Resources
Tink Larson to Speak at Fall Chapter Meeting November 2
Tink Larson will be the featured speaker at the Halsey Hall Chapter fall meeting Saturday, November 2 at Faith Mennonite Church, 2720 E. 22nd Street in south Minneapolis.
A longtime coach at many levels in Waseca, Tink is a legend in Minnesota amateur baseball. He may be joined by another Waseca native, Gene Glynn, who was a coach for several teams, including the Twins.
Registration for the meeting is at 8:30 with research presentations beginning at 9:00. A business meeting will be held during lunch with a featured guest and Howard Luloff’s always-a-hit trivia contest to follow.
The cost for the meeting and lunch is $10. The meeting only is $5. Those wanting lunch must RSVP to Howard Luloff, 952-922-5036.
Members are invited to submit a proposal to make a research (oral or poster) presentation at the meeting. Proposals must be sent to Research Committee co-chairs Brenda Himrich or Sarah Johnson 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. The Research Committee (which also consists of Dan Levitt, Jim Cox, Doug Skipper, Stew Thornley, Rich Arpi, Dave Lande, Anders Koskinen, Gene Gomes, and Bob Tholkes) will finalize the schedule of research presentations by October 19, two weeks before the meeting, so proposals must be submitted by then.
Three presentations have already been approved (so hurry):
- Rich Arpi: 1890s Millers and Saints
- David Karpinski: This Lineup “Owned” Nolan Ryan
- Corky Gaskell: Making a 19th Century Base Ball
Once again, door prizes will be presented to new and old chapter members at the meeting.
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Upcoming Events
Fred Souba Hot Stove Saturday Morning
The next Fred Souba Hot Stove Saturday Morning, an informal breakfast gathering for the purpose of talking baseball, will be at 9:00 on Saturday, September 7 at Bunny’s Northeast.
Research Committee Meeting September 9
The Halsey Hall Chapter Research Committee will meet Monday, September 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center 55430. All members are welcome to attend.
A number of members have been researching the first games played in each of the Minnesota counties, and the committee would like to have information for each of the counties (29 of 87 are still unaccounted for). See the MN Counties list.
Two other web pages have information on the spread of baseball, Pre-pro Baseball and Pre-pro Clubs and Games in Minnesota. In addition, a Google Docs spreadsheet is online, Minnesota Spread of Baseball Project, 1857-1923.
Anyone wanting to get involved may contact committee co-chairs Brenda Himrich, 651-415-0791, and Sarah Johnson.
Research page updated:
The Research Committee page has been updated and includes a list of research projects by members. If you would like research added, contact me, (Stew Thornley, 651-415-0791).
As always, check out the chapter’s Baseball Research Primer as a source for any research you are doing.
Book Club
The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club will meet Saturday, October 5 at 9:30 a.m. at the usual spot, Barnes & Noble in Har Mar Mall in Roseville. The book selection is The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Noncomformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik. A noted chapter member is quoted early and often in the book.
Brent Heutmaker has organized a list of all the book selections since the book club started in August 2002: Halsey Hall Book Club Selections
Even More Baseball
Several members are already planning to attend the 2019 Black Sox Scandal Symposium at the Chicago History Museum to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the scandal September 27-29. The weekend will include a trip to a White Sox game, and several chapter members are now working on an article on the predecessor to the White Sox, Charles Comiskey’s St. Paul Saints, which played in the Western League from 1895 to 1899.
A gang of Halsey Hall SABR members stormed Cedar Rapids July 27 to have lunch with Midwest League umpire Emma Charlesworth-Seiler and then watch her call that night’s game between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Clinton LumberKings. Off-camera, a chapter member had the opportunity to rub shoulders in the comfort station with a Hall of Fame reliever (which describes both his position and what he was doing at the time). Before the game, Howard Luloff lined up a meeting with Kernels Hall of Fame/History Coordinator Marcia Moran and presented a trivia quiz.
Keep up to date with chapter activities on social media:
SABR Halsey Hall Chapter Facebook page
Halsey Hall Chapter Twitter page
Regular Events
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Minnesota 19th Century Base Ball Interdisciplinary Symposium November 16
Details are set for the Minnesota 19th Century Base Ball Interdisciplinary Symposium, which our chapter will host in Minneapolis on Saturday, November 16. Bob Tholkes is the primary organizer and is working with the chapter Research Committee on the program. The symposium is a joint project of the SABR 19th Century Committee, the Halsey Hall Chapter of SABR, and Hennepin County Library.
Confirmed presenters:
- John Thorn, Historian for Major League Baseball
- Larry Millett, popular Twin Cities author and local historian
- Stew Thornley, SABR award-winning author and leading Minnesota baseball historian
- Frank White, historian and author on black baseball
- Dan Levitt, SABR award-winning author
- Mike Haupert, SABR Doug Pappas Award winner in 2014 for best convention presentation
- Kristin Anderson, award-winning teacher at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, and expert on Twin Cities sports architecture
The committee is tentatively planning a pre-symposium reception the evening of Friday November 15 at Stub & Herb’s. A separate room is reserved for the group from 5 to 9 p.m. There is no charge for the room, and attendees will purchase their own food and drinks. However, Stub & Herb’s will expect a certain number of people (40 or so) to be there to make it worth their while. Whether you are planning to go to the symposium on Saturday or not, you and guests are welcome at the Friday night event. If you think you might be going, please notify Stew Thornley and let him know of your plans (definite, maybe, depends on what’s on television that night or you end up with a hot date, etc.). Your response is not binding, but we need to get some idea if enough people—including out-of-towners—plan to go to this. If enough don’t respond, we will cancel the space we have reserved with Stub & Herb’s.
It’s possible that the reception will be at a different place if not at Stub & Herb’s, so keep watching for more information. If the event is held, there will be a special Alan Holst Memorial Dead or Alive quiz.
Registration: Minnesota 19th Century Base Ball Interdisciplinary Symposium
To get on a list to receive updates about the symposium, write to sabrMN19c@gmail.com.
Minneapolis Central Library Parking Information
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Book Project of Memorable Games at Metropolitan Stadium
As part of the SABR Baseball Games Project, the Halsey Hall Chapter is organizing a project to write additional stories about memorable games played at Metropolitan Stadium. It will be similar to the Milwaukee County Stadium Greatest Games book, and members can check out the articles in there to get an idea of their format.
So far approximately 69 nice games have been identified to be included in the book. Some have already been written or assigned to SABR members, but many are still in need of authors.
I would like authors to adhere to SABR style guidelines as well as the guidelines for the Games Project and to read the SABR BioProject Guidelines, with particular attention to an excellent section by Fred Ivor-Campbell on plagiarism:
SABR Style Guide
SABR Games Project: Authors’ Guidelines
SABR BioProject Authors’ Guidelines—Plagiarism
Note: “I would like,” is really just a nice way of saying I’m going to be a real hardass on compliance with these guidelines. Authors will have to follow the SABR style standards, will have to provide endnotes, and will have to add hyperlinks to players names’ in the article.
Before deciding to take part, please read through these links and understand you will be held to the requirements. Don’t be freaked out by them (or me); they are doable, and we are there to advise, if needed. Game stories are fun and less intensive than biographies, which many of you have already done.
To get a list of available games, contact me, stew@stewthornley.net.
The stories should be between 1,000 and 1,569 words and will be due in mid-2020.
In 2007, the Halsey Hall Chapter completed a successful book project on Minnesota Natives in Minnesotans in Baseball, and this is another opportunity for a productive chapter activity.
Met Stadium Quiz
Harmon Killebrew hit 246 home runs in the major leagues at Metropolitan Stadium, the most by any player who also homered there in the minors (Killebrew homered for Indianapolis in a game against the Millers June 15, 1958.) Who is second on the list? (Answer and complete list below)
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Team Employee Directory Project
On behalf of the SABR Business of Baseball Committee, Dan Levitt is seeking volunteers Major League Baseball Team Directory Project to build a historical database of team employees in the major leagues. “This is an exciting initiative that should give us a new lens into major-league front and back offices, from team owners to ticket sales,” Dan says.
“To accomplish this project, we need volunteers to enter data from information sources, principally team media guides, into a spreadsheet. You do not need to have any of the sources—if you have interest in a particular team (or year), we will provide you the sources electronically. If you do have a source with the relevant information and would be willing to enter it into a spreadsheet, that would be terrific as well.”
The committee is also looking for a volunteer to help oversee this project and coordinate the process. If you are interested, contact Dan:
dan@daniel-levitt.com
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New Members
Al Bernardo grew up in Willoughby, Ohio, along the Lake Erie shoreline 20 miles northeast of Cleveland. Al and his partner, Colleen, moved to the Upper Midwest from Columbus, Ohio, about five years ago. He is now a librarian at North Dakota State University.
His SABR membership was a birthday gift from his dad, Kurt, who is now a docent (a damn decent docent) at the Baseball Heritage Museum, which is at the site of League Park in Cleveland.
Al’s first game was June 3, 1990, Boston at Cleveland, when Roger Clemens plunked Stanley Jefferson, setting off a brawl. “I asked my parents if the game had started yet.” His family purchased a 20-game season ticket package, which it kept through 2001, when Al graduated from high school. “That 1991 team lost 105 games, but something about being one of, say, 12,000 fans at any given day in cavernous Municipal Stadium provided a great environment for becoming absorbed in the game. The timing was fortuitous, as well, as exciting young players like Sandy Alomar Jr., Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, and Manny Ramirez were just beginning to make their mark on the team in those first few years. I was fortunate enough to attend the final game at Municipal Stadium in 1993, the first game at Jacobs Field (an exhibition between the Indians and Pirates) in 1994, World Series games in 1995 and 1997, and the 1997 Home Run Derby.
“Other than World Series and playoff games, the most notable game I attended was probably Matt Young’s 8 inning no-hitter in a losing effort for the Red Sox on April 12, 1992. Thanks to growing up within a reasonable day’s drive to central New York, I’ve visited the Baseball Hall of Fame several times, as well. I recently visited Cleveland for the 2019 All Star festivities, attending Play Ball Park (the new name for the FanFest) and All Star Sunday (the Celebrity Softball and Futures Games).
“As a child of the 90s, I of course collected baseball cards, and came by a lot of other memorabilia via stadium giveaways and the like. Over the past several years I’ve gotten back into collecting cards and memorabilia, and maintain a catalog (in the library sense) of my more notable items.” Check it out: CLE Collection
Although his playing career, by his assessment, wasn’t much to speak of, Al once struck out a batter with an Eephus pitch.
Al shares his July 24 birthday with the anniversary of the Pine Tar Game as well as with Barry Bonds, Tommy McCarthy, Jack Clements, Cotton Nash, Jesse Stovall, Joe Schultz Sr. (dad of S. F. Schultz), Alex Carrasquel, Jennifer Lopez, Art Arthur (no relation to Arthur Art), Karl Malone, Rick Fox, Walt Bellamy, Bella Abzug, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Buzzi, Kristin Chenowith, Michael Richards, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Alexandre Dumass.
Also new to the Halsey Hall Chapter: Preston Madkour and Rodger McKelvey
Know a potential member? Here are resources for getting that person happily involved in SABR:
Membership application
Chapter membership chair Jim Cox has been at work building the membership and contacting past members to see about them signing up again. He would love to have one or two other people on the committee with him. If you are interested, contact Jim: jcox321@hotmail.com.
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Cow Chips
Wesley Ellenwood is on track to complete his documentary, Sibling Rivals—The Millers & The Saints, by early 2020. He and his crew recently interviewed noted author and history professor Dr. Mary Wingerd as well as several charming chapter members and one uncharming member.
Interview excerpts: Sibling Rivals
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Answer to Met Stadium Quiz
Zoilo Versalles, who hit 57 major-league homers at Met Stadium and homered there for Charleston on June 26, 1960. Others in double-digits are Carl Yastrzemski (18), Lu Clinton (12), and John Romano and Woodie Held (11). The rest of the players who homered in the minors and majors at the Met are Julio Becquer, Sandy Valdespino, John Goryl, Joe Altobelli, Marv Throneberry, Joe Koppe, Willi Tasby, Charlie Lau, Bob Schmidt, Ed Bressoud, Don Demeter, Johnny Blanchard, Willie Kirkland, Jerry Kindall, Bob Tillman, Steve Boros, Earl Wilson, Ed Charles, Chuck Schilling, Camilo Carreon, Don Leppert, and Jim Gentile. If you guessed Rocky Colavito, as I did, you were wrong. Thanks to Alan Cohen, who is writing up several game stories for the Metropolitan Stadium book.
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Calendar
September 7—Fred Souba Hot Stove League Saturday Morning, Bunny’s, Minneapolis, 9:00 a.m.
September 9—Research Committee meeting, 7:00 p.m., Brookdale Library. For more information, contact Brenda Himrich, 651-415-0791, or Sarah Johnson.
October 5—Book Club, Barnes & Noble, Har Mar Mall, Roseville, 9:30 a.m., The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Noncomformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik.
November 2—Fall Chapter Meeting, 9:00 a.m, Faith Mennonite Church, Minneapolis. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-922-5036.
November 16, 2019—Minnesota 19th Century Base Ball Interdisciplinary Symposium, Minneapolis Central Library. For more information, contact Bob Tholkes, 952-922-5036.
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Board of Directors 2019-2020
President—Dave Lande
Vice President—Hans Van Slooten
Secretary—Anders Koskinen
Treasurer—Jerry Janzen
Jim Cox
Gene Gomes
Frank Kadwell
Membership Committee Chair—Jim Cox
Events Committee Chair—Howard Luloff
Research Committee Chairs—Brenda Himrich and Sarah Johnson
The Holy Cow! Editor—Stew Thornley
Webmaster—John Gregory
Ass. Webmasters—Frank Kadwell and Stew Thornley
Social Media Directors—Tom Flynn, Twitter; Bob Komoroski, Facebook
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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