The Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter - Issue #3, Interviews with Callis (Baseball America) & Davidoff (NY Post)

Issue #3, April 2013

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** Interviews with Strat Baseball Players linked
     to Professional Baseball **
     (interviews conducted by the Wolfman with Jim Callis of Baseball America and
      Ken Davidoff, baseball columnist of the New York Post)

(Notes from the Wolfman: It has been my desire to include in our newsletter information related directly to the game of baseball. While I am not necessarily looking for people linked to all the forms of baseball who are linked to this professional sport that have played the baseball version of Strat-o-matic, in April I discovered as I was exploring Twitter, two such individuals. I think by understanding all aspect of Baseball, including all the levels from high school to MLB, it benefits us in our ability to play the game better. Plus as armchair managers or GMs, we get curious to know the people who are involved and want to hear their stories.

So I thank Mr. Callis and Davidoff for permitting me to interview them and as I am typing these words there are others I have spoken to via email/twitter/facebook who have agreed to be interviewed that I will be sharing in the future. I hope one or more of these individuals might consider to do a periodic column and possibly participate in the weekend of tournaments we hope to hold in the fall of 2013 with our partners. If any of our members has access to other people linked to professional baseball - an ex or current player, manager, coach, scout, GM, sportscaster, etc - who might like to be interviewed, please contact us.)

Jim Callis
Executive Editor, Baseball America

Wolfman: Today we have a chance to speak to Jim Callis who works for Baseball America.
For those of you not familiar with Baseball America (and if you are in a league that allows you to draft young players before they hit the majors, you should definitely visit their website often), it is the premier organization for knowing about the best young players in the country. As I shared I met Jim on twitter and he becomes our first official person that actually makes a living working with professional baseball that we are speaking with. But as it turns out, not only did Jim work at STATS, Inc. which helps Strat-o-matic with the statistics they need to create their baseball cards each year but he is also very familiar with the game we love as well.

Jim thank you for giving us this chance to speak to you. My first question is, have you always been interested in baseball, even when you were very young?

Jim: Yes. My family would visit my grandparents on Cape Cod every summer when I was young, and my grandfather was a baseball fan and we'd watch Red Sox games. I started collecting baseball cards seriously when I seven years old--I still remember the 1975 Topps set vividly.

(FYI, I was involved in helping SOM while I was at STATS.-- Wolfman - we will ask Jim more about this later then.)

Wolfman: Did you play baseball, like in little league or for your school? Who is your favorite
team or teams, and your favorite ball players?

Jim: I played through Babe Ruth League, but I wasn't good enough and my high school (Oakton High, in Virginia) was too big for me to have any chance to make my high school team. Because of my grandfather and our visits to Cape Cod, I was raised as a Red Sox fan. I don't know if it's because of my job, but I wouldn't say I have favorite players as much. I'm interested in prospects, and it's always fun learning about new guys before they get hyped, but I wouldn't say I root for them.

Wolfman: Now how did you become involved with Strat-o-matic?

Jim: I started playing at a young age. I always loved games, so playing baseball games was a natural. I remember playing All-Star Baseball (a game with player discs and spinners; pitchers didn't matter beyond how well they hit) when I was very young. After that, I graduated to SherCo, this game where you plotted out batted balls on a 28x28 grid. I loved that game, and the players were rated based on their stats, but not in the same detail as SOM. I started playing SOM as a teenager. I remember in college setting up NCAA-style brackets that included all the teams and playing them out.

Wolfman: Have you ever played in any leagues or tournaments? How do you rate your managing abilities? Do you have any tips you could share with our members how to play the game better?

Jim: I have. I've been in a couple of SOM leagues over the years, and I recently won a league that Seamheads.com ran (though I didn't really have to do much managing in that one). I usually did well in my leagues. Don't think this is any secret, but I always thought being able to break down the cards to understand the probabilities was key.

Wolfman: What is it about Strat-o-matic that you like the most?

Jim: It's fun on a number of levels. It's a fun game, plays relatively quickly yet there's a lot of strategy involved. When I was younger, I always liked finding guys with crazy platoon splits who could be deployed as serious weapons.

Wolfman: Can you share with our members how you were able to work for STATS, Inc. and now Baseball America? Did I share correctly what Baseball America is about? What type of products and services do you offer? If our members want to visit your website, where should they go?

Jim: Baseball America covers baseball from every angle: majors, minors, college, high school with an emphais on player development and talent rankings. We publish a magazine that comes out every two weeks, maintain a website (www.baseballamerica.com) with even more content and publish several books, most notably the Prospect Handbook.

I had an internship with Baseball America while in college, working on a book detailing the history of the draft, and parlayed that into a full-time job when I graduated from the University of Georgia in December 1988. I've worked there ever since, save for a three-year period (September 1997 to May 2000) where I worked for STATS, Inc. after my family moved to the Chicago area.

Wolfman: Did Strat-o-matic Baseball help you in any way to be more efficient in your job? Do you still play the baseball game?

Jim: I think SOM gave me an appreciation for game strategy and the decisions you have to make during a game. It also added to my love for the game. I haven't played in a few years, mostly because I have four kids from ages 11 to 17 and just don't have much spare time.

Wolfman: Now turning to our members who are in leagues that allow the ability to pick or draft young players in the minors or college - what would be the best way to work with your website?

Jim: We have several prospect rankings and reports on our site (many require a subscription). We break down prospects in just about any way imaginable, providing lots of information that would help a SOM player.

Wolfman: If you can, could you remember some of the good young players coming up we should pay attention to as potential young super stars or good solid players?

Jim: I would just direct your readers to our site at www.baseballamerica.com. For instance, this is the link to our overall Top 100 Prospects list for 2013:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2013-top-100-prospects-list/

Wolfman: What is it like working at Baseball America - it this an enjoyable work, how are the people you work with, are they also very interested in the game of Baseball? Is it a very intense work you do? How does Baseball America come up with their rankings?

I would say that both those adjectives apply: "enjoyable" and "intense." If you didn't love baseball, you wouldn't want to work at Baseball America, because we're diving into every aspect of the game. It's not a 9-to-5, 40-hour-a-week job, but that's OK with me. I get up every day and I'm working in baseball, which is terrific. We have an extensive network of scouts and player-personnel officials that provide us with information, though the rankings are solely the opinion of Baseball America. We see some players in person but also rely heavily on scouts.

Wolfman: So you say you are an executive editor at Baseball America. Does this mean you are overseeing a great deal of the day-to-day activities within your company? Can you share a bit more about what exactly your job as this editor entails?

Jim: My executive editor position may be a little different than you envision it. When I worked in our Durham headquarters from 1988-97, I rose to the position of managing editor and ran the day-to-day operations of the magazine (we only had a fledgling website at the time). I moved to Chicago with my family in 1997 and worked for STATS, Inc., until 2000, when I went back to Baseball America but stayed in Chicago. So I'm not responsible for the day-to-day operations at all. My main duties include editing our annual Prospect Handbook and overseeing our draft and prospect rankings.

Wolfman: I know John Dewan who started STATS, Inc. also played SOM (we hope to interview him soon) but have you met other people involved with the real baseball who have played this game?

Jim: I can't say I've discussed SOM with people in the game, but I've seen several articles over the years that suggest that many played it growing up. It's a great way for anyone, especially a young kid, to further his/her understanding of the game.

Wolfman: Jim, you mentioned briefly before that while you worked at STATS, INC (when John Dewan was there) that you helped SOM in someway, I guess providing statistics to help them develop their cards. Can you expand a bit more exactly what work you were doing at STATS, INC to help the game company?

Jim: Sure. STATS had detailed breakdowns of numerous statistics that would be used to help determine the rankings (such as catcher caught stealing percentage, how often runners took an extra base, range factors, etc.). We'd use those stats to help determine recommended SOM ratings for catcher throwing, baserunning, defense, etc.

Wolfman: If any of our members would like to contact you to discuss Baseball or Baseball Amerrica, what is the best way for them to do so?

Jim: Via Twitter at @jimcallisBA.

Wolfman: Thanks Jim for taking time out of your busy schedule to share what it is like to work with Baseball America and your experiences with Strat-o-matic. Truly your group provides great great information about the potential great young players coming up in Baseball. All the best.

Ken Davidoff
Baseball Columnist at New York Post

Wolfman: For this interview I am proud to introduce Ken Davidoff who is a Baseball Columnist for the well known New York Post, which means he lives in the area where our beloved game is located. I met Ken on twitter and doing my normal friendly greetings, asked if he would like to be interviewed and he agreed.

Ken will provide you at the end of this interview, his columnist webpage on the New York Post where his articles about Baseball, the NY Yankees and Mets are shared. But also this young man has a very impressive background as a baseball columnist that I wanted to share, how fortunate we are to have such a writer allow us to interview him:

Ken Davidoff joins The Post after completing a nearly 11-year run at Newsday, where he covered the Yankees from 2001 through 2004 then became their baseball columnist. Prior to that, he worked at The Record from 1994 until 2001. He has been honored twice by the Associated Press Sports Editors, once for breaking news and once for enterprise reporting. He can be seen regularly on "Sports Xtra" on FOX 5 in New York. Ken graduated the University of Michigan in 1993.

Ken, I would like to welcome you to the Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter.

Ken: Thanks for having me. I was a huge Strat-O-Matic player as a youngster - football, basketball and hockey in addition to baseball.

Wolfman: Ken, have you always loved baseball, even when you were young?

Ken: Yes.

Wolfman: Were you born in the NYC area?

Ken: Yes. I was born in Queens.

Wolfman: When you were younger, what was your favorite team and who were your favorite players?

Ken: While growing up in the '70s, I rooted for the Yankees, and then I jumped on the Mets' bandwagon in the '80s. Back then, it wasn't a big deal to root for both teams. My favorite players were Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield.

Wolfman: Did you yourself play baseball when you were younger, little league or in high school, etc?

Ken: I played Little League and didn't possess the skill to play at the high school level or beyond.

Wolfman: Do you consider yourself an expert on the game of baseball?

Ken: That's a good question. I guess I'd say yes, but I certainly am always trying to learn much, much more about every aspect of the game, on and off the field.

Wolfman: What did you have to do through school to have to become a writer / reporter?

Ken: I wrote for my college newspaper at the University of Michigan. That gave me real-world experience in reporting, writing and deadline pressure. It also gave me real-world writing samples that played a major role in getting my first job out of college.

Wolfman: What skills and knowledge must one have to be a columnist?

Ken: Writing and reporting, naturally, but I think being a columnist requires the ability to analyze things in a reader-friendly way.

Wolfman: Is this a regular 9-5 job or due to night games, you could be working at all hours?

Ken: I do work at all hours.

Wolfman: How does one get a job as a Baseball Columnist for a well known newspaper as the New York Post?

Ken: Hmm...I'm not sure that's my question to answer. If you're asking me what my experiences were leading up to this, here you go:

I got a job with The News Tribune in Woodbridge, NJ out of college, covering high school sports. Then I moved up to The Bergen Record, also in New Jersey, starting out with high school sports and climbing the ladder through college and then professional sports, and I became The Record's Yankees beat writer. Then I became the Yankees beat writer at Newsday, and after a few years, Newsday promoted me to baseball columnist. Then I took that job at The Post last year.

Wolfman: Can you define for our members what your life is like as a columnist - how do you get your stories?

Ken: Really from myriad ways. Sometimes it's from talking to people, be they players, managers, coaches, front-office officials, scouts, etc. Sometimes I'll read someone else's column, and it will give me a tangential idea.

Wolfman: So you are you able to meet the players of the two New York Teams? (Ken: Yes.)
What are the players like then?

Ken: Just like any large group of people, they range from not great to great.

Wolfman: Are they friendly to the press - do you have certain players that are on more friendly terms with you?

Ken: Some are friendly, some aren't, and sure, I am friendlier with some players than I am with others.

Wolfman: Are you able to get a free seat at the game?

Ken: There is a press box, as per Major League Baseball requirements, designed specifically for the working media.

Wolfman: In the movies and on tv, we see reports have like a portable computer they use to type in their story or article - what tools do you use to help you with your column.

Ken: I have a laptop computer.

Wolfman: Is being a columnist for baseball and enjoyable profession - is it a well paying job?

Ken: Yes, it is enjoyable. I suppose everyone has his or her own definition of "well paying," don't you think?

Wolfman: At the beginning of this interview you mentioned that you were familiar with Strat-o-matic Baseball of which our newsletter is strongly connected with. Can you share with our members about your experiences with this game?

Ken: I played S-O-M baseball probably most prominently in the 1984-86 range. We had a five-team league among my neighbors in Edison, New Jersey. I was the commissioner and statistician. We had a draft every year, and from '85 to '86, we were each allowed to hold over one player. I held over Don Mattingly, easily my finest hour as a baseball executive. I would draw up a schedule, but we would never make it to our postseason because it would get too nice outside so we just gave up every year.

Wolfman: What would you say has been some of the most memorable, remarkable, enjoyable days you have had as a columnist? Can you share one or two of your favorite stories?

Ken: That's a good question. I have been a columnist for nine years now. Off the top of my head...

1) Are you familiar with George Mitchell and the Mitchell Report? George Mitchell is a former U.S. Senator and a pal of Bud Selig. In 2006, Selig appointed Mitchell to look into baseball's past concerning illegal performance-enhancing drug usage. I thought Mitchell, who had a job with the Red Sox, was a foof who was just carrying out a witch hunt on Selig's behalf and wasn't taking the job seriously. So I was delighted when I caught him at a Yankees-Red Sox game, wearing a Red Sox cap and jacket and getting players' autographs for his son. I interviewed him about it and wrote about it, in an exclusive story.

2) I'd say the most emotional moment I can recall is being in Philadelphia for a Sunday night Mets-Phillies game, and during the game, President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been located and killed. Suddenly, a huge "USA! USA!" chant broke out among the fans. It was really cool talking to the players afterward about what they were thinking when they heard the cheers.

Wolfman: When you write your column, are you reporting about the games you attend and/or is it interview with the players? is there a webpage from the NY Post that we could show our members an example of your column?

Ken: It could be any or many of these things, depending on the night. Here is my column page on the Post's website:

http://www.nypost.com/columnists/kendavidoff

Wolfman: If any of our members would like to contact you about some aspect of this interview or your work as a baseball columnist, what would be the best way they could do so?

Ken: Anyone can write me at kdavidoff@nypost.com.
(or follow Ken on twitter at @KenDavidoff)

Wolfman: Thank you Ken for giving our members a chance to know the life of a baseball columnist. We appreciate you taking part of your busy schedule to share with us. Have a great day.

Ken: My pleasure, and you, too.

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 JEFF POLMAN, Writer, SOM Website Columnist, Replay Expert.

♦ EARLY SOM CONVENTIONS COLUMN with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO -- editor of
"The Ultimate Strat Newsletter" and 2012 CBA Champion. Wolfman takes us back in
this article to the third national Strat-o-matic Convention in 1974 held in Champaign-Urbana, IL, at the University of Illinois as the Wolfman and his buddies organize their first convention. Wolfman will be our guide through the first nine conventions going through 1980 of which he was present at each one. We now begin the era from 1974-1980 when the conventions moved
to Illinois. We will continue to share one new convention in each future issue till all of these
early ones are published.

♦ INTERVIEW with PETE NELSON, (STAR), Board Member of the Star Tournaments Association, discusses what the Star Tournaments are all about.

♦ INTERVIEW with WILLY DOMINQUEZ, January 2013 STAR Worlds Champion

♦ INTERVIEW with TERRY BARTELME, SOM Gamer, Discusses his experiences with the Negro and Japanese Players working with private developers.

♦ INTERVIEW with BILLY SAMPLE, Ex-MLB Player (TEX,NYY,ATL), Sportscaster

♦ 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 the early development of a League's Constitution, League Themes and Economics.

♦ 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 #2, explain our new format for this column, introduce some early SOM Baseball cards from the 1960 and 1961 seasons thanks to Tom Nahigian who is also interviewed in this issue in his own section.

♦ INTERVIEW with TOM NAHIGIAN -- SOM Gamer, Baseball Card Collector

♦ RECOMMEND ON-LINE SOM RESOURCES -- On-line Strat-o-matic and Baseball related websites that offer amazing information, special tools and products to improve your game play that we strongly recommend. In most cases, we have had personal contact with these sources who agree with the principle 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.