The view of the game between the visiting York Revolution and the home Sugar Land Skeeters from our SABR suite was the best.
For 31 members of SABR’s Houston-based Larry Dierker Chapter, the May 18, 2015 “meeting” at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas was the usual fun evening of baseball, good company, great food, comfortable accommodations, and 5-Star Class hospitality as guests of the Independent Atlantic league home club, the Sugar Land Skeeters. The Skeeters fell to the York Revolution, but, as the old hospital story goes, other then the death of the patient, the operation, otherwise, was a complete success.
Oldest locl SABR member Larry Miggins, 89, was on hand last night to greet first time SABR function attendee Rick Bush and help our new guy get a taste of what the SABR camaraderie buzz is all about.
Speaking of age, 33-year old former Astro Willie Taveras was in the game, playing center field for the Skeeters. We apologize for the lack of a clearer picture, but this is what sometimes happens to pictures of players when their baseball futures reach beyond the “partly cloudy” phase of their prospective careers
In fairness to Willie Taveras, he looked a lot like the Willie-of-Old in the bottom of the first, leading off with a line single to left-center, an easy steal of second, a trot to third on a sac fly to right, and a close to sauntering-speed walk home to score the first of the Skeeters’ two runs on the evening on a mighty blast over the right field wall by teammate Dustin Martin. Sadly, that would be it for Sugar Land scoring last night as York came back to win the game, 5-2.
Wilson Valdez led of the top of the 4th with a triple to right and then scored the Revolution’s first run on a single to left by Andres Perez.
As Bob Stevens noted during the game, Skeeters shortstop “Beamer Weams” has the kind of name that one should never forget. Yes, Bob, it is straight out of the same mold of baseball fiction books we used to read as kids.
The “Father and Son” Bob and Matt Stevens SABR Family team was present, of course, to pay close attention to all of the game action. Matt designed the beautiful SABR Chapter logo we used for the SABR 44 National Convention in Houston in 2014. Matt’s older brother, Robbie Stevens, could not be with us last night because of parental duty to his three younger generation little girl members of the Stevens family, one of whom has an eight o’clock bed time.
THE SABR 44 Larry Dierker Chapter Logo
Designed By Matt Stevens
For the 2014 Houston Convention of SABR
Much to our delight, the Statue of Dickie Kerr was there near the entrance to bid us both hello and goodbye to another terrific evening with baseball, friends, and the sweet spot of good times. – And speaking of such, those pork rib plates, with corn on the cob, baked beans, salad, and ice cream dessert must have been ordered in from the kitchen beyond the Pearly Gates. God, they were good – and we thank You too – and first!
More on Beamer Weems!
Former freelance photographer Lance Carter, who once did a lot of work for the Sugar Land Skeeters, is now doing something like that for the Oklahoma City Red Hawks at the AAA level. His personal comments to me about Beamer Weems, after reading this column, The Pecan Park Eagle felt felt were worthy of entry here as a footnote on this player’s earlier recognition for his almost fictionally sounding baseball name:
“An interesting note on Beamer Weems, he won the Moniker Madness in Minor League Baseball when he played for the San Antonio Missions. Moniker Madness is a tournament of sorts of the players / coaches with the strangest names This year’s top contender to win it would be Tulsa Drillers (Dodgers affiliate) Manager Razor Shines.” – Lance Carter.
Razor Shines? … Really? …. That’s almost good enough to make Beamer Weems read like John Smith!
Houston, Baseball, & Other Musings.
The Pecan Park Eagle 