CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Society for American Baseball Research(SABR) and Sporting News are happy to announce that Peter Bjarkman, Timothy A Johnson, Rob Neyer and Bill James will receive The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research award at this year's annual convention in Toronto.

Bjarkman will be recognized for the research he did to produce his book, Diamonds Around the Globe:  The Encyclopedia of International Baseball, published by Greenwood Press.  This work traces the history of baseball in Australia, Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the rest of the world. Bjarkman profiles the teams and leading players from each country. He also covers the history of tournament play throughout the world, including Olympic baseball. This volume provides an invaluable and unprecedented source on the growth of America's "national pastime" into a global phenomenon that one day might feature a true World Series.

Johnson will be acknowledged for the research he did to produce his book, Baseball and the Music of Charles Ives:  A Proving Ground, published by Scarecrow Press. Through intelligent discussion of Ives's musical compositions combined with solid research on the composer's lifelong love of the American pastime, Ives's pioneering spirit and unique creativity are highlighted most clearly in this work.

Neyer and James will be honored for the research they did to produce their book, The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers, published by Fireside Books, a division of Simon and Schuster.  A culmination of 12 years of research, the centerpiece of this book, the "Pitcher Census," lists specific information for nearly two thousand pitchers, ranging throughout the history of professional baseball.

The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award honors those individuals whose outstanding research projects completed during the preceding calendar year have significantly expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball. It has been awarded annually since 1995 and each winner receives a plaque and a cash award, sponsored by The Sporting News. Nominations for the award are sought beginning in October.

The judges for this year's contest were Leslie Heaphy, Ron Kaplan and Glenn Guzzo.

The winners will be honored at the Awards Luncheon of the 35th Annual SABR National Convention held this year in Toronto.  To attend the awards luncheon register online or contact the SABR National office by phone:  (800) 969-7227 or email: info@sabr.org.