i’ve had a lot going on personally and its kept me at a distance from this site.  i hate that and anticipate that changing course in the next few days when my mrs returns home.

Melissa and Bella

i’m happy to say that i’m a grandpa again (third time, all girls).  my daughter in north carolina had her first baby yesterday morning.  the little blessing came two weeks before her due date and still weighed over 8 pounds.  for those of you across the pond, take that monetary price and convert it to the metric weight system.  i can’t keep up with all of that.  ;-)  my wife has been with my daughter since christmas eve helping her during the last few days before delivery.  she comes back home late new years day and i’m anxious for her return.

Richie at his 25th birthday party

when my wife is gone, i’m responsible for my handicapped son.  anyone who cares for a handicapped individual knows it can be a taxing task at times.  my son, who is 25, has duchennes muscular dystrophy.  he was diagnosed at nine and permanently in a wheel chair by the time he was 11.  when he was diagnosed at nine the doctors told him the average lifespan of a person with this disease was 12.  that’s a huge thing to throw at a kid.  thankfully medicine has come along way since then, especially within cardiac and pulmonary fields.  the average lifespan is now considered late teens or early twenties.  he’s beyond that at 25.  most of the friends he had with the same disease have now passed on, but my son keeps his faith.  he’s a firm believer in Jesus Christ and hopes for a miraculous healing.  all i know is that either on this side of eternity or the other, my son will walk again. for more information about duchennes muscular dystrophy or how you can help my son get some specialized treatment, you can visit his site.

but while his mom is gone, all his needs have fallen to my shoulders and i haven’t had the time to get any gaming in.  its frustrating, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  my better half will be home late saturday.  at that point (ok, more like sometime sunday afternoon) i’ll get back into the card flipping and playing out some games.

SPBL

in other news the SPBL (Statis Pro Baseball League) is taking shape.  we have our fourteen owners in place and have decided on the pool teams.  player lists will be released in early January and a rules discussion will take place sometime in mid-late January.  its all taking shape as we prepare for our inaugural season.  its a retro league being played ONLINE and using the 1974 statis pro advanced card set.  and as a caveat, we’re international!  we’ve got two owners from europe.  i guess there’s not enough tabletop cricket games on the market.  :-)

that brings you up to speed with this site and my life.  as we enter the last couple days of 2010 i hope you take stock of your year and count the blessings you know of and those you may have overlooked.  i wish a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year to all of you.

-chief

its december and there is a lot going on.  the holidays are here and that always puts a slowdown in the path of the ADD brain.  all these parties, get-togethers, special dinners, family gatherings … don’t these people know we’ve got tabletop baseball games to talk about and play!?  obviously not.  you would think in my 45 years those in my life would have learned my ways by now, but nope.

my wife had been out of town helping my stepdaughter who went into labor a week ago.  her water hasn’t broken, but she’s had continual back labor pains for a full week.  the hospital, a military hospital, has told her, “go home, do some walking.  if your water breaks or the contractions get worse, come back.”  but while the mrs was away, i was fully responsible for my stepson who has Duchennes MD.  that’s a monumental task that the entire family chips in to help since he is unable to do anything for himself.  but with my wife gone, all of the primary needs fell on my shoulders.  gaming came to a major slowdown for me for about a week.

this weekend is a couple of parties, some private coaching sessions, and continuing to get the brand new SPBL (statis pro baseball league) fully functional.  speaking of the SPBL, we have ONE OPENING.  first come, first serve.  the league will start in March, though the prep work is well under way.  our season will only be 50 games long and there will be plenty of time to get those done.  playing online.  it’s gonna be a blast.  you KNOW you want in.  so email me and let me know!

the 1975 AL replay had been in a major slowdown since thanksgiving.  but last night i had some time and locked myself away with the cards in front of me.  i had a blast as i went through several games and was able to conclude april 30th.  today and tomorrow i’ll get the write ups done and posted, so watch for those soon.

the next big step will be doing some analysis between april 1975 real life vs april 1975 replay.  soon, friends, soon.

-chief

i’ve been working on this site since june.  but it wasn’t until august that i started to advertise it.  and you know what?  in these two months, we’ve had over 9,000 hits.  9k!  that’s a lot of traffic.  there is a lot of interest in this game.  sure it’s been officially off the market for nearly two decades, but many people remember this game, love this game, and are probably still PLAYING this game.

so where are you all?  here’s what i think … i think the vast majority of people are now wrapped up in replays.  those that are still flipping the FAC are doing their own thing on their own time at their own pace.  and while that’s all fine and good, it’s not enough.  really, it’s not.  i have my own replay going, so i really do understand.  don’t slam me for coming down on you replayers out there because i am one of you.  but i also know that this game can and should also be played face to face or VIRTUAL face to face (using AIM chat rooms and skype).

we’ve become too self absorbed.  yeah, life is stressful.  yeah we need a break.  but what better way to get a break than playing a great game and hanging out with some friends (making them, if you’re joining a league).  baseball isn’t meant to be a closet sport where you have to make all the decisions for both teams.  get someone else’s perspective and decision making involved.

have you ever played chess by yourself?  BORING!!  and  while SP isn’t quite as boring as solo-chess, it can become a drag and it’s more fun to challenge yourself against someone else.

league play … i’m in two different leagues.  both of them use dynasty league baseball as the game of choice.  one is my own and the other is a league out of toronto.  in both leagues the majority of games are played online.  it ties up a bit of time over the weeks, but not substantially.  in my league we have 16 teams and play a 60 game schedule.  the other league is made up of 24 teams and they play out 72 games.

trust me, it does take a little bit of time, but it’s time you would probably be wasting doing something inane like watching the discovery channel.  with as little as two hours per week, you could be hammering out a three or four game series against another opponent.

now i know another “problem” or “opportunity”, as the corporate world likes to call them, is that i’m not marketing any one game.  this site is a portal, if you will, for all things statis pro.  that means that there are multiple people selling different variations of the game.  but if you use that as your excuse not to start finding opponents than you probably only buy gas at ONE filling station.  “i can’t buy gas from that other gas station because it’s not brand X.”  c’mon.  i don’t buy that excuse.

so free yourself up, take a chance, reach out and sign up for the player list.  click HERE and send me your name, city/state, and if you want to play face-to-face, computer, or both.  it’s that simple.  then others will start contacting you OR you can contact them.

so with all this traffic, all this interest, isn’t it time to sign up?  i promise i’m not going to sell your info.  but i am going to see if we can get something drummed up with the idea of a league or leagues.  i’ve been involved in leagues for 20 years.  it’s as much fun today as it was in the beginning.  AND i can still do a replay on the side.

trust me, no one, and i mean NO ONE, is as busy as i am.  but we’re not talking a lot of time.  we ARE talking a lot of fun.  so come on, click on the link, send me the details and let’s get this thing going and growing!

-chief

we’re at the end of a short week, but it’s been a long one (at least for me).  seems like i’ve had projects, distractions, or responsibilities interfering with my statis pro hobby all week long.  do you ever have weeks like that?

some tidbits from this week that have crossed my path …

1. someone on the delphiforum asked if there were any games that has minor league sets (he’s specifically looking for a game that would create a set for this year’s Midwest League).  i’d love for someone who generates cards to step to the plate for him.  it would be cool to win over another tabletop gamer to the greatness of statis pro baseball.  anyone?
2. statis pro baseball online released another variation this week that will allow the batter’s card to be visible, too.  i’ve tried the demo and it’s nice.  it’s cool to be able to use the FAC right there on the computer.  it’s cool that you can, in theory (i’ve not tried it yet), play against someone on the net using that system.  i’m not happy about the inability to use cards like SPA where there are L/R splits and an entirely different set of FAC.  also, i tried putting players at different positions (only one listed on the cards) and couldn’t figure out a way to do it.  i.e. i wanted to put one of the phillie players in as a DH.  wouldn’t work.  maybe i just didn’t know how.i also noticed that all the players only have one position listed.  i know some of those players played multiple positions, so how would you do that?  maybe John will chime in here and provide some insight.
3. the site got a lot of hits when i posted how to use the chat rooms to play games online.  i think there is a lot of interest, but folks may be leery of jumping into the wading pool.  c’mon, guys.  try it.  i promise it will work just great.  my DLB league is in it’s 12th year and going strong.  so don’t be shy … try it out.  it’ll work, i promise.
4. we had an initial buzz on the statis pro LIST (getting on the list so people could find players in their area or to play over the interweb).  but it’s slowed.  we’ve got 15 or so, but i was hoping to be around 35 or so by now.  maybe i haven’t “hyped” it enough.  but here’s another post discussing it.  if you’ve thought about it, but weren’t sure, go ahead and try it.  leagues are cool.  or tournaments.  or just an occasional online game, even.
5. a couple of card set developers talked about length of time between end of season and new card sets being available.  SPA takes a few weeks (it’s an in depth, L/R split type of game).  Brian Y gets his out in about a week (a more traditional AH approach to the set, but still solid), and DICE Ball takes a two or three weeks (i think that’s what he said).
6. AND lastly, i’ll be finishing april 18th tonight.  if so, a post will come out later today or tomorrow morning.  i’ve got another very hectic weekend about to occur and am hoping to get the post done because the games WILL be done tonight.  while i’m thinking of it, just a note that i’ll start posting stat leaders after i’ve completed april 20th games.

a couple of things i hope for this weekend … if you’ve been lurking (and hopefully enjoying) this site, subscribe.  and the second hope is that you get a chance to dig out statis pro baseball and enjoy some great gaming!

-chief

the drawback i faced as a kid was trying to find local kids to play statis pro baseball.  there were a few around, but not enough for a full league.  or at least not enough that had interest in the game.  and now, three decades later, not much has changed except there are even fewer playing the game (for now).  this problem is not exclusive to statis pro. i’ve been involved in dynasty league baseball since their first year back in 1994.  the same problem exists with that game and every other tabletop baseball game on the market.

i’ve mentioned before that i run a DLB online league that is in it’s 12th season.  we don’t use the computer game.  but we use computers to play the tabletop game.  as ricky ricardo would say, “let me do some splainin’.”

DLB is a dice driven game.  two opponents each have their team (the players cards) laid out in front of them (the un-trusting types have their opponents team in front of them, too).  using AIM chat rooms, you would type in a dice command and then hit enter.  the number is randomly generated and populated in the room so that anyone in the room can see the result.  you both look up the number and the result then go on to the next batter.

EXAMPLE:
riqr: next up is Pokey Reese.  my defense is set.
febc1965: he’ll swing away.
onlinehost: Riqr rolled 3 10-sided dice:  3   7   4
febc1965: 374 is a hard ground out to second base

it’s that easy.  since then we’ve simplified a bunch of stuff to keep from typing so much.  kind of like short hand.  but it’s easy to catch on.  the biggest transition we’ve made is ADDING skype to our process.  now instead of typing everything, we can talk over the internet to our opponent.  the only thing we used the chat room for now is the dice rolling (it’s automated and you can’t cheat the system).  of course, you’d need a microphone or headset for that.

we’ve been doing this for 12 years and have 16 teams in the league.  at the end of this season the league will have played over 5,000 games using the internet since we started in 1999.  our league members cover all of north america and have even had some from europe and south america in years past.  using this system definitely makes finding opponents much easier.

so HOW do we use this type of system for statis pro advanced?  very similarly. you have one player roll the dice for the PB and the other roll the dice for the random number.  derrick has already built in dice rules for those who aren’t big fans of the FAC (i am, but the FAC doesn’t easily lend itself to the interweb).  with his dice rules in place, the exact same type of gaming procedure is done.  that means it’s just a matter of finding people who are willing to commit to a couple of hours per week to be part of a league.

obvious questions:

1. do you have to use statis pro advanced?
   no.  any type of statis pro card set should work fine.  i just like SPA.
2. do you have to use a microphone?
   no.  only if you want to use skype and be able to talk to your opponent.  if you decide you’d rather type out the results, that’s fine, too.  in the FEBC (my league), we have a couple of owners who refuse to play using skype because they know that they’re not always the best sportsman, so they diffuse any potential hard feelings by keeping it all in a chat room and their opponent can’t hear their gripes.  but skyping does speed up the process … especially if you’re a slow typist.
3. how much does AIM cost?  and skype?
   nadda.  it’s a free download and is available for any computer platform (to my knowledge).  the same with skype?  free, free, free.
4. how much time does it take to play a game online?
   if you’re using skype, the game would take about the same amount of time to play as if you’re playing face to face.  if not using skype, add some additional minutes for typing the results into the chat room.
5. how is this different than what statis pro online is offering?
   john’s system is very good since it does allow for true FAC (no dice).  the limitations will be the card sets that are available.  anyone that has done splits in their card manufacturing or have made modifications to the gaming system can’t really use his system.  SPO is designed for the traditional AH card design.  the approach i’m offering will allow those with mods (including L/R splits) to be able to play their games online.  don’t get me wrong, john’s system is great, but won’t work for everyone.  this gives the rest of us an alternative.

it should be easy to see at this point that the game can be played online.  the next group of questions always involve, who, when, how, and what season.  with the FEBC we’re always using the most recent season.  we play during baseball season and it’s easy to see how it all fits together.  you’re watching players perform this year and making trades in the league with some sort of idea on how it could help you next year.  that should be just as easy with SP (pick your version).

but with so many retro seasons available, it would be fun if we could get a retro league going during the fall and early part of the year.  a shorter season.  maybe 40 games.  then to pick a season and get enough people on board.  these are the things that drive me.  baseball,  and maybe more appropriately, tabletop baseball, is one of my great passions.

-chief

it’s not dead.  Statis Pro Baseball, long thought to be dead (at least by AH, Hasbro, and Wizards of the Coast) was merely in a coma.  the vital signs were steady, but the game was unresponsive for the most part.  now, yes NOW, there are strong indications that a sleeping giant is starting to awaken.  there is a lot of interest, discussion, and traffic because of SP.  maybe it’s partly due to all those childhood memories of playing games in a time of innocence.  but i think it’s much bigger than that.

people are tiring of the 50/50 game engine.  strat will always have it’s following.  other games like DLB, Ballpark  Baseball, Triple Play all incorporate a 50/50 method.  you throw the dice, they bounce off the table with a clatter, collide with the pen you’re scoring with, and settle.  half of the results will come off the pitcher’s card.  the other half off the batter’s.  it just depends on the randomness of those pesky dice.

tom terrific

fergalicious

not so with Statis Pro.  the control factor is based on the pitcher’s ability to control the game, the tempo, the happenings.  get someone like Roy Holiday or Tim Lincecum on the mound and the game shifts from batters having an equal chance to a less than equal (depending on the quality of the mounds man). that’s the way it should be.  along those lines, there are fewer extra base hits because those all come off the hitters card and not the pitchers.  so having the pitcher in control more gives your team an overall better chance than the traditional 50/50 where the pitcher has just as much chance to K the batter as the slugger ripping a triple off a range that’s only three wide.  we’ve all been there.  it’s frustrating.

will davis walk? not much

i can hear some of you saying, “but chief, that also means some pitchers may not give up as many extra base hits as they normally would.  doesn’t that make the game statistically inaccurate?”  yes.  there, i said it.  the answer for you is yes.  it can’t be as statistically accurate without some modifications.  before i go further, i will say that the same inability to be as statistically accurate occurs in all of the 50/50 games.  you don’t have control over where those dice will land or whose card you look at.  it’s RANDOM.  i’ve played seasons where a DOMINANT starting pitcher will finish the season with a 4.25 ERA due in great part to dice that HATE ME (and trust me, they DO hate me).

one of the main reasons why i’m giving Statis Pro Advanced such a long hard look isn’t just the revamped SP game engine.  yes, it’s true the pitching control factors will allow good pitchers to be in control more.  that is a plus over the 50/50.  it’s not just the added L/R abilities, though it is cool to see where a pitcher may be a 2-6 vLH and a 2-7 vRH.  that gives you solid tools to manage your players.  it’s not just the added control factors such as a + rating for walks on both the pitchers and batters cards that indicate either the pitcher didn’t issue many walks or the batter didn’t like to walk.  and it’ s not just the additional PB ranges, though those additional ranges will give a wider variable of abilities of controlling the game and yet still allow for those pesky extra base hits because the range is altered some.

alsbury steak

cobra

it’s a combination of all of those factors.  some guys don’t hit well against the opposite side.  some pitchers don’t do well against certain sides.  this game takes that into account.  good pitchers will be in control more often than the hitter.  and some pitchers will just cause their manager to start chain smoking while they’re on the mound.  the control factors added are nice.  some pitchers will give up extra base hits off their card (a modifier requiring a BD roll – see Albury’s card to the right) because they are prone to those doubles, triples, and tater tots.  but most importantly, maybe even more so than a greater statistical accuracy, is the flow and feel of a true baseball game.  not a tabletop game, but a baseball game.

ok, now the flip side of this coin.  what are the drawbacks?  there are some things that i don’t particularly care for.  at least not yet.  i’m 18 games into the 1975 AL replay.  there’s another 950 more games to go, give or take a few.  i want to get much deeper into the replay before i start ripping at the things i don’t like.  18 games is not a large enough sampling.  but i’m noticing more errors than i thought would occur.  could it be some flukey stuff?  sure.  that’s why i’m not casting a judgment on it yet.  i’ m not a fan of the SB chances or the automatic runner advancement on base hits (flip the FAC and compare to the chart … runner goes or doesn’t) with only a 12.5% chance that truly gives me an option.

some of these are minor bothersome issues.  for me the most important things are (in order): playability, statistical accuracy, available seasons, price.

• does SPA have playability?  absolutely.  again, there are things i don’t like (or at least not comfortable with yet), but it IS very playable.  i love the flow.  i love the feel.  it feels like a baseball game, not a game called ‘baseball’.
• is it statistically accurate?  unknown.  i think more so than the old version.  and i think it will be more accurate than the 50/50 games.
• are there all the available seasons i want?  not yet, but derrick doing this as a part time job and there are already a lot of seasons (including the most recent) available.
• is the price reasonable?  yes.  the two options of either a PDF or reasonably priced cards are both available to you.  i recommend getting the printed, but the choice is yours.

statis pro baseball is making it’s come back.  one of the major concerns i have is if the game can come back strong enough to start rivaling companies like Strat, could MLB be far behind asking for money?  we’ve got a long way to go before we’re on their radar.  so i think it’s vital that we take the next important step, regardless of which variant you use, PLAY THE GAME.  start playing statis pro and remember why it was such a great game.  then start getting other baseball fans to try it out.

anyone up for a retro league during the off-season?  say something in the neighborhood fo 40 games or so between october and march?  count me in!

-chief

i’ve been getting emails with questions about the site, the game, and about me personally.  so here we go as i address some of the questions …

Q — chief?  why chief?  i used to follow the Syracuse Chiefs.  anything to do with that?
A — sorry, no.  it’s a name that i’ve been called for the last dozen years.  it started with my DLB league that i began in the summer of 1999.  the league is called the Fat Elvis Baseball Collective (aka FEBC).  since we went with the thought of ‘collective’ we assumed everyone was an Elvisian.  as commissioner i became the Chief Elvis.  then over the years, just shortened to Chief.

Q — will there be a place on the site to list folks who play SP?  this way they might be able to find others in their area.
A — yep!  i’m working on that and an announcement will probably come later this week or early next week.  while the game CAN be played in chat rooms via the internet (there are dice rules already in place), it would be ultra cool to play face-to-face.  with that being said, having a repository of available players and emails would be nice.  i’m still working out the details of how i want to set that up because some people don’t want their email addresses made public.

Q — i heard there is a computer version of SP, is that true?
A — it’s on the horizon.  John Goecken is developing one currently and hopes to have it available for testing very soon.  from what i hear it’s gonna be pretty cool.

Q — are you a bengals fan?  i see you use the bengals logo.
A — nope.  no offense to the bengal fans out there, but i’m a long time bears fan.  the TIGER logo (yes, copied from the bengals) is my team logo in the FEBC (my team is the Tupelo Tigers).  and no, i’ve never won a championship.  i can run a great league, but can’t seem to be a good GM.  go figure.

Q — are you only replaying the AL?
A — right now, yes.  i want to do the NL also, but for a couple of reasons i’m doing AL only right now.  first, i’ve never done a replay more than just a single team.  taking on a whole league is multiple times bigger and will take longer.  for that reason i wanted to strengthen my chance of completing.  secondly, i have ADHD and folks with that acronym have a tendency to start things then never finish.  so i’m counting on my obsessive compulsiveness to kick in and force me to finish.  WHEN i’m done with the AL (speaking positively) then i will move on and play out the ’75 NL.

Q — what other games have you played?
A — for now i’ll stick with sport games.  almost every AH sport game.  favorites were paydirt and statis pro baseball.  the football games lacked (my opinion only, so don’t slam me), and basketball was good, but just not much into basketball … but then again, 5’6″ fat guys usually aren’t.  strat football (GREAT game) is the only football game outside of AH that i tried.  regarding baseball: Statis Pro (obviously), Sherco, APBA, Pursue the Pennant, Strat-O-Matic, Dynasty League Baseball, Longball, Triple Play, IBL, and i’m sure a couple of more that i’m forgetting at the moment.  of those, SP and DLB have monopolized my table top sports gaming.

Q — is there anyone who’s done with Statis Pro Football what you’re doing here?
A — not currently.  while i was never much into SP Football (probably because it didn’t lend itself well to solitaire play well for me) i did hear there was a site, but it has since gone under.  checking various spots on the delphiforum is a great place to get info.

Q — where are you getting the images of the baseball cards?  i think they’re really cool and remind me of my childhood.
A — thanks.  i have a very large baseball card collection.  i started when i was young and have about 18 complete sets.  most are from the 70s and 80s.  but sometimes i just search on the web for a certain player and if i can find him, i’ll capture the screen shot.  hopefully i won’t have the web police coming after me.  i try not to borrow much and if it’s something more than just an image (like the interview with Jim Barnes), i do go to the site and request permission before posting. [thanks again to Butch Wo and the guys at baseballgames.dreamhosters.com]

Q — do you know of any leagues using Statis Pro?
A — unfortunately, no.  i know a TON of people are doing either team or season replays using one of the many variants of SP.  i’m currently in two leagues using DLB, so i know it can be done.  the biggest source of consternation would be the lack of SP players out there.  most likely it’s because AH stopped selling in 93 and the game has been dormant publicly and only minimally played “under ground”.  but it’s high time this game be brought back to the main stream.  that’s part of the reason for this site.  the other major factor is table top games in general, let alone sport games, is a dying breed.  IF people are playing games, the  great, great percentage of them are playing computer or video games.  heck even i play Out of the Park Baseball from time to time.  but us table top gamers are mostly 40-60 years old and reliving our childhood before the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of the world took us from Atari to flat screen, gig-a-squat nerd boxes.  all that being said, i WANT to see a league begin.  i want to see a league flourish and have others start one because they can find others that are successful.  but we’ve got to get new players playing the game. we’ve got to get the next generation back at the table with the FAC or dice.

Q — how many games in your replay do you play a week?
A — it depends.  some weeks are very busy.  i’m very involved in many activities.  but i don’t watch much tv and that helps me be able to crank out games here and there.  my goal is to try and finish at least one replay day per week.  sometimes that’s only two or three games, but i know there will be days like april 27, 1975 that had 9 AL games that day.  my main goal is to keep chipping away at it and not get locked into a “games per week” scenario.  right now i’m 1/81st of the way through.  :-)  so i have a long way to go, but i AM on the way.

Q — do you have a life?
A — i’m assuming they meant that question positively and not something like, “GET a life”.  yes.  i do. a very full one.  i have five kids in my blended family.  the youngest two are my natural kids and they’re both in high school.  the older three are my wife’s from a previous marriage.  the oldest of them has duchenne’s MD and requires 24 hour care.  we never leave him alone as there is always someone around.  the next child is married and they live with us (along with my two beautiful granddaughters), the youngest of my wife’s (and our MIDDLE child) is a journalist in the marines, and i’ve already mentioned the last two.  my son is a senior with aspirations of playing college baseball and my daughter is a sophomore with aspirations of ruling the world.

as mentioned before in other blog posts, i also coach 5th and 6th grade baseball.  that occupies 3-4 days a week.  i run the FEBC and we’re in our 12th season.  i participate in another DLB league that is in their 24th season.  between the two leagues i’m responsible for 132 games plus playoffs if i’m lucky.  i also webmaster the FEBC site and help maintain three additional sites apart from this one.

when i’m not doing any of that, i have a full time job, am extremely active in my church (music ministry and men’s ministry), i like to read, write (i have one unpublished book and the start of another), and play disc golf.   man, i think i need a vacation from me!

KEEP the questions coming.  and again, i urge you to go ahead and subscribe to the site.  i’ll do my best to keep you updated on the latest SP news and also to entertain you along the way.

-chief

how much baseball is too much baseball?  even among those that play tabletop games i find the split about half or a little more than half that put away the baseball games when their league games are done or football season begins.  now many of you may not be participating in a league, but are instead involved in team or season replays.  so the question becomes yours, “when the real baseball season is over, do you put the game(s) away for awhile and move on to another sport?”

when i was younger i found myself playing statis pro basketball, strat football, and some statis pro football.  i tried the hockey games, but just couldn’t get into them.  and my baseball games would almost always hit the closet shelves until spring training.  then i’d pull them out and play some “spring training” games.  as i’ve gotten older the other sports have fallen to the side.  i play my baseball games nearly year round now.  part of that is due to baseball leagues that venture into the fall or even winter before they are scheduled to be over, but even that aside (and with my replay), i’ll play baseball year round.  (i do manage to fit in some boxing games during the fall, but only baseball during baseball season.)

i coach baseball nearly year round.  that’s one of the benefits of being in a warmer climate.  only 3 months out of the year are spent away from the actual baseball field.  i get november thru january off before i start gathering the kids to start working on throwing and batting mechanics.

so how about YOU?  is baseball a year round passion?  or do you set the baseball games aside and move on to other sports and sport games during the off season?

-chief

the site continues to grow . . .

my son at yankee stadium

there’s a new header image.  how do you like it?  is it annoying or does it add to the site?  a couple of years ago i took my son to a yankee game.  it was the last year in the stadium and since he’s a HUGE fan of the yankees, i felt he needed to attend a game before it was torn down.  this is a pic from that game (altered slightly to fit).  the bombers destroyed the friars of san diego.  he had a great time.  we had a great time.

now posted on the LINKS page is an interview with Jim Barnes.  this has been out for a few years, but many have not read it.  its an interesting conversation with the guy who created Statis Pro Baseball.  it covers his thoughts about the game, what he’s doing now, and gives you a glimpse into his mind.

also, coming soon is an interview with the creator of Statis Pro the Pennant.  from my brief understanding it was a blend of SP and Pursue the Pennant (hence the name).  he’s currently working on a project many, many of you may have an interest in … a computer version of SP.  you’ll know more as soon as i know more.  stay tuned.

and lastly, i’m two games in to the next set of replay games.  i should finish the last four over the weekend.  (for those of you who are following.)

-chief

i’m well aware that in our hectic paced life filled with work, family, and tabletop baseball games, there just isn’t much time to relax.  kicking back on an afternoon to read isn’t always high our lists, but it should be.  today i want to share with you three books that i thought were excellent.  if you’ve not read these, go to the library, check out used book sales, or click over to amazon.com.  they’re well worth the read.

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Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend
by Larry Tye

satchel paige has long been one of my baseball heroes.  when i’m asked of the greats of all time, his name is always included with the likes of babe ruth, sandy koufax, walter johnson, christy mathewson, ty cobb, honus wagner, hank aaron, tom seaver, nolan ryan, and thurman munson (he’s my all time favorite, so cut me some slack).  satchel is a legend.  self made legend, true, but a legend never-the-less.  and legend status doesn’t get justified without skins on the wall.  forty years of pitching are more than enough skins to justify ol’ satchel.

during the 20’s and 30’s he was touted by many as THE fastest pitcher to ever throw a ball.  when the yankees wanted to see if a young dimaggio was ready for the bigs, they sent him to satchel for approval.  the yankees were ecstatic when joltin’ joe got a hit in four plate appearances and declared him ready for the show.  and in 1965, satchel returned to the major leagues as a publicity stunt to pitch 3 innings against the red sox only allowing one hit (yaz).  if only the color barrier didn’t exist we might have truly known just how great he was.

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Fair Ball: A Fan’s Case for Baseball
by Bob Costas

it was this book that made me realize bob costas was THE man that should be named major league baseball’s commissioner.  he’s sharp, passionate about baseball, has a ton of great ideas, and well liked by many.  while looking back and willing to carry history and tradition forward, he’s also smart enough to know changes need to be made for our great game to survive long term (the book was written in 2000 and his ideas STILL should be implemented).

costas has strong opinions on several areas of the game, but spends a lot of time focusing on the financial aspects of the game including the haves and have nots of club ownership.  he gives great ideas that should be implemented such as a salary cap both for maximum and minimum levels.  that would prevent teams that could receive revenue sharing from just pocketing the money and claiming a loss from the business end.

his insights on inter-league play, the designated hitter, wild card playoff teams, and the future of the sport are all explored in depth.  his love for baseball is well known and his book goes to great lengths to review the problems and then give credible, viable solutions.  this book is well written and well thought out.  a must read for all serious baseball fans.

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The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.
by Robert Coover

yes, i know this book may have the longest and most awkward title of any baseball book out there, but i love this book.  i’ve read it several times and am always fascinated by the character’s personality and how absorbed he gets into his tabletop baseball game.

he’s an accountant by day, but a manager, commissioner, and an almost deity of his own baseball world when he’s off the clock.  he spends his free time playing a baseball game that he created.  all the charts, teams, even the players, are all of his own imagination.  he’s been doing this for a very long time.  and in one roll of the dice, his world and psyche are blown like a mitch williams save chance in the world series.

it’s a fascinating look at our hobby through the imaginary mind of henry waugh.

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if you’ve read any of these books, i’d like to hear what you thought?  if not, you’re overdue for some good books to read and these three are a great place to start.

-chief