Life, the Universe, and Strat-O-Matic
Volume I, Number 3
February 6, 2001
“The Red (& Blue) Cards are
Coming, the Red (&Blue) Cards are Coming!”
Were Paul Revere alive today in
Glen Head, NY, he might be heard driving around the parking lot of
Strat-O-Matic, Inc. in his ’97 Ford Taurus announcing the ever-awaited
statement, that Strat-O-Maniacs’ Opening Day is at hand. Somewhere between the
3rd week of January and 2nd week of February (this year,
February 2nd. Woo hoo!) is the first opportunity to gaze upon that
wonder of wonders, the new set of cards. Even as I compose this little ditty, a
twinge of excitement races through my blood, knowing that my order for the 2000
season set should be mailed out within the next 48 hours. (I got my order
placed via computer on one of the first days you could back in December. :P) Of
course, the delivery by UPS or the US Postal Service doesn’t have quite the
same effect as picking up your brown bag in person, but it does ensure you can
be the first kid on your block to tear apart the defending champion Yankees.
“Why Didn’t I Spend the Extra $4
to get 2-Day Priority?!”
The day your cards are delivered,
the postman isn’t a Cliff Claven; he’s more of a Hermes, a messenger of the
gods with a prize greater than the Golden Fleece. The anticipation of the new
arrival is more nerve-wracking than the delivery of a first-born child. How
else can you see if this is the year to trade Greg Maddux, or draft Chuck
Finley finally? I can remember several times over the last few years, driving
home from work every day at lunchtime, hoping to find that rectangular brown
mailing package waiting at my doorstep, only to be disappointed and having
wasted a gallon of gas to find….nothing. It would normally take 2-4 trips
before that commodity more precious than gold would appear. No longer would my
work day be distracted by thoughts of “They better come tomorrow.” Now, my
thoughts would be occupied by “Who’s gonna bat cleanup against lefties?” What
do you mean line 6 is holding for me? I need to figure out a fifth outfielder!
With the creation of his web site
and invitation to ringmaster the Strat-O web ring, Phil has found, and pointed
out to me and everyone else who frequents his site, a whole cyber world of Strat-O
maniacs, enthusiasts and freakazoids. (These terms are all used affectionately,
of course. If you’re reading this article, you must be, like us, to some degree
at least, possessed by the spirits of Strat). There are printed publications
describing all the latest computer game advancements, projecting fielding
ratings, printing actual fielding ratings, listing the breakdowns for rating
out a hitters card vs. left and right, just about anything you wanted to know
about a Strat-O card. Additionally, there are dozens of web pages filled with
articles and chat rooms dedicated to the Strat card. ‘Twas a time this was not
so.
I remember back in ’90 having the
first pick in the draft. Felix Jose had his first full year in the majors with
Oakland and St. Louis. He hit around .320, had a little power, stole some bases
– the obvious first pick in the draft. We used to have our drafts in December,
with only the Bill James Stats, Inc. book to go by. Lo and behold, upon seeing
his card for the first time, my big plans for him were shot. He got a 4. DH-dom
for him. In ’91 I again had one of the
first picks. This time a big guy back from Japan whomped 50 HR’s. Who was I to
pass up Cecil Fielder? Of course, seeing his card brought on a realization.
With his severely weighted card against lefties, there was no way he would ever
hit .285 with 50 HR’s in a righty pitcher dominated league. Oh well, ‘dems da
breaks.
On the other hand, a few years ago
Pittsburgh 2B Tony Womack hit .288 with around 70 steals. He looked to be a 1st
round pick for sure. What’s that? Reports say he got a 4? I ended up getting
him in the 7th round. There was no challenge, (even though that
particular league drafts after we see the cards) I knew for weeks that he would
get a 4 without even seeing the cards so I was able to wait on him.
With all these reports: releases
from Strat-O-Matic, newsletters, websites – a major “fun” factor has been
removed from the game. No longer will you make an off-season trade only to kick
yourself because the 2B you gave away, who had been no better than a 3 for you
for three years, suddenly nabs a 1, while the OF you got back who hit 27 HR’s
hit them all against lefties – and you needed him to mash righties. (Of course,
if you’re a goof you might make that sort of trade without investigating first,
but I digress…)
It’s great to be able to figure out
every aspect of your team before you ever make that list of draft potentials,
know that you need to unload a pitcher with a $5 mil salary because he’ll have
8 points of BP HR vs. righties and you play in Coors Field. But at the same
time, you no longer will be able to laugh at that guy who traded four draft
picks to get that Rookie of the Year 3B, only to discover, upon seeing his
card, that he’s a 4 with W power against righties. The challenge of drafting
the best cards based on explicit knowledge is not the same as drafting
half-blind, hitting on some picks, missing on others. You can only hope to get
the guys you want and need before your less-knowledgeable opponents do, even
though the only scouting they do is to read a Strat-Fan or other such
publication, while you watch Sportscenter four times a day all summer, while
you religiously study Baseball America, while you purchase season tickets to
the Twins (yuck!) just so you can actually see your prospective CF all season
long.
And, while this has nothing to do with this article except for the caption, Will Clark has retired, thus The Thrill is gone from baseball, as well as from drafting.
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