Long before the fantasy era began, baseball enthusiasts created tabletop games such as Strat-O-Matic and APBA (American Professional Baseball Association). Most of these games are simulated through the use of playing cards, with each athlete assigned a unique card that stores attributes about the players skills. Owners for the offense and defense each roll dice, consult the cards, and whallah, events are created in the form singles, doubles, triples, homers, etc. Multiple events are strung together to form a 9 inning game.
Fans still play these games the old fashioned way, but many have gravitated toward the advanced gaming possibilities that computers offers. Diamond Mind Baseball is one of the most sophisticated baseball simulations on the market today and a league I run, called All Time Baseball, is looking for a few new owners.
From a virtually unlimited player pool starting in the 1800’s through today,the premise of ATB is to draft the best 30-man sqaud and general manage your team through the regular season and playoffs. See how Ty Cobb fairs against Pedro Martinez, or Walter Johnson vs. Albert Pujols. The possibilities are unlimited. Last season Eric Gagne was named World Series MVP after saving 3 close games, getting through the heart of a lineup that featured Lou Gehrig, Norm Cash, Fred Lynn, and John McGraw.
There is a commitment required for the draft, as it is held over several weeks with selections made via a message board. Each owner is slotted a time to make their pick so you don’t have to spend all day waiting and watching fellow owners steal your picks. The regular season is played (simmed) in 15 game increments on a weekly basis after each owners is through setting lineups, making trades, and pick up free-agents.
One more item to note – the game is “manual” in the sense that lineups and trades all have to happen through the commissioner’s office. I don’t want to give a false impression that you can submit lineups online. However, the league does have a central website were all the results, box scores, and weekly write-ups are posted.
We’re coming into our 10th season and are looking for some new blood. Each year is a complete re-draft, so new owners are not stuck trying to right the ship of a failing franchise.
If you’re interested in “owning” a franchise, drop me a line at alltimebaseball @ yahoo.com. The league is a blast, and it’s free!
