Vol. II, Issue #3 - May 2014
  

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** SOM Baseball World News **
      ( a new periodic column where we share special news
linked to the SOM Baseball Game .... stay tuned!! )

Notes from the Wolfman: - Welcome to our new page. We are not sure how often this page will appear but as we were going to press for issue #3 of 2014, we had an interesting news story (or update) to share and we also wanted to continue to honor the life of Hank Smith. If there would ever be a Hall of Fame for SOM Baseball - we would vote for Hank to be a member.  We have decided rather than talk about such items on the main page for the newsletter, we would do it on its own page. So sit back, as we share with you some interesting stories linked to the SOM Baseball World .....
 

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FLASH:  The "National Strat Tournaments" organization died an early death ...
-- April 2014 (it was a grand experiment which we at the newsletter were hoping would work!!)

We are sad to report that the merger of Star Tournaments and SOM Tours into the National Strat Tournaments (NST) group had some hiccups shortly after their formation and that the two groups have decided to go their separate ways. We attempted to receive comments from both groups about what happened, the members of the former Star Tournaments did reply but SOM Tours did not although they stated at some future point they will give their own perspective. So below is the information we received on this latest development.

On April 10th, I (Wolfman) received an email from a new organization called the Strat Tournaments Players Club (STPC) inviting me to join.  I am going to quote from part of the email, so that you can hear from STPC directly about this new tournament group and their goals:

The leadership of our club consists of a group of guys, just like you, whose only desire is to play in
tournaments of a game that we love. Our objective is to make sure our tournaments are fun, fair and accountable. That is all. We don't care if you play in other clubs. We have formed together to leave the politics as far away from our game as possible. In fact, we don't even have a board… just a council which consists of the leaders of each of our five regions to make sure we are suitably organized. If you participated in the NST, you will find our formats, point systems, and Worlds setup have not changed at all.

Our regions are the MIST (US Midwest), the South (southern US), the West (west coast and western states), PureStrat (which organizes on-line Skype tournaments) and our NetPlay group (uses the computer netplay tool). Together, we will become the largest Strat tournament playing organization in the world.

In this new club, there is only one boss, the Tournament Players. It's your input and participation that will make this club successful. In fact, we encourage you to get involved and help your club on a regional level.

Now as many of you know, we have spoken at times to Pete Nelson, who use to be on the council for the Star Tournaments and also is a leader of the Portland tournament in the West Region now for STPC to understand why this breakdown happened, here is what he sent to us:

PETE: Wolfman, it was an amicable divorce. The two groups just realized that we were better off separate. We just had very different philosophies about on how things should be run.  Money was never an issue. There was no bitterness. We (STPC) have no problem with you (or anyone) speaking with SOMT or playing in their tournaments. We hope SOMT people will play in our tournaments. There's no reason why people can't be members of both clubs.

We'll still have the Worlds and I expect there will be a good SOMT contingent attending. The STPC Council
will be deciding on a location for the Worlds soon. Best guess is Las Vegas.

Last night (april 9th), the NST Board voted unanimously to dissolve. 4 of the 5 NST participating partners (South, West, PureStrat, Internet (now named NetPlay) have joined, along with the former Star Jasper Region (now name MIST), to form the Strat Tournament Players Club (STPC). SOMT will continue on separate from STPC.  At this time, there is no plan to count SOMT tourneys for STPC points. That could change.

At the NST Board Meeting last night, SOMT announced that they were withdrawing from NST. The other
four PP's were going to do that as well but they beat us to it! Everyone knew it was over.

p.s. You can visit our website at http://StratTPC.com

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Now we did get a response from SOM Tours (SOMT) from their President Michael Kman, who chose not to comment on the split but focused more on the special and exciting activities they offered.  To provide a fair representation and to honor both parties here is a part of what SOMT shared with us:

MIKE: First, it's true the NST experiment didn't work out - unfortunately we have been advised not to discuss the NST at this time, but look forward to doing so - in great depth - in the future.

As for our club --- the dissolution of the NST has left SOM Tour, which was founded and established in June 2009, as the longest tenured and premier national face-to-face SOM baseball gaming organization.  We also feature online games via skype and cards using our custom built and independently (by a European company) maintained dice roller.

Presently we host tournaments from New York to Minnesota and 6 other states in-between.  We plan to expand into Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma City and the heartland (Kansas/Missouri/Iowa) by the start of 2015 and we are looking at 2016 for our first pacific coast event.  So as you can see we are truly national --- actually technically we're international since we just concluded our 2014 Canadian Open event which was held in Mississauga Ontario (just outside of Toronto) ... this was the 3rd consecutive year we hosted a Canadian event (others were in Montreal and Toronto).

The club also features an Online Store selling various customized SOM themed products; Throwback events; Auction draft events; Event weekends with catered meals and softball games; a professionally designed and maintained website and active participation in the social medias (Facebook and Twitter) ... and much much more.

SOMT website: www.somtour.net

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WOLFMAN:  Sometimes I wonder how we survive on in our world with all our differences. It is a shame that our SOM Family can't always find a way to move together but this is part of being human.  However, as we have stated since our publication began, we do our best to stay neutral and let our readers know about the various activities and resources that are available to them so you can make your own choice.  What we support and always will is the idea that these tournaments provide for our SOM Baseball family a chance to compete, to grow as a player and to learn key strategies to become the best you can be.  It is always for the love of the game that normally brings Strat players together even if we get a bit dicey during the heat of a league or tournament play.

 

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FLASH: Time to honor Hank Smith - "The Proud Papa" of the Star Tournaments.
 

Wolfman: In our last issue in March (2014) we introduced you to Hank Smith who shared how he was able to become the Worlds Champion for the Star Tournaments in 2007. In this issue, I discussed the idea of a book which Hank and I spoke about (2006-2007) to write about strategies which SOM Baseball gamers used to help build a successful team in a league or in the draft tournaments which Star offered. Additionally I shared the questionnaire the two of us came up with, which Hank answered after his championship and we have provided for our members if you would be open to fill in for us to do a special analysis in the future.

But who was the man known as Hank Smith, what was he like. What made him a special human being who was like, in a way, a spokesperson for this baseball game we love and built up the Star tournaments to bring gamers together.  I had a chance to interview his best friend John Perez, who knew Hank best and a few remarks that Pete Nelson, gave to us in an earlier interview.
 

As I stated before, I met Hank at the Chicago Star Tournament in the fall of 2006.  He was one of the most friendliest people you would ever want to meet.  You didn't get the impression in any way that he thought he was above other players, he was one of us.  It seemed like his job was to cheer everyone up and get them excited about this opportunity to be part of this SOM Baseball Tournament. And I did have a chance to play Hank in the late rounds and again he conducted himself in a friendly manner as happy when he beat me as happy for me when I beat him in a close game. I came to love and respect this man and really hoped we would have found a way to publish the book we talked about doing but were unable to do so. The SOM Baseball World has lost one of its most special members ....

Ok lets hear from John Perez about who Hank Smith really was:

Wolfman:  John how did you get linked with the Star Tournaments?

John:  I had played in some TBA (*) tournaments from 1985-1993, and got reconnected with the game in 2001, saw the ad when I ordered my cards and decided to play in a tournament again. I played in four that year, made a last minute decision to go to my first worlds in Las Vegas and actually won the tournament, it was there where I met Hank Smith for the first time.

(* - TBA, Table Baseball Association was the name of the tournament held before Star took them over.)

Wolfman:  How you won any tournaments yourself?

John:  13 tournaments won, including 2 World Championships.


Wolfman:  Now it is my understand that you were one of Hank Smith's best friends and on certain occasions you roomed with Hank at the tournaments?

John:  Yes, me and Hank were pretty close, in fact up to last year, I roomed with Hank at every Worlds and several other tournaments thru ought the country. Me and Hank had some great times, I miss him terribly.

(Note: Above was a special shirt John made with Hank that he wore to the 2014 Worlds in Las Vegas where he competed as a participant, also to honor Hank)

Wolfman:  How did you first meet Hank?

John:  As I had previously mentioned, I was at the Worlds in January of 2001, I made the finals and Hank sat with me the whole time, giving me some coaching advice, knowing I was very green at that point. He really cared about helping new players, he had a vision that it would only enhance tournament play for the future.

Wolfman:  What type of relationship did you have with him?

John:  Hank was one of my very best friends. When we met I was living in Boston and the hotel I managed hosted three to four tournaments per year. Hank attended every one over that 6 year period. Then I moved to Punta Gorda, FL to manage a hotel that also hosts several tournaments each year and up to 2011 Hank attended every one of those as well. Hank and I had a good relationship because we shared a lot of the same personality traits and the differences we had only complimented each other. Hank was a great man, he was like an uncle to my daughter Lily and a brother to me.

Wolfman:  Since you knew Hank pretty well - what type of person was he?

John:  No one could strike up a conversation with a complete stranger like Hank, I used to call him "the great
conversationalist" because he just didn’t have a shy bone in his body, and he was the type that made you
feel very comfortable in his presence, whether you knew him for five minutes or five years. Hank was like
a big kid in many ways, never jaded in anyway by anything, he always saw the good in people and he never
said anything bad about anyone.

Wolfman:  How did Hank become involved with Star and then went on to play a key role to promote this tournament?

John:  I know Hank wanted to take Star Tournaments national after TBA disbanded. Hank played a very pivotal role to do just that, in fact, from what I understand Hank spent thousands of his own dollars to make this happen, even going to the point of hiring an administrative assistant to help him launch Star Tournaments. We may or may not be playing face to face tournaments today if not for Hank.

Wolfman:  What official position did Hank have with Star and why is he so remembered?

John:  Hank really did not have an official position, but was certainly the best ambassador tournament play has ever and will ever have.  Hank, in his prime played in at least 20 tournaments a year traveling all over this country, in fact one of Hanks most proud accomplishments was he played in 7 tournament in 7 weeks. Hank was great for the newcomers, he took his time to teach them and lend a helping hand when needed. He really knew this game inside and out.

Wolfman:  Hank won quite a few tournaments himself and I believe the World's twice, what was the key to Hanks success?

John:  Hank was very thorough, he was also a very good drafter, I used to tease him all the time about using DSIM, he told me he really didn’t use it to draft his team, it just organized him. Heck Hank was so organized,
he used to write down all dice rolls every play in every game.  (DSIM - simulated program to help you pick players in the drafts for the tournaments)

Wolfman:  What type of Strat Manager was he?

John:  He was very good, good enough to be the only player to win back to back world championships. He played at a moderate pace and did not over think his decisions. Hank was a fan of taking high diamond parks,
although he did play in pitchers at times, he had more fun with high diamonds.

(Wolfman - thanks John for sharing a bit about the "Proud Papa" ...)

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Here is what Pete Nelson had to say about Hank:

Pete: Hank Smith was one of the early leaders within Star and was our first Commissioner. In fact, Hank was the person who named Star. Hank was a good friend of mine and was the greatest ambassador for our hobby that we've ever had (or likely will ever have!). We'll miss him. Hank is 4th all-time in tournament games played but only played in one event last year as his health prevented him from playing as much as he had in the past. We occasionally have elections in Star and Hank served as our official vote-counter.

Note: -- if you have a new story you think our readers might enjoy linked to Strat-o-matic please feel free to email us your story by contacting Wolfman at: wolfman@ultimatestatbaseball.com

 

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Support the Cause If you are enjoying the content and information our newsletter shares with you, why not support us with your helpful donation for our minor expenses and time?

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

♦  INTERVIEW with RALPH POLUMBO, 2013 GUSSOMO league champion.

♦  INTERVIEW  with BILLE DEANE, MLB statistician, researcher and author.

♦  INTERVIEW with CARL KIDWILER, sports photographer and collector
(Special photographs of old NY Yankee players in his collection.)

♦  QUESTIONNAIRE with HANK SMITH, former Star Tournaments Commissioner and Ambassador -- Hank was one of the most beloved individuals in the SOM Baseball World and a key for the success of the Star Tournaments. In this questionnaire which Hank and Wolfman developed in 2007, Hank shares his secrets and keys for winning in tournament play based on drafting your team. If any member is so inspired there is a blank form of this questionnaire you can fill out and send back to us to help us collect more data we can share at some future time.

♦  SOM BASEBALL ONLINE REPORT with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO -- editor of "The Ultimate Strat Newsletter" and 2012 CBA Champion, the "Wolfman" explores a whole new world of playing the SOM Baseball game through the online gaming system which Strat-o-matic Offers. In 2001/2002, Strat-o-matic agreed with The Sporting News to offer a version of their game which could be played completely on-line using a web browser. In 2012, SOM told full charge of this system and there is a whole community now of people who are involved in all type of draft leagues including a unique style of holding tournaments. In this issue, "Wolfman" explains how the gaming system works and you sign-up for a league plus he interviews the commissioner of the Barnstormers Tournament and the 2013 Champion of this tournament.  To view this three part report, click on the links of the articles to read shown below:

ARTICLE: Introduction to SOM Baseball Online (the online gaming system)

INTERVIEW with MIGHTY MOOSE (R. Johnson), Barnstormer's  Commissioner

INTERVIEW with BRUCE FOSTER, Barnstormers Tournament 2013 Champion

♦  COMMISSIONER's CORNER with MARC WASSERMAN -- commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association (CBA) continues his column about what it is like to be a League Commissioner. In this article, he continues to focus his discussion on his own league the CBA and shares the websites of
other special baseball leagues linked to the Strat Alliance.

♦  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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