclopedia will be on October 1. Among the additions will be statistics and data for the 2008 season.

I will do my best to have the committee newsletter published this weekend. I know I've promised it since July, but I've been very busy the past two months. Thank you for your patience.

West Frankfort (IL) Cardinals Book

Toby Brooks, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Carbondale, is writing a book on the history of the West Frankfort (IL) Cardinals of the Illinois State League (renamed the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League and later the Midwest League). It will focus on the impact that the team had on the community during and after its heyday. The Southern Illinois Miners (based in nearby Marion) will honor the 60th anniversary of West Frankfort's 1948 pennant-winning club by wearing replica uniforms on August 30.

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/08/10/local/25396592.txt

Minor League Baseball Teams with Baseball in Wartime to Honor Veterans

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Minor League Baseball is partnering with the Baseball in Wartime organization this Memorial Day to remember all war veterans, especially those Minor League players who served in World War II.

On Monday, May 26, there will be a public address announcement at ballparks throughout the country that will honor all veterans and highlight the 4,000 Minor League Baseball players who served duringWorld War II, including the 113 who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, losing their lives in military training and combat.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to partner with the Baseball in Wartime project," said Minor League Baseball Senior Vice President, Business Operations John Cook. "We hope these efforts will increase awareness of the program, but more importantly, we want to pay tribute
to all veterans who served and specifically those who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.

"Doing so in conjunction with the Memorial Day holiday in our ballparks is a natural tie-in and will be the first piece of what we hope to be an ongoing partnership between Minor League Baseball and Baseball in Wartime."

"Working with Minor League Baseball is the ultimate step in honoring these veteran athletes," stated Baseball in Wartime Founder and Editor Gary Bedingfield. "There is no doubt that Minor League Baseball played its part when the country needed it most, but this has largely been forgotten over the 60-plus years since the end of World War II. I hope this moment of remembrance will be the beginning of a permanent tribute to military veterans of Minor League Baseball."

Baseball in Wartime's main goal is to preserve the memories of professional baseball players who put down their bats and gloves and served their nation in World War II. The organization has a monthly newsletter and an extensive website (www.baseballinwartime.com) that now contains in excess of 650 biographies.

Gary Bedingfield
Baseball in Wartime (Founder and Editor)
www.baseballinwartime.com
garybed@gmail.com

Rex Hamann's Tombstone Efforts Recognized

The OnMilwaukee.com online magazine features a complimentary article on Minor League Committee member Rex Hamann and his efforts to purchase and erect tombstones for former American Association players without one. Rex has done excellent scholarly work on the minor league American Association and its teams over the years through his website and blog as well as his research journal, the American Association Almanac. (For more on his efforts to mark the graves of Dan Marion and Dan Lally, read Rex's blog entry posted here.)

(Thank you to Ron Henry for the article link.)

Yankee Effect in Scranton

This article from the New York Times describes the effect that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's new affiliation with the Yankees has had on the city and surrounding area. (Thanks to Catherine Petroski for the heads-up on the SABRminorleagues Yahoo Group.)

PCL Historical Society Reunion

I found this article while searching Google for newspaper articles on minor league baseball history and wanted to pass it along. It';s about the PCL Historical Society Reunion held on May 9 in Long Beach, CA. SABR president and Society founder Dick Beverage was mentioned as well as SABR member Bill Soto-Castellanos, former San Francisco Seals batboy and author of 16th & Bryant: My Life & Education with the San Francisco Seals.

Art Schott, Committee Member, in the News

SABR and Minor League Committee member Arthur Schott was the subject of an article in the New Orleans Time-Picayune earlier this month. Congraulations, Art!

Minor League Bookshelf: Cradle of the Game: Baseball and Ballparks in North Carolina

This looks like an interesting book about one of the historical hotbeds of minor league baseball, North Carolina. From the publisher:

Baseball in North Carolina today and its glorious history are richly detailed in Cradle of the Game: Baseball and Ballparks in North Carolina, by Mark Cryan. The comprehensive 400-page volume exploring minor-league and leading college ballparks – large and small – will entertain readers interested in Tar Heel state baseball history, and serve as a guide to visitors of today’s ballparks.

Book author Mark Cryan has many years of North Carolina baseball experience, starting out in the business by working for legendary minor league executive Miles Wolff. Highlights of the book include interviews with Wolff who talks about his involvement in making the ultimate baseball movie - Bull Durham, and with legendary manager Jack McKeon reflecting on life in the game.

Wolff wrote the forward for Cradle of the Game where he commented, “Mark Cryan’s book will give the reader a great picture of baseball in the Tar Heel state.”

“I’m thrilled to be able to share my love for baseball in this great state with the readers of this book,” said author Mark Cryan. “There’s no place in the entire country that has such a depth of history, significance to the game, and such great stories and people. That’s what makes baseball in North Carolina so special.”

Cryan was instrumental in setting up the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League and is a former General Manager of the Burlington (NC) Indians. He currently works as Athletic Director for the Burlington Recreation & Parks Department, and serves as an adjunct professor at Elon University.

As Wolff noted in his forward, baseball has been woven into the fabric of North Carolina for well over a century. This smartly illustrated book offered by August Publications can serve as a travel guide, but offers far more by bringing to life the unique qualities of baseball in North Carolina.

Cradle of the Game is a 6 x 9 paperback, 400 pages, and costs $18.95. It is available through August Publications' website or call 877-343-5207. It is also available through Amazon.com.

Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame Class of 2008

National Baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel headlined the 2008 class of Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame inductees, announced Thursday by the League.

Wheezer Dell and Dolly Gray, two of the circuit's greatest pitchers, along with beloved long-time Oakland Tribune sports cartoonist Lee Susman, are also being recognized for their distinguished service during their careers in the PCL.

Nationally recognized for his ingenuity and off-beat personality, Charles "Casey" Stengel, managed the Oakland Oaks for three seasons and compiled a 321-236 record, winning a Pacific Coast League Championship in 1948. The following season, the "Old Perfessor", a nickname from his playing days when he was known as a jokester on the field, signed on to manage the New York Yankees where Stengel went on to win seven World Series titles, including five straight. Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 by the Veterans Committee, Stengel managed over 30 seasons in professional baseball, winning more than 2,300 games in his vaunted career.

A highly successful right-handed pitcher in the Pacific Cost League, William "Wheezer" Dell played for Vernon and Seattle from 1918-1924. Dell compiled a 138-94 record with a 3.13 ERA and 802 strikeouts in his seven seasons and helped Vernon win back-to-back PCL titles in 1919 and 1920. During the 1921 season he won a league high 28 games with a 2.95 ERA. Prior to playing in the PCL, Dell pitched for six seasons with Brooklyn and St. Louis in the National League.

William "Dolly" Gray was another highly successful pitcher during the early years of the Pacific Coast League. Gray pitched nine seasons for Los Angeles, Vernon, and Oakland from 1903-1913 and won four league titles with Los Angeles in 1903, 1905, 1907, and 1908. He won 155 games in his nine seasons including a league high 34 in 1907 for Los Angeles and tallied 1,021 strikeouts.

Leland "Lee" Susman was a Sports Cartoonist for the Oakland Tribune, a position he held for more than 35 years. His famous "Little Acorn" mascot was introduced for the Oakland Oaks and his work would expand to other franchises and be featured on the covers of programs for the Sacramento Solons & San Francisco Seals. At the time, and even more than fifty years later, Lee's artistic contributions have come to symbolize the Post-World War II Pacific Coast League, and a simpler time in America.

The 2008 inductees to the Hall of Fame were selected by the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame Committee, a blue-ribbon panel composed of Minor League Baseball, Coast League, and National Baseball historians. More information on the PCL Hall of Fame can be found on the League's web-site: www.pclbaseball.com

Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame

2008 Inductees:

Wheezer Dell (inducted as a player)

Dolly Gray (inducted as a player)

Casey Stengel (inducted as a manager)

Lee Susman (inducted as an executive)

About the PCL Hall of Fame: The Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame was created in 1936 by the Helms Athletic Foundation located in Los Angeles, California, which at the time also operated Halls of Fame for Major League Baseball, Golf, College Basketball, Tennis, Swimming, Auto Racing, Professional Football, Track and Field, and College Football. In 1952, the PCL Hall of Fame ceased operation, but was brought back in conjunction with 2003's Pacific Coast League Centennial Celebration. The Hall currently consists of 74 members and includes such luminaries as Joe DiMaggio, Lefty O'Doul, Steve Bilko, Casey Stengel, and Tommy LaSorda.

Volunteers Needed for Minor League Ballpark Data

Ted Turocy, technical coordinator for the SABR Minor League Encyclopedia, is seeking volunteers to work on minor league ballpark data for the Encyclopedia. He writes:

"Gord Brown has generously donated his extensive research (joint with Ted Lukacs and others) on minor league ballparks to the project. I'd like to get going on integrating this into the database. To this end, I could use a couple volunteers to take his original Word documents and produce a spreadsheet version of them.

It's pretty straightforward work, not terribly exciting, but requires a little bit of comfort with using a spreadsheet (since using the "fill handle" is very helpful for this task).

If you're interested in helping out, please contact me here."

Minor League Committee Meeting at SABR 38

The Minor League Committee will meet at the SABR 38 Convention in Cleveland, OH on Friday, June 27 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. If anyone would like to make a research presentation or share details about a research project, please contact me at this e-mail.

Minor Trips (18th Issue) Now Available

Bob Carson, committee member and publisher of Minor Trips, writes that the 18th issue is now available for purchase.

Minor Trips is an 18-page newsletter with happenings in the world of independent and Minor League baseball (including history, trivia, humor, news, information) and a 50 page guidebook with all the teams and home schedules for the 2008 baseball season. Bob is always looking for "minor" writers and readers. It's basically a non-profit, paper only, publication (only $10). Anyone interested e-mail Bob at Minortrips@aol.com

Updates to SABR Minor League Encyclopedia (March 10)

The SABR Minor League Encyclopedia was updated on March 10.

Ted Turocy, technical coordinator for the Encyclopedia, shares what's been added:

* We've built out 19th century rosters for players with last names starting in "Y" and "Z", based on Reed Howard's lists, and through Cliff Blau's efforts.

* Ed and I (well, Ed gets most of the credit here) have been able to develop a process to synchronize changes from his database to the main one. We tested this out last week with players with last name "A," so we've added a bunch of updates for those players.

* I'm now in receipt of all Paul Porter's statistics spreadsheets. I have added additional statistical columns based on these to the 1903 AA and EL, by way of testing things out.

* Between Paul's spreadsheets, data entry I had already done a few years ago, and data entry by a few volunteers, we will have expanded statistical coverage of most of the AAA and AA leagues in 1981, as well as whatever other leagues from the 1970s I manage to get done today.

* Further work on identifying managers from Jerry Jackson's data with players in the database. We've been able to match up about 40% of the managers so far. The rest will go much more slowly, because Jerry's data lacks birth and death dates for most of these guys -- so we either need to look for player-managers (of which we are finding a lot), or use other resources to match up former players with their managerial careers.

Southern Association Conference

The 2008 Southern Association Conference will be held in Nashville, TN on Saturday, April 12th. It is an annual gathering of writers, historians, fans and former players of the Southern Association teams. The first conference was held at Rickwood Field in Birmingham in 2004 and the event has grown steadily every year. The conference has a new website at: www.southernassociationbaseball.com.

Presentations will be given by Derby Gisclair, Kevin McCann, Skip Nipper, and Bill Traughber on Nashville baseball and the Southern Association.

For details about the conference, contact Skip Nipper.

Call for Volunteers (Revised) for Paul Porter Data

Ted Turocy, technical coordinator for the SABR Minor League Encyclopedia, has posted a request for volunteers to work on data contributed by Paul Porter:

Hi again all,

I'd like to put out a "revised" call for volunteers to help move the process of getting Paul's spreadsheets incorporated into the database.

I have been working on some tools to automate much of the ID mapping process I was originally looking for. It turns out some pretty simple tests can identify around 85-90% of the players in a typical spreadsheet. Most of the rest are spelling variations, or other ambiguities (two players with the same name on the same club, etc.)

So, I'd like to break up the process into two parts. The first thing that we need to do is to restructure the team and league columns in the spreadsheets. I've just uploaded a file called
"1903-stdclubs.xls" which illustrates the process using 1903.

What has been done:

(1) Create three columns for team names, Team1, Team2, Team3. For multi-club players, enter the teams he appeared for one per column. (There are very rare instances of 4-club players. If this happens, just leave the original club entry in Team1. I will process these specially, there are so few.)

(2) Make sure the team names match the names in the database. Some common divergences include things like "St Paul" (we use "St." with a period), "Ft Worth" (we always spell out "Fort"). Check the website if you're not sure.

(3) Expand the league abbreviation out to the full league name as we have it in the database.

You should feel free to sort the spreadsheet if it helps -- just make sure that if you do, your spreadsheet selects all the rows and columns. Some spreadsheets have column C blank, which would mess things up. (By that way, if this does happen, my programs will freak out later on -- so we will know something went wrong. Don't be afraid that a bad sort will rewrite history!)

I am going to be traveling the next few days. If you're interested in doing this, feel free to just post to the list which years you've taken. If you're any good with spreadsheets, you can probably
manipulate one year in 15-30 minutes at most. Once you've finished them, send them to me off-list -- we will wind up using most of our 100Mb limit in the Files section pretty quickly otherwise.

Once this is done, I hit the spreadsheets against the database to map players. Then, the next task will be for a human to look at the unmatched players and determine why they failed to match. This should be a small fraction of the total players in the database -- much easier than having to do the whole shebang.

Ted Turocy
Technical Coordinator, SABR Minor League Encyclopedia

SABR Minor League Encyclopedia

The SABR Minor League Committee is pleased to announce the launch of the alpha version of the online SABR Minor League Encyclopedia. It can be found at: http://minors.sabrwebs.com

The SABR Minor League Encyclopedia project is led by Kevin McCann (Committee Chair), Kevin Johnson (Quality Control Coordinator), and Ted Turocy (Technical Coordinator). The foundation for the database is the donated work of Ed Washuta. Others who have contributed to its launch include Mike Emeigh, Frank Hamilton, Reed Howard, Rod Nelson, Paul Rivard, and Tom Ruane.

The database features individual batting, pitching, and fielding statistics (complete and incomplete) for affiliated and independent leagues between 1901 and 2007, plus league standings and statistical totals. Statistics and data for 19^th Century leagues donated by Reed Howard will be added soon.

Later this year, the database will be integrated into version 2.0 of the online SABR Baseball Encyclopedia, allowing researchers to view both major and minor league records for individual players. Because it is an alpha version, there are errors and gaps in player records. However, researchers can use this version to determine what information is already available, and what information needs to be supplemented or added.

Volunteers to enter data, identify and correct errors, and contribute biographical information are needed to help move the project forward. SABR has many researchers who are experts for specific teams, leagues, regions, and eras. Some have compiled statistics using box scores for leagues that were not included in the Guides. Donations of such research will help make the database more complete and useful for the SABR community.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Kevin McCann or Frank Hamilton. Volunteers can also join the SABRminorleaguesDATA eGroup. To subscribe, send an e-mail to: SABRminorleaguesDATA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com