Sorry for flipping out, it's just the stress of this budget ######## is finally boiling over. I was just able to work out the MLBAM schedule so I can barely make ends meet until October, but everything is so tight.

If you need crash space Friday night, Answer Guy Manor - which is light rail accessible from OP@CY, BTW - has an extra bedroom.

If you need crash space Friday night, Answer Guy Manor - which is light rail accessible from OP@CY, BTW - has an extra bedroom.

No, I'm taking my roomies AJM and Daly up to the game, and maybe a third person.

Gotcha.

Have we figured out where we're meeting up Wednesday?

Have we figured out where we're meeting up Wednesday?

Someone (SSA?) mentioned a restaurant that opened near the hotel that was giood. A wings place, perhaps?

Hmmm...OK. I work very close to the hotel so that works for me.

Larry, ask one of the DC guys if they can get you a free visitors pass. Then you can park your car wherever their area is and take the Metro to the hotel.

http://dmv.dc.gov/serv/parking/Visitor.shtm

Primate Presentations:

Thursday 1:30 PM - Effect of Great Depression on '60s Baseball - Anthony Giacalone
Thursday 3:00 PM - Team Defense Impact on Pitching Usage - Vince Gannaro
Thursday 3:30 PM - Bullpen Evolution, 1960-2008 - Mike Emieigh

Friday Noon - Value Production Standings, 1946-2008 - Steve Treder
Friday 12:30 - Baseball Philosophy of Comiskey - Chris Jaffe
Friday 12:30 - Do Players Try Harder when a Big Goal is in Sight - Phil Birnbaum
Friday 2:30 - A Tale of Two Umpires - Mark Armour

Did I miss anyone?

And Chris is your presentation about the owner or the ballpark?

I'm gonna be there, too...

Cool, Andrew. I've always been a fan of your posts.

I'm the thorn between the two roses - Gennaro at 3 and Dave Smith at 4.

-- MWE

Why don't you guys who are driving into town just park at one of the metro stations which have overnight lots and pick your car up at the end of the week? It would cost $10, and nothing if you get the car out on Sunday.

And Chris is your presentation about the owner or the ballpark?

The owner/manager.

Someone (SSA?) mentioned a restaurant that opened near the hotel that was giood. A wings place, perhaps?

yeah, I think that is where we had the Dan Werr meetup a couple years ago.

I can get behind that. I believe I had a pretzel and 15 beers there.

Dag, will your book be available? I have a wishlist of McFarland titles I wish to buy while I am at the convention.

I was disappointed not to be chosen to give a presentation. The judges apparently felt mine was more suited for a poster, so I'll be bringing pretty charts on Thursday.

Dag, will your book be available? I have a wishlist of McFarland titles I wish to buy while I am at the convention.

No way. Not until fall, maybe not late fall.

I was disappointed not to be chosen to give a presentation. The judges apparently felt mine was more suited for a poster, so I'll be bringing pretty charts on Thursday.

I've done a poster before. So had Dial. One of my favorite presentations was a poster. At SABR37 one Patrick Kilgo had one titled Historically Atypical Performance: Quantifying the Unusualness of Players' Seasons. Essentially, it was about players whose stat lines stuck out like a sore thumb in their season; Gavvy Cravath, Maury Wills. Folks like that. I Had him email it to me, but the file is too huge for my computer's liking.

The judges apparently felt mine was more suited for a poster,

You should have had David Smith submit it (or Emeigh or Jaffe or Giacalone). Presentations are like Gold Gloves, I think.

OKAY, I'm just a little bitter.

Why don't you guys who are driving into town just park at one of the metro stations which have overnight lots and pick your car up at the end of the week? It would cost $10, and nothing if you get the car out on Sunday.

I'm driving up to the game in Baltimore on Friday.

well Chris, likley David knows how to write an abstract, since I understand the evaluators don't know the author linked to the submission. You and I should ask for pointers. Or I should get a writer!

I'm driving up to the game in Baltimore on Friday.

well, its too bad no one else is going to the game from the hotel.

Even still, park at Glenmont, get the car on Friday, the whole thing costs you $20 for the entire week.

yeah, I think that is where we had the Dan Werr meetup a couple years ago.

I can get behind that. I believe I had a pretzel and 15 beers there.

Elephant and Castle. 12th and Pennsylvania. They opened a new one over near Foggy Bottom that I was at recently - they've stepped up their game somewhat from the Werr meetup even.

Elephant and Castle Menu

Elephant & Castle
1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20004

Alright, I will be at E & C around 7 PM

I think one of the names not mentioned is Bob T, but he usually hangs out with his LA entourage. Webber, is Stallard coming?

No Stallard - he's married now with 2 kids under 5, I haven't heard from since last college football season.

How early are people planning on getting to the Elephant?

The judges apparently felt mine was more suited for a poster,
You should have had David Smith submit it (or Emeigh or Jaffe or Giacalone). Presentations are like Gold Gloves, I think.

OKAY, I'm just a little bitter.

Frankly, mine is more suited for a poster than a presentation, but I'm a spotlight hog.

I did a poster in San Fran last year, but felt a talk would work better this year.

-- MWE

Alright, I will be at E & C around 7 PM

I'll be leaving from work in Harrisburg, so I might not get there until 8 or 8:30.

A few notes on presentations at SABR39:

Blame me for putting Emeigh between Gennaro and Smith. Unlike the selection of which papers will be presented (see below), I have quite a bit of control over who presents when. They're something of a sabermetric "theme" session. Mike, would you have preferred to be across from Smith? You might have been pretty lonely.

Chris, I take deep offense at the suggestion that presentation acceptance is based on the identity of the presenter. Seriously, I do. I've done everything in my power to make the vetting process as fair and as blinded as possible. Pharmaceutical RCTs could take a few lessons from the SABR selection procedure. :-)

TomH, in your case the reviewers were quite clear that it seemed better as a poster than an oral presentation. Which you shouldn't take as a negative in any way, shape, or form. I love doing posters ... they're much more fun than talks, because they're interactive. Many academics feel the same way. I keep hoping that SABR presenters will start to agree with me.

For the record, next year we'll probably relax the "one presentation apiece" rule put in place this year. I think it'll go to "one presentation of each type apiece". IOW, a person could do both a poster and a talk. With the rule we set this year, and with this year's large number of posters -- though at least one, maybe two, will be cancelled -- we ended up going deeper into the pool of submissions than I might have wished. Some superior submissions were passed over because their authors had already had an even better paper accepted.

Although I'm getting into town this Saturday, I don't have my DC schedule fully pinned down at this point, so I don't know whether I have something else on my plate when the Primates <strike>infest</strike> gather at E&C;. I'll do my best to make at least a cursory appearance.

WALL OF TEXT

Chris, I take deep offense at the suggestion that presentation acceptance is based on the identity of the presenter. Seriously, I do. I've done everything in my power to make the vetting process as fair and as blinded as possible. Pharmaceutical RCTs could take a few lessons from the SABR selection procedure. :-)

Thus my clarification that I was just being bitter. I know you do everything possible. And I know you do a great job at it, and I apologize for suggesting it isn't blinded as well as possible.

How early are people planning on getting to the Elephant?

7 PM (ish). Red in tow.

Blame me for putting Emeigh between Gennaro and Smith. Unlike the selection of which papers will be presented (see below), I have quite a bit of control over who presents when. They're something of a sabermetric "theme" session. Mike, would you have preferred to be across from Smith? You might have been pretty lonely.

Actually, I'd have preferred to be by myself, with no one opposite me :)

Seriously, I wasn't complaining, just trying to make a joke.

-- MWE

Yes, me too.

Thanks for chiming in, Neal. Maybe I shoulda asked for specifically for a presentation slot, or written my abstract to appear more friendly to that than a poster.

I'd be up for playing golf on Thursday, Chris. But now that I'm flying, I don't know if I'm up for schlepping my clubs back and forth to the airport and then loading them and my bags on the Metro to take to the hotel.

While in DC, I may help the Origins Committee translate some docs about Berber tribesmen playing a bat and ball game. Not as cool as developing a new fielding metric or getting to the final table, I suppose, but I'm looking forward to it.

TomH, specifying "oral only" wouldn't work. I removed any such statements from the abstracts, as part of the blinding process. Every abstract was scored for both formats by all the reviewers. OTOH, I'm sure there are ways to make an abstract un-posterish.

Mike and Chris ... I did know you weren't sending "real" digs my way. Just as I hope you know that I wasn't quite as indignant as I made out to be.

BTW, I'm waiting for the day when I get to tell Smith that his abstract has been accepted as a poster.

I still have my poster from last year. It's awesome.

Just as I hope you know that I wasn't quite as indignant as I made out to be.

I did - you've heard it from me before, but you are right to say "I heard you, get over it." You have been very direct, and have offered me good advice on how to do better.

FYI, I'll be around much of Wednesday, albeit maybe a bit tired from taking my meds Tuesday night (these also preclude me from drinking -- seltzer w/lime has become my standard these days). I also frankly can't remember whether I signed up for the ballpark tour/Phil Wood talk.

For those who are in town tonight, Madison Bumgarner is pitching for Connecticut against Radhames Liz for Bowie. Matt R and I are going tomorrow when Tim Alderson is scheduled against Ryohei Tanaka.

-- MWE

I assume we're still on from Elephant & Castle tomorrow evening?

I assume we're still on from Elephant & Castle tomorrow evening?

I'm assuming so. I plan to be there.

I'm assuming so. I plan to be there.

Awesome. I look forward to finally meeting you.

Likewise!

I'll be there. Probably between 6-7.

Precipitation is likely enough that my other obligation has been preemptively rained out. So I should be there between 6-7; I've met a couple other DC area primates, but not recently, so guarantees I'll recognize them. Hopefully you all won't be too hard to find.

Actually, spoke (wrote?) too soon. I think I'm going to be stuck at work trying to meet a deadline -- COB today, which really means 9 am tomorrow morning. I'm optimistic I can finish before the metro shuts down. So drink up while I'm stuck in my office about a 1/2 mile away.

Ted, Darren, Nate , and I are at the bar.

Ted, Darren, Nate , and I are at the bar.

Nice try.

Not screen name Darren, as I found out too late, but a primate whose first name happens to be Darren.

Currently we have SJ, Dial, Gleeman, Treder, Joltin Joe Dimino, many others, and a drunken rally monkey.

I'll be in DC sometime around 10 am Friday. Hope to see everybody!

Wow, what a great time. Superb to put faces to so many screen names. And what a lucky dog I was to be drug onto Cliff's trivia team; it was like Bonds trying to carry the Giants to the 02 World Champtionship.