Greg Spira Baseball Research Award

Rules and Procedures for Nominations for the 2013 Award

The Greg Spira Baseball Research Award Committee (www.SpiraAward.org) has announced the rules and procedures for nominations for the inaugural Greg Spira Baseball Research Award. The winner of the Greg Spira Award will receive a cash prize of $1,000. The committee will also recognize two additional writers with awards of $200 for second place and $100 for third place.

The Nomination Period will open at 12:01 a.m. EST on January 16, 2013, and remain open through 11:59 p.m. EST on February 15, 2013. Nominations received before or after the Nomination Period will not be considered.

The Nomination Form for the Greg Spira Award can be found at www.SpiraAward.org. Anyone can nominate a qualifying piece for the Award, and self-nominations by authors are welcome. Note, however, that only one entry per author will be considered for the Greg Spira Award.

In order to be eligible for nomination, a piece or book must be about baseball and must contain original analysis or research. Nominated pieces or books must have been published between January 16, 2012, and January 15, 2013. Articles, papers, and books eligible for consideration include those published in print or in e-books, those published or posted on the World Wide Web, academic papers or dissertations, and papers presented at professional or public conferences.

In the event of multiple nominations, a self-nomination by the author takes priority over any piece nominated by a third party. If multiple pieces by one author are nominated by third parties, the judges will attempt to contact the author to ascertain which piece he/she wants to be considered. If the author fails to respond, the judges will evaluate the first piece submitted and ignore any other nominated pieces by that author.

The Publication Period dates have been chosen so that pieces published about the annual January Hall of Fame election are eligible for consideration without having to wait a full year. This also ensures that pieces about Spink Award, Frick Award, and Hall of Fame inductees who will be honored in Cooperstown on the same July weekend will not be split between two Greg Spira Awards. (The Spink, Frick and Veterans Committee selections are announced in December, while the Baseball Writers Association of America selections are traditionally announced in early January.)

The inaugural Greg Spira Baseball Research Award winners will be announced on April 27, 2013, the 46^th anniversary of Greg??s birth. Future awards will be announced on April 27 of succeeding years. Winning entries must display innovative analysis or reasoning by an author who was 30 years old or younger at the time of the entry??s publication.

A panel of judges?including Greg??s brother Jonathan, the creators of the Award, and several close friends of Greg?will determine the winners of this innovative competition. The selections of the judges will be final and not appealable.

About Greg Spira

A lifelong and passionate Mets fan, baseball researcher Greg Spira died on December 28, 2011 in his native New York City. Spira was an early adopter and a pioneer in using the Internet to advance baseball analysis, and he later contributed to many sports books as a researcher, writer, and editor.

Working with the Spira family, the creators of the Greg Spira Award include Sean Forman of Baseball-Reference.com, Joe Hamrahi and Dave Pease of Baseball Prospectus, Sean Lahman of Baseball1.com, and Gary Gillette of 24-7 Baseball, L.L.C.

Remembrances, tributes, and other information about Greg Spira can be found on these Web sites:

• www.GregSpira.com

• www.BaseballProspectus.com
• www.Baseball-Reference.com
• www.Baseball1.com
• www.247Baseball.com

For more information, please go to www.SpiraAward.org or send a message to Info(AT)SpiraAward.org.

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HISTORIC HAMTRAMCK STADIUM LISTED ON NATIONAL REGISTER

Former Negro League Ballpark One of Few Remaining

Home of Negro League Detroit Stars & Hall of Famer Turkey Stearnes

Hamtramck Stadium was placed on the National Register of Historic Places this week by the National Park Service. Hamtramck Stadium is one the few surviving home ballparks of the fabled Negro Leagues era from 1920-1950–along with Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama; Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey; and Bush Stadium in Indianapolis.

“The City of Hamtramck is delighted to be a part of the proud history of Negro League baseball, and we look forward to a new future for our Stadium that honors this important legacy and recognizes its continued relevance to new generations,” Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski said. “We always knew we had a gem in this city. It’s a special pleasure to share that gem through this official recognition of its historic significance.”

At least 17 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame once played in Hamtramck Stadium, including baseball immortals like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and Cool Papa Bell. Dozens of other great Black Baseball players also took the field at Hamtramck Stadium, including at least 43 of the top 100 Negro League & Black Baseball players of all-time (as selected by James A. Riley for Gary Gillette’s and Pete Palmer’s ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia). Riley, author of the landmark Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, is an historical consultant to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

Hamtramck Stadium’s resident superstar was Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, a stellar left-handed slugger and one of the greatest home run hitters in baseball history. Posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2000, Stearnes patrolled center field while pounding opposing pitchers during his two decade-long career in baseball’s segregated era. The fearsome power hitter played for the Detroit Stars from 1923-1931 and in 1937. Stearnes hit .344 and led the Negro National League in extra base hits during the Stars’ pennant drive in 1930, Hamtramck Stadium’s inaugural season. In 1931, Detroit??s superstar led the league in runs, hits, extra base hits, and home runs.

“My family and I are elated to hear the news about Hamtramck Stadium,” said Joyce Stearnes Thompson, daughter of Turkey Stearnes, whose family remains in the Detroit area. “Hopefully, now steps will be taken to restore this wonderful field with a wealth of historic value and memories.”

Hamtramck Stadium is a brick, steel, and concrete structure built in 1930 by Detroit Stars owner John Roesink, a local businessman and promoter of semi-pro baseball. It was the home field of the Negro National League Detroit Stars in 1930-1931 and in 1933. The Stadium was also home to the Detroit Wolves of the short-lived Negro East-West League in 1932 and to the Negro American League Detroit Stars in 1937. The deciding games of the 1930 Negro National League Championship Series were played in Hamtramck, with Detroit losing in seven exciting games to the St. Louis Stars.

The Stadium was acquired by the City of Hamtramck in 1940 and renovated in 1941 by the Wayne County Road Commission using WPA funds. Its current configuration dates to the 1970s. The grandstand has not been used since the 1990s, but remains in good shape while awaiting renovation.

The application for historic designation for Hamtramck Stadium was prepared by a volunteer team shepherded by Rebecca Binno Savage, historic preservation lead at Kraemer Design Group, PLC, in Detroit. Ms. Binno Savage is a resident of Hamtramck and was a member of the Mayor’s Committee to Save Hamtramck Stadium, chaired by City Council Member Cathie Gordon. Gary Gillette, a nationally known baseball historian and a Detroit resident, sparked the effort to save the historic Stadium with his presentation to Hamtramck City Council in 2010. Gillette also researched the Stadium’s historical significance for the Mayor’s Committee and made the successful presentation to the Michigan State Historic Preservation Review Board in Lansing in January 2012.

Hamtramck Stadium is located at 3201 Dan Street, a block east of Jos. Campau Street in Veterans Memorial Park on the south side of Hamtramck.

Facebook: HamtramckStadium

www.HamtramckStadium.org

Contacts

Gary Gillette, 313.614.9006 (GGillette@247Baseball.com)

Rebecca Binno Savage, Kraemer Design Group 313.510.4350 (Rebecca.Savage@thekraemeredge.com)

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