Some Very Assorted Notes from SABR 41

Dave Cameron, everybody.

As the reader might very well know, this past weekend-plus witnessed the descent upon Long Beach, California, USA, of the membership of the Society for American Baseball Research, for their 41st convention.

Malcolm Gladwell lookalike and Citizen of the World Eno Sarris has already provided some critical details of the FanGraphs event held Thursday night in conjunction with SABR 41. In what follows, I’d like to utilize that most helpful of typographical symbols, the bullet point, to provide as breezy and superficial an account of the Convention as possible.

To wit:

• Did I witness Dark Overlord David Appelman kill a man? No. Did I witness David Appelman order a man to commit suicide in front of him (i.e. Appelman)? Hmmm… Next question, please.

• Speaking of grisly deaths, I did witness Larry Granillo (of Wezen Ball fame) kill a man… with kindness.

• If you enjoy any of Eugene Ionesco’s works, you would have loved the SABR Trivia Contest Finals, held Saturday night, and ably hosted by D. Bruce Brown.

• Despite his many conspicuous flaws, Dave Cameron is assuredly facile with the Yelp. We ate at least two excellent brunch/lunch-type meals as a direct result of his search abilities: one at 4th St. Deli and another at Shillelagh.

• Long Beach is different than Los Angeles, or even Los Angeles County*, and is a place I’d care to investigate furtherly, not the least reason being that it appears actually walkable — which, I didn’t really know that was a thing in Southern California.

*As commenter Jason W. notes below, it’s very possible the author had no idea where he was on, you know, the “map.”

• San Diego General Manager Jed Hoyer was on the GMs Panel on Saturday (hosted ably by Mr. Rob Neyer) — with former Dodger GMs Fred Claire and Dan Evans — when the Padres lost both a no-hitter and entire game to the Dodgers in the space of two plate appearances. Because he was on the panel, Hoyer was basically the only guy in the whole room who didn’t know what’d happened. Neyer ended the panel by saying something to the effect of, “There’s some bad news for you, Jed.”

• I highly endorse Sam Miller of the OC Register — for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, political offices, whatever.

• Someone who wasn’t able to resist my charms? Every woman in Orange County. Never have I received as many lingering glances and, in some cases, cat calls, as when out and about in Long Beach and Vicinity. It’s like, “Okay, I’m flattered, ladies, but I’m more than a muscular body and heroic jawline. Let’s get to know each other as people, alright?”

• Perhaps in an attempt to appeal to a younger demographic, SABR has announced that the theme — provisionally, at least — for next convention (in Minneapolis) is “Bananas and Blow.”

• Were I obliged to offer an earnest account of the Convention, I would say that (a) it was an excellent time — esp. the time spent carousing in the hotel lounge — that (b) I feel the event does a lot to give the sense of a cohesive “baseball community,” which is a sense that gives the present author pleasure, and that (c) I look forward to next year’s offering.