Issue #2, February - March 2013


 ** Strat-o-matic Conventions - Early History - The 1973 Convention  **
     (compiled by Wolfman Shapiro with help from Mike Kane & Gary Losey and a
     republishing of the articles about the Convention from the 1973 Editions of the
     Strat-o-matic Review)

Notes from the Wolfman: - Ok, we hope you enjoyed in Issue #1, the report of the very first Strat-o-matic Convention held by the editors of the Strat-o-matic Review in Kalamazoo, Michigan with support from the Game Company. For 1973 however, the Game Company decided they would hold the convention near their physical location in the New York City area and selected a department store in Brooklyn, NY which actually was selling the baseball game.
 


This card is a combination of work done by Dennis Conception in the CBA who put my face on an old Chicago Cub player (I am a big Cub Fan) and a
member of our newsletter placed the photo into
a playing card. But I am a "SOM Fanatic"!

 Now, in 1973, in the summer when the convention was being held I was only 18 years old but with help and support from friends in the New York City area, I was able to fly in and participate in the convention.

And as I recall, I did quite well in the baseball tournament, I think I made it to the semi-finals. J.G. Preston who you met in Issue #1 was on hand and let me stay at his house. Also a woman I had played via the mail named Donna Chevrette (from Connecticut, so not so far from Brooklyn) was in attendance. As the article describes below, Donna was known through the SOM Review as she and I played two series with the 1972 Allstars from the National and American Leagues through the mail, that was called "The Battle of the Sexes". I plan at some point to re-print these reports from the SOM Review so I won't say yet how the two series went at this moment.

Butch Haber who I mentioned in Issue #1, sent to me the report I wrote about my experiences with SOM which I passed out at the convention. He also told me that I played a song or two on the guitar about SOM that I made up and spontaneously played at this convention as well.

So again, through help from Mike Kane and Gary Losey, I was able to get the SOM Review articles that discussed the 2nd Annual Strat-o-matic Convention which is what appears on this page below. As I mentioned in Issue #1, these reports are the ones I already created on various web pages as I was considering to write a book about Strat-o-matic in 2006 which didn't pan out.  As a result of working on this unpublished book (now taking the form of this on-line newsletter) I did have one opportunity to send Hal Richman some questions via email which he did answer. And part of the information he shared was about how the decision was made to organize this second convention. So I have included this short interview and I think you will find this very interesting in what Mr. Richman had to say, thanks ...

Wolfman Shapiro

 





1973 SOM Convention
Brooklyn, New York (July)
(organized by the Strat-o-matic Game Co. & Review
in cooperation with the Abraham & Straus Department Store)

Again, we will tell the tale of the 2nd SOM Convention through the reports given in the Strat-o-matic Review.  I think this might have been the first time I ever flew on a plane by myself, being 18 years old.  I stayed with the commissioner of the play-by-mail league I joined in 1972 started by J. G. Preston, the Metropolian Baseball Association (MBA), the International League (IL), a division of the MBA.  J.G. had close ties with the people who worked at the Game Company and was involved with the organization of this convention (editor's note - see J.G.'s interview in Issue #1, 2013).  For this year, the Game Company was the main sponsor with the help of the Start-o-matic Review and Abraham & Straus, a large department store in Brooklyn who sold Strat-o-matic games.

Also, during this year, in the April (1973) issue of the Review was  reported an unusual play-by-mail series I participated in against one of the few female Strat players of the time.  It was a young lady (who I apologize to at the conference because I referred to her as a girl in my report ) by the name of Donna Chevrette from Plainfield,  CT.  They called this series the "Battle of the Sexes".  It was through this series that I made a name for myself (or became a bit infamous) and people started to know me as "The Wolfman". 

Anyway, Donna also did come to the convention, so we finally had a chance to meet in person.  None of the other members of the "IL" (the play by mail league I was in at the time as discussed in Issue #1) could attend this convention, so I was the sole representative.  I joined the advanced baseball tournament and I was just happy to be here as there were a lot of people who came to participate in the tournaments at this time.  Little did I realize that I might also go fairly deep into the tournament. Well anyway, here are the announcements about the 1973 convention and two reports about what occurred at this special meeting, once again given via the SOM Review.
 

EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
ABOUT THE 1973 SOM CONVENTION
IN THE SOM REVIEW....

DECEMBER ISSUE, 1972

In the Strat-O-Matic Spotlight

Plans for the 1973 Strat-O-Matic Convention are still indefinite as of the close of the year. There definitely will be one, however, but when and where are still being worked out.

Target date is again for the summer months.  Plus there's the possibility the Strat-O-Matic Game Company might be directly involved this time.  If so, the choice of sites could swing toward the East, probably very near the Game Company's headquarters at Port Washington, New York, on Long Island.

In discussions with the game company, we've found that a final decision will probably not be made until January or February.  Of course, as soon as a decision has been made, the readers of the Review will be immediately notified in the next issue .

Discussion has also centered upon the length of a convention, with a two-day gathering a possibility as well.

Harold Richman, owner and creator of the Strat-O-Matic games, has already made one suggestion we feel is an excellent one.  If a football tournament is held again -- which seems most likely -- random teams will be chosen by the participants.  But, instead of coaching one team throughout the game, teams will be switched at halftime, thus both coaches will handle each of the teams.  It won't be so much a contest between which is the better team but which coach is tops -- and that's the way it should be.

(Wolfman's Notes -- thus the concept to switch teams in the tournaments which we used in our conventions later on, came through SOM's creator)


 MARCH ISSUE, 1973

 Convention Dates Set

This was the issue we had hoped to give you the final plans for the second annual S-O-M Convention, unfortunately, though, we can't.  However, set aside the weekend of July 21st and 22nd.  This is definitely the weekend of the next convention.

What's the hang-up?  A convention site.  As mentioned before either Kalamazoo, MI, or New York, NY.  New York is the probable, but as of this printing, the Convention Hall is still in doubt.  Some have complained that New York seems unreasonable because it is not centrally located  like Kalamazoo.  True, but the greatest number of SOM players is on the East Coast.  Also the Game Company is there.  For you statistics nuts, present odds are 60-40, New York.

If in New York, the Convention will probably be a two-day affair, with various tournaments for both elementary and advanced versions of both the football and baseball games.  Of course, if the convention is in Kalamazoo we hope to have many of these same features.


 APRIL ISSUE, 1973

 OOPS!! CONVENTION AUGUST 3rd & 4th

Error, error, error!  Last issue we mentioned the SOM Convention this year was for sure July 21st and 22nd and  needless to say we were wrong.  August 3rd and 4th, Friday and  Saturday 10:00-6:00 both days, are now the aboslute, for sure, positive, correct  dates for the 1973 SOM Convention.  The Convention will begin at 10:00 AM in the morning with many tournaments taking place.  Convention location will be the Abraham & Straus Brooklyn Store, at the corner of Fulton and Hoyt, in the store's convention hall, New York.

Final (hopefully) announcement will be made the next issue with regard to exactly what tournaments will be held.  However, again you will be advised to bring with you the teams that you would like to play with in the tourneys.  Both elementary and advanced tournaments will be held for both the baseball and football games.  Because of the larger amount of people that will be expected, a one dollar reservation fee will be required ... next issue we will print entry blanks on the back of the Review for you to send into Abraham & Straus to reserve a place for yourself.  Please, do NOT send the money to the Review, and please also wait for the entry blank to be printed before sending money to the store.

 

 

Devoted exclusively to
the Strat-O-Matic game fans, with the consent of the
Strat-O-Matic Game Co.

STRAT-O-MATIC
REVIEW

Vol.. III-5  July 1973  40¢



Countdown Begins

The countdown to the second annual Strat-O-Matic Convention is well under way. Only a matter of days, not months, remain before a throng of Strat-O-Matic buffs gather at Abraham and Straus Department Store in Brooklyn, New York, for two days of game-playing, browsing, conversing and card trading.

Friday and Saturday, July 27 and 28, are the target dates for the convention, which will be drawing people From all over the country. Early reports to the Review, for instance, indicate that gamesters from as far away as California will be in attendance. "Go West, Young Man, Go West" may have been the cry of the late newspaperman Horace Greeley, but in regards to the Strat-O-Matic Convention its "Go East, Young Man (Women, too], Go East."

The actual site For the convention will be at the A&S convention hail in the Brooklyn store at 420 Fulton St., on the corner of Hoyt St.

Again, as mentioned in the June Review, you are asked to send a $1.00 reservation fee if you are planning on attending, since the convention hall has room for only a limited number of people. You should fill out the coupon on the back page of the Review and send a check or money order payable to A&S, in care of the address on the coupon. Do not send the fee to either the game company or the Review. A&S will send you an admission ticket by return mail.

On both days, Friday and Saturday, the convention will begin at 10 a.m.. and last until 6 p.m.

Tournaments will be held in baseball and football, in both the basic and
advanced versions. Those people planning to play in the tournaments should bring their own games, as there may be a problem if either player in a specific game doesn't show up with one. The tournaments will be held on both days, with prizes and trophies going to the winners.

Tournament play will not start immediately on Friday, however, so don't become alarmed if you become caught in traffic on the way to the convention. Don't delay too long, though, since prizes for winning the advanced-game tournaments include television sets.

A question-and-answer session, similar to the one held a year ago, will be another feature of the convention. This time, look for almost the entire staff at Strat-O-Matic to be on hand, including the game company's creator Harold Richman and his wife Sheila.

Many of the names you've been reading about in the Strat-O-Matic Review will also be there. The editors of the Review, Mike Allison and his wife, Jan and Del Newell and his wife Mary Jane, will be part of the scene. You'll meet J.G. Preston, Rick (Wolfman) Shapiro, Donna Chevrette. Brad Furst and many, many others.

A year ago, in Kalamazoo, MI, the first Strat-O-Matic convention was held. It was a success as people came from not only throughout the Midwest, but also as far away as Jackson, MS; Pittsburg, PA; New York and New Jersey. It was only a one-day affair with tournaments conducted and champions crowned in both football and baseball.

In case you were wondering, Ken O'Bryan, who attend the University of Kentucky at Louisville this past school year, and Don Nadeau, a high school student at Chelsea, MI, emerged the victors in football and baseball respectively.

There will be something for everyone, however, so if playing S-O-M in tournaments isn't your thing, remember there will be plenty of opportunity to just talk informally with gamesters like yourself, trade, sell and buy old card sets, plus, who knows, meet people that might lead into joining a play-by-mail league.

In fact, many leagues are planning on using the convention as an opportunity to hold meetings of their own and enable the various managers a chance to meet one another for the first time in person.

And so the countdown to the second annual convention begins. Remember it's Friday and Saturday, July 27 and 28, at Abraham and Straus department store, Brooklyn, NY. See you then!!!
 

 

Devoted exclusively to
the Strat-O-Matic game fans, with the consent of the
Strat-O-Matic Game Co.

STRAT-O-MATIC
REVIEW

Vol.. III-7  September 1973  40¢



Convention '73
 
GAMING TABLES WERE ACTION-FILLED PLACES DURING S-0-M CONVENTION.   Right, Game Creator Harold
Richman Presents Awards To Roy Daiell After Basic
Baseball Tournament Victory

It looked like an overflow pre-season camp for fledgling Bobby Fischer's. But in reality it was the second annual Strat-O-Matic Game Convention, in Brooklyn, New York's Abraham and Straus Department Store.

Over 500 table-game buffs, parents and browsers were on hand for the two-day convention, July 27 and 28, which featured tournament play in both basic and advanced versions of the Strat-O-Matic Football and Baseball games.

Where the first S-0-M Convention in Kalamazoo, MI, in Aug., 1972, had been the pioneer, the second proved that table-game playing had gone big league all the way. Over 100 participants engaged in dice-rolling combat in Kalamazoo, while there were 128 entries in three of the tourneys and 32 (basic football) in a fourth at A&S.

Winners of the tournaments were more than rewarded for their feats, too, as color television sets went to the advanced-game Champs and black and white sets to basic-game winners. In addition, victors were also given trophies. Runnerups were given gift certificates by the game company. Abraham and Straus contributed three of the television sets, Strat-O-Matic the other, while the game company provided the trophies.

Twenty-three states, plus Canada, were represented at the two-day marathon. Gamesters came from as far away as California, although the majority were concentrated in the East, which is natural since the home of Strat-O-Matic is at Port Washington, NY, on Long Island,

Jeff Fleischman from Downey, CA, and organizer of GUSSOMO (Greater United States S-O-M Organization), was in attendance, although another Californian, Emery Kurts, made the long trip From Santa Maria and then fell ill and missed the convention. Tom. Nelson, of Springfield Gardens, NY, who along with Kurts have been instrumental in making the Mid-Coastal play-by-mail football league a success, housed Kurts during his New York stay. "Emery did get to visit the game company and that was a big thrill for him. So, even though he wasn't able to attend the convention, he felt the trip was worthwhile," said Nelson at the convention.

Harold Richman, the guiding genius behind the Strat-O-Matic games, was at the convention both days bright and early, starting at 8 a.m., and worked tirelessly to 6 p.m. each day keeping the tournaments running smoothly and, most important of all, patiently answering the thousands of questions directed his way by the legion of fans playing his games. 

There never was a formal question-and-answer session with the crowd, but it really didn't matter since everyone had an opportunity to pose their questions in informal, small group gatherings with Richman. One and all had to have come away impressed with Richman, crew-cut and very down-to-earth, despite growing fame due to his creative genius in the sports table-game field.

Richman's wife, Sheila, who had done most of the behind-the-scenes organizational work in conjunction with A&S for the convention, was also present, while others from the game company included James Williams (who handled the bulk of the announcing duties), Steve Barker, J.G. Preston, Pauline Williams and Linda Truskowski.

Co-host for the convention was Del Newell of Kalamazoo, MI, co-editor of the Strat-O-Matic Review, who attended with his wife, Mary. Both editors of the Review could not make the trip to New York, however, as Mike Allison was readying a move into a newly built home and had to be content to wait and hear about the convention.

There were many other people well known to readers of the Review who were at the convention. Brad Furst, who had hitch-hiked from Spencer, IA, lost year, was again on the scene; Rick (Wolfman) Shapiro flew in from Skokie, IL, stayed with J.G. Preston and also sang a folk song about the Strat-O-Matic Convention; Donna Chevrette of Plainfield, CT, Rick's opponent in the so-called "Battle of the Sexes" baseball series, came to try her luck in the diamond tourney, plus there were many, many others. Donna, the lone female entry in the tournament, caused male chauvinists no worry as she bowed out early in advanced baseball play.

Shapiro, however, made it to the semifinals of the advanced baseball, losing to eventual champion, Joel Furst of Stamford, CT.  Brad (Furst) won his opening two games in the advanced football tourney before being ousted by a 44-24 score in the third round by Dave Waters.

The tournaments themselves were held at intervals, starting with the basic football Friday at 8 a.m.., followed by the advanced football at 10 a.m.., basic baseball at 12:30 p.m.., advanced baseball at 1:30, and then resuming with the second rounds in football at 3:00 and baseball at 5:00.

The opening tournaments were hectic as, after the 32-player field for basic football was processed without a hitch, the large advanced football delegation poured in and it began to look like Chinese troops streaming over the Yalu River all over again. Eventually the participants were processed at the registration tables and the main quest for tournament success was under way.

Although entries had been closed over a week before the convention date, there were openings in the tournaments for those who registered at the door, mainly because some who had already signed up failed to show.

The tournaments were no place for the timid, the unskilled, or those with heart conditions as, in order to take home championship honors, a gamester had to win five basic football games or seven in the other three tournaments. Two rounds were played opening day and five the second day. That makes for two long days of dice-rolling and a lot of head-stretching.

The football tournaments were set up as follows:  Two teams wore chosen (one by each coach) from the 1971 season (excluding Dallas). Teams had to be exchanged at half-time, though, so the game was a contest of a coach's skill and not a matter of how good the team was. Total points won the game, although if there was a tie in points, the winner was determined on the basis of first downs. Sudden death overtime decided later games that were deadlocked in points and first downs. Believe it or not, but there were a large number of games that were decided by a mere first down or two. That's a tough way to lose!

In baseball, again two teams were chosen. A two-game series was played, with the teams exchanged after the first game. A starting pitcher, however, could only hurl one game of the series. Again, most runs determined the winner. If the score was tied, than the winner was decided on the basis of hits. Then, extra innings. Again some rollers had their dice silenced for good in the tournament by the slimmest of all margins--a hit or two.

The tournament participants were models of conduct, despite the score, in almost all cases. "I remember a number of years ago the store put on a Mah Jong tournament and people started throwing things at each other," sighed Miss Jean Miller of A&S's special event department who, along with sports buyer Steve Feigin, were instrumental in bringing the convention to the department store. "Frankly, I was worried something like that might happen again, but these people conducted themselves amazingly well. It wasn't anything like before."

COMING NEXT MONTH...

..How the Strat-0-Matic tournaments at A&S came out and a look at the winners... More pictures from the convention ...  (see next issue below)

 

 





Devoted exclusively to
the Strat-O-Matic game fans, with the consent of the
Strat-O-Matic Game Co.


STRAT-O-MATIC
REVIEW

Vol.. III-8 October 1973  40¢
 

 

PICTURED ARE, LEFT, BRAD FURST; RIGHT PHOTO, FROM LEFT, DEL NEWELL, STEVE BARKAN, JEFF GUTERMAN, ADAM LANG AND ROY DAIELL

To The Winners...
Went TV Sets

Convention Champs Crowned

(Editor's note: Here is the second and final part of the "Convention '73" story.)

Now, how did the tournaments come out and who were the lucky (also very skillful) people who took home those television sets?

Adam Lang of Paramamus, NJ, emerged the champ in the advanced football tournament, which included some of the top stragetical minds in the East and many gamesters who represented various areas as league champions. Lang, decked out in a baseball cap and a picture of composure despite mounting tension as the tourney progressed, defeated a pair of brothers to take away championship laurels.

In the semi-finals he disposed of 13-year old Josh Garfield (see the Sept. Review for an in-depth story on the Garfield brothers) of Great Neck, NY, 17-6, then, with a crowd of onlookers ringing the table, he defeated 15-year-old Maurice in the finals, 26-10. Lang's feats were more remarkable since the Garfield brothers had earlier rolled over a number of rugged foes and in the process won the hearts of the huge throng and became the sentimental favorites.

Lang, good-natured throughout yet a study in concentration (has been playing??) football games since 1968.  "Actually I came to the convention an a standby player in both sports, just hoping for a chance to enter," reflected Lang. "Every game was tight in football. I tied in my first game -- in everything, points and first downs -- and won my second, 7-3. In baseball I won the first four games, but then had to drop out at noon the second day because of the time limit."

Lang, it should at pointed out, was the only one to advance deep into both tournaments -- in football and baseball. Finally, because of limited time left, Adam made the decision to pursue the grid tourney all the way and dropped out of the baseball. If it had been a three-day tournament, perhaps Lang night have been a double-winner. But, what would he have done with two TV sets?

 Advanced football championship game summary:
 (FD below is first downs)
Adam Lang (Vikings)      6 13 7 0 -- 20  9 FDs
Maurice Garfield (49ers) 0 10 0 0 -- 10 10 FDs
The other winner of a color television set was Joel Furst, a 20-year-old student at Syracuse University who hails from Stamford, CT. Joel defeated a 13-year-old battler by the name of Jay Grossman (Tenafly, NJ) by the slim margin of 5-4 in runs to win honors. Catfish Hunter pitched a four-hit shutout for Joel in the first game (2-0) and then, although he lost the second, 4-3, with the '71 Cubs, the one-run margin held up.

Joel's training ground for success turned out to be a dorm league he participated in at Syracuse. "It was a 10-team, 10-manager setup," said Joel, who advanced in the tourney after losing his first series on the basis of hits (some losers in the close games advanced into the second round and Joel was one of them] and later won quarter-final and semi-finals series by narrow 5-4 run margins.

Advanced championship baseball summary:

 Joel Furst (A's)    100 000 001 --  2 5 0
Jay Grossman (Cubs) 000 000 000 --  0 4 1
Catfish Hunter; Ferguson Jenkins, Juan Pizarro (9).

 Joel Furst. (Cubs)  110 001 000 -- 3 9 1
Jay Grossman (A's)  202 000 000 -- 4 4 1
Juan Pizzaro; Ken Holtzman, Rollie Fingers (7].
A pair of teen-ages hooked up in the finales of the basic football tournament, with Jeff Guterman, 15, a sophomore-to-be at Rosyln High School, Roslyn, NY, defeating Stuart Slote, 14, of Tenafly, NJ, 20-7. Defense was the name of Guterman's game throughout the tourney as he recorded wins by margins of 21-3, 30-10, 20-6 and 20-7 in the finale. All told, he allowed only 26 points in four games. Washington and Cleveland, 1971, were the teams used, with Slote having the Browns in the first half and Washington in the second.

"My strategy didn't work this time," remarked Slote afterwards. "I was behind 10-0 at halftime, but figured with Washington I could come back in the second. I had won my last three games with second half rallies after being behind."

Championship basic football summary:

 Jeff Guterman (Washington) 3 7 10 0 -- 20
Stuart Slote (Cleveland)   0 0  7 0 --  7
In the basic baseball, Roy Daiell of Jamaica, NY, who plans on being a high eohool teacher this fall and is a graduate of Rhcde Island University, went ail the way with an unorthodox method of setting his lineup. Before each game Roy would pick his starting lineup and then shuffle the cards to determine the batting order. His method worked as he breezed to a championship series win over Joe French of Fords, NJ, 10-3, winning both games.

"I came for the football tournament and got in the baseball as a stand-by," mused Daiell while waiting to carry out his black-and-white TV set. "I won my first two games by two-hit margins and had to come from behind in almost every game of every series. The first day I didn't even bring a baseball team. I had to borrow the '69 Pirates, then the '71 White Sox. Saturday I had my own team, the 1966 Astros."

Basic Baseball championship summary:

 Roy Daiell ('66 Astors) 010 000 020 -- 3 8 0
Joe French ('67 Braves) 001 0OO 010 -- 2 3 0
Mike Cuellar, Barry Latnen (9): Phil Nlekro.

Joe Frenoh ['66 Astros] O00 000 001 -- 1 7  0
Roy Daiell ('67 Braves] 430 000 00x -- 7 12 0
Barry Latman; Danny Lemaster.

 CONVENTION NOTES

* Strat-O-Matic creator Harold Richman, crew-cut and admitting to never being to see the sunny side of age 39 again, says to look for a much-requested addition to the baseball game next year and also the release of a new old-timer set (mentioned in the Sept. Review and again this month].

* Robert Henry, a mathematic whiz and table-game buff from Detroit, MI, attended the two-day convention. He never entered the tournaments, but said he wanted to come to just meet and talk with Harold Richman, browse and, perhaps, trade cards. He also, incidentally, orders three issues of every Review.

* Eric Popkoff, who rang up some lopsided victories early in the advanced
grid tourney, is the second best player in a 47-member head-to-head Brooklyn
based league. Wonder where No. 1 was?

* Dick Wimmer, a good friend of Harold Richman's and an old Strat-O-Matic playing buddy of his, tried his luck in the football tournament after an absence from the game of almost five years. "He used to beat me regularly," laughed Richman. "He was very good at the game, but I think the layoff hurt him as he lost to William Stowe by a pretty good score in the second round." Stove, it should be mentioned, later lost to Ron Safer (44-10), who lost to Dave Waters (17-13), who in turn was ousted by Adam Lang (17-13] In tha quarter-finals. And so it went...

* No official mention was made about a Strat-O-Matic Convention for next year. It's a solid bet there will be one, however. Where and when will be decided later.

* Strat-O-Matic games are now being sold retail in stores in the New York area. Abraham and Straus, naturally, is one of them. In Fact, passersby could hardly help but notice the football game on display in the area adjacent to the convention center.

(Notes from the Wolfman:  So we had  two conventions under our belt but then the game company decided they couldn't support a convention as we entered 1974 and the SOM Review was unable to set one up as well.  The people who had attended the first two conventions, loved it.  Something had to be done -- who would answer the call?  Well a convention did happen in 1974, and if you return to Issue #3, 2013 of this newsletter then you will find out what exactly happened!!)

 

 
INTERVIEW WITH MR. RICHMAN BY EMAIL
(January 9th, 2006)

(Wolfman Intro: As I explained at the top of this page, around 2006 I started to send out questionaires to individuals who worked for the game company and also various gamers asking a variety of questions about the baseball game and also personal strategies which different individuals used. There is a possibility at some future time I will go through this and pick out some of the most interesting stories and insights given. Also I just discovered many emails I received from Hank Smith {who recently passed away} that could also make another great article.  Anyway Steve Barkan and James Williams did send answers to my question but also did Mr. Richman. Since some of his answers were about the conventions, I thought this article for the 1973 Convention would be the best place to share Mr. Richman's insights.

Note: Mr. Richman did not include in his answer, the questions I asked him so I am guessing below what the questions were that I asked him. I hope you enjoy this ...)
 


From: "Strat-O-Matic Game Co." <som1@ix.netcom.com>
To: "Joshua Shapiro" <xxxx@yyy.yyy>
Subject: Re: Early SOM Conventions
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 13:09:43 -0500
 

Joshua,

 

Good to hear from you again.

 

The following are my answers to your questions.

Question:  Mr. Richman, can you discuss what was your main motivation for creating the Strat-o-matic Games?

As a youngster, I was a devotee of All-Star BB, although I felt it sadly was lacking in certain areas like pitching, fielding & running. It just measured batting. I was also an average athlete, destined not to make any high school or college teams. As an 11 yr old, baseball was my favorite sport. Before my 12th birthday and just before going to a summer camp, I devised a dice baseball game with individual player cards based on dice probabilities. As I did not know how to ascertain the probability odds, I rolled the dice 5000 times, keeping records. From this chart, I devised player cards. As a teenager, I developed a dice basketball game and a dice football game which I also played with my friends.

Question:  Mr. Richman, are you happy with how people are responding to your games?

I am more than quite satisfied with how the games have been received by the gaming public. Suggestions and criticisms have always been very important to our company. If people from different areas respond with the same suggestions or criticisms, we listen. If possible, we revise the game for future editions.

Question:  Mr. Richman, what plans do you have for advancements to the games?

Our board games are most likely in their final forms. However, our computer products continue to evolve.

Question:  Mr. Richman, what brings you the most pleasure from the creation of your games?

It is a great thrill for me to see people excited about our products, whether it is in letter form, e-mail form, opening day attendance or conventions. This is what makes all the work we do at Strat-O-Matic worthwhile.

Question:  Would it be possible to support different conventions by sending out flyers on their behalf with orders you fulfill?

We would seriously consider mailing flyers for conventions that are truly national in scope (not regional). However, we are limited by the number of items mailed with each order.

Question:  Mr. Richman do you have any memories how the idea for the first convention came up and then became a reality?

Unfortunately, I remember very little regarding the Michigan tournament. Most likely, Del Newell initiated it and I was very receptive.

Question:  What about the 2nd Convention in Brooklyn? Who's idea was it to have the convention be at a department store?

My wife was our retail sales person. She Sold our baseball game to the Abraham & Straus stores. After seeing the movie, They shoot horses, don't they (it was about a dance marathon), she suggested the idea of a convention to the A & S buyer who responded positively. It was a real happening. The buyer was extremely cooperative, suggesting TV prizes for the winners and furnishing the space. The convention was a major success.

Question:  Was there anything about the 2nd Convention in Brooklyn that you remember that was a surprise for you or an extraordinary activity?

The two young Garfield brothers finishing first and third in the Advanced football tournament was mind boggling.

Question:  Mr. Richman, why did the game company decide not to continue to sponsor future conventions after how well the 2nd convention went?

Though the convention was a success, it was too much of an undertaking for our company. It was almost impossible for us to continue running our business and at the same time conduct a convention.

Question:  Mr. Richman, it was your ideas to switch teams during each round, but how would you feel if tournaments at other conventions used other strategies for selecting their team?

I still like the switching teams idea. But certainly, I would entertain other ideas from sources within or outside the company.

Question:  (Not sure about the first part of the question, the second part had to do with the Club we created in Chicago for Strat-o-matic and that we did a public display at a Mall (Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL) where a Kay Bee Toy store was to help sell games and give an awareness to our local club.)

I thought they were great. In fact, I was shocked to hear from the president of our largest retail account (Kay Bee Toy & Hobby) that there is a guy by the name of the "Wolf Man" doing amazing things for Strat-O-Matic in the Chicago area.

(Note: - at our public display we had two ex-Cubs and two ex-White Sox players, play against each other using SOM Baseball teams they were on using the basic game. The ex-MLB players enjoyed it and so did the people who stopped by.)


Hal Richman, President

Strat-O-Matic Game Co.
46 Railroad Plaza
Glen Head, NY 11545

 


Contained inside this exciting issue of Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter:
 (to view the various interviews, articles, columns and special sections click on the links {underlined} and this will take you to the appropriate webpage)
 

♦  RETURN TO NEWSLETTER MAIN PAGE

♦  INTERVIEW with BRYAN SWANK SOM Gamer, league member.
(Sharing about his father, Thomas Swank)

♦  STRAT THOUGHTS with BRUCE BUNDY, SOM Gamer, Creator of Baseball Card Formulas, Baseball Strategy Advisor, Beta Tester for the Game Company
(A new monthly column of "Strat Thoughts" from the mind of legendary Bruce Bundy)

♦  ARTICLE with "REZZDOGG", Owner/Moderator of Stratomatic Baseball Village
(This Article is entitled "Fathers and Sons: Diamonds are Forever".)

♦  INTERVIEW with DAN PATTERSON, Founder of Strat-o-matic Fan Forum
(This forum covers all of the sports games offered by Strat-o-matic)

♦  COMMISSIONER's CORNER with MARC WASSERMAN-- commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association (CBA) continues his column about what it is like to be a League Commissioner. In this article he discusses how to deal with challenges from league members when there are heated disagreements or communication breaks down.

♦  SOM BASEBALL CARDS QUIZ - our test of your knowledge of the SOM Baseball Cards, questions and answers provided by Marc Wasserman. In this issue we give the answers to Quiz #1, interview our first winner (Art) and have two new questions to ask for Quiz #2. Who will be our next winner?

♦  RECOMMEND ON-LINE SOM RESOURCES -- Those On-line Strat-o-matic and Baseball related websites that offer amazing information, special tools and products to improve your game play that we recommend and which we have had personal contact with and agree with our idea to work together and help promote each other.

♦  BOOKS TO DIE FOR and Become a BASEBALL GURU -- This page is a new page we are adding for the newsletter that is specifically about special books we are finding that either will expand your insights about the game of Baseball, help you in the creation of your current league teams or with your replays and learn more about the Strat-o-matic Base Game and Game Company's history.  At the time of the release of this newsletter we have a special arrangement with Acta Sports to offer our members a 10% discount. We hope to add more books in the future.
 

 

Contact Us for Questions or Submissions:

Wolfman Shapiro
 Founder/Editor, the Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter
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