GREAT MOMENTS IN STRAT
Have you experienced a game of Strat-O-Matic so thrilling, unique or bizarre that you just HAVE to share it with someone? That would be us. Send you Great Moments in Strat to SOMTalkShow@aol.com. Please include your name and hometown. Readers like to see that and you deserve the credit.
WHEN TOM WAS BETTER THAN TERRIFIC
This is big — my first "perfecto!” Playing the 1971 Cardinals with Bob Gibson on the mound against the New York Mets with Tom Seaver on the mound, and before I knew it, it was the 8th inning and I look and – wow – he is pitching a no-hitter and it’s a perfect one. In the 9th with Dal Maxvill at bat, Seaver throws – strikeout , one out, Gibson at bat. I put in pinch-hitter Ted Kubiak. Seaver throws – strikeout, two outs. I am biting my nails. None other than Hall of Famer Lou Brock at bat. Seaver throws, the roll is 1-6 in his column where his hits are … but Seaver strikes him out. A perfect game: no walks, hits or errors. I could not believe my eyes. None other than "Tom Terrific" also struck out 13, including three in the last inning.
Orlando Leon, Live Oak, FL
WHEN 3-FOR-30 IS A VERY GOOD THING
A couple of years ago I joined a new retro league that started with 1967. Same number of league teams as actual (20 in ’67-’68, 24 in ’69) and same league format as actual. A large number of scrubs are given unlimited usage to help fill out rosters. Games are played human versus HAL with nearly all SADV and MAX rules. I drafted near the bottom in 1967 and took Gaylord Perry with my first pick (Reggie Smith was my second). Below are his 1967, 1968 and 1969 seasons for me. Three straight seasons with exactly 30 wins? Gaylord has been absurd.
NAME ERA W L PCT G GS CG SH SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
G.Perry 1.71 30 6 .833 42 41 14 5 0 304.2 210 73 58 16 79 242
G.Perry 1.56 30 5 .857 41 40 17 5 0 306.0 221 57 53 8 43 163
G.Perry 2.39 30 8 .789 41 41 28 4 0 339.0 255 97 90 25 73 250
Jim Nancarrow, Torrance, CA
WHEN EVERY SOM HOOPS GAME IS A CLASSIC
It seems that whenever I play a game of Strat-O-Matic Basketball, it turns out to be memorable. The latest was a cards-and-dice contest between 2008-09 Utah and Portland. Utah led by one, with two action cards left and the ball in the hands of Portland’s top scorer Brandon Roy, who already had 42 points. But Utah’s Ronnie Brewer stole the ball, Roy fouled him immediately and Brewer sank both freebies. Utah up by three with one action card left. Portland put all its best 3-point shooters on the floor and got the ball to the best of all, Steve Blake. But Blake’s attempted buzzer-beater was off the mark and the home crowd groaned. But it’s hard to imagine they left very disappointed that they had come.
That fantastic finish reminded me of an extraordinary game played on the computer with 1985-86 Boston. Larry Bird scored 21 points with four three-pointers, six rebounds and three assists. And then the second quarter began. Bird finished with 45 points, but the Celtics needed all of them. The game came down to the last shot against the very tough 1971 Milwaukee Bucks with Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson. The Celtics were up one and Robertson drove to the hoop trying to beat the buzzer – blocked! Danny Ainge saved the day for Boston.
Glenn Guzzo, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
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