Yes we know, we know, it has been 4 months since we put out an issue!! And while we always do our best to share the most informative information we can for your enjoyment and to enhance your game play (as well as introduce you to some of the most interesting members of ourr SOM Baseball family); these past four months have been quite intense on a personal level as well for your editor as I needed a summer break. But now, as we enter the time of the MLB playoffs, and with the season over (as far as the stats are concerned), we are coming back with a Bang. No doubt, some of you are already pondering about what the new cards will be like that will come out next year. Anyway, have no fears, we are here to let you know we are alive as well and have some really cool stuff to not only present this month but going forward towards the end of this year and I mean "REALLY COOL!!".

By the way, we do appreciate when we hear from our members your comments about this newsletter. Quite a few of you have told us how much you are enjoying each issue (who wouldn't its free) and liking the variety of articles, columns, interviews and resources we share. Thank you all so much!!  But now, what will you find in this issue?  First we need to discuss what all the fuss is about that is linked to the special SOM Projection Sheets that are good friend Bruce Bundy offered our members last year. Because, miraculously he has decided to do so again for this year but is making them available right now just as the MLB season has ended instead of in December as he did last time. This gives our members more than four months to prepare for the new baseball cards offered by SOM in Februay of 2015, let us explain.

To begin with, finally one of our members answered our request for new contributions to the newsletter and that would be Chuck Tinkler, who sent us a great article about Ballparking. He said that he plans to send more so if you like this article, you know there will be other good stuff coming down the pike as well. Please understand this dear members, this newsletter is a co-creation by all of us and everyone of us has a special story, experience or insight to share. We welcome and encourage you, as you have time to do so, to send your own contributions.  Now, if we don't come out with an issue every month, sometimes this is due to not having enough good stuff to share. 

Anyway, where was I -- so we extend a heartfelt thanks to Chuck for his wondrous article and also we want to thank Billy Sample (who we interviewed in April of 2013) for agreeing again to be interviewed with more insights into this very amazing and special ex Major Leaguer, who BTW is a multi-talented individual indeed. I believe as you read his interview you will find another very special surprise to come, but I won't say more. In May we visited with Ralph Polumbo from G.U.S.S.O.M.O. - the oldest existing SOM Baseball League in the world. Well finally we were able to track down their Commish, the initiator of this legendary league and an old friend from my early days of SOM, Jeff Fleischman ("Fleisch" as I used to call him). Jeff shares with us a bit more about this special group of gamers, the likes of which you have never seen. I really envy the way this league has formed close relationships with not only the guys in the league but their whole families, doing many activities together, it is a great story indeed!

Then Mark Heil of SOMers, another SOM Baseball forum tells us about what makes SOMers the place you want to be and how this forum was created. Of course, as I promised in the last issue,  I continue on with my article about SOM's online version of the Baseball relating how I did in my first official season and what I learned. Plus, I introduce you to my good friend "Mesquiton", a veteran player of this type of game play who was very helpful so that I could understand this new world of SOM baseball game play. He has a lot of knowledge how to play this game which should help all of you if you ever decide to partake of a SOM Online Baseball League. I will also mention that there are other tournaments that occur in On-line SOM Baseball beside the one I played in and "Mesquiton" with speak briefly about these as well. Over 100 people partake of these tournaments so its a sight to behold and the tournaments which see the most participates at this time.

Marc Wasserman, the commish, continues discussing how league works as he takes us to consider how leagues are prepare for their own post seasons and some of the rules they use to govern their play including the CBA for which he is the commish and our original team the Skokie Wolfmen, just finished in its 9th season finally had our first losing season. And as always we have our resource pages which recommended vaious on-line SOM Baseball resources and contacts as well as a list of books to read. 

We were hoping to do an interview with Willie Aikens, another ex-MLB player for this issue, who was on the 1985 Champion KC Royals (as the Royals return to the playoffs after 29 years and move onward due to their wildcard win) to talk about his new book and do an interview. Just before this issue was to be released, his new book "Safe at Home: Willie Mays Aiken" arrived and I added this book to our baseball book resource page. Mr. Aikens signed the book for our group and his words on the autographed copy (the first book USBN has received from an ex-MLB player) are shown with a summary of the book.  To take a peek (I will do a book review in our next issue and also hope to have an interview with Mr. Aikens) at this book click here.

And speaking about the playoffs, I thought last year it would be Detroit vs. the LA Dodgers and boy was I totally off so maybe I should just be silent this time.  Because the newsletter was delayed a day for its release, I have had a chance to watch the playoffs and although I thought we might have seen a Los Angeles based World Series this year it could be in the National League we will see a repeat of the Giants or the Cardinals who seem to have a lock on the National League championship, alternating over the past few years but as of the date of release of the newsletter, both the Orioles and Royals are up 2 games to none. However, the cinderella team of the Royals is show us all by using their speed, defense, small ball along with great pitching that once again they are showing how important pitching is in a short series. So now, there is no way to tell who will be in the World Series but it is always nice to have surprises and see different teams than the prior year. It is very difficult to repeat as the MLB champion two years in a row for sure.  Just as like in the all the other major sports this challenge is the same.  Although I still believe (now living in the Seattle area) the Seattle Seahawks with the 12th man and the great coaching and talented young players could do it again, we will see.