Mets legend Bud Harrelson will take part in fiftieth anniversary conference on January 28
Society of American Baseball Research
Mid-Manhattan Library
40th St. & Fifth Ave., sixth floor
Saturday, January 28, $25 with preregistration, 10:00 am – 3:30 pm
www.nyc.sabr.org
Back in 1962, a new baseball team came to town, a group of ne’er-do-wells that finished a woeful 40-120 under the leadership of the great Casey Stengel. For the New York Mets’ first seven seasons, they finished either ninth or tenth out of ten teams in their division but then miraculously pulled off the amazing feat of winning the World Series in 1969. The franchise has been back in the doldrums for the last three seasons, and not much is expected of them this year either. But you can expect lots of special events surrounding the team’s fiftieth anniversary, looking back at both the good days and the bad. On January 28, the Society of American Baseball Research will honor the Mets at its annual Casey Stengel Chapter meeting, which is open to the public. At 10:30, Ernestine Miller will moderate “Mets in the Morning: Milestones, Memories, Miracles, and More,” a panel discussion and Q&A with shortstop Bud Harrelson, statistical analysts Benjamin Baumer and TJ Barra, and memorabilia collector Harvey Poris. Following a lunch break, historian Lee Lowenfish, Yankees scout Cesar Presbott, and Cubs scout Billy Blitzer will talk about the state of professional scouting. At 2:00, George Vecsey will lecture on his sports writing career and his latest book, Stan Musial: An American Life. Stan Teitelbaum will conclude the all-day symposium with the research presentation “How Sports Writers Influence the Image of Major Leaguers.”