This week I stumbled upon the podcast section on SOM’s website and listened to one from a few years ago (Feb 2013 I believe) in which you were a guest. I found it fascinating listening to you describe the way SOM assigns its ratings. You were asked why you always come back to SOM. You answered that it has the best combination of playability, realism and accuracy. 

 

            I have always felt that SOM is a GREAT game. It really is very well designed and I do feel it replicates player abilities very well. The game company has done so many seasons, has an exceptional reputation for ratings/realism, has a great community, and is fun – I now own nearly 45 SOM sets. One of my all-time favorite projects was using the Heroes set in which I broke it into AL/NL teams composed of only players who played in the 1980s/1990s and played a best of 7 series. The AL swept, but each game was so hotly contested and had me on the edge of my seat. 

 

            But it drives me crazy that a 1-rated outfielder can only make an error and never allows a hit plus error (I only play the board game, Super Advanced with all the bells/whistles). As a result there are just too many dropped flies, IMO. I was doing a 1955 World Series replay and with two outs in the 9^th, Hank Bauer dropped TWO consecutive flies for E2s to cost the Yankees the game. Hard to imagine!

 

            I’ve also wanted to see outfield assists at second and third base on runners trying to stretch a single to a double, etc.

 

            Do you have any suggestions for house rules to tweak these? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

            Here are a couple of thoughts. With none on, and a DOUBLE, SINGLE**, a SINGLE (of) – not on SINGLE* — you may attempt to stretch a batter’s single or double in the way the Supplemental Stealing System works. First, determine whether the runner CAN try to stretch. Subtract 10 from his running rating and roll the 20-sided (this eliminates the 1-8, 9 and 10 runners from stretching and limits the chances of others). Then roll for the man’s speed, adjusted by the OF throwing arm and the hit location. This is untested. If you think that gives good runners too many extra bases, then maybe a deduction of -4 off his speed. This shouldn’t happen often – after all, a man’s extra-base hits already are accounted for on his card and this play is a risk.

 

 

 

            I love the big season cards with big stat numbers. Bonds 73. Williams .406. Belle 50/50. Gibson 1.12. Any chance of a set featuring these cards?

 

                                                         Anthony G., Chattanooga, TN

 

            I’m assuming you are craving a set with all these players and more, because there already are single-season sets with each of these historic performances. The only time Strat-O-Matic did a single-greatest-season set of assorted players (in any sport) was the 1960s-era issue of the original Hall of Fame A and Hall of Fame B sets in basic-format only. They had the player’s top season on one side of the card and the flip side represented his career performance.

 

 

            I have been playing Strat off and on for over 50 years, cards and dice of course. I still remember my first purchase of a selector set of the 1962 cards (Yankees, Angels, Tigers, Dodgers, Giants, and ?). This game has been one constant in a world of change. The perfect escape into another world in which one has total control – that is, if you play the solitaire version. The capability to have competition against different eras, to hold drafts, to create tournaments, and to make trades provides a limitless number of scenarios.

 

            Although I am a native Californian, I have been a Yankee fan most of my life. As such, I have collected an assortment of their greatest teams. Therefore, I did not hesitate to buy the slightly used 1956 season, featuring Mickey Mantle’s best year. Unfortunately, now it has become worn with age. I do not recall this season’s cards ever being available for purchase from Strat and I am mystified as to how they came into existence. Please clue me in.

 

            Do you foresee the 1956 season being recreated? Also, revisiting the 1962 season would be high on my list. I realize that the production of all-franchise teams would be a major undertaking; but it seems to me that almost every fan of the game would be interested. All-franchise teams would facilitate league play much more than the Hall Of Fame cards. Speaking of the Hall Of Fame, it is a fantastic collection, especially with the greatest seven years format. The ability to purchase yearly updates would be a “‘must”‘ for anyone with this set. Hope that you can find a way to make this a profitable option.

 

            Many thanks for a lifetime of enjoyment. 

 

            Your sentiments, Mike, speak for a lot of us, who just cannot get enough of playing Strat-O-Matic or of new card sets/Windows rosters. The 1956 season you have been playing with was Strat-O-Matic’s first effort to create a season going back in time. It appeared in early 1982, with the just-completed 1981 season. SOM creator Hal Richman wanted to bolster what he correctly assumed would be sagging sales following the players’ strike that wiped out one-third of the 1981 campaign.

  

 

            I emailed Talk Show a few years ago about the Milt Plum card from 1967 where I noticed it had a completion in Right and an incomplete in Wrong. I think James Williams said there might have been errors on early cards. I was cruising through some old SOM Review on-line the other day and I found this question:

 

Q: On Bart Starr’s 1968 card with the Packers, he has a 30-yard gain on 2 when called right but an incompletion when the play is called wrong. Is this a misprint?
 

A: Starr’s 1968 card was computed correctly. The reason for this situation is that

Starr’s completions were incorrectly matched up, however, the card is correct as it came

out.

 

            I’m not really sure what the answer means but I am thinking the early cards are correct in this regard.

 

            I think the SOM Review answer is saying the Starr card shouldn’t have a gain in Right without a companion gain in Wrong, but that the number of completion chances are still correct.

 

         Do you think SOM will issue 1976 as the next NFL reissue season? A far better year than 1974.

 

 

 

            Two friends and I have a 48-game league season and we pick 3 teams apiece from 2 different years. My question is what do you look for in a pitching card? I had a 1971 Mickey Lolich card and he had a very good year, but I kept on getting bombed, I think it was a 6-4 or 6-5 home run. So I try to look for on base percentage for batters but for pitching, what do you look for in a card? We do not play advanced.