Vol. II,
Issue #3 - May 2014
**
A Hall of
Fame Researcher - Bill "Dizzy" Deane
**
(Wolfman Shapiro continues to look for interesting
people to speak to on linkedin linked to
Major League Baseball. In this interview we meet Bill Deane who
is considered one of the
most dedicated baseball researchers and a good writer who had
the chance for Eight years
to work at the National Baseball Hall of Fame on a variety
of interesting projects.)
Wolfman:
Dear members, today I
have the privilege to speak with Bill "Dizzy" Deane who is a
very well respected MLB statistician, author and researcher. As
stated above, Mr. Deane was a senior research associate at the
National Hall of Fame for 8 years, so we will be talking with
Mr. Deane about his experiences at the Hall of Fame. Mr.
Deane is also the author of several baseball books and has also
performed consulting and research assignments for Bill James,
STATS, Inc. and Topps Baseball Cards. He is an honored member of
SABR (Society for American Baseball Research since 1982) and has
won a few awards for his devotion and work ethic to work with
Baseball statistics.
Mr. Deane,
welcome to the Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter.
Can you tell our members when you first became interested in
baseball?
What was so interesting for you about the game? How young were
you?
Bill
Deane:
I had no interest in baseball, and never played, until I was
ten. In the playground one
day, some of my classmates were talking about major league
baseball players and teams, and I was embarrassed that I
couldn't contribute. I resolved to learn all I could about the
game, as fast as I could. I started reading up on baseball
history, watching games on TV, and buying baseball cards and
publications. Pretty soon I knew more than my classmates. Along
the way, I fell in love with the game and its history.
Wolfman:
Did you play baseball
with other children, little league or in high school or college?
If so what was your main position?
Bill Deane:
Because I started late, and was painfully thin, I was behind the
curve, so to speak, in talent. I played in neighborhood pick-up
games, but failed to make the cuts for Little League and school
teams. I later took up slow-pitch softball and became quite good
at it. I've played in leagues for the past 33 years, mostly
pitching and playing outfield.
Wolfman:
How about the MLB
teams you rooted for when you were young? Who were your
favorite ball players you followed? Did you attend MLB baseball
games.
Bill Deane:
In one of the first games I ever saw on TV (1967), Pete Rose had
a great day and became my instant hero. So I rooted for the Reds
for most of my youth, then switched to the Phillies when Rose
joined them in 1979. I used to go to five or six games a year
(mostly at Shea Stadium) when I lived closer to a major league
park.
Wolfman:
Now can you tell how
you decided to become a baseball statistician and researcher?
What were the events which led you to make this a profession?
Bill Deane:
As I became more and more knowledgeable about the game, but
realized I was never going to be good enough to play it
professionally, I thought I could contribute as a baseball
statistician or writer. I wasn't sure how to go about it;
networking was very different in those days. I finally got my
first article published at age 24, and was on my way.
Wolfman:
What is there about
the game of baseball that you are passionate about? Since you
are also a historian, was there a particular season in baseball
that you really felt an affinity for - a specific time or a
special team that you became excited about?
Bill Deane:
I always had a fascination for baseball stats, and comparing
players across eras. Like most people, I have a soft spot for
the era during which I grew up, the late 1960s and '70s. As I
said, I rooted for Pete Rose's teams, so 1975, '76 and '80 were
good years for me.
Wolfman:
Can you tell us how
you were able to get a job with the National Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown. Can you give us some details about your experiences
as a senior research associate there - what does this job
entail? Did you enjoy the job?
Bill Deane:
The actual name is the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
and there is no formal connection with Major League Baseball. I
saw an ad where they were looking for a Senior Research
Associate, and applied, along with about 35 other people. I got
the job and worked there from 1986-94. I was in charge of the
National Baseball Library's research department, fielding
thousands of inquiries from fans and scholars around the world,
by mail, telephone, and in person (no Internet in those days!).
It was a dream job, though like any job, it had its negative
aspects.
Wolfman:
While working at the
Hall of Fame, we assume you knew about the various special
exhibitions that are displayed there - artifacts from the past,
things from ex-ball players - can you tell us about this?
Which of the exhibitions were your favorite? Do you ever recall
if there was an exhibition at the Hall of Fame that showed
various baseball board games?
Bill Deane:
The National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a huge facility,
and there is probably ten times as much material which is in
storage as on display. I didn't spend much time in the museum,
and wouldn't claim to be an expert of what they have there, but
I'm sure there are board games going back to the 1800s. My
favorite exhibits are two statues, of Babe Ruth and Ted
Williams. They were each carved out of single blocks of wood and
painted, life-sized and very life-like.
Wolfman:
Basically what are
the goals and purpose of the Hall of Fame beyond remembering and
recording which ex-MLB players are elected to the Hall for the
great achievements or which ballplayer would be considered the
greatest player ever? What other services or information does
the Hall of Fame provide for the public that most people don't
know about?
Bill Deane:
The Hall of Fame Gallery takes up only about 8% of the facility.
The rest is devoted to baseball history, from no-hitters to
uniforms to cards to women in baseball. Besides their research
services, the Library provides photos for fees.
Wolfman:
If I was to ask you
what is your most special baseball information that you have
researched, what part of baseball statistics is your area of
expertise, that you write about. What about baseball history,
which part of this history intrigues you the most?
Bill Deane:
Some of the things I've done the most research on are baseball
award voting, Hall of Fame voting, players who homered in their
final at bats, unusual deaths of former players, baseball myths
(the subject of my most recent book), and the hidden-ball trick
(the subject of my next book).
Wolfman:
During your time
either with at the National Hall of Fame or SABR, what are the
most special experience linked to baseball that you have had?
Has there been an amazing baseball game you attended? Did you
get to know any of the great major league ballplayers well -
perhaps even know a few as friends? Just what moments in
your life do you treasure and always cherish?
Bill Deane:
On April 29, 1978, I witnessed the best game of my favorite
player's career, when Pete Rose had three home runs and two
singles at Shea Stadium. Three months after I started working at
the Hall of Fame in 1986, I got to meet and see close-up the
induction of my second-favorite player, Willie McCovey.
My favorite encounters were when former players came to visit
the Hall of Fame during the off-season, and I could actually get
to spend some time with them without all the craziness of
induction weekend. One of these players, Wes Parker, became a
friend.
Wolfman:
Now related to
baseball strategy, since our members all play Strat-o-matic
Baseball where we serve as the manager and GMs of our team, what
are some of the key strategies you have discovered in your
research, or trends that a MLB club has utilized during their
season and helped them to have great success?
Bill Deane:
I'm not a big fan of "small-ball" strategies, like sacrifice
bunts or stolen bases. By giving up or risking outs, you might
increase your chances of scoring one run, but reduce your
chances of scoring four or five runs. Big innings are what win
games. I dislike the trend of using four or five pitchers in
every game. The deeper you go into your staff, the higher your
chances of giving up a big inning.
Wolfman:
For example will
teams with great pitching see more success than a team with
great hitting and power?
Bill Deane:
I think hitting is more of a skill than pitching; that is,
there's a bigger skill difference
among major league hitters than among pitchers. Of course, the
best teams usually have a good balance of hitting, pitching, and
defense.
Wolfman: You
told you had written a book called Baseball Myths - what is this
book about and what is some of the surprising information you
have discovered about baseball that most people are probably not
aware about?
Bill Deane:
The full title of this book is called "Baseball Myths: Debating,
Debunking, and Disproving Tales from the Diamond" (Scarecrow
Press, 2013). It covers about 80 subjects, from the myth that
Abner Doubleday invented baseball, to the misconception that
Jackie Robinson was the first black player in the majors, to the
illusion of clutch hitting. There is plenty of stuff about
famous guys like Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, and Pete
Rose, along with lesser-known players like Dummy Hoy and Willie
Aikens.
(Wolfman:
So who did invent baseball then and who was the first black
player in the majors?)
(1) The
development of baseball was the result of an evolutionary
process rather than a sudden "invention" by one person; (2)
Before the "color line" was drawn, the African-American Moses
"Fleet" Walker played in the major leagues in 1884; Robinson
broke the color line in 1947, but many other light-skinned
blacks may also have played before Robinson and even before
Walker.
Wolfman: Is
there anything else you would like to share with our members,
about some of your personal experiences linked with MLB or some
other aspects about being a statistician and writer that you
think it is important for our members to know more about?
Bill Deane:
It's great to be able to have some success doing something you
love. But if you're looking to get rich, you'd better find
another field.
Wolfman: If
one of our members would like to contact you directly Mr. Deane,
and this is possible, what is the best way for them to do so?
By e-mail at billdeane14@gmail.com
Wolfman: Thank
you Mr. Deane so much for sharing your spiritual insights and
knowledge about the game of baseball with our members. We wish
you all the best.
Bill Deane:
Thanks, same to you.
|
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Contained inside this exciting issue of Ultimate Strat
Baseball Newsletter:
(to view the various interviews, articles, columns and special sections click on
the links {underlined}
and this will take you to the appropriate
webpage)
♦
RETURN TO NEWSLETTER MAIN PAGE
♦
INTERVIEW with RALPH
POLUMBO,
2013 GUSSOMO league champion.
♦
SOM BASEBALL WORLD NEWS,
the current status on the Strat Tournament Players Club and SOM
Tours, a final farewell and honoring of Hank Smith.
♦
INTERVIEW with CARL
KIDWILER,
sports photographer and collector
(Special photographs of old NY Yankee players in his
collection.)
♦
QUESTIONNAIRE
with HANK SMITH
,
former Star Tournaments Commissioner and Ambassador --
Hank was one of the most beloved individuals in the SOM
Baseball World
and a key for the success of the Star
Tournaments. In this questionnaire which Hank and Wolfman
developed in 2007, Hank shares his secrets and keys for winning
in tournament
play based on drafting your team. If any member is so inspired
there is a blank form of this questionnaire you
can fill out and
send back to us to help us collect more data we can share at
some future time.
♦
SOM BASEBALL ONLINE REPORT with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO
--
editor of "The Ultimate Strat Newsletter" and 2012 CBA
Champion, the "Wolfman"
explores a whole new world of playing the SOM Baseball game
through the online gaming system which Strat-o-matic Offers. In
2001/2002, Strat-o-matic agreed with The Sporting News to offer
a version of their game which could be played completely on-line
using a web browser. In 2012, SOM told full charge of this
system and there is
a whole community now of people who are involved
in all type of draft leagues including a unique style of holding tournaments. In this issue, "Wolfman"
explains how the gaming system works and you sign-up for a
league plus he interviews the commissioner of the Barnstormers
Tournament and the 2013 Champion of this tournament. To
view this three part report, click on the links of the articles
to read shown below:
ARTICLE: Introduction
to SOM Baseball Online (the online gaming system)
INTERVIEW with MIGHTY MOOSE (R. Johnson), Barnstormer's Commissioner
INTERVIEW with BRUCE FOSTER, Barnstormers Tournament 2013 Champion
♦
COMMISSIONER's CORNER with MARC WASSERMAN
--
commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association (CBA) continues
his column about what it is like to be a League Commissioner.
In this article, he continues to focus his discussion on his own
league the CBA and shares the websites of other special baseball
leagues linked to the Strat Alliance.
♦
RECOMMEND
ON-LINE SOM RESOURCES
-- On-line Strat-o-matic and Baseball related websites that offer amazing information, special tools and products to improve
your game play
that we strongly recommend. In most cases, we have had personal contact with
these sources who agree with the principle to work together and help promote each other.
♦
BOOKS TO
DIE FOR and Become a BASEBALL GURU
-- This page
is
specifically about special books we are finding that either will
expand your insights about the game of Baseball, help you in the
creation of your current league teams or with your replays and
learn more about the Strat-o-matic Baseball Game and Game Company's
history. We
have a special arrangement with Acta Sports, who is a publisher
of a number of great baseball books (including Bill James
Handbooks) to offer for our members
a 10% discount. We will continue to add more books to this page in the future
as we uncover other gems our members should know about.
Contact Us for Questions or Submissions:
Wolfman Shapiro
co-Founder/Editor, the
Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter
email:
wolfman@ultimatestratbaseball.com
facebook:
www.facebook.com/wolfman.shapiro
twitter:
@StratBaseball4U
To Sign Up and Become a Member of this Newsletter
http://www.UltimateStratBaseball.com
(this provides direct emails when our bulletins
and next
issues come out)
