** Interview with Del Newell  **

Wolfman:  So Del, when did you first have contact with the SOM game company? What was the first year of the baseball cards you played with? What was there about Strat-o-matic Baseball that you found so appealing?

Del: My first contact with S-O-M and Harold Richman came in the spring of 1971 when Mike Allison and I and our wives went to Long Island and talked to Hal about the Review.  He was agreeable and offered to help us and the Review was born.

My first set of baseball cards was the 1963 set (based on 1962 real-life). That was the first set of cards that had all the teams.

I tried a lot of table games over the years, but fell in love with (in addition to my wife, Mary Jane), S-O-M Baseball.  I liked the batter vs. pitcher card makeup, ease of play and the fact the game wasn't a series of math compilations to determine each result.

Wolfman:  Since you live in Michigan, have you always been a Detroit Tiger fan then?  Who were some of your favorite players that you rooted for. Did you play baseball when you were younger?  Ever thought you might become a baseball player?

Del:  I've always rooted for the Tigers, but I've been a bigger fan of the Detroit Lions since the early 1950s (the glory days).  In fact, since the computer football game came into existence, I replay the NFL playoffs and the Detroit Lions every year (the Lions were 4-12 last year, the same as real-life, and 9-7 based on 2011, when the Lions were 10-6).  In other words, I’ve suffered a lot over the years with the Lions.  I did play baseball in high school and coached varsity baseball  when I was teaching.  I never thought about being a major league player. I did think pro basketball would be fun, but I was only 6-1 and slow and wouldn't have had much fun.  I do play basketball three times a week now and still have some fun.

Wolfman:  I know that when you began to work, you eventually became a Sport's writer. How did this happen - did you get a degree in college? Which publication(s) did you write for? What sports did you cover. Did you ever have a chance to meet any of the MLB players for your job?

Del:  I worked part-time at the Kalamazoo Gazette when I was in college (I graduated from Western Michigan University in 1963) and then I also worked with the campus paper Western Herald as a sports writer. Plus, I had worked at the Vicksburg Commercial while in high school. 

After teaching for five years I ran into Jack Moss, sports editor of the Gazette, and, because there was an opening at the Gazette and he remembered me from my part-time work, he offered me a job. I talked it over with my wife and told her I always wanted to try writing and if it didn't work out, I could always go back to teaching.  I never did go back, although I always enjoyed teaching (I still have an avid interest in history, especially military). 

The publications I have written for are mentioned  above. My main beat as a sports writer was prep sports of all sorts.  I also covered a lot of college football (Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame).  Boxing was another of my beats.  Over the years I've interviewed (usually after games) many well-known athletes, including Derek Jeter (who is from Kalamazoo where I have lived for many years), Leon Roberts and Chris Crawford (played seven-plus years with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks). I also play basketball with Mike Squires, who is from Kalamazoo and for seven years was a Gold Glove first baseman with the Chicago White Sox.

Wolfman:  How did the "SOM Review" come to life? Whose idea was it? Why did you decide to offer this publication? Was your job as a sports writer helpful to do the "Review". When did Warren become a part of the publication.

Del:  Mostly the Review was my idea, although two other people invested in the publication in the beginning. The main reason for the Review, as I stated before was to put gamers in touch with other gamers, share playing tips and write about the various leagues that were created through the pages of the Review. My work as a writer was definitely helpful with the Review.  I'm not sure about when Warren joined the Review, but he probably was involved for close to 15-16 years.

Wolfman:  Obviously to be able to do this publication, you must have received permission from the Game Company and spoken to Hal Richman to do the "Review".  Can you tell
us the story about how this all happened? Did Mr. Richman put any conditions about what could and could not be included in the Review. I remember as one of your subscribers there was a fee, obviously necessary to cover the cost to print each issue - Mr. Richman didn't object to this?

Del:  I wrote to Hal about the idea for a publication and he was very supportive. There were no restrictions as far as I remember.  This was a publication about S-O-M and it was never intended to be critical of other games. Any publication, to be successful, has to have revenue, thus the fee that would cover printing costs.  Some revenue was generated by advertising. But the Review was never intended to be a money-maker. It was more of a hobby.

Wolfman:  How was the SOM Review produced - as back in 1971 they didn't have computers yet?  Did you work with a local printer company?

Del:  The Review was printed in Kalamazoo.  In the old days, before computers, it was typed, headlines were pasted on, and the Review was reduced in size and printed.  Later the Review was produced on an  Apple II-C computer, which I still have and still use for my S-O-M Baseball league stats.

Wolfman:  What were some of the most popular sections of the newsletter?  I believe on the Game Company website, they have a scanned image of every issue.  What were your favorite parts to do of the newsletter. How many subscribers did you have - what was the maximum amount of people receiving the newsletter?

Del:  Playing tips always generated a lot of interest. The  Readers roll 'em section was also very popular.  And stories of the various leagues throughout the country were also popular.  Some of the leagues were amazing as far as their managerial makeup, league rules and yearbooks.   I believe at its peak, the Review had close to 2,000 subscribers.

Wolfman:  Can you give a brief summary over time how the newsletter changed and evolved?

Del:  The Review tried to change as the games changed.  Some of the sections were always the same, but the input from readers (mostly about changes they would like to see in the games, past seasons wanted and playing tips) was a constant.  When the computer games came along, the Review was going out.  The technical aspects of the games was not the strong suit of the editors. The timing was right.

Wolfman:  How did your family feel about you doing the newsletter? Didn't this take away time from spending with them if you had a full time job and also doing the newsletter? How long would it take (days or hours) to get a newsletter done. Plus also you had to mail out all the copies to the subscribers too?

Del:  My family for the most part was supportive of my work on the Review.  My wife had an opportunity to meet a number of people (Hal Richman, his wife Sheila, Steve Barkan and James Williams at the game company and many gamers, especially at conventions).  As far as the time commitment, I always did the Review in my so-called spare time. Some sections were easier to do than others.  My brother and his wife, Karen, handled all the mailing and correspondence.

Wolfman:  Do you have any special personal stories to share with our readers as special moments you recall when you did the newsletter that either something happened to your personally which brought great satisfaction or a great story shared by one of your subscribers?

Del:  There were many great stories supplied by readers.  I always tried to treat each story, yearbook highlights and each playing tip as something special.  One of our readers was from Nepal and his remarks were always interesting. There was a football league in Canada, with the commissioner an entertainer.  Some of the yearbooks provided me with more interesting reading than the Review.

Wolfman:  How often did you have contact with Mr. Richman or the game company?
Did the game company help the SOM Review in some way, I recall seeing a flyer about your publication which is how I heard about it.  Did the game company ever release some special news to you first either about new games they were developing or some secrets to play any of their games better?

Del:  I was in contact with Hal and the game company (especially Steve Barkan) on a regular basis, especially when new developments were happening or it was new card time in baseball.  The Review usually got the ratings early, but no “secrets” as far as how to play the games better. S-O-M did put a flyer about the Review in every order (the flyer was supplied by the Review).

Wolfman:  Since you had a chance to meet Mr. Richman, what type of person is he like? Do you have any special stories you can share with us about contact you had with the creator of SOM?

Del:  Hal was and is a special person to me.  A creative genius.  I've been with him at two of the conventions and my wife and I stayed at his home on both occasions.  S-O-M is his life (along with family) and he's very humble about his accomplishments.  I remember on our first trip to a convention, staying at his home and Hal and I playing S-O-M Basketball, which was just being released at the time. It was like two kids with a new toy.

Wolfman:  Now as all our readers know, as we have been republishing the articles you did about the first nine conventions, from 1972-1980. Where did the idea of the National SOM Convention originally come from?  You were the first person (or organization) to setup live tournaments for people to participate in which till this day continued as we have a number of
different groups who have done so.  What were goals for the first convention and were happy with the results?

Del:  The first convention was held at an elementary school near where we lived in Comstock, near Kalamazoo. I don't remember the exact number of people here, but Steve Barkan attended and there was a gamer from Mississippi.  The goal was to bring gamers together, exchange ideas and stories, play games and have fun. Those goals were accomplished.

Wolfman:  Is there anything you can share about the second convention which took place in 1973 and was co-sponsored by the Game Company and the Review. I know it took place at a department store in Brooklyn that year as I attended. Do you recall anything important from this time that allowed the second convention to happen?

Del:  I don't remember the conversations (with S-O-M) leading to the convention. But I do remember some folks at the department store worked closely with S-O-M to make it happen.

Wolfman:  How did you feel when in 1974 when neither the Review nor the Game Company were able to continue the convention and then all of a sudden there were a group of us in Illinois (linked to the University of Illinois) who decided to continue this tradition (by the way even though this is over 40 years later, we were very grateful for the full support you provided to make these next conventions happen)?

Del:  I was just glad that someone could continue the conventions.  They are a lot of work and take a lot of planning to be successful.

Wolfman:  What is there about the SOM Baseball Game (as this is the game we cover for our newsletter) that really appeals so that you continue to be an SOM Baseball Fanatic?  Do you have any special projects (since you have time and are retired) linked to SOM that you hope to do in the future?

Del:  Realism and ease of play make S-O-M the best baseball game, in my opinion.  I'm not into fantasy sports.  As far as projects, I like mini replays, replays of playoffs / World Series and I've dabbled in Hall of Fame replays and Heroes replays.  And, of course, I've been in the GKSML, which was often featured in the Review, since its inception back in the early 1970s.

Wolfman: What is the best Baseball team (which cardset and players) you ever had in one of your leagues that you managed?  For the current league you are in (face to face) how many managers are there and how long has this league gone for. How is your league structured? Do you have any key playing tips for our members?

Del:  I am not a good manager, as my record shows.  In the 75 full-season replays in the GKSML, I've been in the World Series – and lost – only three times. I used to be accused of drafting players who were older than I was. Also drafting players whose names I couldn't pronounce, thus couldn't “communicate” with.  I feel I'm often the COBL (Curse of Bobby Layne of the Detroit Lions) of S-O-M Baseball. The GKSML currently has eight managers.

Wolfman: How do you view the difference between playing SOM Baseball with the board gamed (dice & cards) versus the computer game?  Do you have a preference?

Del:  The computer game is easier to play and the stats are compiled for you.  My individual replays are always done with the computer game. Our league, though, still likes the cards and dice (we use a pocket computer to generate dice rolls) for its face-to-face games. I have a 12-year-old grandson who likes S-O-M and plays with the cards.

Wolfman:  It has been over 20 years now since you put out your last issue of the SOM review?What is the most gratifying for you from that time, what do you remember the most? Do you have any regrets, now that you are no longer doing the magazine, is there something you miss?

Del: Times change and I try to adapt to the changes.  The Review was fun to produce at the time, but I'm not sure how relevant it would be today.  I retired from the newspaper business when I was 65 ½ and soon after the business became a victim of online reporting and stories.  That's what I mean by change and sometimes almost overnight changes.

Wolfman: As the original editor of the first SOM publication, do you have any advice for our team with this newsletter, or any other Strat based publication that could help other to take their newsletter or magazine to a higher level?

Del:  Make it fun and interesting.  Consider your readers first when making up your content and don't use the newsletter as a self-promotion.

Wolfman:  If any of our members wish to contact you, who might like  to express their gratitude for your devotion and hard work to make the "Review" a reality, or to say hello or ask a question, what is the best way they can reach you?

Del:  Through my email address: md.newell@charter.net

Wolfman:  Del, I want to thank you for taking this time to spend with our members and to share some special insights about the SOM Review, which changed the lives of many SOM gamers. You are always welcome to visit with us again at any time. Thank you.

Del:  My pleasure and thank you for your interest.  Good luck with your newsletter.

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Interview Notes:  If any of members would like to read any of the issues published by
Del and his brother for the full 20 years, a scanned images are available through the Strat-o-matic Game company's website. Just go to:

http://www.strat-o-matic.com/community/media-archive/strat-o-matic-review/strat-o-matic-review

We are happy to announce that Mr. Newell, has agreed to accept our invitation to be an honorary advisor for the newsletter, who will be offering us suggestions from his perspective as the first editor of a SOM publication. We are grateful to Mr. Newell for any assistance he can offer to make our newsletter even better. Thank you.