Issue #3, April 2013


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** Tom Nahigian, SOM Baseball Collector of all the Cards **
       (interview conducted by the Wolfman)

(Notes from the Wolfman: I first met Tom when I visited my father in Chicago in 2005. At this time I was living in Holland and usually once a year I would come home to be back in the U.S.  What you quickly learn when you live abroad is the things you miss from your native country.  Anyway, Tom was living in Chicago at this time, I will let him tell you in the interview how he found me, as we corresponded via email and we even played a few games during our visit. But little did I know that Tom was collecting all the SOM Baseball cards ever printed and I was surprised to see Glenn Guzzo called him the "Collector" in his book.  It is a great honor and pleasure to introduce my good friend Tom, who also shared with our members on the Baseball Card Quiz page a sample of the 1961 and 1962 cards printed by SOM.)


Wolfman:  So Tom, Guzzo called you the collector in his book but we will get into that in a moment.  Let's start at the beginning first, so our members know more about you and your background, as we each have our own stories. How did you initially get linked to baseball Tom?

Tom:  I have always loved baseball since as far back as I can remember. I was born in 1962. Five years later the Impossible Dream Red Sox won the American League pennant.  After the season, a record was released called the Impossible Dream, narrated by Red Sox announcer Ken Coleman. I listened to that record many times.

Wolfman:  So Tom, who is your favorite team right now, what are you favorite players?
 
Tom:  Growing up in the Boston area, I am a fan of the local teams, especially the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins. I am not a big football fan. My favorite players are Fred Lynn, Tom Seaver, Mark Fidrych, Bobby Orr, Dave Cowens, Yaz, Carlton Fisk. Luis Tiant, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, David Price and others.

Wolfman:  Did you ever play baseball?  How often would you go to see baseball games? 

Tom:  I was never much of a player, although I did play with friends. That was in the days of getting cut from a team, so I was cut from a team I tried out for. I have always been more of a fan. My first game was at Fenway Park, July 5, 1970. Indians and Red Sox. Sox won 8-4. I can still remember being there. It was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon. I would go to several games a year when I was young. I attended Boston University which is walking distance to Fenway. When I was a student there from September 1980 until I graduated in May of 1984, I would attend lots of games. In 1982, I went to 32 games.  Around 1998 I attended even more. Now that I live in the Los Angeles area, I see around 2-3 games a year. I see the Red Sox when they come to Anaheim to play the Angels.

Wolfman:  Now lets turn to your lifelong passion with Strat-o-matic - when did you first get the game and what type of game playing do you do - leagues, solitaire, replays?

Tom:  I received the Strat-O-Matic Baseball game for Christmas in 1972, with the 1971 cards inside. I was initially disappointed because I thought I would receive the 1972 cards because the 1972 season had completed a few months earlier. The Red Sox contended in 1972 with great seasons from Carlton Fisk and Luis Tiant. I did order the 1972 season and received it in the spring of 1973.

That 1971 season was special, it was the first one with advanced features, such as lefty-righty cards for both hitters and pitchers, outfielder throwing arms, individual bunting and hit and run ratings and pitcher endurance ratings. My friends Phil and Eddie Meade lived around the corner and we played many of the games together. In the fall of 1973, Strat-O-Matic released their basketball game with the 1972-73 season.  The Celtics won 68 games that year and we played many basketball games over the years. I would do short seasons with the baseball games, 22 games for the AL and 22 games for the NL, each team played two games against the other 11 teams. I did that format with the 1973 season cards and continued through the 1976 season or so.

I also loved the 42 old timer teams such as the 1965 Dodgers, the 1927 Yankees, etc. Those teams became part of leagues. Using the 1976 season, Phil and I joined a league started by Scott Ellis. I played that one season. Using the 1977 cards, Phil started a local face to face league. I played in that league for one year. From the 1981 to 1984 cards, I was in Martin Stoops league with Phil. My 1984 team won the division but lost in the playoffs. Phil and I did a number of replays together. I played the basic game first, then moved up to the advanced version. When the first computer version came out around 1986, I played that game. In 1991, I purchased my first computer so I could play the SOM DOS baseball game. I moved over to Windows for the CD-ROM game. I love the cards, but I play the computer game. I like that the computer game keeps all the stats for you.

Wolfman:  What is there about SOM that makes you an SOM Fanatic?

Tom:  I just love the game. It is so much fun to play. I like the past seasons because you can manage a game with Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio in your lineup. Each baseball season is unique and SOM brings each one to life.

Wolfman:  How do you consider yourself as a gamer or GM (General Manager)? Do you know the rules backward and forwards, have you won any leagues or played in live tournaments.

Tom:  I consider myself a gamer and a GM. I played in the Star Tournament at the 1998 Akron SOM convention and won the baseball tournament. We used the 1997 season cards. I played in Rob Ratliff's league with Phil from the 1993 season through around the 2003 season cards. I had two teams, the Phillies and the Blue Jays. That league was lots of fun. My teams made the playoffs several times, but I never got to the World Series. I like to create my own leagues as well as a do full season actual replays of a past season.

Wolfman: I think when we met, you knew of me from before, maybe during the time of the early issues of the SOM Review or did we connect on SOM Fan Forum? Do you recall exactly how you found me which enabled us to meet at my Father's house near Chicago?

Tom:  I knew your name from the SOM Review. I saw your email address on a Strat-O-Matic website for fans, it may have been the StratBB list. I emailed you in May of 2005 and we emailed back and forth. At that time, I moved to Chicago. Your father lived very close to my future wife's family. It was great to meet you in person and play a game of Strat-O-Matic Baseball.

Wolfman: Now lets turn to what you are known for in our community - your collection of SOM Baseball Cards - according to your interview with Guzzo is it true you have every card printed? Is this even true for the very first original cards that the game company released which they have created new versions for now that include the advance and basic sides of the cards? Where do you keep the cards?

Tom:  Yes, I do have all the SOM baseball cards and the basketball as well. My first SOM set was the 1971 cards. I subscribed to the SOM Review from May 1977 to the end. I saw classified ads so I was able to purchase original 1969 and 1970 seasons. My cousin Victor also played SOM for a few years and he gave me his cards. He had around six teams from 1968. Over the next few years I picked up the missing 1968 teams. I remember I paid $12 for the 1968 Cardinals. This was around 1979. Since the old timer teams ended at 1967, I thought that would be a good ending point. Then in March of 2001, I saw an online ad for the original 1967 set for sale from Dean Amrhein. I purchased the set from him a few weeks later. The rest of my story is told in the Strat-O-Matic Fanatics book by Glenn Guzzo. I have purchased the oldtime seasons since 1982, when the first season came out, 1956. I like the super advanced seasons, so even though I have 1967 in basic format, I also like the super advanced 1967 set. Many of the cards are in my old bedroom in my parent's home in the Boston area. Seasons released since 2006 are here with me in the Los Angeles area.

Wolfman: And what is it about having this collection that brings you joy or happiness? Is it just that you were able to do this and you love being a collector?

Tom:  I just like the cards. Each SOM player card is a complete scouting report of their skills and abilities. It is fun to hold a 1956 Mickey Mantle card in your hand and you can see what a great player he was. Switch hitter, tremendous power against right hand pitching, high average against lefty pitching. Fine defense and throwing arm, speed, the complete package. I remember the power from the 1979 Fred Lynn card, especially against righty pitchers.  Mark Belanger had some decent offensive years, but other years he was weak. He was always a 1 in defense. Each card is special.

Wolfman: How do you console yourself with the large amount of money (I believe) you have invested to have all the cards?  It is not for me to judge a Strat brother but certainly the amount I read you have spent in Guzzo book might have been used for other things, what are you thoughts or feelings on this?

Tom:  I know I spent a lot for the cards, but it is something I wanted to do. Some people collect stamps or wine or they spend all their money on beer or gambling. It was fun to search for the cards. I do want to be a resource for other SOM fans.

Wolfman: What do you plan to do with the cards?  Would you consider for our newsletter to send us periodically some of the early cards that didn't have all the ratings - I think in 1960 there was no fielding rating - I think for some of our members to know the evolution of the cards is fascinating - could you summarize for our members what happened with say the cards based on 1960 and 1961, which were the first cards printed? (Note: on the Baseball Card Quiz section is sample of the cards Tom is discussing - to view them click here.)