Anybody play Strato Matic Baseball as a kid?

[getbent]

My brother and I loved that game... If you could Tony Cloninger as your pitcher it was worth a couple of runs a game!

I should see if I can find one on ebay and send it to him! This is the one we had

[jimd]

I did. I had a friend and his brother who were fanatical. Every year they would buy the complete set of players. My friend, a mathematical genius, would go through each card and figure the true odds for each player based on the dice rolls. He always had an advantage when we drafted teams since the rest of us just went on the players stats. He'd also find the Tony Cloninger types (I had to look him up).

[neocaster]

Good God, is that D&D Baseball? For the jock/geek who has everything! I never heard of it but it's so awesome!

[Bonneville Bruce]

Never played that game, but my best friend obsessively played the APBA Baseball game pictured here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-APBA-Baseball-...QQcmdZViewItem

We spent many days and nights playing this while listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Who. Somehow rock 'n' roll and baseball were simpatico for us.

My friend, Greg Salmon, would play each season in its entirety (160 games each X 18 teams). I believe he had at least twenty years worth of the card sets.

[tiktok]

YES!!! Prime bonding with my dad.

[chet]

Saw it advertised in the comic books but never got into it.

[eichaan]

I was a Strat-o-Matic Fanatic for a long time. From 1980-84 and then again from 1995-2001. The new version on the computer is really outstanding.

[fltpkr]

Not as a kid, but as an adult. Haven't played for a few years, but it's a fun game.

[Cheesehead]

Ever play Out of the Park Baseball? Unbelievably cool. Check out:
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/cms/...=ootp-baseball

You can replay any season in baseball history as general manager and/or field manager.

If you go to their file server http://www.ootpdevfiles.com/ootp/
you can download an old version of the game for free.

Download:
ootp5freesetup.exe

Be sure to import the Lahman historical database so you can play any historical season in baseball history.

[wooderson]

Oh, yeah. That's what my family did instead of regular board games.

Before that I had made up my own rules for a baseball game using a 20-sided die, and played games using lineups from the '20s-'40s (wish I still had that Baseball Encyclopedia, tremendous sentimental value). Sure there's a basic flaw when Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio have the same chances of hitting a homer... but I was eight.

Now I play Diamond Mind Online - imaginesports.com. Draft players from the 1870s to a few still playing (at the end of their careers), pick a park, and manage from day to day.

[Cheesehead]

I've played the computer version of Strat-o-matic and Out of the Park blows it away. With Strat-o-matic and similar computer management games, you pay about $30 for an add-on disk of stats for a single season. With OOTP, you pay $30 for the game and using the free Lahman database, you can play any season you want. The free version I mention will give you a pretty good taste...

[E.D. Patton]

My oldest brother was obsessed with that one.

I went looking for it in Mom's basement a few years back and discovered that it had gone to Goodwill, along with about 300 Silver Era comics...

Dang!!!

[tomkatf]

Originally Posted by getbent

My brother and I loved that game... If you could Tony Cloninger as your pitcher it was worth a couple of runs a game!
This is the one we had

Yep had one and Gates Brown was a .450 hitter with power one year! Of course that was actually as a pinch hitter... But you think he didn't play every inning in the game???

Best,
Tom

[getbent]

Gates Brown! nice! name the other (besides Gates) Who had been to the penitentiary before playing for the Tigers? (and no saying Willie Horton.. that was a different Willie Horton) and Denny MClain went after.

[flyingb54]

Are you kidding? I've been playing it since 1968, taking it on tour with me ever since. I like the Hall Of Fame series...Its a fabulous game....the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JB
www.johnbeland.com

[jimbach]

Strat-o-matic? No.
APBA? Yes.

[Cheesehead]

Originally Posted by jimbach

Strat-o-matic? No.
APBA? Yes.

I used to play APBA Baseball for Windows. Great game. Ernie Harwell gave the play by play. Was my favorite computer game until I discovered Out of the Park.

I'm tellin ya, if ya like any of these games, check out Out of the Park.

I'll shut up now.

[markothefish]

Oh Man !!! it was definitely the D&D of jock /sports geeks I spent the late seventies early eighties playing that with my neighbors on rainy days . I found this photo on the internet it brings back some memories of frozen Charleston Chews , Jiffy Pop Popcorn and Hi C ....

[eastside]

Not only Strat-o-matic Baseball, but Football(great), Basketball(eh) and Hockey (double eh). Major part of my youth. And The baseball game also taught you how to keep score at a real game. Does anyone still do that anymore?

One thing I remember most about the games was waiting for the game or the new season's cards to be delivered. They were the days when you really had to wait "six to eight weeks for delivery." When that sixth week finally rolled around, I was so geared up that I swear I could hear the UPS truck from ten blocks away.

Greg

[mudshark]

We actually met at a vacant lot, found a few lids and boards for bases, chose up sides, and played baseball when I was a kid.

[Cheesehead]

Originally Posted by mudshark

We actually met at a vacant lot, found a few lids and boards for bases, chose up sides, and played baseball when I was a kid.

What was that like?

I'm all about getting my four sons outside and away from computers and XBoxes and portable gaming devices. My sons play organized baseball and we love getting major whiffle ball games going in the backyard.

Interestingly in the age of computers and gaming systems, playing an actually board game like Strat O Matic (or Risk or Clue or whatever) is a nice interactive family thing to do...

[hotgoalie11565]

Played both the baseball and hockey in my teens way back in the early 80's. I can remember the days during summer vacation when we would play for hours down in my buddy's basement. Also had a pool table there; doubly cool.

[getbent]

Rick,
I hear ya man! we wore our garage door out. it had those funky 1960's decorative boxes on it... perfect! two of them made the strike zone (learn to hit the low pitch) we usually played with tennis balls and a big whiffle bat.. hours and hours and hours... until the plywood finally gave way... we got a pretty serious whuppin' over that....

and at boysen park we played a game called 'over the line'..... all day. once we were in high school we found tournaments in newport beach to play in on the sand. always better to play outside... but, when night comes... stratomatic.

[Daddydex]

We had a lot of variations on baseball when I was growing up. We played a game called "pug" where you threw a rubber ball in the air and hit it with a closed fist. Wiffle balls, tennis balls etc. I wish I was still a kid for the baseball games alone. Never played stratomatic but spent many hours with a basketball game that had cards and dice. Can't remember the name. I will still play video game baseball every once in a while.

Dan

Edit:Also had cousins in the Bronx so I got to play some real stickball.