Vol. VI, Issue #2 - April 2018
  
 ** SOM Baseball & MLB World News **
      ( a new periodic column for 2018 where we share special news
linked to the SOM Baseball Game and MLB .... stay tuned!! )

Notes from the Wolfman: - Welcome to 2018, as we all begin our new seasons of SOM Baseball Play - whether it is in a league that can be done face-to-face, or using the computer game with the manager or netplay.  We have tournaments going on now using face-to-face, netplay and live play with skype.  And finally we have solitary play or also called a replay that an individual does himself whether with dice and cards or uses the computer to play some of the teams.  And don't forget about Baseball Daily where you can manager the MLB team or teams you wish to play for their 2018 season or jump onto Baseball 365 and you have more leagues and tournaments to play there with any card or card image SOM has ever created - what could be better then Strat?

In this issue of SOM Baseball & MLB World News, we bring Alan Davidson, who allowed us to share before a Strat article he and his buddy wrote a few years plus, now he is making Strat teams from Negro Teams, Minor League Teams and Cuban Teams - so we will find out what he has to offer our members.  And secondly, your editor is on a secret mission, which I will explain - to tell a story actually, a baseball story - and why I am challenging my friend Larry to the series of the century.  So sit back, enjoy your favorite beverage and read on ...

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FLASH: FLASH: FLASH: Alan Davidson returns with more Strat Teams he has created - how would you like them all for free?  Well this is his offer dear member -- read below ...
 

This is Alan -  Strat People come in all sizes and shapes
plus we are multi-talented too as we see here ....

Wolfman: I don't know if you recall but Alan offered to our members before some teams he did - only a few members contacted me to get the teams.  Anyway this is the message that Alan emailed me about all of these teams -

 

 

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Here is the list of the teams Alan has prepared for our members, if you see a team or teams you wish to receive just send Alan an email to his email address (in red) above .. he sent me all these teams ...

cubans 2000 Vegueros de Pinar.pdf
cubans 2007 Avispas de Santiago.pdf
cubans 2009 Alazanes de Granma.pdf
cubans 2010 Elefantes de Cienfuegos.pdf

majors 1876 Chicago White Stockingsz.pdf
majors 1894 Baltimore Orioles.pdf
majors 1894 Philadelphia Phillies.pdf
majors 1898 Boston Beaneaters.pdf

minors 1921 Baltimore Orioles.pdf
minors 1925 Salt Lake City Bees.pdf
minors 1925 San Francisco Seals.pdf
minors 1934 Los Angeles Angels.pdf
minors 1950 Joplin Miners.pdf
minors 1954 Indianapolis Indians.pdf
minors 1981 Albuquerque Dukes.pdf

minors 60 homerun club.pdf
minors American Association League Stars.pdf
minors greatest stars.pdf
minors hall of fame stars.pdf
minors International League Stars.pdf
minors Minneapolis Millers stars.pdf
minors PCL post 1950 stars.pdf
minors PCL pre 1950 stars.pdf
minors Salt Lake City stars.pdf
minors San Francisco stars.pdf
minors South Atlantic League stars.pdf

negro (California winter league) 1934-35 Wilson Elites.pdf
negro (Cuban winter league) 1908-11 Alacranes de Almendares.pdf
negro (Cuban winter league) 1913-15 Alacranes de Allmendares.pdf
negro (Cuban winter league) 1923 Santa Clara Leopardos.pdf
negro (Cuban winter league) 1928 Habana Leones.pdf
negro (Puerto Rican winter league) 1954 Santurce Cangrejeros.pdf

negro 1908-11 Chicago Leland Giants.pdf
negro 1911-13 Chicago American Giants.pdf
negro 1915-18 NY Lincoln Giants.pdf
negro 1916-17 Chicago American Giants.pdf
negro 1919 Chicago American Giants.pdf
negro 1920 Chicago American Giants.pdf
negro 1920-26 Cuban Stars East.pdf
negro 1921 St. Louis Giants.pdf
negro 1923 Detroit Stars.pdf
negro 1923-24 Kansas City Monarchs.pdf
negro 1923-25 Hilldale Daisies.pdf
negro 1925 Harrisburg Giants.pdf
negro 1925 St. Louis Stars.pdf
negro 1928 St. Louis stars.pdf
negro 1930 NY Lincoln Giants.pdf
negro 1930-31 Homestead Grays.pdf
negro 1933-35 Pittsburgh Crawfords.pdf
negro 1935-36 New York Cubans.pdf
negro 1937-38 Homestead Grays.pdf
negro 1941-42 Kansas City Monarchs.pdf
negro 1943 Homestead Grays.pdf
negro 1944-45 Homestead Grays.pdf
Negro all-stars.pdf


And finally below is some card images that Alan made for various Negro baseball All Stars - note that the season total is an average per year of each player:

 

Go Get Your Teams and Contact Alan Today!!

 

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FLASH: FLASH: FLASH: The Series of the Century - Why are the Greatest Chicago Cubs (that is, those who have passed away) to ever live playing a three day series in Wrigley Field (1961 vintage based on the ballpark and weather condtions) against the Greatest (in the same condition) Yankees?  What is this all about - a personal story by your editor with Larry Braus - do read on ...

 

But wait - how can this be Babe Ruth, a Yankee, facing Shoeless, Joe Jackson from the WhiteSox - he never played for the Cubs?  Well, in this series, the games are going to be played in Heaven.  And Shoeless Joe, has been granted permission to play with the Cubs ... but there is another reason for this, and that is, this series of three games is going to be featured in a short story I will be writing, which I hope to have finished sometime this year. And besides the excitement of a Greatest Cubs vs. the Greatest Yankees - there is another whole story behind it and plus, I plan to answer the unanswered questions from the movie where Shoeless Joe was a big part of that film, called "Field of Dreams" which was based on the book by W. P. Kinsella, "Shoeless Joe".  We discussed all of this in 2016 when I interviewed Mr. Kinsella just before he passed on and visited the Field of Dreams Movie Baseball Field in Iowa that summer.

Now, my friend Larry Braus, an old friend from Chicago during my early days and another person who attended our National Conventions at the University of Illinois plus now my co-manager in my baseball league - agreed to help me play this series.  We did play an exhibition game using skype at the end of March, the same as they do in the Strat Tournament Players Club, and it was an interesting game.  The Cubs took out an early 2-0 lead but the Yankees, with their home run power caught up and took a 6-3 lead.  The Cubs tied it at 6 all but then Gordon, their 2B hit his 3rd homer of the day and the Yanks won 9-6.  Anyway the series will not be played till shortly after the newsletter is released but here is our 35 man rosters.  Note all of these cards were taken from the All Time Great Player set on Baseball 365 and I selected each player's best season as several of these players have several version of their cards in this set.

All Time Great Chicago Cubs

Catchers:  Hartnett / Kling / Bresnahan (used best season, not on Cubs)

1B:  Chance / Cavaretta (backup Banks - Hickman)

2B:  Hornsby / Evers (backup: Steinfeldt)

SS:  Banks / Tinkers / English

3B:  Santo / Hack / Steinfeldt (backup: English)

LF:  Shoeless Jackson / Stephenson  (backup Cuyler)

CF:  Wilson / Pafko / (backup Hickman)

RF:  Cuyler / Schultz (backup: Jackson, Pafko, Hickman)

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Pitchers:

Carl Lundgren -- relief *
Claude Hendrix - relief
Claude Passeau - relief
Dizzy Dean - starter/ relief *  (used his best season not on Cubs)
Ed Ruelbach - starter /relief / named closer (1 inning) *
Hank Wyse - relief
Hippo Vaughn - starter / relief*
Jack Pfeister - relief
Jack Taylor - relief
Jake Weimer - relief*
Jim Brosnan - relief
Greg Maddux (Joseph Schwartz, main charter) - starter
Orval Overall - relief
Pete Alexander - starter/relief*  (used his best season, not on Cubs)
Three Fingers Brown - starter

(*relief - a starter who will only relieve during the series - one pitcher named a closer)

Summary of Early Strategy  -- We plan to use Greg Maddux (the only player who is still alive, that takes the role of Joseph Schwartz, the main character of our short story who visits Heaven, gets to pitch in the series and manager the Cubs, both his childhood dreams) as the starter in Game #1 (minimum of 3 innings pitched) and he can relieve in Game #3 of this three game series) with Hippo Vaughn as a lefty reliever in Game #1 but will come back and start in Game #3, per usage rules.  Three Fingers Brown will be the Game #2 starter and we have selected Ed Ruelbach as our closer. All the rest of the pitchers are for spot relief.

Also we both will try to use as many of our 35 players as possible in the three games, and the same for the positional players.  The pitchers will bat (using the pitcher's hitting cards).  The Yankees naturally have more power hitters then the Cubs (Mantle, Maris, Ruth, Gehrig and a ton of other players with 20 or more homers) so the key for the Cubs will be wisely using their pitchers in key matchups and very solid defense at the end of the game - may also have to use some small ball.

Ok then, here are the All Time Yankee Greats which Larry Selected.

All Time Great New York Yankees

Catchers:  Dickey / Howard / Berra / Munson

1B:  Gehrig / Skowran (backup: Howard, Henrich)

2B:  Gordon / McDougald

SS:  Rizzuto / Crosetti  (backup: McDougald / Boyer)

3B:  Rolfe / Boyer (backup: McDougald)

LF:  Selkirk / Henrich / Ruth / Bauer (backup: Berra)

CF:  Dimaggio / Mantle / Combs (backup Henrich, Maris)

RF:  Ruth / Maris / Henrich / Bauer / Selkirk

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Pitchers:

Raschi - starter
Lopat - starter
Chesboro - starter
Gomez - starter
Ruether - starter
Pipgras - relief / starter
Pennock - relief / starter
Duren - relief / starter
Bonham - relief / starter
Allen - relief / starter
Shocker - relief / starter
Page - relief / closer
Moore - relief
Russo - relief
Arroyo - relief

Summary of Early Strategy -- I do not know what strategy Larry will use for the Yankees exactly but we will try to keep their left handed power hitters off balance.  In the ballpark settings in 1961 Wrigley Field, the ballpark homer is a bit higher vs. right handed power hitters.  Also Larry chose quite a few left handed pitchers, more then the Cubs have.  Of course, you might be surprised Whitey Ford is not on their pitching staff, this is due to both of us, Larry and myself picking the best strat cards to use in this series.  I think the Cub pitchers are a bit better so we will see if better pitching in this short series can be the factor.
 

Final Comments from the Wolfman:  I don't want to spoil the story for any of our members who might decide to get a copy of this short novel when its ready later this year, so I will not say more except that there is going to be a whole other story linked to the novel both within the story itself and outside.  Also I plan to do a full analysis of the series from a fantasy baseball perspective and perhaps this might help the game company as well.  All I can say is that it will be like no other book done before.  I plan to share in a few weeks (from the release of this newsletter) a special bulletin that will share the results of the games with a full report, as this is what Strat-o-matic Baseball is all about -- so stay tuned.  If anyone wants to get on my early list to be contacted when this story is ready, which I am calling tentatively, "How Baseball is Played in Heaven", just shoot me an email to my email address below and I will put you on my list - thanks!

Update:  to read the first part about this 3 Game Series between the Greatest Cub Players vs. the Greatest Yank Players, click on the link below - this tale will be share via three parts, each released separately during April, and in honor and celebration of the Wolfman's 63rd birthday, taking place on April 17th -- start with this page:

BASEBALL SERIES IN HEAVEN - INTRODUCTION
 
 

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