Anyone in SABR?

[jaybird2001wi]

I have thought of joining SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) for the last couple years and have gone to their website a few times to get information on the local Milwaukee chapter (The Ken Keltner Chapter), but the web site looks terribly outdated. It made me wonder if it is even worth joining if the last update on it was four years ago.

But from a member who promoted the organization at Miller Park a few years ago, he mentioned former Milwaukee Sentinel Brewers' beat writer Tom Flaherty is a member. I would love to join the organization to exchange ideas and receive some cool historical documents.

The membership fee seems reasonable at $45 per year (if you are over 30, it costs $65) and as said above, one of the perks is you get to look at actual documents of historical baseball stuff and do fun research wherever.

[Brian the Automator]

I'm not a member, but it's something I've contemplated as well. I'd encourage you to do it, because I think it would be a cool thing to share your experiences here about that.

[jaybird2001wi]

Brian, if I do decide to join... I may pitch the idea to actually make the Chapter website more aesthetically pleasing. I never really took any major online publishing courses in college, but did learn a few tricks from my Public Relations courses on how to design online newsletters and also from my Copy Editing and Layout courses on how to utilize Microsoft Publisher.

All I need is some cheap software to make the website happen and an idea on how to lay it out (I used to lay out the Royal Purple sports section with Quark Xpress).

I would be more than happy to provide this website with some nice information on any topic if needed. I might join sometime in June or July. But I may contact SABR before I join if the Milwaukee Chapter is actually still running. If it isn't, I may have to resort to the Chicago Chapter (yuck).

[Jimbo]

I belonged to SABR for a couple of years in the early 90's. Got a couple of nice journals containing some interesting short articles/stories.

[jschris]

I've been a SABR member since 1999, I think. It has been an absolutely wonderful experience and I highly encourage anyone who is contemplating it to give it a shot. Whether you are a stat guy or just in it for the stories, you have a place in SABR as long as baseball is in your blood. Judging by the quality contributions that you guys and a bunch of other people make here at brewerfan, I would guess you would consider it money well spent.

 

Although I don't see Tom Flaherty on the Member Directory, the connections you make as a member of SABR are simply amazing. Authors, former players, executives, common folks. I lurked on SABR for a couple of years before first deciding to write something. SABR had their national convention in Milwaukee and there was a call out for papers on Wisconsin baseball history. I submitted an article on Henry Aaron in Eau Claire. It was rejected for publication in the official convention program (too long), but Bob Buege (Eddie Mathews biographer, Milwaukee Braves historian) offered to edit the article for me so it could make it in "The National Pastime", one of the two annual publications that go out to all members. So a guy who had written several books simply volunteered to help out a newbie who hadn't had anything published since the high school newspaper. The article was published in TNP, an editor liked what he saw and offered me my own book deal, and a dream of mine was realized. By no means is Bob an exception. Members are always willing to help out.

 

If you have any questions at all, please ask away here or PM me. And yes, the Milwaukee chapter is alive and well. I'm putting together an article about Bert Thiel's 1951 no hitter for their Borchert Field project.

 

(Oh, and pending editorial approval if you join now you'll see my second article in this year's National Pastime. How much more incentive do you need?)

[rluzinski]

I was in SABR for a year. They sent me a cool little book but overall, it wasn't my thing. It seems more about the history side of things, which really isn't my cup of tea. To be fair, I probably didn't give it a fair shake, though.