March 20th, 2017

Larry Dierker SABR Chapter Members:

Last night 33 members and friends were delighted to hear from former MLB pitcher Jeff Calhoun and author Bo Carter.

Jeff led off with a fascinating story about his life travels after graduating from Mississippi State University to the major league rosters of both the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies and on to his current position in Pastoral Care for the Second Baptist Church here in Houston. Jeff told delightful stories about his journey, his teammates and how he was responsible for the firing of Tal Smith here in Houston. Tal got a big kick out of the story. Jeff served as pitching coach for his alma mater and for 14 years was the pitching coach for his church's High School team, until replaced last year by some guy named Andy Pettitte. Jeff is an excellent speaker and a fine representative for baseball.

Bo Carter followed Mr. Calhoun and described in great detail the book "Dizzy Dean of Baseball & My Padnah" that he co-authored with Gene Kirby and Mark McDonald. The book is filled with wonderful photos of Diz and Gene Kirby. It is filled with numerous stories about Diz's playing career, his time as a broadcaster and salesman for Falstaff.

The trivia contest furnished by Maxwell Kates featuring former Astros and Expos players was won by Mike McCroskey with Tal Smith a very close second.

Important future dates:

Projections for the 2017 Astros win Contest are due by April 3rd.

Ticket money for the Skeeters game on May 8th is due by April 8th. Please send your checks, made out to the Sugar Land Skeeters to Mark Hudec, 235 River Grove Road,Sugar Land, TX 77478. Tickets are $31 each for the all you can eat buffet and game.

Babies play on April 8th in Sealy.

Next meeting is set for April 17th at Spaghetti Western with guest speakers Greg Lucas, Jay Lucas, Robin Rosell, Ira Liebman and Robbie Weinhardt.