This was in this morning’s USA Today (February 16), print edition, page 3 of the sports section.
USA Today’s *Page 3.0*, focuses on “sports coverage online and on TV,” but thus far I haven’t actually seen this particular story online (or on TV)! So, I’ve reprinted the entire piece here. Let me give some props to USA Today and Bob Kimball. Thanks.
UPDATE: USA Today appears to have it posted here.
Negro Leagues get their due online
Baseball fans who love statistics- now there’s a redundancy- are about to get a jolt of satisfaction courtesy of two historians.
Chicago limousine dispatcher Scott Simkus and North Carolina book editor Gary Ashwill are combining on a four-year project to put Negro League statistics from 1900 to 1948 on baseball-reference.com.
The endeavor is an off-shoot of Simkus’ work on Negro Leaguers last fall with the computer and board game Strat-O-Matic.
“The game sort of reignited interest in the Negro Leagues,” Simkus says.
Using the growing amount of information already digitized, the pair hopes to have up to eight seasons available by April and 25 up this year, including the Negro League from 1916 to 1922 and the Cuban Winter League from 1904 to 1913.
Ashwill believes the project will right a wrong. “It’s about historical justice…you can’t really look up Josh Gibson the same way you can Babe Ruth and get their numbers,” he says.
Accuracy about Negro League stats has long been questioned, but Simkus says he’s confident about his project. Because he and Ashwill will match mathematical formulas, Simkus pegs batting averages at 97-98% accurate, RBI at 85% and ERA at 85-90%.
But why would two men who have jobs undertake such a large project?
“Seven days a week…thinking of baseball,” Simkus says.
“It’s an obsession.”
-Bob Kimball
We’re really looking forward to working with Sean Forman on this project.
But first, I just want to apologize to my stat-widow wife and research-orphan kids right now. The next couple years are sort of booked.
Oh, I almost forgot the new weekly ezine (Outsider Baseball Bulletin), which is scheduled to be released in April. We’ll have a web site up and everything. The magazine is going to feature a nice combination of original research, analysis, essays and humor. The focus will be baseball history (duh), with a heavy emphasis on Negro League, Cuban, Semi-Pro and Major League barnstorming. It’s going to be a subscription deal, but I’m giving away free copies at the beginning. Simply email me at s_simkus@yahoo.com. Put “baseball” in the subject line and we’ll send you a free copy when the new rag hits the digital streets.
And: If you haven’t already picked up the Strat-O-Matic Negro League set, shame on you! Go to www.strat-o-matic.com post haste!
My day was just made. Fantastic news!
Thank you. I’ve tried to scour the net for stats but always failed to find anything near complete.
Are these the stats that were part of the Hall of Fame study that they’re holding hostage?
Mike…..nope.
So your stats are original research independent of the “held hostage” Hall of Fame stats? Good for you! If those fools would’ve just released that stuff instead of suppressing it….This kind of info should be public domain, and a hearty thanks to you for doing the leg/finger/eye work!
1. So would you say your stats will be an “improvement” on the HOF’s?
2. Will you have just individual stats, or yearly and/or team stats for the Negro Leagues?
3. Will you include fielding stats as well?
Gary,
There’s still quite a bit of work to be done, but we’ll have a more detailed explanation regarding the scope of the work in the near future. Briefly, we intend these to be the most complete, most accurate statistics ever presented. We are rebuilding entire leagues, teams and individual stats. Fielding WILL be part of the presentation. Much of the deadball era stuff, and early 1920s is finished and will be on the web in a matter of months.
Scott
awesome – do u accept freelance research helpers – lmk lifelong bb fan – bretashman@hotmail.com
Scott -
I am grateful for whatever work is published, but wouldn’t it be feasible to publish the stats of the more recent Negro Leaguers first, let’s say from the 1940′s on up while the few who are still alive can see them and then put out the deadball era stuff?
Mike, no, it’s not feasible. We’re going to post the deadball/early 1920s data, because it’s finished. Some of this data represents 10 years of work! Next up, Gary and I are working concurrently on various 1920s and 1930s seasons. The 1940s will probably be last, unless volunteers step up to help.
As for the few remaining Negro leaguers wanting to “see” the statistics before they pass on, I don’t buy it. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I’ve talked to several former players, watched every documentary and read every book, and I don’t recall too many (any?) former players clamoring for a statistical database. Really, I don’t. They lived it, played in the segregated leagues, and it seems they’ve always been more concerned with recognition and respect.
The stats are for us; guys like you and I. Baseball fans, historians, writers, sabermetricians. Stats are going to help us *see* the teams, leagues and players from the black leagues, even though we weren’t there. Stats are going to help improve the quality of writing and analysis of Negro League ball. And with improved writing and analysis, we will have done our part when it comes to recognition and respect.
Hey Scott.
Hope things are finding you and your family well. I rarely have the opportunity to pick up a USA Today, but the day of the printing, I just happened to be staying in a hotel and stumbled upon this article. I was/am excited to say the least. Since the beginning of April, I have been checking BBR nearly everyday in hopes of finding some of this info as my interest in the Negro Leagues has greatly increased. Learning about Louis Santop, Bingo DeMoss, and Bullet Joe Rogan is like hearing about Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, George Sisler, etc. all over again.
Any news on when BBR will be adding some of your work?
Thanks for all your work on this. Hearing about Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb is nice, but having the numbers to show how great they were … amazing … can’t wait for the same opportunity with these legends.
Scooter,
Much of the data is already in the hands of Baseball Reference. They’re currently in the process of converting the dead ball Cuban League data into a compatible format for the web.
Scott Simkus
Great news! Their site is just a ridiculous fountain of knowledge. Thanks again for making your incredible work available.
Any idea when the data will be available on Baseball Reference?
Unfortunately, no. I don’t know. It’ll be this year, probably this fall. But you’d have to ask Sean Forman. He has 90% of the dead ball era stuff from us. He’ll soon have the first three Negro League seasons (1920-22) as well. BBref has been adding a lot of amazing stuff this year, and the Negro League data has been pushed back a bit. But soon enough, the data will be there, and it will be as if it’s always been available. Baseball history will be a little different moving forward…
Am I missing something, or is this data still not available?
Baseball-reference has all the data. As to why they haven’t been posted yet, that’s a question for Sean Forman at baseball-reference. It’s out of my hands. But….if you want a sneak peak at some of the data, and the behind-the-scenes research chatter and statistical analysis…go to http://www.outsiderbaseball.com. We have a subscription ezine that publishes small gulps of numbers….with all kinds of cool extras that will never be at bb-ref. Only $22 a year.