Local chapter of Society of American Baseball Research gets big donation
Johnny McDonald | Downtown News
Baseball’s biggest collection of historic memorabilia this side of Cooperstown has found a permanent home on the eighth floor of San Diego’s Central Library. And, officials say, it will grow even larger.
Technically, it will be called the Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center, where books, score sheets, publications and photos are housed.
Speaking to a library auditorium audience on Feb. 15, Andy Strasberg, founder and vice president of the San Diego Chapter of the Society for Baseball Research, urged the public to contribute some of their treasures.
The William J. Weiss Collection of baseball history has been donated jointly to the library and San Diego Ted Williams Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research.
The collection, cultivated by Weiss, a well-respected baseball historian who worked with many minor league baseball teams, provides comprehensive player information equal to that available in the Cooperstown (N.Y.) National Baseball Hall of Fame.
As a baseball writer and official scorer for the minor league Padres in the days of Westgate Park, we furnished considerable amours of game reports to the untiring Weiss. What comes to mind were no hit, no run games pitched by Al Worthington and Sammy Ellis and catcher Jesse Gonder being selected by the Sporting News as national minor league player of the year.
The vast donation enhances San Diego’s position as holding the most comprehensive assemblage of baseball research materials.
There’s many to credit for this display where visitors can become engrossed in these archives of a sport that emerged in the 1870s. The records here will show that from those roots of the pioneering 1870s, the sport has blossomed into America’s summer pastime.
“I guess it’s because it’s America’s summer sport,” Strasberg said, explaining why the public has embraced baseball. “I’ve been a baseball fan all my life and developed the research center in 2000. I’ve donated a lot of my stuff already.”
Strasberg was also a member of the Padres organization for 22 years.
A rare treat for baseball buffs is a compilation of thousands of individual questionnaires that were filled out by high school ballplayers of past generations who would later play in the major leagues.
“We have some things Cooperstown doesn’t have,” Strasberg said.
“We are proud and honored to be the recipient of this remarkable collection,” said Dan Boyle, president of the San Diego Ted Williams Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research.
“The Weiss collection adds so much depth and richness to our already outstanding baseball research collection,” said Deborah L. Barrow, the San Diego Public Library director. “We are grateful to the Weiss’ for sharing this treasure trove of information that adds to the breadth of our collection. The Weiss contribution helps the Library connect to the community and provides a valuable resource that belongs to society.”
Additional items within the Weiss Collection are books and related literature, thousands of major league media guides, yearbooks and souvenir programs, editions of The Sporting News and baseball magazines, major and minor league score sheets and record books and newspaper and magazine clippings of memorable events, photos and stories.
Weiss, a longtime resident of Northern California, died in 2011 at age 86.
“I found box scores with my name in them,” said attendee Tom Rinks.
Rinks played three seasons as a minor leaguer in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system after being a member of San Diego State’s NAIA National Championship team in 1958, and later became baseball coach at Madison High.
“Honestly, that’s amazing that those kinds of things survived for more than 50 years,” Rinks said.
For more information about the local chapter of the Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center, visit sandiego.sabr.org or visit the new Downtown Central Library.
—After an award winning, 38-year sports-writing career with the San Diego Union and authoring three books, Johnny McDonald now considers writing a hobby. He enjoys covering aspects of the port district, convention center, Balboa Park, zoo, and stories with a historical bent. You can reach him at <a href=”mailto: [email protected]“> [email protected]</a>.
