Hundreds of baseball fans from across the country gathered in the District on Thursday to dwell on these historical tidbits, among others, at the first full day of events at the 39th annual Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) convention.
There were historians. There were statheads. There were guys wearing T-shirts and caps of teams ranging from the Oakland Athletics to the Kansas City Monarchs.
...There will be 42 presentations in all - SABR had to reject another 47 because of a lack of space - with an equal mixture of historical research and statistical findings. Each of the four days will end with a trivia contest or a bus trip to an area ballgame. In between will be long conversations and healthy debates over everything from the Hall of Fame credentials of Bert Blyleven to the importance of clutch hitting.
...SABR members have a perhaps unfair reputation of possessing a nerdy quality, and Thursday’s largely white, male and casually dressed crowd did little to dispel that stereotype. Christina Kahrl, editor of the research site Baseball Prospectus and a keynote speaker at the convention, compared it to Comic-Con, the recent convention for comic book enthusiasts.
“It’s just about as equally big in terms of cool points,” she said. “But I have no problem getting in touch with my inner geek.”
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1. dirkCraig, I believe that bald head belongs to Greg Spira.
[/nerd-geek]
That's really a blow below the jellyroll, Christina.
I'm confused by the presence of a woman. I'd have to buy my better half a car or something to get her to hang around with me and baseball nerds for 5 days.
Apologies to the guy, who I don't know and who surely doesn't deserve this, but that was my first impression.
He looks like a cable serviceman really sad about the new competition from Verizon FIOS to me.
Included...
Me
Treder
MHS
Greg Spira
Magnum
Studes
Furtado
Webber
Dimino
but my first impression upon seeing the red-haired, bearded guy on the left hand side of the photo was "Damn, that guy looks like a mass murderer/serial rapist/pedophile type".
You have noooo idea.
He's a dead ringer for a co-worker of mine. So close that if I didn't know it was a SABR pic, I'd bet money it was him.
I see the others (that I have met at least), but where's Rosey?
Anthony Giacalone, Joe Dimino, Darren V, Jimmy Furtado. Not sure about the guy next to Jim in front of the window, but I'm pretty sure the next guy over is Studes. Wrapping around to the guys with their backs to the camera, I'm not sure about the first one but the guy at the arm of the couch is Greg Spira. Vinay is the guy with the goofy grin sitting closest to the alcohol table (facing the camera.) I would ASSUME the woman is Christina Karhl but I have no idea for certain. Dial brought his wife and kid last year so there have been female sightings at the event before.
The red-headed beard guy I don't remember for names, but he was in Cleveland last year too.
Dial is not in this photo. Perhaps he was shooting his mythical (in every sense of the term) hole-in-one.
That's Steve Treder.
but I'm pretty sure the next guy over is Studes.
That's Ben Jacobs
I would ASSUME the woman is Christina Karhl but I have no idea for certain
I'm pretty sure that's Ben Jacob's wife, Stacy (?).
1) Is also a dead ringer for one of my coworkers
2) Is drinking something with a HUGE lime
3) Looks like he's been Photoshopped in, like the tourist guy in the 9/11 pictures
Sam, open mouth, insert foot...
Not sure why this is a faux pas on my part but really, I'm fine with the taste of my own foot at this point regardless.
Think about it for another few seconds.
Nope. I took a wild guess as to who the lone female in the picture might be. Nothing really weird about that, IMHO.
At SABR conventions, learning what people look like with drinks in their face comes first.
After Toronto, I couldn't drink for a few weeks. I literally had a DUI level-of-alcohol in my bloodstream 24/7 for 4 days.
Yet, you were my driver back for a 12-hour car ride!
Also, let me know when the 2011 site is set. Fingers crossed for Minnesota so we can party at Gleeman's!
Don't worry, my last drink was a mini-vodka at 8 AM on Sunday!
SABR 2011 is in SoCal...
Freudian slip?
Primey!
Well played.
Well, his clothes are shabby, but I couldn't tell whether his fingers are greasy. Also, while he's clearly eying something off-camera with bad intent, there's no indication that there were little girls in the room.
Best laugh I've had all week, and on the heels of the Ortiz thread, that's saying something.
If it's the same weekend as comic-con, it's going to open up a black hole of nerd down there from which no one will escape.
Well, it's not Tony La Russa then. Cuz he'd leave the loogy in to give up a big hit to a right-hander.
Just tell us what's in the backpack first, then maybe we'll start answering YOUR questions.
I would have guessed the ghost of John Brattain. That's how I always pictured him to look.
An old baseball mitt (Jim Gantner model), Cheez Doodles, a ticket stub, a wrench, a directional coupler, Gummi Bears, a couple broken barrettes, and a sweat band. That's most of it.
Or...
the exact opposite.
Husky SABR creep,
They call him Big Ginger,
Sippin on gin and tonic.
Backpack!
With his eyes on "his" honeys, OBP on his mind.
When Guapo posted, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack... it grew by one.
Would someone else like to spell it out for Sam, or am I the only one who sees this? It's a joke, of course, but still.
That dopey neo-proverb actually works here, on different levels, for Jeff and Sam!
How bout a Big Red joke?
I'll do the first line:
A big sweaty red-headed guy with a backpack walks into a sabermetrics convention.
From the Uncle Miltie/Crustie school:
A nerd looks up from his spreadsheet and says,
"Is that a little girl's leg sticking out of your backpack or are you just happy to see me?"
Atlanta.
A nerd looks up from his spreadsheet and asks, "Is that what I think it is on your pants or is that mayonnaise?"
BSRHG says, "It ain't mayonnaise."
Nerd: "That's gross"
BSRHG: "You think that's gross, you should see what spilled on Mrs. C's double Ds."
I just have to change a couple locks first. Be right back.
Wha?
I stole this link from the wiki page on her, which itself does not mention anything about her sex change.
BSRHG: Wanna talk to me, you know, as long as we're all here?
Repoz: Uhhm.
BSRHG: Look, it's either me or them. You gotta do it with someone. You're gettin' ###### one way or the other.
[Repoz pretends like someone else is calling him but is unsuccessful in his attempt to move away]
BSRHG: Hey, relax, I'm gonna help you.
Repoz: Gee thanks.
BSRHG: Excuse me, I think a modicum of gratitude would not be out of line here.
Repoz: You think I should be grateful?
BSRHG: Yeah, it's your ass, not mine. I think you should be grateful. I think you should be down on your ######' knees.
Repoz: I didn't know it was such an honor to make small talk with you.
BSRHG: I'm doing a favor, you know. You're gettin' me for nothing, you little ####!
Repoz: That's one hell of an ego you got.
BSRHG: What the #### is your problem? I did not come down here just to get jerked off.
Repoz: You didn't!? Cause a guy like you, I mean...
BSRHG: That's it. You're on your own. I'll just take care of Sleeping Beauty.
[Wakes an overserved Jim Furtado, slumped on the couch]
Jim: Hey-hey Rusty! How's that Kars for Kids thing workin out!
BSRHG: Let's just say I'm still working out of a basement but, I gotta say, I aint so lonely no more. Christmas is still tough though...
It confused me for a long time when the he became she at B-Pro in reference to Kahrl.
Ben's wife might not enjoy the comparison...
If you google it, you'll find some articles about her becoming Christina. It got some play at the time. Good on B-Pro that they didn't make a big deal about it.
Yeah, I used to enjoy reading her Transaction Analysis back when BPro was free. Then I remember be surprised that she was a woman, when she started going by Christina. Now I'm surprised again.
I have no idea what Christina looks like, but ...
I don't think Ben's wife would be too offended to be compared to Caroline Cossey just as a f'ristance.
Bond girl (work safe)
Take it easy, big fella.
I was once similarly besmirched, called a pederast in so many words at 2:30 in the morning at Mohegan Sun casino by this guy just for sporting a thick - and I thought tasteful - mustache. Imagine my sense impotence in that situation.
Small picture, but the face looks kinda mannish.
I just have to change a couple locks first. Be right back.
Big Ginger, if that was a serious post on your part, then I ask forgiveness. I interpreted your posts 50 and 53 as meaning you were game for some fun at your expense, or better, your SABR 2009's personna's expense.
If you were just kidding with the above post, then my sarcasm detector is currently calibrated correctly and I'll work on one last punch line.
Aaron Gleeman, 44magnum, studes, Mike Webber, Stacy Jacobs, Anthony Giacalone, Joe Dimino, me, Repoz, Jim Furtado, Greg Spira, Steve Treder, Ben Jacobs, Mister High Standards.
If I could label the people within the pic (like in Flickr or Facebook), I'd do that, as that's much easier to follow.
Awesome.
Who's 44magnum?
Oh yeah. Good question. So I still don't really know who I am. I still have a special purpose!
The red-headed guy with the beard. Come on shooty, I know it's Friday but at least try to pay attention.
I'm tired. Sorry.
Yeah, Leonard. There's pleeeeenty of "John G"s out there.
Dead thread or not, this is bull shi t Jeff - you got a raw deal in this thread. Everyone is so dour. I actually live with a girl, albeit in a basement of one of our mother's, but she - my gf - would NOT be cool with the comparison no matter how much I schmoozed her about how traumatic and intellectual said gal's transformation was.
She's weird like that. Somehow I still love her.
No, he didn't.
I hope your girlfriend, and you, both realize that every MTF who transitions - it's not a "transformation" - does not look like a 6'2, 210 pound man in a dress with a noticable Adam's apple. (And not every genetic women is a 5'5 110 pound catwalk model, either.) To insinuate that Ben's wife should be offended by being visually compared to a post-op transsexual, while having never seen the woman in the question, betrays serious naivety about transsexuals and, I would argue, insensitivity as well. (This would apply if it was a photo of the person's face or an 8x10, but this sort of comment is particularly surprising considering, as Shredder said, it's a grainy photo of a woman's back.)
She's weird like that. Somehow I still love her.
I'm glad you love your gf, but she could stand to be a little more educated on matters relating to transsexualism.
Naw, that's the default setting on the BBTF registration page. You have to manually delete it, on the off chance it doesn't apply.
Now there's a seminar I'd love to attend! Sounds about as fun as a sober saber convention....
My point in bringing up my gf is to buttress the origin of Jeff's joke, regardless of how funny you think the joke actually was. Of course it was a grainy picture and Sam was making a good faith attempt at ID-ing everyone there!
Jeff's joke simply had a lot to do with how actual women would react to such a mix-up. It has NOTHING to do with Ms. Karl, who I'm ASSUMING has more of a sense of humor than the sanctimonious gatekeepers of her feelings on this thread. Sorry, my girl's about as educated as they come, and God bless her - she'd show her sense of humor and "education" by laughing at how you say she should react to such a comment.
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