Baseball Historians, Fanatics Hold SABR Conference In Mpls

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Like to talk baseball? Then Minneapolis is the place to be.

This week downtown Minneapolis will host a national convention for SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research.

It's a baseball organization consisting of 500 members. However, they have no authority or official function with the game; they just love to talk baseball -- the statistics, the nuances of the game. The convention itself is about books, authors and anything that fine-tooth combs baseball.

Member Dan Levitt said the convention gives the superfans a chance to talk with others like themselves.

"There's not a lot of people you can go around talkin' about baseball in 1915 with, but you can here," he said.

The members engage in lively debates. One of the hot topics at this year's convention is replay technology. Claudia Perry had an articulate opinion concerning how replay technology would likely change the fabric of the game.

But the members nearly have a consensus on one aspect of the game – that it should be played outdoors.

"They're kind of purists, historians," said Brenda Himrich. "So that's sort of what they like. I like the retractable roof, because I don't care for rain outs."

More than anything, people there want understanding their passion, knowing that SABR is a unique community that
allows them, and encourages them, to express it.