** Strat-o-matic Conventions - Early History - The 1979 Convention  **
      (compiled by Wolfman Shapiro with help from Mike Kane & Gary Losey and a republishing of the articles about the Convention from the 1979 Editions of the Strat-o-matic Review)

"Our club," relates Shapiro, "is a group or die-hard sports fans who enjoy playing S-O-M sports games and find the idea of managing professional ball players an irresistible challenge. Our purpose is to try to gather all those who play the game in the area (create a unified group) and give them a method to contact others. We hope to do this by providing organized leagues and tournaments plus eventually creating a directory of names of gamers with addresses and their interests."

The Chicagoland Club didn't just declare its existence, however, end then fade out of sight. It has been very visible -- especially the week of June 11-17, at the Woodfield Mall in Chicago where club members demonstrated rated S-O-M games for close to 400 people. The club was stationed in front of Marshell Fields (promoting the game for Hermann's Sporting Goods). "Our club membershp," enthused Shapiro, went from 35 to 57 plus I have s list of another 50-60 people who showed interest in becoming new members.'" Hermann's quickly sold 37 S-O-M games.

There's no profit incentive for the Chicagoland Club, however, since it's a recreational club and all monies earned are earmarked for club activities.

Many local personalities, including ex-Cub and White Sox players, were guests of the Chicagoland Club during its week'. encampment at Hermann's. Among them were Gene Hiser (ex-Cub), Bill Sharp (ex-Sox), Rich Nye (ex-Cub). Moe Drabowsky (ex-Cub and ex-Sox), Rick Schwab (author of the book, "Stuck on the Cubs"), Rich Lindberg (author of "Stuck on the Sox") and Bruce Paytner (of the Chicagoland Collectors Association).

Also, Shapiro appeared on numerous talk or radio call-in shows (Al Scardini, WLNR: Bruce Wolf, WXAT; Dick Chase, WKOC) plus there were articles in the Suburban Tribune (June 13-14), The Voice (newspaper) and Skokie Life.

Hiser, who at one time was a district manager for Hermann`s, wound up pitted against Sharp in S-O-M Baseball, with Hiser using the 1972 Cubs (for which he had a card) and Sharp the '73 Sox (ditto him having a card). Hiser, who batted .174, had the keen insight not to start himself, while Sharp put himself in left field and batted second. The Cubs won the game, 7-2, thanks to the four-hit pitching of Ferguson Jenkins. Hiser didn't crack the lineup -- but Sharp didn't crack a base hit either, being collared in four at-bats.

Shortly after their (Hiser & Sharp's) visit with the Chicagoland gamers, another ex-Cub, Bob Will, dropped  in, autographed his 1962 card (.239 average), and was followed by longtime S-O-M devotee Ed (Hollywood) Ivers, vice president of the Chicagoland United for a Baseball Series (C.U.B.S.).

Nye and Drabowsky were on the scene together (Friday, June 15) and both left-handed pitchers wound up managing themselves in a game (Nye--'69 Cubs; Drabowsky --`68 Orioles).  Both came on in relief in the late innings and Drabowsky promptly surrendered a two-run homer to Jim Hickmen which tied the game at 4-4. Later, Ernie Banks' single drove in the winning run the 10th inning, giving Nye the victory and Drabowsky, who gave up five hits in 2 2/3 innings, the loss.

Nye, incidentally, had a 5.03 real-life ERA that year and Drabowsky a minuscule 1.92. Nye only gave up one hit in a 2 2/3-innings stint.

The week-long agenda was topped off by a pair of baseball tournaments (Advanced and Elementary) that were conducted Sunday, June 17, in the Schaumburg Room at Woodfield (mall). The Advanced tourney attracted 16 garners and 24 vied in the elementary.

Both winners, ironically, chose the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, World Series champs of that year. Paul Mpistolarides of Park Ridge, IL, won the advanced tourney and David  Ziebell of Monee the elementary.

Each round of the tournament was two games -- with the managers switching teams
for the second game and the winner determined by total runs scored in the two
contests. It's the same format used at the National Convention.

In the advanced game finals, Mpistolarides' Pirates defeated Jim Tunick's (Des Plaines) '72 Cubs. 5-2 in the first game, and then lost who the roles were reversed, but only by a 5-4 margin, giving Paul the overall victory by a 9-7 run margin.

Ziebell's trail to a championship included meeting Harold Thurmer (Park Ridge) and his 1929 Cubs in the final. Thurmer's Cubs won the opener, 6-3, but than Ziebell took the '29 aggregation and rear back for for a 10-0 triumph and overall 13-6 victory.

And that's the way it was at the Chicagoland Club's tournament. Now for the National Convention.

In the meantime, however, no word reached the Review.  Early in November it was finally discovered that the mails had not come through--and Anderson quickly dispatched more pictures and summaries, and via registered mail this time.

So, belatedly, here are pictures of the winners and runnersup in each of the tournaments, excepting the hockey, which was introduced to the tourney lineup for the first time.

(Notes from the Wolfman:  Well, we had kept the tradition going of the yearly SOM Conventions now for six straight years as we were about to enter the 1980's.  For myself, I didn't realize it, but as we entered the year of 1980, my life would change forever and for some people, they would ask what ever happened to the "Wolfman".  I went missing for 25 years and some strange rumors circulated about me.  But before I went on this most amazing personal journey {I will discuss this briefly at the end of the report of the next year's convention} we were able to organize one final convention at Northwestern University in Evanston.  So stay tuned for our next exciting issue of the "Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter".