Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Anecdotes and Site Updates

I will begin posting various stories and anecdotes I've come across while researching the Kitty League. I'll try to post a new one at least every other day.

I'm way overdue for updating the Kitty League site. I've been busy revising, publishing, and promoting a non-baseball book. I'm working on new team pages, which I hope to start adding this weekend.

Emergency

While pitching for the Clarksville Colts on Opening Night in 1947, rookie hurler Dave Stender stepped off the rubber and staggered around behind the mound. Manager Harley Boss went out to check on him, but not before Stender rushed past him into the dugout. He ran to the corner where a bucket of water was kept and took a big drink from the metal dipper. The pitcher had accidentally swallowed a large chaw of chewing tobacco!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Work on 1923 Season Has Begun

As part of my SABR-Yoseloff Research Grant requirements, I have begun work on gathering individual and team batting, pitching, and fielding statistics for the 1923 Kitty League season. I have started collecting box scores from newspapers that covered the league (both local and regional). Hopefully I will have as complete a set of statistics as possible by Spring 2008.

Once 1923 is finished, I plan to move forward to the 1924 season. Both seasons lack stats for several categories such as extra base hits, runs batted in, and bases on balls for hitters and strikeouts, bases on balls, and shutouts for pitchers. I also plan to continue using estimated earned-run averages for pitchers, a formula created by Carlos Bauer.

I'll check in from time to time with research updates!