OUTSIDER BASEBALL BULLETIN

Obviously, one of the biggest thrills I’ve ever had as a baseball writer/researcher was getting an opportunity to work with Hal Richman and Strat-O-Matic on the Negro League set a few years back.  Now, to see some of the cards included as part of the officially licensed Hall of Fame set is just the cherry on top of the sundae.

Back in the 1980s, when I was playing Strat twenty hours per day, and wondering if I’d ever see the likes of Cool Papa Bell and Satchel Paige carded for the game, little could I have anticipated the hundreds of miraculous little steps which ultimately lead me to working with Hal and the folks in Glen Head on the special set.  It’s still pretty amazing.

Most of you know the story behind the cards, but you might be surprised to discover the research has never stopped. I continue to go through box scores and archives, collecting data. I continue to write about some of the more obscure corners of baseball history. In response to what became an avalanche of email questions and phone calls from Strat-O fans, reporters, and baseball history buffs, I finally decided to combine forces with friend (and researcher extraordinaire) Gary Ashwill, to found a digital baseball magazine called the Outsider Baseball Bulletin (www.outsiderbaseball.com) last June.

As of this writing, we’ve distributed ten issues of the weekly publication.  In those issues, we’ve uncovered never-before-seen statistics from Babe Ruth, when he was a student at St. Mary’s in Baltimore.  Cool Papa Bell’s rookie pitching numbers. Cristobal Torriente and Chino Smith’s death certificates.  We’ve also posted complete statistics for the short seasons played by the 1933 Cuban Stars and 1933 Kansas City Monarchs.  As a Strat-O-Matic computer gamer, I sometimes use these numbers to create *fringe* players for replay purposes.

As a way of saying thanks, we’re giving out FREE trial subscriptions (one month, 4 issues) to the OBB.  Simply email us at outsiderbb@gmail.com and put “STRAT” in the subject line, with your name listed in the body of the email.  There’ll be no obligation to subscribe when the trial subscription is over.

 

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Scott Simkus