The Pecan Park Eagle

Constellation Field
Sugar Land, Texas
Twilight Time
Saturday, May 4, 2013

On the coolest day ever registered for May 4th in the Houston area, a nice size group from our local Larry Dierker SABR chapter descended upon Constellation Field to eat, drink, and be merry on a Saturday night as the Sugar Land Skeeters rallied to take a tough 5-4 win over the Lancaster Barnstormers. It was the fourth straight win for the Skeeters over the Barnstormers and also the club’s seventh straight victory in a row.

The 5-4 win on 5/04 didn’t come easy. Trailing 4-2 n the bottom of the 6th, it took a three-run blast to left off the bat of Fernando Perez to give the Skeeters the final score edge that they would hold over the last third of the game. And all the fans went home cool and happy.

Deacon Jones of the Skeeters (center) came down to greet and chat with a couple of other Houston baseball icons, Larry Miggins and Marie “Red” Mahoney.

Mike Vance and his friend Ann Shelton seemed to be having a great time.

Tal Smith of the Skeeters also dropped in to say hello. Here he is with Larry Miggins.

There were more SABR members present than I could catch with the camera, but here are the ones who did not escape the digital surveillance of a fun night with some good friends and great baseball people:

Harold Jones and SABR Chapter President Bob Dorrill.

Sweet Peggy Dorrill

Chris Chestnut and his cute, cute daughter.

Mellow Marsha Franty

….. and Smilin’ Bob Stevens.

SABR stands for the “Society for American Baseball Research”.

About SABR …

Contrary to popular belief, SABR is not an organizations simply for those who love statistics or for collecting all the math nerds in the world in one place. Most of us are simply baseball people who are dedicated to the story of the game and all of its rich narrative history. We come from all walks of life and our interests in the game of baseball are as variable as there are numbers of us.

Our Houston Chapter is named for Larry Dierker, the earliest of all living and present Houston Astros icons. Larry is also a member of our chapter, as is another high-flying icon named Jimmy Wynn and former Houston Buff Larry Miggins, one of the seven surviving participants in Jackie Robinson’s first professional game for Montreal in 1946.

Membership in SABR will cost you $65 per year, or $45 per year if you are either 65 or over or 30 and younger. but you will get a whole basket of good baseball stuff for the money, including free publications on baseball history that come by mail and, in Houston, a monthly meeting with other SABR members to hear presentations by some of the top local figures in the game.

In 2014, our Houston Chapter will also be hosting the SABR National Convention and also publishing a superlative research book on Early Houston Baseball: 1861-1961.

We also sponsor and play in the local vintage base ball circles by the 1860 rules as the Houston Babies, the name once given to the city’s first professional team. Have you ever played by the old rules? With no gloves? And in a game where balls caught on one bounce are valued as outs? You would love it. It’s the closest thing to the sandlot experience of childhood that any of us could have ever hoped to reprise.

We’d loved to have you join us as a SABR member too, and you can pick from there what’s for you, and what’s not. So, if you think you may be interested in joining SABR, please call or e-mail our chapter president, Bob Dorrill, for more information. Bob’s contact info is as follows:

Phone: 281-630-7151

E-Mail: bdorrill@aol.com

Just call Bob Dorrill . Bob’s a no pressure guy.