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The Newsletter of the Halsey Hall Chapter
Stew Thornley
Spring Chapter Meeting May 2
Now On-line: Player Contract Cards from The Sporting News
19th Century Base Ball Interdisciplinary Symposium Video Now Available—Along with Chapter Meetings and Other Events
Metropolitan Stadium Games Still Available for Book Project
SABR Scholarship Opportunities to be Promoted
Cow Pies
The Halsey Hall 2020 Spring Chapter Meeting will be Saturday, May 2 at Faith Mennonite Church, 2720 E. 22nd Street in south Minneapolis. Howard Luloff has lined up former local sportscaster Tom Ryther as the featured guest. Ryther will bring copies of his book, The Hummelsheim Kid.
Registration for the meeting is at 8:30 with research presentations beginning at 9:00. A business meeting will be held during lunch with the 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 April 18, two weeks before the meeting, so proposals must be submitted by then.
Two research presentations have been approved so far:
Paul Spyhalski—What in the Sam Hill Took So Long? Integration (or Lack Thereof) in the Southern Minny League, 1948-1957
Dan Levitt—John McGraw and the Creation of the Modern Sports Environment
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, January 4 at Bunny's Northeast, 34 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis 55413 (behind the keg warehouse of the old Grain Belt Brewery), 612-545-5659.
Research Committee Meetings January 6, February 10, and March 2
The Halsey Hall Chapter Research Committee will meet Monday, January 6, and Monday, February 10 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Brookdale Library, Study Room I, 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center 55430. The March 2 meeting will be in Study Room J at the Brookdale Library. 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.
St. Paul Baseball Old Timers' Hot Stove League Banquet
Several SABR members are planning on attending the St. Paul Baseball Old Timers' Hot Stove League Banquet, and you can join them Tuesday night, January 21, at Jimmy's Event Center, 3564 Labore Road, Vadnais Heights 55110. Speakers and guests at the head table include Rocco Baldelli, Thad Levine, Tom Kelly, Dave St. Peter, and Wes Johnson. Tickets are $45 and can be ordered by phone at 651-379-2325 or on-line by cliking on the link above.
The Halsey Hall Chapter will host a table at Twinsfest 2020, Friday, January 24 and Saturday, Jan 25 at Target Field. Chapter member will greet and talk with interested fans who stop to find out more about the chapter or to view our banner and material. We are looking for chapter members to volunteer to talk about the Twins, baseball in general, and SABR with those who stop by. No experience is necessary, and volunteering at the event is generally enjoyable as you host the table with other volunteer members. Each year, we expose an number of people to the Halsey Hall chapter and recruit new members. It is a great way to start the baseball year!
TwinsFest 2020 will be two days (not three as in the past). We have openings available:
Friday, Feb. 24 from 4-9 pm
Saturday, Feb. 25 from 9 am to 1:30 pm
Saturday, Feb. 25 from 1:30 pm to 6 pm
We need at least 2-3 volunteers for each time frame.
For more information and to volunteer, contact Doug Skipper, 612-876-1408.
The Halsey Hall Chapter Book Club will meet Saturday, February 1 at 9:30 a.m. at the usual spot, Barnes & Noble in Har Mar Mall in Roseville. The book selection is K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner.
Brent Heutmaker has organized a list of all the book selections since the book club started in August 2002: Halsey Hall Book Club Selections
Minnesota vs. Duke February 29
Howard Luloff is organizing an outing to the Minnesota-Duke baseball game at U. S. Bank Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 29.
Keep up to date with chapter activities on social media:
SABR Halsey Hall Chapter Facebook page
Halsey Hall Chapter Twitter page
Video Archives of Past Events
SABR has announced that player contract cards from The Sporting News are now online.
Direct link to the collection: The Sporting News Baseball Players Contract Cards Collection
This is also now listed on the http://www.halseyhall.org/ResearchTips_HalseyHall.html.
In case you missed it or want to watch again, presentations from the SABR 19th Century Base Ball Interdisciplinary Symposium are on-line:
Video Archives of Events: 2019 SABR Minnesota 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium
The Video Archives also have our past chapter meetings and the On-line Baseball Research Tools Workshop.
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.
The stories should be between 1,000 and 1,569 words and will be due in mid-2020.
So far approximately more than 90 games have been identified to be included in the book. Some have already been written or assigned to SABR members, but some are still in need of authors, including this one:
9/5/1978, Steve Trout wins first game in majors, helped by Disco Dan Ford's baserunning gaffe, trotting home backwards partway and not stepping on the plate until the trailing runner, Jose Morales, crossed and was called out for passing Ford.
If you are interesting in writing about this game or others, contact me, stew@stewthornley.net.
Dave Mona has been a familiar face and voice on the Minnesota sports scene for more than half a century and now, thanks to a Christmas gift membership from Joe O'Connell, is a part of SABR and the Halsey Hall Chapter.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Dave grew up with sports. His dad, the basketball coach at South High School, took Dave to Nicollet Park, where they saw Willie Mays play for the Millers in 1951. At Roosevelt High School, Dave was the sports editor of the school newspaper and played on the baseball and basketball teams. The Teddies were top-ranked in the state in basketball after beating defending-champion Edgerton in a preliminary game at Williams Arena. They made it to state in 1961 but were kicked out on tournament eve when it was learned that two reserves on the team had played in a summer Demolay tournament.
At the University of Minnesota, Dave became sports editor of the Minnesota Daily and the Minnesota Gopher yearbook. While in school, he worked in the newsroom for WCCO-TV and for three years was the editor of Dave Moore's Bedtime Nooz.
When he graduated, Dave started working for the Minneapolis Tribune and became the beat writer for the Twins. He left the Tribune after the 1969 (a nice season with Billy Martin as manager) to start a career in public relations. He began his own company, David L. Mona & Associate, in 1981, the same year he joined Sid Hartman as co-host of WCCO Radios's Sunday Sports Huddle (a program still on the air had will have a full-day Sid-tennial next March 15). Dave's one-person firm, now called Weber Shandwick, grew to be the largest public-relations firm in the country between Chicago and the West Coast. Dave retired from the company in 2013 and, at that time, was elected into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame.
Dave was the color analyst for 14 years—working with Ray Christensen and Dave Lee—on Minnesota Gophers football on WCCO Radio. In 2000 he took over the leadership of the Twin Cities Dunkers breakfast club, which features leading figures sports world of sports among its speakers. For nearly 10 years Dave ran an event called the Minnesota Sports Trivia Bowl, with the finals broadcast on WCCO Radio. Dave and his wife owned and operated seven Field of Dreams sports memorabilia stores between 1992 and 2003.
In 2008 Dave wrote a book, Beyond he Sports Huddle: Mona on Minnesota, which he says "can still be found at Quarter Price Books."
In addition to Dave Moore, Dave shares his June 4 birthday with Phil Linz, Tim Murnane, Scott Servais, Billy Hunter, Bob Klinger, Art Mahaffey, Aaron Nola, Lee Magee, Vern Washington, Tony Pena, Robert Merrill, Michelle Phillips, Angelina Jolie, Bobby Wanzer, Rosalind Russell, Dennis Weaver, Gaylord Nelson, Lassie I, Bruce Dern, Freddy Fender, Doc Barker, Howard Metzenbaum, Mr. Kate, and Julia the Kinda Funny Person.
Also new to the Halsey Hall Chapter: Dakota Olson
Know a potential member? Here are resources for getting that person happily involved in SABR:
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.
Sarah Johnson will be a judge at History Day May 2 and will distribute a new flyer to the little bastards youth of America with information about SABR awards and scholarships for young people, including the Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award, the Yoseloff Scholarship, and scholarships from the Negro Leagues Committee. Jim Cox is exploring the possibility of getting this information to teachers through the Minnesota Twins' Baseball through Education group.
J. G. Preston had an article for the SABR Games Project published: October 9, 1929: Double-X and Bucketfoot Al Lead A's to Game 2 Win in World Series
Sarah Johnson is covering high-school basketball for the Star Tribune website. Here is her first story: Kings Hold Court as Caledonia Defeats Maranatha Christian Academy
Kevin Hennessy provided a link for a fun story about nicknames on jerseys. Read more in Winning Ugly: A Visual History of the Most Bizarre Baseball Uniforms Ever Worn.
Todd Peterson has edited a book, The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues: Historians Reappraise Black Baseball.
Ed Randall is looking to sell some of his collection of baseball media guides and publications. Contact him, edrandall@fans4thecure.org, for more information.
January 4—Fred Souba Hot Stove League Saturday Morning, Bunny's, Minneapolis, 9:00 a.m.
January 6—Research Committee meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Brookdale Library, Study Room I. For more information, contact Brenda Himrich, 651-415-0791, or Sarah Johnson.
January 21—St. Paul Baseball Old Timers' Hot Stove League Banquet, Jimmy's Event Center, Vadnais Heights, 5:30 p.m. (batting practice), 7:00 (dinner and program)
January 24-25—Twinsfest, Target Field. For more information, contact Doug Skipper, 612-876-1408.
February 1—Book Club, Barnes & Noble, Har Mar Mall, Roseville, 9:30 a.m., K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner.
February 10—Research Committee meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Brookdale Library, Study Room I. For more information, contact Brenda Himrich, 651-415-0791, or Sarah Johnson.
February 29—Gophers vs. Duke, 7:00 p.m., U. S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-922-5036.
March 2—Research Committee meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Brookdale Library, Study Room J. For more information, contact Brenda Himrich, 651-415-0791, or Sarah Johnson.
May 2—Spring Chapter Meeting, 9:00 a.m, Faith Mennonite Church, Minneapolis. For more information, contact Howard Luloff, 952-922-5036.
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 Procedures and By-Laws
Baseball Research Primer
SABR-L
Minnesota Baseball Discussion Group