Our local SABR chapter has our annual winter meeting on Saturday, February 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  It’s only $2 admission and you get free pop and snacks – non-members are more than welcome to join us to chat about baseball.  It may be February, but pitchers and catchers report in less than a week, and the equipment truck already departed for Goodyear.  What better way to get in prime baseball-watching shape, than to spend a Saturday focused on baseball?  It’s also is the 99th anniversary of the birth of Bill Veeck, so you could think of it as celebrating his birthday on a chilly winter day!

We meet in the media room in the basement of Progressive Field.  We’re also invited to park in the player parking lot (the fenced in lot at the corner of Carnegie Ave. and E. 9th St.) on a first come, first served basis.  Once the spots run out, you’re on your own for parking options.  We enter the building through the door in the player lot and head downstairs to the media room.  There is a steep staircase there, but there is an alternative entrance with an elevator if you should need that.

Here is a list of our speakers and guests on the program for the day:

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Welcome, news, introduction of new standings contest, chapter officer elections.

10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. – Brad Mohr, Assistant Director of Ballpark Operations with the Cleveland Indians.  Will be discussing environmental initiatives at Progressive Field.

10:50 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Deb Shattuck – Women Baseball Pioneers

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Ronnie Tellalian – Quantifying Swing Mechanics

12:00 p.m. – 12:10 p.m. – Book Raffle

12:10 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Lunch

1:20 p.m. – 1:35 p.m. – Trivia with Rick Bradley

1:40 p.m. – 2:05 p.m. – Bill Graham – Whiskey Island Shamrocks Vintage Baseball

2:10 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Bryan Fritz and Ken Krsolovic, authors of forthcoming book League Park, Historic Home of Cleveland Baseball, 1891-1946 from McFarland – Presentation on Cleveland’s Response to the Federal League in 1914-1915.

3:00 – 3:30 p.m. – Bill McMahon – Using Manuscript Techniques to Reconstruct 19th Century Baseball Records

As you can see, we have a wide variety of presentations – some statistical, some historical.  You don’t have to come for the entire day; you’re welcome to come for just a portion of the meeting if there is a topic that interests you.  We always have a great time and it’s a lot of fun to hang out in the basement of Progressive Field.

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