I was never that impressed with SOM football.
The original game lacked penalties, the special teams did not have the say kickoff team's "defense" affecting the receiving teams returns, in general just 11 rolls for a special teams result was very limited (SI football had 30 possible results).
But most important I felt it was a stupid guessing game - guess run or pass and have the results vary incredibly on whether the guessed right or guessed wrong column was used. To this day, I don't think there is much realism in guessing run or pass, I would say in baseball you don't guess fastball or curveball but are ready for both/all pitches (with obvious exceptions). You could have a good lead and guess pass every play and if your opponent had a very good running back he could reel off huge chunks of yards on his guessed wrong column. Even the 50% roll on defense was subject to the occasional short gain and sometimes long gain. If you tried to cross him up with a once in a while guess run defense, you subject yourself to a long pass play and this is why it turns out to be nothing but a guessing game, which is stupid.
You did not have draw plays, screen passes or reverses, these were lamely explained to occur on line plunges (draw), short passes (screen) or end run (reverses).
You also had a few QBS who could run say the end run and have tremendous gains if guessed wrong, and these play calls and results would be over used. Say you had third and ten with one of these QBS and the offense would call an end run hoping for the guessed wrong column. This call would NEVER be made in real football. I thought that was very unreal also.
Also, there were WAY too many rolls for fumbles. Say you rolled a fumble +2 2-8, +2 9-12, you had to roll to SEE if even it was a fumble and then roll to see who recovered it if it was a fumble. Nonstop fumble rolls.
The flat pass interception return for TD was way too prevalent and in general the charts for sacks etc were not done very well either.
You also had the players card limiting their long gains (run or pass plays) to their regular season stats so Marcus Allen in 1983 could not gain more than 38 yards, while he had a spectacular 74 yard run in the Super Bowl which could not be replicated.
It may have been somewhat statistically accurate but I think the things mentioned above made it a poor game to play.
And as constant changes and "improvements" were always being made, the older cards became obsolete and were not compatible with newer versions. In contrast, you could play an original 1960s baseball team against a team from 2015 (basic). In football you might have 3 or more upgrades in a decade so teams from 1972 could not be played against teams from say even just 1974. MAJOR downpoint.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Monday, October 10, 2016
Bullies and Hogs and Tricksters
One distressing thing about the otherwise wonderful eBay format is when bullies or hogs or profiteers come into play.
A bully or hog or profiteer can be someone who uses every financial resource they can to outbid you and win every desirable auction. You can say well they have a right to do this, but when other factors and actions come in to play, it does NOT play fair.
Early on there was a guy who wanted to win every single 60s or 70s auction. He would win the SAME item (different auctions) over and over and over. What gives? I finally asked him and he said he was collecting 9 sets of everything so he could eventually give them to his nephews etc SHOULD they become interested in SOM later on. Good lord.
Then of course, we had some kind of dentist or medical professional from SOCal I believe who would win every auction for the rare 60s 1-sided sets or individual teams. Again, how many is enough and for pete's sake let someone else win something every once in a while.
Now we have a pure profiteer who will win every desired auction at any cost. There was a thread started about him on the SOM 2 forum but it was quickly shut down. This person is the pure definition of a bully and ebay hog.
I have confirmed information about him:
1) He will outbid you in the last 3 seconds on every desirable SOM auction there is.
2) He is a pure profiteer, not a player or collector. He will try to win auctions at the lowest possible cost, and then immediately list the item and try for a 200-500% profit (or more).
3) If for some reason, by bidding against others, his price goes up in winning an auction (and cut severely into his anticipated profits) he will then contact the seller and make up a lame excuse to not pay for the item. He has said "I just lost my job and now can not pay for the item". Or "my wife had a sudden emergency trip to the hospital" and I can longer afford to pay for this, OR something similar. Often, the seller shrugs, relists the item at a beginning low price, and guess who ends up bidding and trying to win the auction at a much lower price - the same guy who a few days before made up a lame excuse on not paying for the auction when he had to outbid someone else - suddenly he can now afford to pay for this - in reality he is just trying to re-win the auction at a much lower price. I have heard of him doing this on at least 5 different auctions including one recently which was the reason for the thread on SOM 2 that was shut down.
He is unethical, steps around rules, an eBay hog and a pure profiteer. There is no question. What to do? There is nothing else much one can do. You really can not outbid him as either the price would be astronomically high if you win, or he will beat you, or he will beat you and then reneg on paying the seller.
He has no shame, no morals, and is a pure troublemaker. This person has used 2-3 different accounts and screen names (ask yourself why?).
I have a few ideas and how to cope in a marketplace with a person such as this, but shall keep them secret from this person. He is banned from my site but most likely observes as an anonymous viewer.
For me, he has absolutely ruined ebay as a place to help with my collecting needs, and is a true bully, hog and pure profiteer.
Beyond sickening.
A bully or hog or profiteer can be someone who uses every financial resource they can to outbid you and win every desirable auction. You can say well they have a right to do this, but when other factors and actions come in to play, it does NOT play fair.
Early on there was a guy who wanted to win every single 60s or 70s auction. He would win the SAME item (different auctions) over and over and over. What gives? I finally asked him and he said he was collecting 9 sets of everything so he could eventually give them to his nephews etc SHOULD they become interested in SOM later on. Good lord.
Then of course, we had some kind of dentist or medical professional from SOCal I believe who would win every auction for the rare 60s 1-sided sets or individual teams. Again, how many is enough and for pete's sake let someone else win something every once in a while.
Now we have a pure profiteer who will win every desired auction at any cost. There was a thread started about him on the SOM 2 forum but it was quickly shut down. This person is the pure definition of a bully and ebay hog.
I have confirmed information about him:
1) He will outbid you in the last 3 seconds on every desirable SOM auction there is.
2) He is a pure profiteer, not a player or collector. He will try to win auctions at the lowest possible cost, and then immediately list the item and try for a 200-500% profit (or more).
3) If for some reason, by bidding against others, his price goes up in winning an auction (and cut severely into his anticipated profits) he will then contact the seller and make up a lame excuse to not pay for the item. He has said "I just lost my job and now can not pay for the item". Or "my wife had a sudden emergency trip to the hospital" and I can longer afford to pay for this, OR something similar. Often, the seller shrugs, relists the item at a beginning low price, and guess who ends up bidding and trying to win the auction at a much lower price - the same guy who a few days before made up a lame excuse on not paying for the auction when he had to outbid someone else - suddenly he can now afford to pay for this - in reality he is just trying to re-win the auction at a much lower price. I have heard of him doing this on at least 5 different auctions including one recently which was the reason for the thread on SOM 2 that was shut down.
He is unethical, steps around rules, an eBay hog and a pure profiteer. There is no question. What to do? There is nothing else much one can do. You really can not outbid him as either the price would be astronomically high if you win, or he will beat you, or he will beat you and then reneg on paying the seller.
He has no shame, no morals, and is a pure troublemaker. This person has used 2-3 different accounts and screen names (ask yourself why?).
I have a few ideas and how to cope in a marketplace with a person such as this, but shall keep them secret from this person. He is banned from my site but most likely observes as an anonymous viewer.
For me, he has absolutely ruined ebay as a place to help with my collecting needs, and is a true bully, hog and pure profiteer.
Beyond sickening.
The Dreaded 1984 set and rubber band issues
One of the things I debated when I divested of a large part of my collection going on 2 years ago was to sell or keep the 1984 baseball set I had.
In 1984, the game company switched rubber band vendors and little did anyone know that the new rubber bands would leak and stain the cards - extremely common. My set was complete with all extra players and had zero RB stains or other blemishes.
But I sold it.
Of course when I decided to do the proverbial re-acquiring of everything I sold, I knew 1984 would be a challenge - or getting a complete set without any stained cards would be the challenge.
The first set I bought from a very nice gamer was priced fairly but had 45 cards with stain issues.
Since then one gamer sent me 2 cards free of charge to knock my bad card inventory to 43. Then I won an auction "blindly" for 8 1984 times - I knew by the time the seller audited the cards and got back to me someone else most likely would have bought it so I snagged it right away. I was hoping for maybe 12-15 improvement cards but it had only 9. Down to 34.
Just won an auction for a 26 team 1984 set, and it appears that some extra players and traded players are included - and the seller did mention a "few" cards had the rubber band stains. We will see what his definition of a few is but there is a good chance I can make some headway with this near complete set. However, many of the pitchers in this set came with little red dots on the pitchers cards.
I had budgeted a certain $ amount and also said most likely this will be a 2 year project so we will see how this updates when I receive the item.
Fingers crossed.
... update, purchases yet another full set for a reasonable price and FINALLY have a set free of rubber band stains and no red dots.
Just as good, I have been able to sell basically all the duplicate teams to cover my investments.
Very, very relieved.
In 1984, the game company switched rubber band vendors and little did anyone know that the new rubber bands would leak and stain the cards - extremely common. My set was complete with all extra players and had zero RB stains or other blemishes.
But I sold it.
Of course when I decided to do the proverbial re-acquiring of everything I sold, I knew 1984 would be a challenge - or getting a complete set without any stained cards would be the challenge.
The first set I bought from a very nice gamer was priced fairly but had 45 cards with stain issues.
Since then one gamer sent me 2 cards free of charge to knock my bad card inventory to 43. Then I won an auction "blindly" for 8 1984 times - I knew by the time the seller audited the cards and got back to me someone else most likely would have bought it so I snagged it right away. I was hoping for maybe 12-15 improvement cards but it had only 9. Down to 34.
Just won an auction for a 26 team 1984 set, and it appears that some extra players and traded players are included - and the seller did mention a "few" cards had the rubber band stains. We will see what his definition of a few is but there is a good chance I can make some headway with this near complete set. However, many of the pitchers in this set came with little red dots on the pitchers cards.
I had budgeted a certain $ amount and also said most likely this will be a 2 year project so we will see how this updates when I receive the item.
Fingers crossed.
... update, purchases yet another full set for a reasonable price and FINALLY have a set free of rubber band stains and no red dots.
Just as good, I have been able to sell basically all the duplicate teams to cover my investments.
Very, very relieved.
Friday, April 22, 2016
2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back, 5 Steps Forward
Well it has been some time since I posted.
Have been through a lot, mostly good, some not so good.
I just got more and more interested in this year's release of Strat-O-Matic's 2015 season.
The major impetus (sorry) was Brandon Crawford winning a gold glove, the hitting of Madison Bumgarner (I did not buy 2014) and related Giants items. I really thought I missed out on Kershaw's great 2014 season, and now with Arietta and Greinke along with Kershaw - the monster pitching cards seemed too good to ignore. Add a great rookie class, including the Giants Matt Duffy, a revitalized Cubs team, and of course the Royals, Mets, Blue Jays, Pirates, Cardinals etc. I just HAD to get the 2015 season.
Almost immediately, I said heck I need 2014 too. (Giants WS champs). I had gutted my collection to bare bones 1963-1979 original (minus 1974 and 1978), the oldtimers, and a few Hall of Fame sets basically. More recently, I had re-obtained 1974, 1978, 1980-1989 and ten recreated sets (had sold ALL of 37 or whatever of those!) ... 1930, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1968, 1969, 1970.
Then I contemplated working out a plan to get 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Saw an auction on ebay and picked up 2012. Then sold a few items and used the money to get 1958 and 1959 (want to get all SF Giants teams eventually) and said the heck with it and ordered 2010, 2011 and 2013 from the game company. Whew.
Maybe I will contemplate getting 1990-2009 in the future, but not yet.
So with more seasons coming, I looked at my storage situation. I originally (1980s - mid 2000's) stored the teams in bank boxes - 5 seasons fit perfectly in neat 2x5 rows. Then I started sleeving the cards and they were now a tad longer and did not fit vertically, and could not fit five a row either. I switched to plastic shoe boxes, first from The Container store, then a few years later found bargain light blue shoe boxes with locking lids that were a little bigger and maybe a touch wider. Heaven.
Then I had withdrawals about 2 years ago - space issues, no time for projects, tried other game engines etc. I decided to de-sleeve all my cards (over 70,000) and this reduced their size and once again I went to the larger bank boxes, even sort of a nostalgia thing. But I find them awkward to pull done from my shelves and they often spill or crash to the floor and the lids fly off and the teams crash down, possibly bending a few cards.
Made the decision to go BACK to the locking lids shoe boxes - thank god I kept all of them (Had given away maybe 50-60 of the Container Store clear shoe boxes).
So 2 steps forward, 3 steps back and with the re-purchase of 1974, 1978, 1980-1989, 10 recreated seasons, 2 additional recreated seasons (1958 and 1959) and now 2010 - 2016 I am back full swing in the hobby.
Also craving the 1993 season and 2008-2009 particularly for Lincecum's CY seasons.
Time to roll!!!
Have been through a lot, mostly good, some not so good.
I just got more and more interested in this year's release of Strat-O-Matic's 2015 season.
The major impetus (sorry) was Brandon Crawford winning a gold glove, the hitting of Madison Bumgarner (I did not buy 2014) and related Giants items. I really thought I missed out on Kershaw's great 2014 season, and now with Arietta and Greinke along with Kershaw - the monster pitching cards seemed too good to ignore. Add a great rookie class, including the Giants Matt Duffy, a revitalized Cubs team, and of course the Royals, Mets, Blue Jays, Pirates, Cardinals etc. I just HAD to get the 2015 season.
Almost immediately, I said heck I need 2014 too. (Giants WS champs). I had gutted my collection to bare bones 1963-1979 original (minus 1974 and 1978), the oldtimers, and a few Hall of Fame sets basically. More recently, I had re-obtained 1974, 1978, 1980-1989 and ten recreated sets (had sold ALL of 37 or whatever of those!) ... 1930, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1968, 1969, 1970.
Then I contemplated working out a plan to get 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Saw an auction on ebay and picked up 2012. Then sold a few items and used the money to get 1958 and 1959 (want to get all SF Giants teams eventually) and said the heck with it and ordered 2010, 2011 and 2013 from the game company. Whew.
Maybe I will contemplate getting 1990-2009 in the future, but not yet.
So with more seasons coming, I looked at my storage situation. I originally (1980s - mid 2000's) stored the teams in bank boxes - 5 seasons fit perfectly in neat 2x5 rows. Then I started sleeving the cards and they were now a tad longer and did not fit vertically, and could not fit five a row either. I switched to plastic shoe boxes, first from The Container store, then a few years later found bargain light blue shoe boxes with locking lids that were a little bigger and maybe a touch wider. Heaven.
Then I had withdrawals about 2 years ago - space issues, no time for projects, tried other game engines etc. I decided to de-sleeve all my cards (over 70,000) and this reduced their size and once again I went to the larger bank boxes, even sort of a nostalgia thing. But I find them awkward to pull done from my shelves and they often spill or crash to the floor and the lids fly off and the teams crash down, possibly bending a few cards.
Made the decision to go BACK to the locking lids shoe boxes - thank god I kept all of them (Had given away maybe 50-60 of the Container Store clear shoe boxes).
So 2 steps forward, 3 steps back and with the re-purchase of 1974, 1978, 1980-1989, 10 recreated seasons, 2 additional recreated seasons (1958 and 1959) and now 2010 - 2016 I am back full swing in the hobby.
Also craving the 1993 season and 2008-2009 particularly for Lincecum's CY seasons.
Time to roll!!!
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Super Bowl 50, part whatever
Odd that my hometown, Santa Clara, is hosting a Super Bowl, and that the original Santa Clara High, where my brother and sister went, had a Panther as its mascot and of course, Santa Clara University, where my brother graduated has a Bronco as its mascot.
What 2 teams are playing in the Super Bowl in Santa Clara - Panthers and Broncos.
Wow
What 2 teams are playing in the Super Bowl in Santa Clara - Panthers and Broncos.
Wow
Monday, February 1, 2016
Santa Clara - host of SB 50 - and a little more history
from the Chicago Tribune
More than
40 years before Levi's Stadium was awarded Super Bowl
50, the city of Santa Clara, Calif., made a favorable impression on a young
Steve Bartkowski.
"Those
are the best days of my life," Bartkowski recalled of his formative years
in a town that once labeled itself "The Youth Sports Capital of the
World."
Bartkowski,
63, went on to become the first pick in the 1975 draft and earn two Pro Bowl
selections during his 12 years as an NFL
quarterback. He's just one of many athletes who received national and
international fame through the city's youth programs.
The Santa
Clara Swim Club, coached by the legendary George Haines and led by Mark Spitz,
won 21 medals at the 1968 Olympics and 16 — including seven golds by Spitz — at
the 1972 Games.
The Santa
Clara University men's basketball team, led by former Bulls center Dennis
Awtrey, was ranked as high as second in the nation before UCLA eliminated it in
the Elite Eight in the 1968 and 1969 NCAA tournaments.
"It's
kind of shocking," said Santa Clara native Jerry McClain, a star pitcher
at the university during the basketball program's zenith and later the Broncos
baseball coach from 1981-84.
"There
always was at least one big international swim meet (at the Santa Clara Swim
Center). There were one or two (youth) teams advancing to a national
tournament."
Santa
Clara's Colt League team that Bartkowski led and his father Roman, a former
pitcher/first baseman in the Cubs organization, coached won the 1969 World Series.
That was the same summer Santa Clara Briarwood — with 16-year future
major-league infielder Carney Lansford — advanced to the Little League World
Series title game before losing to Taiwan.
While
Santa Clara was flexing its youth strength, the seeds for hosting an NFL
championship game in the fourth-smallest city in Super Bowl history were
planted innocently in a town of about 87,000, according to the 1970 U.S. Census
Bureau.
Newly
elected mayor Gary Gillmor and city manager Don Von Raesfeld were determined to
keep Santa Clara comprised of specific sections — with residential property
assigned a large but non-elastic section.
This meant
buying undeveloped land in the north and east parts of the city for business
and industrial purposes and building a robust tax base. McClain doesn't recall
much about the vacant land other than a dairy where families bought their milk
if it wasn't delivered.
The city
already had three major highways and expressways that funneled into the
undeveloped area, where high-tech companies such as Intel, Applied Materials,
McAfee and National Semiconductor gradually started and became a large part of
what is now Silicon Valley.
Gillmor,
79, cited three factors that helped Santa Clara maintain its preferred blueprint:
a strong middle class, a huge industrial base for tax purposes and its own
municipal power plant that reduces residents' electric bills to about half of
what is charged in neighboring cities.
"Santa
Clara is like the little engine that could.'' said Gillmor, a real estate maven
in the Santa Clara Valley. "It just beats the big engines. We fought off
home developers while keeping electricity rates low and maintaining our middle
class."
The power
of the city's finances was illustrated in its being able to partner with the
state to get an interchange built that was instrumental in a deal with
Marriott. A hotel that will host one of the Super Bowl entrants was
constructed, with Marriott leasing the land from the city to build an amusement
park and a parking lot.
A
convention center and another large chain hotel were built in 1986, but the
city's fondness for the 49ers
surfaced during the height of the team's dominance.
The 49ers
were given a sweetheart deal to move their training facility from Redwood City
— 18 miles north of Santa Clara. Then-mayor Eddie Souza enticed then-49ers
owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. with a deal that gave the team 12 acres at $1,000 an
acre with a 4 percent annual increase for 55 years, according to the San
Francisco Chronicle.
Gillmor
declined to comment on the deal, but the city still kept a large chunk of
undeveloped land in the area.
DeBartolo
and 49ers President Carmen Policy still pushed for a new stadium near their old
home at dilapidated Candlestick Park
until DeBartolo's legal troubles in the late 1990s tempered their pursuit.
Although
voters from five Santa Clara County cities in 1990 rejected a tax to finance a
stadium for the Giants
in Santa Clara, Kevin Moore wasn't discouraged. Moore, a longtime Santa Clara
resident and member of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission in 2003,
wrote a letter to a team official asking him to consider Santa Clara as a
stadium option.
Moore and
a groundswell of supporters sold the 49ers on the abundance of undeveloped land
next to the 49ers' practice facility, as well as ample parking from the
amusement park and local Amtrak and light-rail systems within walking distance
of the proposed site.
Momentum
grew to the point that Santa Clara voters passed a measure in 2010 to build a
football stadium adjacent to the 49ers' facility. Construction started in 2012
and was completed two years later.
Like most
major events, Santa Clara is dealing with its share of controversy involving
the stadium and Super Bowl.
There is
the fear Santa Clara and other local cities — including San Francisco — could
lose money from hosting festivities leading up to the game. Repeated turf
issues overshadowed the newness of the stadium during its inaugural season in
2014.
The game's
midafternoon start time should alleviate concerns about fans' discomfort due to
a lack of shade on the east side, although Santa Clara winters are relatively
mild.
Despite
the national hype, Santa Clara will maintain a semblance of its youthful
significance once the Super Bowl is played.
Washington
Park, a WPA project built in 1935 and located on the south edge of town, will
host the Palomino World Series for 17- and 18-year-olds. It's also where a
25-year-old Class A catcher named Joe Maddon ended his playing career with the
co-op Santa Clara Padres
in the California League in 1979.
But
memories for locals still exist, such as the signs commemorating the four Colt
League World Series teams that are posted above the park's entrance.
Adjacent
to Washington Park is Townsend Field, where Bartkowski's skills while playing
for Buchser High School attracted recruiters and led to him becoming an
All-American at Cal. Townsend currently is used by the successful Santa Clara Lions
youth football program.
"The
facilities, the coaching, the time and effort gave me a jump-start in my
athletic career," said Bartkowski, who moved from Iowa to Santa Clara at
age 10 and now resides in the Atlanta area.
"I
looked up to local heroes like Jim Plunkett (who grew up in San Jose and won
the 1970 Heisman Trophy
at Stanford) and Craig Morton (who grew
up in nearby Campbell before attending Cal). But I'll never forget how lucky I
was to play in Santa Clara."
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Draft day trickery
So I am doing an online retro baseball draft for the 1971 season and it reminded me of something
In 6th grade, we were choosing softball teams and there were 3 captains and if got to be near the end of the draft and one team was complete and another team had just one slot left but I still had 5-6 slots open. I believe we had to bid for players and I spent a huge amount for Paul Skinner, who I believed was most likely the best player in the draft, until Mr. Melrose added himself as the last available player.
In 6th grade, we were choosing softball teams and there were 3 captains and if got to be near the end of the draft and one team was complete and another team had just one slot left but I still had 5-6 slots open. I believe we had to bid for players and I spent a huge amount for Paul Skinner, who I believed was most likely the best player in the draft, until Mr. Melrose added himself as the last available player.
I induced the other captain to trade one mediocre player to me for 2 very good players of mine. He thought he swindled me until it was realized I would automatically get Mr. Melrose for "free" with no bidding as both of the other rosters were now full.
I was told the faculty lounge got a big kick out of my trickery.
I was told the faculty lounge got a big kick out of my trickery.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
The Dynasty Dilemma
| 24.1 | |
I always found it hard when doing projects to pick one team out of a mini dynasty, so often I would create monster sets of leagues etc to accomodate ALL the teams from a dynasty
Let's look at some examples (of course as always my focus in on the 1960s and 1970s) The 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 Yankees Wow 5 pennant winners in a row, 2 world champions. Of course the record breaking 1961 team is great but outside of HR power and infield defense not a lot of other strong points (as Bill James likes to point out). The 1960 team was great because it "filled" in the decade (as well as all the other teams) when the recreated set was released, but you have the different card patterns which are a turnoff to me. Pitching is mediocre as well. 1962 I like a lot but that was the lowest win % of the 5 teams. I really like the 1963 team, although Mantle had less than 200 AB. 1964 had good pitching but a lot of holes in the lineup. The 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966 Dodgers 1965 was my first exposure with the oldtimer set, and a memorable game I played when I was 14 had Sandy striking out 17 1927 Yankees in a 2-0 shutout. Drysdale also had a very good year that year (not counting his 7 HR a well) but the offense was miserable. 1966 adds future Hall of Famer Don Sutton to the rotation and the offense is improved, but Drysdale had an off year. I was elated to get the 1963 team when the past season set was issued, good enough offense with batting champ Tommy Davis and Koufax was super, but even better for many was the 1962 team, although Koufax missed a few months. Interesting note is in 1964, both Koufax and Drysdale had perhaps their best pitching cards, although the team was an also ran. The 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971 Orioles. Many think Baltimore would have begun their awesome run in 1964 when they finished 2 games out if Boog Powell had not got injured (39 HR in 424 AB). I like that team a lot, especially the bullpen and Brooks in his MVP year. Of course 1966 was a world championship team with a triple crown hitter, but they have no standout starting pitcher. 1969 is an exceptional team but Brooks had an of year hitting .234. 1970 was a powerhouse team but even Cuellar and McNally with 24 wins each had higher ERAs than normal. Of course, 1971 had 4 20 game winners and a solid lineup although no hitter had a great year. Oddly enough the 3 teams in a row 1969, 1970, 1971 all were included in the past season set but note ... 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 A's ... the 3 WORLD CHAMPIONS the A's had in a row, 1972, 1973 and 1974 only one team was included in the past season set. 1972 has excellent pitching but Vida Blue sat out part of the year and only ended with 6 wins. They do hit a lot of home runs although there are glaring weaknesses at SS, CF, C (BA) and even 3B. 1973 has better hitting but Catfish gave up a whopping 39 HR in a 21 win season. Joe Rudi had a down year as well. 1974 had Catfish in a Cy Young Year, but Tenace only hit in the low .200s with lots of HR and BB and C and 2B were weak spots. 1975 is an oft forgot year because the Red Sox swept them (tough to start 2 LH in Fenway park to start a best of 5) and many players had good years but there is nowhere to put Claudell Washington unless you move Joe Rudi to 1B. Reggie did hit 36 HR and Rudi, Tenace, Washington and to a lesser degree a few others had good years. Losing Catfish hurt for the post season. That leaves 1971 which I like more than the other 4. Vida Blue was a great MVP and CY winner, Catfish was very good and Reggie and Sal Bando had very good years and many others had good years. The 1964, 1967, 1968 Cardinals The 1967 team had the highest win % of any NL team that decade. Cepeda was MVP and Brock Flood Javier and McCarver all had excellent years. Carlton was coming into his own and Hughes was VG except for giving up gopher balls. But Gibson missed a chunk of the season and only had 13 wins. 1968 was Gibson and Hoerner, with Briles Washburn and Carlton but literally very poor offense. How that team won the pennant by so many games is a mystery. I personally like 1964. Boyer and White were still there and Flood Brock and McCarver were good. Javier was OK and even Groat was serviceable. The 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977 Reds Of course 1975 and 1976 are all time great teams, but 1976 Bench had his weakest year and there were no top starters in the rotation. 1975 was a very well balanced team but outside of Morgan and perhaps Rose, no individual had a standout year. 1972 has a few holes but the pitching is strong. 1970 you have the well oiled Big Red Machine with perez and Bench having monster years and Tolan, May, Carbo and Rose also being very very good. Pitching is OK but there are weaknesses at SS and 2B as of course Morgan had not arrived yet. I could have included 1973 and even 1974, but 1977 is fun with a great offensive team led by Foster and Seaver added at midseason. For one game, this is a very tough team. The 1965, 1969, 1970 Twins In many ways, the pennant winner was the weakest of the 3 teams. 1969 was great but in an expansion year they had 2 expasnion teams in their division. 1970 was almost as good although Carew missed about 100-110 games. I have had projects where the 1965 team was off the chart good and off the chart bad. I also think Killebrew in 1965 due to a variety of reasons is not the real Killebrew. The 1974, 1977 1978 Dodgers Almost all about the same with a little more offense in 1977 and a little more pitching in 1978. 1974 is good in their own way. The 1976, 1977, 1978 Yankees 1976 would seem to be th e worst of the 3 but they actually do OK for me in projects. 1977 is more offensive but I prefer 1978 with Guidry, adding Gossage and a better Hunter. The 1976, 1977, 1978 Phillies I like the 1976 team, dislike the 1978 team and the 1977 team is very powerful but I don't like them as much. The 1976, 1977, 1978 Royals In truth just the 1977 team is impressive. |
Sunday, January 17, 2016
2 steps forward, 3 steps back and OCD
So about 18 months or so ago, I decided my Strat baseball collection was too big, took up too much room, and there was so much I could never ever play all of the sets.
I decided to dump a large part of it, all of the recreated sets (nearly 40), and all the regular issue seasons from 1990-2013. I even then went and also sold 1980-1989.
Good moves, although I have since reobtained about 10 of the classic recreated seasons (and 1955) and a few of the 80s sets (will get all 10 eventually).
I got interested in Replay baseball for reasons I have enumerated before, but suddenly had about 19 sets and they were just taking up the space that used to house the Strat sets I sold, and I never ever looked at them or played them.
I wanted to get an original APBA 1964 set as that was my first exposure to TT baseball and suddenly I have about 20 sets of APBA too as these sets were more readily available and comparatively much less expensive..
The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) had struck again.
Coming to my senses. Replay is a wonderful game engine,, but I have returned to Strat and just don't have time (or room) for more than one game engine.
I have decided (oh well) to move my Replay collection and most likely my APBA collection.
Hopefully, it will be 3 steps forward and not any steps backward this time.
I decided to dump a large part of it, all of the recreated sets (nearly 40), and all the regular issue seasons from 1990-2013. I even then went and also sold 1980-1989.
Good moves, although I have since reobtained about 10 of the classic recreated seasons (and 1955) and a few of the 80s sets (will get all 10 eventually).
I got interested in Replay baseball for reasons I have enumerated before, but suddenly had about 19 sets and they were just taking up the space that used to house the Strat sets I sold, and I never ever looked at them or played them.
I wanted to get an original APBA 1964 set as that was my first exposure to TT baseball and suddenly I have about 20 sets of APBA too as these sets were more readily available and comparatively much less expensive..
The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) had struck again.
Coming to my senses. Replay is a wonderful game engine,, but I have returned to Strat and just don't have time (or room) for more than one game engine.
I have decided (oh well) to move my Replay collection and most likely my APBA collection.
Hopefully, it will be 3 steps forward and not any steps backward this time.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Things happen when I am in Vegas
I was in Las Vegas with my wife and relatives celebrating her birthday a few weeks ago and we were in the last hours of our visit when while sitting in the Mirage Poker Room, across the screen flashed the news that the Giants had signed Johnny Cueto.
Upon reflection, it did bring some memories.
I used to have Las Vegas as part of my sales territory in the 90s.
I flew in on Sunday, June 12, 1994 for my week of work. This was the night of the OJ Simpson murders. I think I read somewhere that OJ tried to call his girlfriend, Paula Barbieri (?) who happened to be in Las Vegas that night, possibly at the same hotel I was staying at. The call was around 10 PM a short while before the murders.
It was hard to follow the news being out of town that week, but I can remember being in the Treasure Island Poker Room and sort of following the White Bronco Chase as it was being broadcast live. Very weird to watch this while sitting in a casino poker room.
Some other time, I remember being in a casino (most likely the Mirage) and while not watching the football game, there was just tremendous applause and thunder repeatedly on a key football game (either a late season Monday night football game with playoff ramifications or a post season game itself). Never experienced anything like that before.
In 2007, we were also in LV celebrating my wife's birthday and I was following on the internet local High School (and a favorite team of mine) De La Salle playing in the second rendition of the state bowl games. I can remember being in our rental car on the strip and seeing DLS stretch its 24-7 halftime lead to 31-7 early in the third quarter and telling my wife, "De La Salle is going to win the state championship" (and also become the first north team to beat the south after 5 straight loses over 2 years). By the time we parked our car or used valet or whatever, a perfect storm of bad plays suddenly had the game tied at 31. DLS would go on to win 37-31 (they missed an extra point after being penalized for excessive celebration after the go ahead TD), then intercepted a pass and running out the clock, taking a couple of knees inside the Opponents 5 yard line to not run up the score.
I am sure more memories will surface soon.
Upon reflection, it did bring some memories.
I used to have Las Vegas as part of my sales territory in the 90s.
I flew in on Sunday, June 12, 1994 for my week of work. This was the night of the OJ Simpson murders. I think I read somewhere that OJ tried to call his girlfriend, Paula Barbieri (?) who happened to be in Las Vegas that night, possibly at the same hotel I was staying at. The call was around 10 PM a short while before the murders.
It was hard to follow the news being out of town that week, but I can remember being in the Treasure Island Poker Room and sort of following the White Bronco Chase as it was being broadcast live. Very weird to watch this while sitting in a casino poker room.
Some other time, I remember being in a casino (most likely the Mirage) and while not watching the football game, there was just tremendous applause and thunder repeatedly on a key football game (either a late season Monday night football game with playoff ramifications or a post season game itself). Never experienced anything like that before.
In 2007, we were also in LV celebrating my wife's birthday and I was following on the internet local High School (and a favorite team of mine) De La Salle playing in the second rendition of the state bowl games. I can remember being in our rental car on the strip and seeing DLS stretch its 24-7 halftime lead to 31-7 early in the third quarter and telling my wife, "De La Salle is going to win the state championship" (and also become the first north team to beat the south after 5 straight loses over 2 years). By the time we parked our car or used valet or whatever, a perfect storm of bad plays suddenly had the game tied at 31. DLS would go on to win 37-31 (they missed an extra point after being penalized for excessive celebration after the go ahead TD), then intercepted a pass and running out the clock, taking a couple of knees inside the Opponents 5 yard line to not run up the score.
I am sure more memories will surface soon.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
December 2015, Vegas, hot stove news and other items
Just got back from Las Vegas, where we celebrated my wife's birthday. We were joined by my wife's sister and her husband who ventured out from Michigan.
The highlights of the 4 days (easily) were (1) her birthday dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesar's. We have eaten there before (Valentine's Day 2003 a few months after she arrived from the Philippines, and her 30th birthday as well). The food, service and ambience were all superb. All 4 of us agreed it was a GREAT dinner.
The other highlight (2): the next morning we headed out to Red Rock Canyon,. I had heard of this and never went, but my wife's sister really wanted to go. What a great place. A beautiful sliver of red rock wedged in between the more normal slate and other colors in a spectacular setting. Research told us the red rock comes from iron ore in the mountain that oxidized... but why only that sliver and not the whole mountain? A great visitor's center as well. Was hoping to see a road runner or tortoise if not a coyote or puma, but there was one spectacular feature. As I was taking a picture of the canyon and opposite mountains, I tried to get a lot of "blue sky" as well and the sun was shining. When I took some pictures, although not visible to the naked eye, my photos showed a stream of light from the sun to the earth, and it was repeated on successive photos. Interesting, no one else could either see the stream of light OR duplicate it on their camera.
So we were sitting in the Mirage casino yesterday after dropping off her sister for their flight back to Michigan. Visiting the Beatles Love Show shop and area, and eating our huge pastrami sandwich from Carnegie Deli. We sat down for a few hands of poker and across the screen it flashed the Giants had signed Johnny Cueto. Wow. After losing out on Greinke and maybe 1-2 others, they have now signed 2 free agent starting pitchers. Time will tell if positive results come in, but at least they are trying. Now for a left fielder!
Oh, we also loosely watched the Warriors pull out a double OT win vs Boston to go 24-0 and then it seemed they just not never got rolling in losing to Milwaukee. 24-1 ain't bad though.
And yes for the 10th straight year, local high school De La Salle ventures out to play in the California State bowl games. (I think no one else has more than 6). They are 6-3 so far vs the very best teams talent laden SoCal has to offer. In the first year, 2006, they lost to an inferior team. DLS did not take it too seriously, letting the players practice with their winter sports teams, and even had players taking finals the day of the game. Ouch. In 2007 they won but in 2008 lost to a superior Centennial team (the same team they beat in 2007). They then rattled off 4 very impressive wins in a row, all over very highly ranked Socal teams (usually undefeated and ranked in the top ten nationally). In 2013 they squared off vs #1 ranked St John Bosco, who PROBABLY was the better team, but on the opening kickoff, the DLS star sophomore running back was injured and did not play another down DLS lost 21-16 and had the ball inside the Bosco 40 with about 2 minutes to play but could not go any further. How important was the loss of the RB? Who knows, but in the 2014 state championship game, he rushed for nearly 300 yards AND had a long TD catch AND a 90 yard kickoff return. So next Saturday, DLS plays #1 ranked Centennial, who beat previously #1 ranked Bosco 62-52, scoring 55 points in the first half! DLS is 3-1 so far vs Centennial in SBG, plus Centennial also lost to Palo Alto in 2010 making them 1-4 in state bowl games. Oh yes, for the first time ever, the games will be held in NorCal instead of SoCal. Go Spartans!
The highlights of the 4 days (easily) were (1) her birthday dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesar's. We have eaten there before (Valentine's Day 2003 a few months after she arrived from the Philippines, and her 30th birthday as well). The food, service and ambience were all superb. All 4 of us agreed it was a GREAT dinner.
The other highlight (2): the next morning we headed out to Red Rock Canyon,. I had heard of this and never went, but my wife's sister really wanted to go. What a great place. A beautiful sliver of red rock wedged in between the more normal slate and other colors in a spectacular setting. Research told us the red rock comes from iron ore in the mountain that oxidized... but why only that sliver and not the whole mountain? A great visitor's center as well. Was hoping to see a road runner or tortoise if not a coyote or puma, but there was one spectacular feature. As I was taking a picture of the canyon and opposite mountains, I tried to get a lot of "blue sky" as well and the sun was shining. When I took some pictures, although not visible to the naked eye, my photos showed a stream of light from the sun to the earth, and it was repeated on successive photos. Interesting, no one else could either see the stream of light OR duplicate it on their camera.
So we were sitting in the Mirage casino yesterday after dropping off her sister for their flight back to Michigan. Visiting the Beatles Love Show shop and area, and eating our huge pastrami sandwich from Carnegie Deli. We sat down for a few hands of poker and across the screen it flashed the Giants had signed Johnny Cueto. Wow. After losing out on Greinke and maybe 1-2 others, they have now signed 2 free agent starting pitchers. Time will tell if positive results come in, but at least they are trying. Now for a left fielder!
Oh, we also loosely watched the Warriors pull out a double OT win vs Boston to go 24-0 and then it seemed they just not never got rolling in losing to Milwaukee. 24-1 ain't bad though.
And yes for the 10th straight year, local high school De La Salle ventures out to play in the California State bowl games. (I think no one else has more than 6). They are 6-3 so far vs the very best teams talent laden SoCal has to offer. In the first year, 2006, they lost to an inferior team. DLS did not take it too seriously, letting the players practice with their winter sports teams, and even had players taking finals the day of the game. Ouch. In 2007 they won but in 2008 lost to a superior Centennial team (the same team they beat in 2007). They then rattled off 4 very impressive wins in a row, all over very highly ranked Socal teams (usually undefeated and ranked in the top ten nationally). In 2013 they squared off vs #1 ranked St John Bosco, who PROBABLY was the better team, but on the opening kickoff, the DLS star sophomore running back was injured and did not play another down DLS lost 21-16 and had the ball inside the Bosco 40 with about 2 minutes to play but could not go any further. How important was the loss of the RB? Who knows, but in the 2014 state championship game, he rushed for nearly 300 yards AND had a long TD catch AND a 90 yard kickoff return. So next Saturday, DLS plays #1 ranked Centennial, who beat previously #1 ranked Bosco 62-52, scoring 55 points in the first half! DLS is 3-1 so far vs Centennial in SBG, plus Centennial also lost to Palo Alto in 2010 making them 1-4 in state bowl games. Oh yes, for the first time ever, the games will be held in NorCal instead of SoCal. Go Spartans!
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Collating cards ... and the occasional gift
In the old days, SOM cards did not come perforated. They were "cut cards" and were assembled by the game company after collating them from stacks of players. Occasionally, you would get a "double" when two cards of the same player were "stuck together". Quite often you see ebay auctions that will list 21 players for some teams that should of course have 20 players. More often than not it is a double.
I have purchased some complete older seasons recently and have had many dupes in the sets. I think around 7 or 8 total. And even better I think 2 of these are rare XP doubles. Always considered "a gift".
Back in 1971, I encouraged my friend to get Strat-O-Matic and he ordered the 1970 season. He got a double of Willie Mays! Can't get any better than that.
I have purchased some complete older seasons recently and have had many dupes in the sets. I think around 7 or 8 total. And even better I think 2 of these are rare XP doubles. Always considered "a gift".
Back in 1971, I encouraged my friend to get Strat-O-Matic and he ordered the 1970 season. He got a double of Willie Mays! Can't get any better than that.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
A short history of SOM extra players
Technically (well, sort of) the first ever set to have "extra players" was the 1968 season which was released in 1969 which had an additional 80 players available as an expansion set for the 4 new expansion teams Royals, Pilots, Padres and Expos. This was the first year there were more than 400 players (480). I was not aware that this set existed until in the early 2000s when I sold most of my stuff then a year or 2 later rebought everything and the expansion players (and the rare original expansion roster sheet) were included in a complete 1968 set I purchased.
The 1969 season set that was released in 1970 came with now 480 players for the base set (due to MLB expanding from 20 to 24 teams) and 96 more players which could be purchased separately as an "additional players" set for a total of 576 cards which was a whopping 44% increase over the 400 card sets previously available. It was noted that a few named additional players as well as all additional players should be used in "secondary roles". Jim Bouton was not included for either Seattle, Houston or as a traded card (see 1970) despite pitching in 73 combined games and having 122 combined IP
One odd thing I noticed over the years, quite often the additional players seemed to be a different printing from the base teams and would be quite noticeable - do not understand why they were not printed at the same time with the same quality.
In 1971, the 1970 set was released and for the first time, "traded" players were included that had no team name on their card. The 4 cards made that set 580 cards. In the first of a series of odd choices, Rod Carew (.366 in 204 PA) was made an XP for the Twins while Rich Renick (.229 in 204 PA) was made part of the base 20 main team. Of course this was not know to you until you received the cards and roster sheet. Tony Gonzalez was included as XP with the Angels (92 AB) but not at all with the Braves (430 AB). Weird, I believe this was corrected with the 1970 recreated set.
The 1971 set had the 576 players but in 1972 there were 2 traded and players and I believe for the first time, one player (Duke Sims) had 2 cards, one for each league, not listed as either a base team member or an additional player so both Cleveland and the Dodgers would have 25 players. The other 2 traded cards Matty Alou and Dal Maxvill became late season members of the world champion A's. Maxvill had 8 AB in the ALCS vs Detroit and Matty Alou had significant playing time subbing for an injured Reggie Jackson in the world series.
1973 was weird in a couple of ways. First, 2 NY Yankee outfielders were traded late in the season and were left off the base Yankee team, (Matty and Felipe Alou) and if you did not buy the additional players your Yankee team was really short of outfielders. Instead of Matty (538 PA for NYY) and Felipe (293 PA for NYY as OF/1B) you had the likes of Celerino Sanchez (67 total PA) and Otto Velez (92 total PA) and Mike Hegan (143 PA for NYY as a 1B) making the BASE team for NYY. Second, Jim Kaat was traded from the Twins to the White Sox and he had a combined 224 IP but was not included in the base teams or as a traded player but an additional player for the White Sox which made no sense at all. He had over 180 IP for the Twins and 41 for the ChiSox but was made an XP for the White Sox??? He should not have been an XP (again a lot of us back then did not buy the additional players) so a key pitcher in the AL with 28 decisions and 224 IP would not be in our sets. Oh by the way, XP is short for "extra players".
But we are not done for 1973, Bob Didier a reserve catcher who hit .455 in about 22 AB was included in the main set of 20 players for Detroit, but instead of using his 1973 stats and issuing him a card, they substituted his 1971 card (where he hit .219). You always see eBay listing for the 1973 Tigers that list 19 of 20 cards or 23 of 24 cards as the Didier card has "1971" listed as the year on his card and many assume that the card was accidentally placed in the wrong year. Weird on SOM to do this.
1974 had 4 traded cards available with the Additional players set, again it was weird to have Frank Robinson with 579 PA and traded within league to only be available as an XP (you usually don't see someone with 22 HR, tied for 6th in the league, as an XP). Same for Alex Johnson who had 514 PA who was also traded in league. Also there was a sentence or 2 saying Herb Washington may be added to Oakland's roster as a pinch runner with a stealing rating of A and running rating of 1-17. Also, like Didier in 1973, Philadelphia's Terry Harmon's card was based on his 1973 stats (he had just 15 AB in 1974). This card would result in the same confusion for eBay auctions that would list the Phillies with 19 of 20 cards or 23 of 24 cards.
1975 had just one traded player - Deron Johnson.
1976 had no traded cards - but had this time two A's pinch runners (Matt Alexander and Larry Lintz) who could be A 1-17 base runners. Plus there was available separately a 40 player expansion set for Toronto and Seattle.
1977 had 5 traded players and Lintz and Alexander again could be added as pinch runners etc. 3 players were advised to be used in secondary roles as their over use would change the team's results and it was noted that "due to the fact that Oakland sold or traded most of their pitchers, Dave Giusti is being included as an extra player (for Oakland) even though he finished the season with Chicago. Baltimore, Texas, Toronto, St. Louis and the Dodgers all had 5 XP vs the usual 4. Another odd choice for XP was Dwight Evans who hit 14 home runs and slugged .526 in 265 PA for the Red Sox while light hitting Rick Miller who had 220 PA and slugged .333 was on the base team. There was also Bernie Carbo who hit 15 HR and slugged .522 in 276 PA but for the group of 3, they took the 2 LH hitters (to go with Lynn and Yaz - plus Rice) giving them 4 out of 5 LH OF, Evans would have been a very worthwhile choice.
1978 had no traded cards and all teams had 4 XP.
For 1979, the Yankees, Tigers and Mets had 5 XP while the Cubs had six(!) due in part to three players having cards in both leagues - plus there were three traded (no team) cards.
I guess I will stop here.
The 1969 season set that was released in 1970 came with now 480 players for the base set (due to MLB expanding from 20 to 24 teams) and 96 more players which could be purchased separately as an "additional players" set for a total of 576 cards which was a whopping 44% increase over the 400 card sets previously available. It was noted that a few named additional players as well as all additional players should be used in "secondary roles". Jim Bouton was not included for either Seattle, Houston or as a traded card (see 1970) despite pitching in 73 combined games and having 122 combined IP
One odd thing I noticed over the years, quite often the additional players seemed to be a different printing from the base teams and would be quite noticeable - do not understand why they were not printed at the same time with the same quality.
In 1971, the 1970 set was released and for the first time, "traded" players were included that had no team name on their card. The 4 cards made that set 580 cards. In the first of a series of odd choices, Rod Carew (.366 in 204 PA) was made an XP for the Twins while Rich Renick (.229 in 204 PA) was made part of the base 20 main team. Of course this was not know to you until you received the cards and roster sheet. Tony Gonzalez was included as XP with the Angels (92 AB) but not at all with the Braves (430 AB). Weird, I believe this was corrected with the 1970 recreated set.
The 1971 set had the 576 players but in 1972 there were 2 traded and players and I believe for the first time, one player (Duke Sims) had 2 cards, one for each league, not listed as either a base team member or an additional player so both Cleveland and the Dodgers would have 25 players. The other 2 traded cards Matty Alou and Dal Maxvill became late season members of the world champion A's. Maxvill had 8 AB in the ALCS vs Detroit and Matty Alou had significant playing time subbing for an injured Reggie Jackson in the world series.
1973 was weird in a couple of ways. First, 2 NY Yankee outfielders were traded late in the season and were left off the base Yankee team, (Matty and Felipe Alou) and if you did not buy the additional players your Yankee team was really short of outfielders. Instead of Matty (538 PA for NYY) and Felipe (293 PA for NYY as OF/1B) you had the likes of Celerino Sanchez (67 total PA) and Otto Velez (92 total PA) and Mike Hegan (143 PA for NYY as a 1B) making the BASE team for NYY. Second, Jim Kaat was traded from the Twins to the White Sox and he had a combined 224 IP but was not included in the base teams or as a traded player but an additional player for the White Sox which made no sense at all. He had over 180 IP for the Twins and 41 for the ChiSox but was made an XP for the White Sox??? He should not have been an XP (again a lot of us back then did not buy the additional players) so a key pitcher in the AL with 28 decisions and 224 IP would not be in our sets. Oh by the way, XP is short for "extra players".
But we are not done for 1973, Bob Didier a reserve catcher who hit .455 in about 22 AB was included in the main set of 20 players for Detroit, but instead of using his 1973 stats and issuing him a card, they substituted his 1971 card (where he hit .219). You always see eBay listing for the 1973 Tigers that list 19 of 20 cards or 23 of 24 cards as the Didier card has "1971" listed as the year on his card and many assume that the card was accidentally placed in the wrong year. Weird on SOM to do this.
1974 had 4 traded cards available with the Additional players set, again it was weird to have Frank Robinson with 579 PA and traded within league to only be available as an XP (you usually don't see someone with 22 HR, tied for 6th in the league, as an XP). Same for Alex Johnson who had 514 PA who was also traded in league. Also there was a sentence or 2 saying Herb Washington may be added to Oakland's roster as a pinch runner with a stealing rating of A and running rating of 1-17. Also, like Didier in 1973, Philadelphia's Terry Harmon's card was based on his 1973 stats (he had just 15 AB in 1974). This card would result in the same confusion for eBay auctions that would list the Phillies with 19 of 20 cards or 23 of 24 cards.
1975 had just one traded player - Deron Johnson.
1976 had no traded cards - but had this time two A's pinch runners (Matt Alexander and Larry Lintz) who could be A 1-17 base runners. Plus there was available separately a 40 player expansion set for Toronto and Seattle.
1977 had 5 traded players and Lintz and Alexander again could be added as pinch runners etc. 3 players were advised to be used in secondary roles as their over use would change the team's results and it was noted that "due to the fact that Oakland sold or traded most of their pitchers, Dave Giusti is being included as an extra player (for Oakland) even though he finished the season with Chicago. Baltimore, Texas, Toronto, St. Louis and the Dodgers all had 5 XP vs the usual 4. Another odd choice for XP was Dwight Evans who hit 14 home runs and slugged .526 in 265 PA for the Red Sox while light hitting Rick Miller who had 220 PA and slugged .333 was on the base team. There was also Bernie Carbo who hit 15 HR and slugged .522 in 276 PA but for the group of 3, they took the 2 LH hitters (to go with Lynn and Yaz - plus Rice) giving them 4 out of 5 LH OF, Evans would have been a very worthwhile choice.
1978 had no traded cards and all teams had 4 XP.
For 1979, the Yankees, Tigers and Mets had 5 XP while the Cubs had six(!) due in part to three players having cards in both leagues - plus there were three traded (no team) cards.
I guess I will stop here.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Roster Sheets
I think (not sure) when I first started gaming in the late 60s and early 70s, I used to treat the SOM roster sheets that came with the game the same way I treated checklists with baseball cards. I either ignored them, discarded them, and definitely undervalued them.
Later, when I became a serious collector, I realized their true value and recognized they are a MUST HAVE for collecting teams and sets.
I even now don't want any old roster sheet, but ones that are clean, crisp, with no rips or tears (common) and definitely no ink, felt pen, or highlighter markings.
Maybe 10-12 years ago (or maybe longer than that), I even bought 8.5 x 14 protector sheets (and an accompanying 8.5 x 14 binder) to store those roster sheets that were that size, starting with the 1977 season roster sheet and also including many recreated roster sheets.
I keep my main set of roster sheets in a normal 8.5x11 binder and of course the larger ones in the larger binder.
The Oldtimers (I think) started out as 6 or 12 team sets. I have roster sheets for 20 teams, 28 teams, 34 teams (very rare) and of course 42 teams. Every time they added more teams, they just crammed them onto the same 2 page oldtimer roster sheet. The 20 team sheet had 10 teams on each side of the sheet. When they went to 28 teams (my first set) they went to 14 teams on each side, somewhat reducing the size for each team. In 1974 they added the 6 1900-1910 teams and now with 34 teams they went to 14 teams on the front but a whopping 20 teams on the back. The teams are so tiny on the back you can hardly read them. This roster sheet was only available in 1974 and 1975 and is very rare, I was looking for one for YEARS until I finally found one on eBay 2-3 years ago. At this point, they should have expanded to 3-4 pages, not cramming 34 teams onto just 2 pages. And then in 1976, with the 1920-30B set of 8 teams they went to 42 teams. They kept 14 teams on the front page (but changed the page from portrait to landscape). And they stuffed 28 teams on the back page, also going from portrait to landscape. They EASILY should have decided to go to at least 4 pages. Sheesh.
I currently have roster sheets going back to the original 1963 season and my collection includes the original roster sheets for the 1968-69 expansion set (ultra rare) and the 1976-77 expansion set (somewhat RARE).
Up until about the 1990 season, the roster sheets would have the "sales" year listed on top of the roster sheet instead of the statistical year. For example, the 1968 stat season would have a roster sheet that said "1969 rosters". This can get confusing especially for novices or those not familiar with the game. It is very common to see eBay listings for example that say "1973 Strat-O-Matic teams" when they are in fact 1972 teams.
Even the game company does not get it right. The roster sheet archive on their website has many of the same errors, for example the "1989 roster" is actually for the 1988 stat season. When they started matching the actual year on the roster sheet to the actual stat year (apparently starting with the 1990 stat season) this ended the confusion. And they actually would say "1990 season roster" instead of the previous "1990 roster". As it is they do not have a 1989 season roster on the site. In addition, most of the 1960s and 1970s roster sheets on their site are the newer recreated advanced or super advanced versions ... seeing/getting an original version that came with the original versions are basically nil.
I recently wrote them a letter advising them of these "mistakes" and offering my original roster sheets (and the 2 expansion roster sheets) if they wanted them, have not heard back yet.
They may not be interested in these as they may want to market towards games and sets they can still sell and I acknowledged that in my letter.
Later, when I became a serious collector, I realized their true value and recognized they are a MUST HAVE for collecting teams and sets.
I even now don't want any old roster sheet, but ones that are clean, crisp, with no rips or tears (common) and definitely no ink, felt pen, or highlighter markings.
Maybe 10-12 years ago (or maybe longer than that), I even bought 8.5 x 14 protector sheets (and an accompanying 8.5 x 14 binder) to store those roster sheets that were that size, starting with the 1977 season roster sheet and also including many recreated roster sheets.
I keep my main set of roster sheets in a normal 8.5x11 binder and of course the larger ones in the larger binder.
The Oldtimers (I think) started out as 6 or 12 team sets. I have roster sheets for 20 teams, 28 teams, 34 teams (very rare) and of course 42 teams. Every time they added more teams, they just crammed them onto the same 2 page oldtimer roster sheet. The 20 team sheet had 10 teams on each side of the sheet. When they went to 28 teams (my first set) they went to 14 teams on each side, somewhat reducing the size for each team. In 1974 they added the 6 1900-1910 teams and now with 34 teams they went to 14 teams on the front but a whopping 20 teams on the back. The teams are so tiny on the back you can hardly read them. This roster sheet was only available in 1974 and 1975 and is very rare, I was looking for one for YEARS until I finally found one on eBay 2-3 years ago. At this point, they should have expanded to 3-4 pages, not cramming 34 teams onto just 2 pages. And then in 1976, with the 1920-30B set of 8 teams they went to 42 teams. They kept 14 teams on the front page (but changed the page from portrait to landscape). And they stuffed 28 teams on the back page, also going from portrait to landscape. They EASILY should have decided to go to at least 4 pages. Sheesh.
I currently have roster sheets going back to the original 1963 season and my collection includes the original roster sheets for the 1968-69 expansion set (ultra rare) and the 1976-77 expansion set (somewhat RARE).
Up until about the 1990 season, the roster sheets would have the "sales" year listed on top of the roster sheet instead of the statistical year. For example, the 1968 stat season would have a roster sheet that said "1969 rosters". This can get confusing especially for novices or those not familiar with the game. It is very common to see eBay listings for example that say "1973 Strat-O-Matic teams" when they are in fact 1972 teams.
Even the game company does not get it right. The roster sheet archive on their website has many of the same errors, for example the "1989 roster" is actually for the 1988 stat season. When they started matching the actual year on the roster sheet to the actual stat year (apparently starting with the 1990 stat season) this ended the confusion. And they actually would say "1990 season roster" instead of the previous "1990 roster". As it is they do not have a 1989 season roster on the site. In addition, most of the 1960s and 1970s roster sheets on their site are the newer recreated advanced or super advanced versions ... seeing/getting an original version that came with the original versions are basically nil.
I recently wrote them a letter advising them of these "mistakes" and offering my original roster sheets (and the 2 expansion roster sheets) if they wanted them, have not heard back yet.
They may not be interested in these as they may want to market towards games and sets they can still sell and I acknowledged that in my letter.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Free Agent Signings ... or Trades?
Zimmerman just signed with the Tigers. Last year Scherzer signed with the Nationals. Were these free agent signings or in reality a trade?
I remember one year Will Clark, Palmeiro and another 1B just basically changed teams, although they were masqueraded as free agent signings.
Orel Hershiser once signed with a team because he wanted to be closer to his family, the team he signed with was "farther" from his family.
Then there are people like Greinke, who admitted he just wanted the most money That was commendable to admit that.
I remember one year Will Clark, Palmeiro and another 1B just basically changed teams, although they were masqueraded as free agent signings.
Orel Hershiser once signed with a team because he wanted to be closer to his family, the team he signed with was "farther" from his family.
Then there are people like Greinke, who admitted he just wanted the most money That was commendable to admit that.
Friday, November 27, 2015
My Baseball Games Recorded (on VHS or DVD) Part 1 1952-1969
I know the list is out of date so today 11-29-15 I will a full audit/updating of the games I have ... 2 large boxes of VHS tapes and a slew of DVD recording scattered everywhere.
Some of these recordings come from the mid 1980s. I think before Comcast Sports Network was around, there was something called the Sports Channel or Sports Network or similar, (It will come to me - or I can just watch a video or 2 and be reminded). Later before ESPN ruined it, the Classic Sports Network was also very good for these items. And of course, some over the air broadcasts (live games) and The MLB Network.
These are my recordings for 1952-1969 (there may be more but I may have not updated the lists).
Some of these recordings come from the mid 1980s. I think before Comcast Sports Network was around, there was something called the Sports Channel or Sports Network or similar, (It will come to me - or I can just watch a video or 2 and be reminded). Later before ESPN ruined it, the Classic Sports Network was also very good for these items. And of course, some over the air broadcasts (live games) and The MLB Network.
These are my recordings for 1952-1969 (there may be more but I may have not updated the lists).
| 1952-1969 | ||
| 1952.10.06 | Yankees 3, Dodgers 2 | 1952 WSG6 |
| 1952.10.07 | Yankees 4, Dodgers 2 | 1952 WSG7 |
| 1956.10.08 | Yankees 2, Dodgers 0 | 1956 WSG5/Larsen PG |
| 1960.10.13 | Pirates 10, Yankees 9 | 1960 WSG7 |
| 1965.07.13 | NL 6, AL 5 | 1965 ASG |
| 1965.10.06 | Twins 8, Dodgers 2 | 1965 WSG1 |
| 1965.10.10 | Dodgers 7, Twins 2 | 1965 WSG4 |
| 196510.11 | Dodgers 7, Twins 0 | 1965 WSG5 |
| 196510.14 | Dodgers 2, Twins 0 | 1965 WSG7 |
| 1968.10.02 | Cardinals 4, Tigers 0 | 1968 WSG1 |
| 1968.10.10 | Tigers 4, Cardinals 1 | 1968 WSG7 |
| 1969.07.12 | Cubs 7, Phillies 4 | |
| 1969.10.11 | Orioles 4, Mets 1 | 1969 WSG1 |
| 1969.10.12 | Mets 2, Orioles 1 | 1969 WSG2 |
| 1969.10.14 | Mets 5, Orioles 0 | 1969 WSG3 |
| 1969.10.15 | Mets 2, Orioles 1 | 1969 WSG4 |
| 1969.10.16 | Mets 5, Orioles 3 | 1969 WSG5 |
Bill James - The Guru ... sometimes
I like reading Bill James. A lot of good info, some provocative thoughts, and some tidbits to die for.
I have all 3 editions of the Historical Baseball Abstract, his Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers, and 1 or 2 other books.
Some of his articles (like the one on Ernie Lombardi) are treasured.
He has a soft place in his heart for The KC Royals and despises Charlie Finley from the old KC Athletics days.
While I despise ranking players, he really educated me on differences between eras, ball park illusions, and more.
While enjoyable he can be woefully inconsistent. With one comparison he may look at the best 3 seasons, with another comparison he may look at the best 7 seasons, etc. He will be all over park illusions in one comparison, then almost ignore them in the next comparison.
He once had Willie Mays ranked 3rd or 4th in career/peak for CF, then had him the third best OVERALL player (only behind Ruth and Wagner). He said I can never see why Gibson was rated over Marichal and had Marichal rated higher BOTH peak and career, then rated Gibson better in a combined ranking!?! He said McCovey should be rated above Killebrew, then a few books later rated Killebrew over McCovey. ETC ETC ETC
He was all over Kaline out homering Clemente 399-240, but ignored the facts that Kaline had 3,000 more AB than Clemente and played in a MUCH easier home run park than Clemente. The same park (Forbes Field) that he eloquently described the negative home run factor in his comments on Mazeroski.
He had Billy Martin prominently pictured on the cover of his Guide to Managers, then virtually did not say a word about him in the book.
Overall, I truly enjoy and benefit from reading him, but I take his rankings with a grain of salt.
I have all 3 editions of the Historical Baseball Abstract, his Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers, and 1 or 2 other books.
Some of his articles (like the one on Ernie Lombardi) are treasured.
He has a soft place in his heart for The KC Royals and despises Charlie Finley from the old KC Athletics days.
While I despise ranking players, he really educated me on differences between eras, ball park illusions, and more.
While enjoyable he can be woefully inconsistent. With one comparison he may look at the best 3 seasons, with another comparison he may look at the best 7 seasons, etc. He will be all over park illusions in one comparison, then almost ignore them in the next comparison.
He once had Willie Mays ranked 3rd or 4th in career/peak for CF, then had him the third best OVERALL player (only behind Ruth and Wagner). He said I can never see why Gibson was rated over Marichal and had Marichal rated higher BOTH peak and career, then rated Gibson better in a combined ranking!?! He said McCovey should be rated above Killebrew, then a few books later rated Killebrew over McCovey. ETC ETC ETC
He was all over Kaline out homering Clemente 399-240, but ignored the facts that Kaline had 3,000 more AB than Clemente and played in a MUCH easier home run park than Clemente. The same park (Forbes Field) that he eloquently described the negative home run factor in his comments on Mazeroski.
He had Billy Martin prominently pictured on the cover of his Guide to Managers, then virtually did not say a word about him in the book.
Overall, I truly enjoy and benefit from reading him, but I take his rankings with a grain of salt.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Summer of 49 (Halberstam)
One of the tasks recently taken was to decide which of mom and dad's belongings to keep and which to give away, sell or trash. Mom was moved to an independent/assisted living facility a few weeks ago. There was SO MUCH stuff, you could not take 20% of it. One of the items I took was David Halberstam's book: "Summer of 49".
I have only read about 50 pages but I have learned so many tidbits.
In 1948, the 3 top AL teams Yankees, Red Sox and Indians were tied with 7 games to go.
Of course, from the SOM oldtimer set, I have long been a fan of the 1948 Indians, 2 IF with over 30 HR and a third with a .355 BA and 18 HR and none of the three were the 1B. A .300 hitting OF and a great pitching staff.
I did not know Gene Bearden (sensational rookie in 1948) was a knuckleballer, and his quick drop off (from 20-7, 2.43 ERA in 1948 to 8-8, 5.10 ERA and then just 24 ML wins after that) was due to the hitters adjusting by moving well up in the batters box to get the knuckleball before it darted and danced and fluttered.
Johnny Pesky's real last name was Paveskovich.
The sharpest dresser on the Red Sox was Jack Kramer, who wore (and laundered himself) silk underwear and expensive suits.
In the last game of the regular season at Fenway, with the Red Sox winning, late in the game, Bucky Harris sent in a replacement for Joe DiMaggio after he took his position just prior to the inning starting. The Red Sox fans gave Joe D a thundering ovation and DiMaggio said it was the single greatest thrill in his career.
Mel Parnell, a LH Boston ace in 1948, had a 2.29 ERA in Fenway but a 4.13 ERA on the road.
There was a game in June 8 (1948) between the Indians and Red Sox in Fenway where Bearden beat Parnell 2-0, the only 2 runs being scored on a HR that was obviously foul to everyone but the 1B ump. If Boston wins that game, no playoff.
After losing the playoff game 8-3, Red Sox surprise starter Denny Galehouse never started another game, and pitched just 2 more ML innings.
In 1946, Me Allen of the Yankees became the first announcer to travel to away games and give live radio broadcasts from these away games.
Joe McCarthy was said to have pulled Hack Wilson aside to lecture him about his drinking. He poured a shot of whiskey into a glass filled with worms and the worms all quickly died. McCarthy asked Wilson what he thought about that. Wilson said If I drink, I won't have worms.
McCarthy signaled bonus boy Chuck Stobbs to come over to him late in spring training after ignoring him all ST and started talking about the pivot at 2B. Stobbs told him he was a pitcher. McCarthy replied I thought you were Goodman, get the hell out of here. He only pitched him 9 innings all year.
In the spring of 1949, with DiMaggio having trouble with his heel, he limped through some late spring games in Texas and then 70 year old Owner Del Webb accompanied him to the doctor as the injury worsened. The doctor took x-rays of both DiMaggio AND Webb, then showed the x-rays to Webb, saying one showed the body of a young man, the other is an older man. Webb replied that was perfectly understandable. Then the doctor said the "old man's" x-rays were not Webb, but DiMaggio.
DiMaggio was asked to sign a photo of Gionfriddo making the famous 1947 world series catch and after refusing, he finally relented. As the photographer walked away, DiMag leaned over to a small group of writers and said "if he was playing me right, he would have made it look easy".
Saturday, November 21, 2015
1980s SOM baseball tournament "in development "
I am better at creating projects than completing them, I sold all of my 1980-2013 sets a while ago, but managed to get 1980 back and have designs on the other 9 seasons 1981-1989 (but this may take awhile). I do not anticipate creating another 36 team - 6 league 1980s decades project (like my 1960s and 1970s and even oldtimer leagues - 17 leagues is already a monster) but maybe I can play a 32 team tournament - if I get those other 9 seasons. I "recently" did a 2000-2009 32 team tournament which was won by the 2003 Marlins.
I take the 20 pennant winners and add 6 "wild cards" for each league, the 12 at large teams are obviously subjective choices. Teams are seeded with world champs, followed by pennant winners getting the higher seeds. Bubble teams who did not make it include 1980 Orioles, 1980 Astros, 1981 Expos, 1982 Braves, 1985 Dodgers, 1985 Yankees, 1986 Angels, 1987 Blue Jays, 1989 Cubs
So rough draft here are my brackets, definitely subject to change - all series best of 7
1984 Tigers (A1) - 1986 Astros (N4)
1980 Royals (A3) - 1989 Giants (N2)
1987 Twins (A2) - 1988 Mets (N3)
1983 White Sox (A4) - 1981 Dodgers (N1)
1983 Orioles (A1) - 1981 Reds (N4)
1980 Yankees (A3) - 1985 Cardinals (N2)
1988 A's (A2) - 1984 Padres (N3)
1982 Angels (A4) - 1980 Phillies (N1)
1989 A's (A1) - 1985 Mets (N4)
1981 Yankees (A3) - 1987 Cardinals (N2)
1986 Red Sox (A2) - 1984 Cubs (N3)
1987 Tigers (A4) - 1988 Dodgers (N1)
1985 Royals (A1) - 1987 Giants (N4)
1985 Blue Jays (A3) - 1982 Cardinals (N2)
1982 Brewers (A2) - 1983 Phillies (N3)
1981 A's (A4) - 1986 Mets (N1)
I take the 20 pennant winners and add 6 "wild cards" for each league, the 12 at large teams are obviously subjective choices. Teams are seeded with world champs, followed by pennant winners getting the higher seeds. Bubble teams who did not make it include 1980 Orioles, 1980 Astros, 1981 Expos, 1982 Braves, 1985 Dodgers, 1985 Yankees, 1986 Angels, 1987 Blue Jays, 1989 Cubs
So rough draft here are my brackets, definitely subject to change - all series best of 7
1984 Tigers (A1) - 1986 Astros (N4)
1980 Royals (A3) - 1989 Giants (N2)
1987 Twins (A2) - 1988 Mets (N3)
1983 White Sox (A4) - 1981 Dodgers (N1)
1983 Orioles (A1) - 1981 Reds (N4)
1980 Yankees (A3) - 1985 Cardinals (N2)
1988 A's (A2) - 1984 Padres (N3)
1982 Angels (A4) - 1980 Phillies (N1)
1989 A's (A1) - 1985 Mets (N4)
1981 Yankees (A3) - 1987 Cardinals (N2)
1986 Red Sox (A2) - 1984 Cubs (N3)
1987 Tigers (A4) - 1988 Dodgers (N1)
1985 Royals (A1) - 1987 Giants (N4)
1985 Blue Jays (A3) - 1982 Cardinals (N2)
1982 Brewers (A2) - 1983 Phillies (N3)
1981 A's (A4) - 1986 Mets (N1)
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Lost ... and found
I think I have one major pet peeve in life - losing things.
Even meaningless things like a sock or a dime store pen. Something of value? OMG. A needed electronic item? The worst would be something of a cherished memory or nostalgic (and irreplaceable) item.
Something from my Strat-O-Matic hobby? Noooohhhhhh!
One year back in the mid to late 70s I put together some franchise teams combining just a few years and then lost both the A's and Astros which had players from 1971 and 1972 as I recall. Lost my beloved 1971 Vida Blue card. Very perturbed. Then one day in the mid eighties I went into a game / hobby store in Palo Alto and they had a used SOM game for sale, I think it had 6 or 7 1971 teams, including the A's and I bought it for like 10 bucks. Later when I joined the SOM review (or maybe even ebay) I was able to replace a few other missing teams including the 1972 A's and those Astros teams.
So it seems I am missing three games that I played in one of my 1970s leagues, but I have online capsules of the games, so I knew who won, what were the scores, and who the pitchers were. But no play by play sheet - hence no way to have full stats. A dilemma.
Last year I sold a lot of my collection and it is easy to see when I sold certain items and for how much as ebay invoices go back forever. But I am "missing" the one 1962 original team I had. I do not recall selling it, but there is a possibility I did. There is no ebay transaction in my invoices, perhaps I made a private deal? Or maybe I just lost it or misplaced it in all the shuffling during de-sleeving, re-organizing, and re-selling. I also have a set of nice copies of original 1962, and again a vague memory of putting the "real" team with that set, and getting rid of the duplicate/copied team. Maybe I made a mistake and threw the wrong team out.
Anyway, bothers me to this day.
So the other day, I rekindled my 3 sets of leagues (oldtimers, 1960s, 1970s) - 17 leagues total,. I went through a few of the binders and updated some of the league sheets to change results from pencil to typed etc. Thought I had it all covered. Then I read on my forum, I had played 6 more games in my 1920-1930s league, and thought I did not have the boxscore/play sheets. I looked everywhere, tearing apart several rooms, looking in folders for other non SOM games etc. Looked and looked and looked. Said oh well - another problem with missing games and missing stats. Then I retrieved my oldtimers binder and flipped to the back of the 1920s-1930s section and all 6 games were there?!? The 1931 A's and 1927 Yankees played a 3 game series, which they both entered tied for first place with 6-3 records. The A's took 2 of 3 but the Yankees took game 3 scoring 17 runs. The 5-4 1935 Cubs took 3 from the 2-7 1924 Senators, vaulting the Cubs to a first place tie at 8-4 with the 1931 A's. The 1934 cards and 1922 Giants will play the last series of round 4 tied with 4-5 records.
Did I forget to look there - seems that would be the first place I would have looked? Weird. But almost OK again, except for those 3 missing 1970s games.
Even meaningless things like a sock or a dime store pen. Something of value? OMG. A needed electronic item? The worst would be something of a cherished memory or nostalgic (and irreplaceable) item.
Something from my Strat-O-Matic hobby? Noooohhhhhh!
One year back in the mid to late 70s I put together some franchise teams combining just a few years and then lost both the A's and Astros which had players from 1971 and 1972 as I recall. Lost my beloved 1971 Vida Blue card. Very perturbed. Then one day in the mid eighties I went into a game / hobby store in Palo Alto and they had a used SOM game for sale, I think it had 6 or 7 1971 teams, including the A's and I bought it for like 10 bucks. Later when I joined the SOM review (or maybe even ebay) I was able to replace a few other missing teams including the 1972 A's and those Astros teams.
So it seems I am missing three games that I played in one of my 1970s leagues, but I have online capsules of the games, so I knew who won, what were the scores, and who the pitchers were. But no play by play sheet - hence no way to have full stats. A dilemma.
Last year I sold a lot of my collection and it is easy to see when I sold certain items and for how much as ebay invoices go back forever. But I am "missing" the one 1962 original team I had. I do not recall selling it, but there is a possibility I did. There is no ebay transaction in my invoices, perhaps I made a private deal? Or maybe I just lost it or misplaced it in all the shuffling during de-sleeving, re-organizing, and re-selling. I also have a set of nice copies of original 1962, and again a vague memory of putting the "real" team with that set, and getting rid of the duplicate/copied team. Maybe I made a mistake and threw the wrong team out.
Anyway, bothers me to this day.
So the other day, I rekindled my 3 sets of leagues (oldtimers, 1960s, 1970s) - 17 leagues total,. I went through a few of the binders and updated some of the league sheets to change results from pencil to typed etc. Thought I had it all covered. Then I read on my forum, I had played 6 more games in my 1920-1930s league, and thought I did not have the boxscore/play sheets. I looked everywhere, tearing apart several rooms, looking in folders for other non SOM games etc. Looked and looked and looked. Said oh well - another problem with missing games and missing stats. Then I retrieved my oldtimers binder and flipped to the back of the 1920s-1930s section and all 6 games were there?!? The 1931 A's and 1927 Yankees played a 3 game series, which they both entered tied for first place with 6-3 records. The A's took 2 of 3 but the Yankees took game 3 scoring 17 runs. The 5-4 1935 Cubs took 3 from the 2-7 1924 Senators, vaulting the Cubs to a first place tie at 8-4 with the 1931 A's. The 1934 cards and 1922 Giants will play the last series of round 4 tied with 4-5 records.
Did I forget to look there - seems that would be the first place I would have looked? Weird. But almost OK again, except for those 3 missing 1970s games.
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