Vol. IV, Issue #4 -
May 2016
Strat-o-matic
Personal Replays Part I
**
"The SOM Replay World of Bart Ewing" **
(One area we have not covered at
all yet, in our newsletter are "Personal Replays".
With the power of the computer game you can replay many
different past seasons
or combine
all type of teams to play each other from over many Eras.
This is what
Bart has come up with, his own system of replays, which we think
are quite unique!!)
(Notes
from the Wolfman:
I first met Bart at the National Conventions we
use to hold in Champaign-Urbana, IL from 1974-1979. There
were a group of us who would see each other each summer and we
became like an extended family who had this chance one a year to
visit with each other and play the game we loved. Our readers can go back to earlier issues of the
newsletter to read the reports of these conventions I submitted to the SOM Review
that we re-published here. Bart, of course, is a key
member of our newsletter and has been a true blue SOM gamer for many
years. I rediscovered Bart on the SOM Fan Forum and most
recently I found him on Twitter sharing about the various
replays that he does so I thought it was time to have my old
buddy share about his good stuff with our members.
Now, Replays are one area of
playing the game we haven't
been able to cover yet. In my own way right now, as you
will read in my report on Baseball Daily, I am doing a kind of
replay of the current season for the Chicago Cubs. I know
on many of the SOM on-line Baseball Forums, their members are
constantly discussing their
individual replays so hopefully this interview / report from
Bart might spur some new sharings from our members going forward. What I found the most interesting when I
was chatting with Bart via our emails was what he calls his Championship Tournaments
that he has been
running for some time now and this is what he was sharing on
Twitter about. Anyway, it is my great
pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Ewing, one of the mist dedicated SOM
gamers I personally know.
Take it away Bart!)
Wolfman:
As I mentioned in my introduction, Bart
and I go way back, to the time of the National
Conventions that a group of us organized at the
University of Illinois in the 1970's. In this
interview, you will have a chance to not ony meet
Bart but also learn about these very unusual
replay tournaments he has been running. At the end of this interview, I have also reprinted
a detailed email that Bart sent to me discussing how
he decided which teams to include in each of his
unique tourneys and which team has won the tourneys
that he has completed.
So Bart, welcome to the Ultimate Strat Baseball
Newsletter and nice to finally have you included in
an issue of our newsltter.
Bart:
It's an honor for me. I'm glad to be here with other
people promoting such a great hobby!
Wolfman:
Bart, I initially ask my guests some personal questions about
themselves to give our members a chance to meet you
and know a little bit about your background before
we move on to discuss Strat. So first, which part of the
world do you live in right now and is this where you
grew up?
Bart:
I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and I never
really left. I live just over the state line now in Kansas and
spent some time in Lawrence, Kansas hanging out with Bill James
(or actually going to college).
Wolfman:
When you were younger - did you actually play baseball and if so
what was your best position?
Bart:
Yes of course I did and I was terrible at it as I was
actually afraid of the ball. But like the kid in the story, the Bad News
Bears, I had the ability to calculate all the baseball stats
thanks to Strat. I was just a 4th grader with a slide rule and
with that old book Strat put out entitled "Earned Run Averages"
so I stuck with playing baseball. I eventually became a decent
defensive player but never had any power. Like aging players of
today, I moved gradually right on the spectrum of positions from
2b - 1b - rf.
Wolfman:
What about which MLB team did you root for when you were younger
and are you still a fan of this team? Are there any ball
players you really followed or who were your favorite when you
were young?
Bart: The K.C. Royals of course. My first baseball team
were the K.C. A's when my dad took me to their games when I was
quite young as well as doing BBQ parking on peoples lawns who
were just outside
Municipal Stadium too. This was quite the education for me in
many ways. Municipal Stadium was such an interesting place as
the players went up a long walk way on each side of the park to
get to their locker room. We were on the 3b side - the visitors
side but this was a great autograph perch where I had many great
players give their autographs. My favorite player was Harmon Killebrew who said he would come back to do an autograph between
games of a doubleheader once. The players had to go do something
but he promised to get back to me between the games. My dad and
brothers kept telling me he wasn't coming back, that he was just
saying this but I insisted he would. I waited in my spot for
him and sure enough he returned.
It was easy to love the Royals as well right from
the start. I was at their first game, their first game in
Kaufman Stadium, also the first World Series game too. AO --
Amos Otis was a big number one for me but Tony Solaita was my
all time favorite. He was my first Samoan player (that 1975 card
man) but he never could catch a break in the majors. He was a
prodigious power hitter in the Yankee farm system but he was
blocked there. Jack Mckeon brought him over when he became
manager of the Royals, as he had managed him in the Yankee farm system
and he knew what he could do. Tony delivered but again he had
bad luck as the Royals had also just picked up John Mayberry the
year he came over and they added Killebrew in 1975. So there were not
many ab's for Tony, but he did pretty well in what he got.
A group of us started a fan club for Tony -we all
worked at a local pizza place and invented the Samoan Special
pizza (canadian bacon and pineapple, they still serve it today
even though they do not know the origin). One day, he came out
with The Angels and met us at the pizza place. He was a great
guy- so nice- a friend joked about Tony hitting a homer for us
and he didn't want to commit. So, I let him off the hook and
said, "Steal a base then" (he was not fast) and the rest is
history as he had a great game and stole his first major league
base that night. You can look it up!
Outside the Royals, I was a Mays and Conigliaro
guy- Strat educates you about players and I played oldtimer
basic a lot and fell in love with those guys.
The Royals became such a poorly run team after
Ewing Kaufman died however. I was a season ticket holder like my
dad before me, but they were so badly operated I gave up and for
a few years boycotted them. Their resurgence these past few
years have changed that of course, I guess I'm a band wagon guy.
During their 2014 season, I never bought in the full boat as
they seemed lucky to me but they were exciting. Last year they
won me back with how they played their games. This was the Best
Royal's Team ever in 2015 over the 1977-1980 teams.
Wolfman:
How
did you hear about SOM Baseball? When did you first begin to
play the game?
Bart:
I watched my 2 older brothers play at first. I
would sit at the table and watch them play- I was about 5 then
(1964). I received my first SOM Baseball set, the 1920-30
oldtimers basic teams a year or two later. Man I played that set
all the time and then I added more old timer teams plus the
current seasons, etc ... And it all went crazy I guess after
that as I became the Strat guy.
Wolfman:
What is your history participating in leagues (face-to-face or
computer based)?
Bart:
There are not many people in my area who play in
a face to face league. I was in one league for 2-3 years about
20 years ago but we couldn't keep it going. I've been in mail
and now computer leagues since I was a teenager. I'm in Tracball
(a tough AL only league ) for almost 30 years now. I'm also in a
1962 Retro league and a current NL league, I also just joined a
1923 Retro league that added Negro League players for the era
which is so far a blast and a real challenge.
Wolfman:
Do
you have any special memories when you participated in the
National Conventions with us in the 70's? Do you still
participate in any type of SOM Baseball Tournaments?
Bart:
Those Urbana tournaments were so great. As you
know I took a greyhound by myself at 15 for the first one. It
was amazing to be playing real live gamers that shared my love.
I remember Willie McCovey stealing home to win a game (only had
Russ Gibson left to pinch hit). I remember the lucky Dr. Pepper
bottle I carried around and the marathon first version games of
Strat basketball (more like chess). Mainly I remember the people
I met - great people
(After the Urbana Tournaments ended)
I tried other Strat Tournaments for awhile - the
competition was fantastic but frankly the personal aspects were
lacking, there were some unpleasant people (often running the
tournaments) who would belittle people, mock them and just be
very arrogant with certain participants. For example, making
fun of a 12 year old for drafting his favorite player - just
some guys who's social awareness did not match their IQ.
Wolfman:
Ok Bart, now lets move into the replays
you are doing, a type of tournament with teams from many eras.
Is doing personal replays something you have done over the
years? Is there a certain way how you play your replays?
Bart:
I love projects that start with a "What If?"
premise. I try to play a season tournament when the cards come
out every year, a progressive format where teams are seeded 1-30
based on their records. The first round is 1 game at the lower
seeds parks, then a 3 game series, 5 game series and finally a 7
game series. There are are always lots of upsets in the first rounds
which creates some intense games.
I also do played replays - right now, I'm
recreating the Royal's history using "as played" -up to 1974 half
way.
I also do mixed era leagues that I call
Championship Leagues -based on how the European soccer leagues
are played where the best of the best teams go into a super
league. I try and create interesting story lines or matchups for
each of these Championship Leagues.
Wolfman:
Now, what is the purpose of these Championship Leagues? How do
you decide which teams to use? What is the logic for
determining who becomes the champion team of your league or
tourney?
Bart:
A lot of these tourneys are a mix of what would
be interesting team match ups, often just based on the new sets
that are coming out. I often have a theme. For instance, I just
did a league of near miss teams such as the 1961 Tigers and
similar teams like this. I have 2 favorites leagues I setup in
one tourney where I set up the 8 greatest teams of all time
using my own criteria along with Rob Neyer's book about his
thoughts about what were the greatest baseball teams ever. He
made cases for the teams he thought should be acknowledged and I
tweaked it. For example, I added the 1941 Dodgers because they
won my first super tournament years before. I then created a 2nd
division of the 8 most undeserving champions ever such as the
1985 Royals, the 1973 Mets, 1919 Reds, etc. One was called the
Skill division and the other the Luck division, There was some
interleague play just to add a wild card element. At the end the
winners of each division would play in a WS which saw the 1939
Yankees kill the 1919 Reds.
The next championship tourney I just started
feels like it's going to be very exciting and a tight one. I am
having a decade tournament of all the league champion teams that
had not been in any league before - if you win your decade
tournament then your in this league, the AL and NL versions.
This resulted in a very even group with very few
underachieving teams. I just love the match up possibilities
such as Babe Ruth of the 1916 Sox against The bash brothers of
Oakland A's of 1988? That stuff just blows me away. (At the time
of this interview) I' m about 10 games in for each team and
everyone is about .500 except 1916 Sox who are at 0-8. They had
some tough injuries early on you see.
I also have added Japanese and Negro League teams
to this tourney to make it interesting as well.
Wolfman:
So how would you do your tourney with the 2015 based teams just
released?
Bart:
In the 2015 tourney I am doing, K.C. is seeded
#1 against #30 Phillies with the winner advancing then. Then #2
seeded St Louis would play against the #29 seed, etc. At the end
of round 1 there will be 15 teams so I do have to play a
second chance game for teams who lost in a tough fashion in
round 1. This year the #3 seeded Pirates lost to Atlanta where
the Pirates had 2 runners thrown out at the plate (1 in 9th) and
a home run that was robbed. The Tigers lost in last inning of
their game. Verlander had a 2 hitter and 2-0 lead going into the
9th but Teixieria's 3 run homer wins it, so they may get a second
shot. The 2nd round is two out of three with the higher seed
getting 2 home games and that's how it progresses into next
round and so on.
Wolfman:
Can
share any stats linked to this tournament you have discussed?
Bart:
I don't have a website Just Files on the
computer. Follow my Twitter for game by game notices of my
active leagues lol (@Stratewing) Chris Sale this weekend in the
current tourney did an amazing thing as he struck out 15/15
batters
to start the game. There was a run and 2 hits in there somewhere
but that was as amazing a feat as I've ever experienced. He
ended up with 16 k's in 8 innings, a little bit of a downer
though.
Wolfman:
Why
do you like doing these replay/tournaments? What is the
satisfaction you receive from doing them?
Bart:
I am such a baseball history guy, it keeps the
sport alive for me. It's just interesting to see how different
eras played the game. I love learning about different guys as
well as appreciating the skills of lesser players pertinent to
that era. In 1911, you gotta have a minus arm catcher to
survive. In my 1923 league I realized Bingo Demoss has great
value as a "1" fielder with a 23 error at 2b despite having a
bad bat. Then there are players like Topper Rigney who have had
their brief moments in the sun and how some other players keep
showing up on winning teams with such great names like Crush
Holloway. I also noticed I need some time to appreciate or judge
each era of baseball I have lived through. The 90's used to bore
me when I was playing in leagues, I mean draft leagues are fine
then but I didn't do any replays. Now it's 15-20 years later and
I'm enjoying playing the 1993 Toronto in my Championship 6
league and I can see how special they were as a team.
Wolfman:
Is
there any tips you can give to our readers about doing replays
to make them more enjoyable?
Bart:
Well that's the beauty of Strat, you can do
whatever you want. There are a lot of great league ideas on
various forums that I have read. I've even stolen some. I would
say the key is to start off with what you love whether it's a certain
player or a team and then build it from there, or ask one of
these "What If" questions. Like, what if this team had this one
added bonus (I once did a replay of the 67 White Sox giving them
Joe Morgan of the Astros at 2b and they won).
A lot of people get put off by the long seasons.
They don't have time to get 162 games done for each team in your
league. But then, you can have short seasons, or tournaments
which is why I play several leagues/tournaments all at once is
because I do tire of a particular league and I need another
distraction. I've been playing a 1962 As Played League for over
a decade and I am finally into September. I also read books
about the Era I want to play to make it come alive more for me.
The Pitch that Killed - 1920 Crazy 08 for 1908 -I'm fascinated
by 1908 and that lead to the 1908 Pirates getting into my near
misses league as no one talks about this team and that they were
right there for the pennant. The player pictures and ball park
pictures add a lot to the game, so I owe those members of Len Durrant's team a lot of gratitude for their help with this.
Wolfman:
We
always ask those we interview if they have any tips or advice
for our members that could help them with success with their own
game playing? Are there certain strategies you use that bring
you more success with your teams? What is the key to building a
winning team in your opinion?
Bart:
I lean towards defense up the middle but I'm not
afraid to put defensive eyesores on the corners. The new hold
rules make a good defensive 1b nice -these are the teams I
manage best that I've found. I think there are lots of ways to
win though, balance is very important though. Obviously your
talent needs to fit into the ball park you selected. In general
does your whole team fit together? Can you maximize your lesser
players by accenting their strengths? Don't get caught with a
mish mash of different skill sets that interferes with the flow
of your team.
Don't be afraid to zig when everyone else is
zagging ....
I often use unconventional lineups. I've learned
to put a low DP (double play hitter) player second even if not a
typical #2 hitter.
If your SP's (starting pitchers) are not elite
but good move them down to 3/4 spot and go with your 3rd-4th
starters against other team's aces.
I'm not afraid to go with a closer below a 3
rating- I will pitch a reliever with a good card rated 1 or 2 at
closer over a bad 3 rated guy. You be surprised how rarely it
impacts.
I hate high + hold pitchers.
Wolfman:
Have you ever tried to play the on-line baseball
leagues that Strat-o-matic Offers now known as Baseball 365?
Bart:
Not yet, I'm not against this type of play but for
me I don't need the challenge of paying for more games when I've
got all these cards and computer seasons already. I could do
another one off season maybe.
Wolfman:
Have you had any special experiences (certain games that stand
out in your mind that you played or series you played) whether
done in your replays or in leagues or face to face play?
Memorable games let's say.
Bart:
Besides the game I had with Chris Sales, that I
mentioned before there was John Maine of N.Y. Mets in the final
2006 Tournament series who no hit the Tigers while being at a
fatigue level 8 for the last out. I've had 28 no hitters
including 2 perfect games so far. I only count games I manage
and not auto played games. Steve Busby was my first perfecto
with the 1975 set that I played in my bedroom at age 17. My 2nd
one came 2 years ago in my Tracball League, a terrible Ryan
Dempster (Tex, his card) against me.
The Most Hr's in a Season: Babe Ruth 1920, 73 in
my first Championship League
Best Batting Average: Ted Williams (41) and Al
Simmons (27) both hit .400
Most Wins: Wilbur Wood 1972, 29
Best ERA: Don Sutton 1972, 1.36
Wolfman:
Why do you personally like playing SOM?
What is there about this game that you like and appreciate?
Bart:
I love sports board games - I have collected them
for a long time and I like to play different ones but nothing
compares to Strat's combination of accuracy and playability.
I've been playing another computer game where you can be a GM
and or manage There's a lot to like there with all the things
you can get into building a team but the actual game play
suffers greatly as the results come off as forced or artificial,
there are too many games won or lost in last inning. My gut says
this game isn't very authentic. I'm so old school that those
cards (from SOM) feel so good in your hand and just looking at
them sometimes is so much fun.
Wolfman:
So
thanks Bart for spending time with us. Good Luck in your replays
and your Champion Seasons ..
And if a member of the newsletter wanted to contact you or had
some questions for you, is this possible and if so what is the
best way to do it?
Bart:
They can either contact me via Twitter at my Twitter Address I
gave before or my email is:
hank You Wolfman
Wolfman:
All the best and thank you Bart.
============================
(Wolfman:
The following is the original Email I received
from Bart describing his current replays including a summary of
the Championship Replay Tournaments he conducts with the various
sets of teams as he described in his interview, to give our
readers more examples of what Bart's various tourneys are based
upon, enjoy ...)
March 2016, email from Bart:
I play a lot of tournaments and seasons as played replays along
with what I call Championship seasons based on a soccer
terminology - basically mixing a bunch of interesting teams from
different eras often linked upon a specific theme.
My season tourneys use 1 game live or dye with teams seeded 1-30
(or whatever) for the first round, then a best of 3 game series,
5 games and finally 7 games.
One of my current projects are played replays currently managing
the K.C. Royals 1974 (I am recreating all Royals seasons from
1969 on. This is not a great team but surprisingly they are 5
games up in June which is kind of shocking ….).
I am also nearing end of a 1962 and 1968 replays.
Championships Tourneys: -I just started Championship
Tourney 6 (actually there are 7 tourneys I will be playing,
one is out of order)
This current one is looking like a very good one.
The premise I had each decade playoff for a spot AL and NL.
Caveats- couldn't duplicate a team I played in previous
championship.
Teams are from the 1910’s: the 1916 Boston Red Sox and
1916 Brooklyn (beat out 1915 Red Sox and Philly and 1911-1914
teams)
the 20's: 1924 Washington and 1927 Pittsburgh
the 30's: 1934 Tigers and 1935 Cubs
the 40's: 1942 Cardinals and Yankees
the 50's: 1958 Yanks 1957 Milwaukee
the 60's: 67 Red Sox and Cardinals (62 Giants won but I
am sick of playing them with the 1962 season so the 1967 Cards
beat 1960 Pirates for the spot and I think it will work better).
Cards won the preseason tourney.
the 70's: 1976 Royals 1970 Reds (1975 Reds won but I
realized they would dominate league and I just bought a 1970 set
on ebay -very under-rated team so I replaced them with the 70
Reds who should be strong)
the 80's: 1988 A's and the 1987 Cards
the 90's: 1993 Toronto and the 1993 Phils
the 2000's: 2008 Angels and the 2004 Astros
I just finished Championship 5 which was based on theme
of forgotten teams that were better than credited. The 1961
Tigers and 1961 Reds will face each other in the WS, other teams
who participated include the 1908 Pirates (everyone thinks about
great Cubs-Giants rivarly but the Pirates were right there);
1983 Braves, 1956 Cleveland -Herb Score and a Japanese team
Orix-1994 (Ichiro rookie year) they finished 6/8.
Championship 7 (played before this one) was the most
interesting for me. I pick top 8 teams in history from the Rob
Neyer dynasties book and my own opinion - this league proved him
wrong on some (Cleveland 1995 not elite). I had these 8 in 1
colossal division called the Skill Division. This is also the
order of finish:
1939 Yankees
1976 Reds
1927 Yankees
2001 Seattle
1998 Yankees
1970 Baltimore
1995 Cleveland
1941 Brooklyn
1941 Brooklyn got in because they won my first ultimate
tournament which had 128 team and started in the 1 game do or
die format.
The other division was called the Luck Division which included
the most undeserving champions of all time. These teams included
in order of finish
1919 Cincinnati Reds
2010 SF Giants
2001 Arizona (they lost to Brooklyn in that first ultimate
tournament)
1973 Mets
1985 Royals
1988 LA Dodgers
1914 Boston Red Sox hitless wonders
2006 St Louis Cards
there was limited inner league play just enough to make losing a
game to the Luck division was a killer for a skill team. The
1939 Yankees met the 1919 Reds in WS and swept.
Championship 4 had my closest finish 1984 Tigers beating
the 1948 Red Sox and the 1957 Yankees by 1 game, the 1975 Red
Sox by 3 games and in NL the 1992 Pirates went to a one game
playoff vs. the 1992 Braves to win. The 1984 Cubs were 2.5 back.
The Tigers won the world series.
Championship 3 had the Negro League team, the Birmingham
Barons beat the 1934 Yanks out by a game. The 1930 Barons lead
by S Paige were enhanced with a few ringers from the 1930 Negro
league. The 1908 Giants true to life fought the 1908 Cubs tooth
and nail for a 1 game win and beat Birmingham in WS.
Championship 2 had the 1948 Cleveland run away with it
winning by 11 games over the 1980 KC in the AL. In the NL the
surprising 1959 Giants beat the 66 Dodgers by 1 game as both
teams won over 100 games whereas no other team was over .500.
SF swept Cleveland in WS.
Championship 1 in their league playoffs saw the 1920
White Sox win in AL but lost to 1954 Tribe in playoffs.
Bart
