Oral Presentations on 19c Subjects
SABR33 (Denver, July 2003)

Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 11:21:44 -0400
From: Paul Wendt 

19ers,
Here are the presentation abstracts and author introductions for eight
"oral research presentations" (in contrast to posters), from the program
for SABR33 in Denver this week.  19th century research underlies each
of the eight presentations, at least in part.
--Paul


Thursday, July 10

12:30-1:00
"Signs: Baseball's Hidden Language"
William Lehn

Signs have been part of baseball virtually since its inception.  William
Lehn will examine the origin and evolution of the art of signing, and
offer his research on the structuralist nature of signs.  He will explore
Ferdinand De Saussure's theory in _Course in General Linguistics_ (1916)
of the elements and structure of a language, the signifier and signified,
or the form it takes and its purpose, as elements of the construction of a
sign within the context of baseball.  He will also examine the association
and combination relationship of signs as they are perceived and placed
into practice.  From the stealing of a base to the buying of a beer,
selected interviews and observations of fans, players, and coaches will
comprise the subject matter of his analysis.

William A. Lehn (walehn@aol.com) is a die-hard NY Met fan who will receive
his M.A. in English at Youngstown State University in 2004.  His area of
concentration is baseball literature, baseball jargon, and signals as a
language.  He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in American Studies.  This spring he
presented a paper, "From 'Game Winning Home Run' to 'Walk-Off': Baseball
Jargon and the Discourse of Modern American Life" at the Literature in
Baseball Conference.


1:00-1:30
"Early Baseball Songs"
Jeff Campbell

Baseball and the popular song are two of the most beloved elements of
American Culture.  In times of depression or stress, Americans flocked to
the ballparks and concert halls to escape from their daily lives.
Throughout its history, baseball and its players have inspired many
songwriters.  The first baseball song was called "The Baseball Polka"
(1858).  Well over a thousand baseball songs have been published or
recorded since.  There are several types of baseball songs.  This
presentation will survey many types of songs that touch upon aspects of
baseball.

Jeff Campbell (hungryformusic@worldnet.att.net) combined his passions for
music, baseball, and helping others to produce a compilation of baseball
songs, entitled "Diamond Cuts."  The proceeds benefit his music outreach
organization, Hungry for Music.  He has been featured on NPR's "Morning
Edition," and also in the New York Times for his work on "Diamond Cuts."
Joining SABR in 1997, he shortly thereafter founded SABR's Music and
Poetry Committee.


4:30-5:00
"Australian Baseball"
Joe Clark

This presentation examines the origins of baseball in Australia, from 1857
to 2003, the development of state clubs, the national Claxton Shield
competition, the Australian baseball League, and distinctions between U.S.
and Australian baseball.  The presentation further reflects a ten year
study on the development of Australian baseball, from cricketers playing
it to keep fit in the winter to the serious player development system
which supplies the U.S., Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese professional
leagues with world class, quality players.

For more than two decades Joe Clark (babyruth@ihug.com.au) has taught high
school English in Australia.  Presently, he is finishing work on his Ph.D.
His dissertation on the history of Australian baseball will be published
by the University of Nebraska Press in October.


5:00-5:30
"Unraveling the Mystery of Ed Delahanty's Death"
Jerrold Casway

July 2, 2003 was the centenary of Ed Delahanty's death.  The circumstances
and conditions surrounding his tragic death remain confusing.  Was
Delahanty's death an accident, a suicide, or the result of foul play?
Employing Delahanty family papers, photos, and court transcripts, Casway
offers a fresh look at the events and experiences that led to Delahanty's
drinking and eventual date with the Niagara River, including the Michigan
Central Railroad's preoccupation with liability issues and the Delahanty's
family's religious concerns.

Jerrold Casway (jcasway@howardcc.edu), who holds a Ph.D. in history from
the University of Maryland, currently is a professor of history at Howard
Community College where he is Director of the Rouse Scholars Program.
Long interested in Irish history, including that of Irish-Americans, he
has written a biography of Ed Delahanty that will be published by the
University of Notre Dame press.


7:30-8:00
"Thou Shall Not Play on Sunday"
Norman Macht

If not for the Sunday laws in Ohio, Cleveland might still be in the
National League.  In Pennsylvania, the Sunday Blue Laws contributed to the
breakup of two of baseball's greatest teams.  This presentation covers the
evolution of the legalization of Sunday baseball, including arguments used
for and against it, early attempts to get around the law, its economic
impact on clubs in cities where it was legal and where it was not, and
legislative efforts and court decisions focusing on Sunday ball.

Norman Macht's (loispn@dmv.com) long and distinguished career in SABR has
included service as secretary, treasurer, and director.  He has written
thirty books and many articles on various aspects of baseball.  Currently
he is working on a biography of the legendary Connie Mack.


Friday, July 11

11:00-11:30
"Origins of the Word 'Fan'"
Peter Morris

The word 'fan', one of baseball's most enduring contributions to the
English language, has long been believed to be derived from 'fanatic'.
Dickson's Baseball Dictionary considers several other possibilities, but
gives preference to the fanatic theory, largely because of the comments of
Ted Sullivan in 1903.  This presentation uses newly uncovered sources to
demonstrate that Sullivan had given a very different account of the term's
origins more than a decade earlier.  This presentation makes extensive use
of primary sources contemporaneous to the term's emergence in the 1880s to
demonstrate the plausibility of a new theory.  It will challenge the
narrow issue of the etymology of the term 'fan', and delve into the
broader issue of the often uneasy relationship between performers and
their admirers.

Peter Morris (moxbib@voyager.net), a Database Analyst, has contributed
greatly to our understanding of 19th century baseball.  He is the author
of _Baseball Fever: Early Baseball in Michigan_ published this year by the
University of Michigan Press.


11:30-12:00
"Hanlon's Spectacular Grab, and Other True Stories"
Mark Lamster

On a cool, clear morning in late October 1888, Albert G. Spalding arrived
in Denver with his company of barnstorming baseball tourists.  For this
city on the make, the visit of such a prestigious entourage was a genuine
civic event.  Crowds greeted the tour^Òs private rail cars as they rolled
into the city, and a parade led the players to River Front Park the next
day.  The proposed presentation will include an examination of the three
games played in Colorado and an accounting of the players' activities
during this portion of their trip.  Primary research for this paper was
undertaken at the public libraries of Denver and Colorado Springs,
supplemented by materials from the National Baseball Hall of Fame library,
the New York Public Library's Spalding Archives, and the Chicago
Historical Society.

Mark Lamster (lamster@papress.com) is a Senior Editor at Princeton
Architectural Press in New York and is currently preparing a manuscript on
the Spalding World Tour.  His writing has appeared in many publications,
including the New York Times, Architecture, and Metropolis.  He is a
graduate of Johns Hopkins University and received his master's degree, in
Art History, from Tufts University.  Prior to his career in publishing he
produced highlight films for ESPN, and worked as an intern for the New
York Yankees.


5:30-6:00
"Civil War Baseball"
Chris Tuten

A.G. Spalding wrote that "It was during the Civil War, then that the game
of Base Ball became our national game; for against it there was no
prejudice, North or South; and from that day to this it has been played
with equal fervor and equal prowess in every section of our beloved
country."  Through examining personal correspondence, newspapers, box
scores, pictures, and various secondary documents, this paper will explore
Spalding's contention that it was the play of baseball during the Civil
War that elevated baseball from a mere game to the National Pastime.  It
will look at the game in the context of the Civil War and the new national
emerging from the war.

Chris Tuten (cst210@alltel.net) grew up in Columbia, SC and is a recent
graduate of The College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, where
he earned a degree in Corporate Communications.  Following graduation, he
was married on June 7th.  He now lives with his wife in Charleston, where
he works in sales for Blackbaud, a software solutions provider for
non-profit organizations.