SABR 2013

[Guest Kong76]

The date for the annual NYC meeting has been announced. All 'poolers
are encouraged to attend. SABR membership is not required, and you
don't have to drink the kool-aid unless you want to!

http://nyc.sabr.org

[Guest Kong76]

The media release for upcoming meeting:
http://nyc.sabr.org/SABR2013.pdf

[Ceetar]

That's January 26th, in case you're link-allergic.

[Guest Kong76]

Did I mess up? Everything works here on two machines.

[Ceetar]

nah, just meant that if you're curious of the date prior to clicking/reading.

[Guest Kong76]

Ok, thanks

[G-Fafif]

I am rumored to be attending.

[Guest Kong76]

The schedule for the January 26th meeting was posted today.
I hope the CPF can draw a few more to the meeting. Membership
in SABR is not necessary and it's an interesting day of baseball in
the dead of winter.

http://nyc.sabr.org/SABR2013Sch.pdf

[Ceetar]

not sure yet, maybe.

Thinking about attending the National one in Philly as well this summer.

[Guest Kong76]

One last reminder that this is on this coming Saturday. Hope to see
a few of you, we can do a beer and burrito down the street during
lunch break.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

yup

[Ceetar]

I here there's this cool "Beer Table Pantry" thing in Grand Central.

[Guest Kong76]

I'm coming into GCT, I'll see what I can find out

[Ceetar]

Graybar Passage (near 43rd and Lexington)
Grand Central Terminal New York, NY 10017
Across from Track 13 in the Northeast corner of the building near Lexington Avenue and 43rd Street
info@beertable.com
events@beertable.com

Mon-Fri: 8AM�10PM
Sat: 10AM�9PM Sun: 12PM�7PM

Sixpoint Spice of Life Nelson Sauvin
Greenport Harbor Other Side
Captain Lawrence Captain's K�lsch
Three Heads Bromigo
Southern Tier 2X Stout
Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

[Guest Kong76]

Screw SABR, we'll meet there at 10!

[Ceetar]

I think I'm 54/46 coming/not coming right now.

[G-Fafif]

CPF flag flown by JCL and myself. Worthwhile day, especially T.J. Quinn on PEDs and Marty Appel on MFYs. Mets sort of a ghostly presence in the overall program of a SABR chapter devoted to New York baseball, though I'm happy to report The Happiest Recap found a receptive audience of otherwise unserved fellow travelers.

(Order your copy today!)

One uberprecocious kid (TROUT Angels jersey over RAUUUUUL MFY shirt, topped by orange Marlins cap) was overindulged to the point of my wanting to box his ears a little, but that probably says something about me and children.

My two raffle prizes were this:



(albeit with cover missing and original PR review copy note still inside from 1978)

and this:



(co-authored by 1981 Mets wife(y) Nancy Marshall, who was about to divorce hubby Mike; Bobbie had already given up on Jim).

Nice folks all around, even the overindulged kid. Bitter cold this morning. Less so when program was over. Highly recommended for January 2014.

[Edgy MD]

Nice.

There's something gratifying about picking up a book with the review-copy materials still tucked into it. That's an orphan book that has never had a home.

[G-Fafif]

It's been picked up, I believe, because also in it is a Reduce Reuse Recycle bookmark with the chasing arrows logo that wasn't around in 1978 -- and the bookmark has a Copyright 1998 message, to boot. But still.

On the raffle prize table was the infamous We Won Today by Kathryn Parker -- 1976 girl Mets fan/journalist -- which I would've grabbed had I not eBay'd it four years ago.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yes. I bailed before the last speaker but I thought the presentation by Vince Gennaro was cool. He demonstrated how the common-sense assumption that pitching is better in the post-season is true (better pitchers absorb considerably more innings in the postseason than in the reg. season) and so hitting results against that group (where batters get no more chances than in the regular season) can highlight certain hitters (Jeter, slightly better in the postseason; Beltran STUPIDLY better, etc etc). Raises as many questions as it answers, as good research tends to.

Overindulged kid was somewhat irritating I agree, but better than the shlumpy, rude old-timer sitting in front of him who interrupted Gennaro's presentation by asking "WHAT'S OPS?" and later wasted Appel's time with a ridiculous question about the Yankees. Twice! "Other teams wear pinstripes. WHY DO THE YANKEES CALL THEMSELVES PINSTRIPERS?!" Seriously? If there's one place you wouldn't expect to hear "What's OPS?" it's at a SABR meeting; the oldtimeryness of that chapter is embarrassing sometimes.

I was the first to correctly answer this trivia question: Most recent Met in the Hall of Fame?

[G-Fafif]

The "pinstripers" question was bizarre and Appel handled it well by mostly ignoring it (perhaps by not understanding it exactly, either). I found "what's OPS?" revealing to the extent that it indicates a baseball research group doesn't necessarily equal mind-numbing sabermetric-intensive talk; four of the five presentations weren't statistical in nature. But OPS is pretty mainstream in 2013, I think.

Agreed on quality of Gennaro's hypothesis -- he's trying to find out and admits he doesn't quite know.

Last guy was a little dry and got cut short, but the content, on how sportswriters frame certain star players, was worthwhile.

Though I only SABR'd in 2010 and this was my first winter meeting, I attended this chapter's book groups in the early 2000s. Its membership skewed old then. Lot of familiar faces a dozen years later, skewing even older. No wonder they loved Kid Precocious.

[Edgy MD]

Alomar?

[G-Fafif]

Edgy MD wrote: Alomar?

Give that man a...

Actually, there were no prizes for correct trivia answers. Just enhanced or deflated self-esteem.

[Guest Kong76]

Sorry I missed youse guys (the overindulged kid and shlumpy rude
dude too) but I really was not doing so hot this morning. Thought
it best not to be around 150 people on folding chairs for five hours.

[G-Fafif]

Kong76 wrote: Sorry I missed youse guys (the overindulged kid and shlumpy rude dude too) but I really was not doing so hot this morning. Thought it best not to be around 150 people on folding chairs for five hours.

You were missed, even if your potential germs weren't.

Hope you're feeling better.

[Guest Kong76]

Thanks, dude

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

G-Fafif wrote: The "pinstripers" question was bizarre and Appel handled it well by mostly ignoring it (perhaps by not understanding it exactly, either). I found "what's OPS?" revealing to the extent that it indicates a baseball research group doesn't necessarily equal mind-numbing sabermetric-intensive talk; four of the five presentations weren't statistical in nature. But OPS is pretty mainstream in 2013, I think. Agreed on quality of Gennaro's hypothesis -- he's trying to find out and admits he doesn't quite know. Last guy was a little dry and got cut short, but the content, on how sportswriters frame certain star players, was worthwhile. Though I only SABR'd in 2010 and this was my first winter meeting, I attended this chapter's book groups in the early 2000s. Its membership skewed old then. Lot of familiar faces a dozen years later, skewing even older. No wonder they loved Kid Precocious.

Yes. I think I went my first winter meeting in 2003 and I have to say the crowds have gotten better in spite of its old-ness. At some point the people running the chapter will have to turn it over to the next generation (they've been in charge since I joined)... and maybe then it embraces the edgier stuff that it seems most other chapters do. Having a strong historical bent to the group is great but it can't just be oldtimers.

Appel was extremely PRish in all his responses I thought, but that guy really lives and breathes his material. He told a great story about how little the 1903 MFYs and pre-1903 Baltimore Orioles had in common, even though the franchise is said to have moved, no players/management/ownership etc came with them. But there was a safe in MFY Stadium with drawers where players put their valuables. ... which upon examination had drawers for 90s O's stars We Willie Keeler, King Kelly, etc. Went missing in '75 renovation though.

[Guest themetfairy]

Feel better Kase!

[Edgy MD]

On the other hand, he posts more when he's sick, so... .

[Guest Kong76]

Thanks, tmf ... you too, Edgemeister.