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Vol. IV, Issue #7 - November 2016


** An Article by NASOMA Commissioner, Glenn Wheeler **
      (NASOMA commissioner Glenn Wheeler returns to our newsletter to share with
us a few thoughts about why he has been with Strat Baseball for so many years!)

(Notes from the Wolfman:  NASOMA, as Glenn's member call their league, which we covered twice last year, is a combination league that uses a combination of different ways to play their games but also (even though their members are all over the U.S.) does key league functions in person. I had a chance to speak to Glenn by the phone and got to know him fairly well when we did our interviews before.  Glenn has always been very supportive of this newsletter. Ok Commissioner Wheeler take it away for our members........ )

 


Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter, NASOMA strat-o-matic baseball league logo


Why Do We Play the Game?
  

Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter, Photo of NASOMA Commissioner Glen WheelerGlenn:  Let me start off by saying that I’m now going on 45 years playing Strat-O-Matic baseball. I started playing the game as a 10 year old looking for something fun to do with other baseball friends. Nobody I knew had ever heard of Strat-O-Matic so it was something we could all learn together. Of course everything was played by cards, dice and charts back then but I remember I thought it was good that a game took only 30 minutes or so to play. Not too much time given what I thought was my short attention span. We’ve come a long way in that now you can simply EQA a game in a second or two. Things have indeed changed.





(Above is a photo of NASOMA's commissioner Glenn Wheeler)


Never did I imagine that now in my fifties I’d still be playing this same game. I’m not sure if it’s my age, the fact my wife and I are empty nesters, or some recent health issues we’re experiencing, but it has caused me to reflect on why I’m still playing this game!

At various times I think I focused my attention on winning the magical league trophy. It was about how I could pull off a great trade to get in position to win, or what numbers could I analyze that would give me an edge over my opponent. I remain commissioner and member of the North American Stat-O-Matic Association (NASOMA) that I started in 1980. We play for no money and the trophy we receive is passed around year to year to the league champion. Although there was no monetary prize, I’m convinced my primary reason for playing was the joy of putting a championship team together.

In reflection, I’ve realized that I was missing the big picture as to why I continue to play the game. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy building a team and seeing in game strategy payoff to get that important team win. But that’s not the main reason I play the game. It really is about for the same reason I purchased the game as a 10 year old. It is about staying connected with your friends with the hook being to come together to share in a common interest. In NASOMA we’ve been fortunate to not have had much turnover in managers. Our average manager has been in the league 26 years! We’ve spent most of our lives together. As life gets in the way with family, career, and other life commitments the glue that has kept our relationships in tact was Strat-O-Matic baseball. I’m thankful for that.

If you’re in a situation where life’s other demands are causing you to think about dropping out of a league you’re in, I’d ask you to pause. If it is truly not enjoyable anymore then that is one thing, however understand that the league you’re in is likely the glue to relationships that could last a lifetime.

It’s taken me 45 years to get to understand this, but that is why I continue to play the game.


(
Comments from the Wolfman:  The statements echoed by Glenn in his article, I find very true as this has happened to me as well in the Strat Leagues, and tournaments (on-line or in-person) I have played in, about the sense of family and close relationships formed.  There are still fellow strat brothers I know from the 1970's when I began to play this game we love and into our yearly conventions.  It is always a nice feeling to have close extended Strat Family that we are able to share our passion of the game with and aspirations about the teams we have and manage. Thank you Glenn for returning and sharing your insights.  Go NASOMA! )

 



Contained inside this exciting issue of Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter:
(to view the various interviews, articles, columns and special sections click on the links {underlined} and this will take you to the appropriate webpage)
 

  RETURN TO NEWSLETTER MAIN PAGE

  STRAT THOUGHTS with BRUCE BUNDY, after a long absence we have the mind of Bruce Bundy as he shares with our members over 30 formulas used to build the cards, that he is known for throughout SOM Baseball and a special comment about Baseball Daily.

  ARTICLE with DOUG BRUNET -- USAGE 4.2, this is Doug's second contribution to our newsletter delaying with the challenges of player's usage within a league.  Doug is very well known to the coordinators of this newsletter as a member of the draft league they are in and what can be said about Doug's observations of the game and how to organize key stats is he is very thorough. This article should help any member who is in a league where the usage of your players is regulated.

  SOM BASEBALL LEAGUE REPORT with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO -- the editor of "The Ultimate Strat Newsletter" and 2012 CBA Champion, talks to members of various Strat-o-matic Baseball Leagues that he has discovered on the internet about the history of their league and their experiences. We speak to another commissioner of a Retro League. To read this interview, click on the link below:

INTERVIEW with JIM MURPHY, Commissioner of OSBL, P-XII (Computer/Netplay)
 

  ARTICLE with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO (linked with Baseball Daily), This the Wolfman's fourth and final report about the new "Baseball Daily" game play with SOM Baseball as he finished managing the 2016 Chicago Cubs day by day. He shows you his results through the end of the season and give an analysis linked to the Cubs how they really played throughout the year on the road to their World Series Championship, the first in 108 years, the end of the curse.

  STRAT WISE with MARC WASSERMAN commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association (CBA) continues his new column sharing various perspectives on SOM Baseball. For his article this month we include a summary of the latest and most fascinating and interesting videos we have added to our Ultimate Strat Baseball Youtube Channel including two special videos for the holidays shared in mid-December including one by the Wolfman and Marc himself talking about the new "Infield Shift Rule".

  RECOMMEND ON-LINE SOM RESOURCES -- On-line Strat-o-matic and Baseball related websites that offer amazing information, special tools and products to improve your game play that we strongly recommend. In most cases, we have had personal contact with these sources who agree with the principle to work together and help promote each other.

  BOOKS TO DIE FOR and Become a BASEBALL GURU -- This page is specifically about special books we are finding that either will expand your insights about the game of Baseball, help you in the creation of your current league teams or with your replays and learn more about the Strat-o-matic Baseball Game and Game Company's history.  We have a special arrangement with Acta Sports, who is a publisher of a number of great baseball books (including Bill James Handbooks) to offer for our members a 10% discount. We will continue to add more books to this page in the future as we uncover other gems our members should know about.


 




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:

Wolfman Shapiro
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