Nerdier Than Thou?

First and foremost, I want to congratulate every Baltimore Ravens fan out there on their team's amazing Super Bowl victory.  I am very happy (and envious) that you were all able to celebrate the perfect culmination to such a good season, instead of dealing with the crushing defeat that 49ers fans are now feeling.  As a baseball fan whose team suffered a heartbreaking, playoff-ending loss last fall, believe me - the off-season will be much more pleasant to deal with when you're floating on cloud nine as opposed to spending your time holding your head in your hands counting the days until the season starts again.

Speaking of being a big fan, as you all know, I pride myself in being a very knowledgeable baseball fan.  I know that Nolan Ryan shares a birthday with Jackie Robinson; I know what "pepper," "can of corn," and "tater" mean in baseball; and I know that the Houston Astros' Craig Biggio hit 51 doubles and stole 50 bases in 1998.  It is because I love baseball so much that I joined the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) last year, and the reason I decided to attend the meeting for the DC/Maryland chapter last week.  I thought, "Hey, I can learn more about the game, spread the word about my blog, and maybe even win a raffle item or two!"

So last Saturday, my wonderful and supportive husband and I set out to the Holiday Inn in Rosslyn, Virginia for the annual SABR Dsy event.  I expected about 100-or-so people to be there - mostly men with calculators and poor social skills.  You see, SABR is the governing body of all things "stats."  If you want to know what Josh Hamilton's batting average is on Tuesdays when there is a full moon out, SABR will tell you.  If you want a list of all players who have hit an extra-inning home run during game 5 of any World Series, SABR will give you that information.  And if you want the starting lineups for the game that was played on May 8, 1931 in Chicago, someone in SABR will let you know.  So of course, I had this preconceived idea that the room was going to be full of nerdy guys with goofy grins and asthma inhalers.  Boy, was I wrong!

Yes, SABR members know a LOT about baseball, and yes, some of them were a bit odd, but most of the 177 people who were at last week's conference were chatty, friendly, and welcoming.  The guest speakers were very engaging, there was never a line to use the ladies' room, and the raffle prizes were great!  I ended up winning a framed picture of Roberto Clemente, an Iván Rodriguez bobblehead, two books, and a pack of baseball cards!

So what did I take away from this conference?  Here are the highlights:

• According to Paul Dixon, author of over 50 books including The Dixon Baseball Dictionary, there is a 131-page FBI file on Jackie Robinson, who was suspected of being a communist.
• There didn't seem to be ANY minorities at the event, except for me and my Puerto Rican self.
• Most of the SABR members present at the conference were AARP-eligible.
• ESPN's Tim Kurkjian believes that the Nationals' Bryce Harper is "breathtaking" to watch, but I lost my respect for him when he said he voted for both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens in his Hall of Fame ballot this year.
• Former Phillies' outfielder and current analyst for ESPN's "Baseball Tonight," John Kruk, once shot a deer while relaxing in his hot tub.
• Buck Showalter does not like players with blue eyes because he says they can't see the ball as well, and he doesn't like drafting high school players with facial hair because they are done developing and don't have any more growing to do.

So as you can see, it was a very enlightening event.  And even though I can't rattle off Sandy Koufax's career ERA, I don't know the dimensions of old Ebbets Field, nor can I name all the teams in the Negro Leagues, I enjoy learning about baseball, I like impressing people with the facts that I do know, and I am proud of being a SABR member.

Now if only I could wait another week or so for Spring Training to start...