Tag Archives: baseball

Atlanta at the Top: Strat-O-Matic Simulation Tabs Braves Champions

While their 104-win 2023 season didn’t result in a World Series title, the Atlanta Braves come into 2024 with high hopes of turning their talented young roster into a postseason champion. Strat-O-Matic (@strat-o-matic), the market leader in sports simulation games, has simulated the 2024 baseball campaign, tabbing Atlanta as the winner of 99 games and the franchise’s third World Series title since moving to The Peach State. The Braves need only five games to take down A.L. winner Houston in the Strat-O-Sim championship.

Strat-O-Matic’s simulation has the Braves winning the N.L. East by seven games over Philadelphia, joining Central champ Chicago (90-72) and West winner Los Angeles (99-63) as division titlists. Arizona (97-65), Philadelphia (92-70) and San Diego (84-78) claim the wild card spots, with the Braves taking out the Dodgers in a sweep in the NLCS after dispatching the Cubs in three straight in the NLDS.

In the A.L., Houston (102-60) enjoys the majors’ best record, backing it up by edging wild card Tampa Bay (90-72) in the ALDS and sweeping Minnesota (96-66) in the ALDS. The Twins, Central Division winners, had upended No. 2 seeded New York (99-63) to advance through the ALDS. Texas (91-71) and Cleveland (86-76) were the other A.L. wild cards.

Major award winners in the American League are New York’s Aaron Judge, whose 48 home runs and 113 RBI to go with a .962 OPS earned the MVP, while Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez turns in a 20-8 mark with 3.15 ERA and 235 strikeouts to win the Cy Young. In the N.L., Mookie Betts’ move to shortstop makes him an even more integral part of the Dodgers, garnering his second MVP with a .281 average, .945 OPS, 40 home runs and 118 RBI. Atlanta’s Spencer Strider breaks through for his first Cy Young, posting a 20-5 record and stellar 2.79 ERA with 260 whiffs.

Martinez, Johnson, Gregory-O’Connell to be Honored at 44th Annual Thurman Munson Awards March 14

Two hard-hitting World Series champions and a Bronx basketball trailblazer enshrined in three Halls of Fame will be honored by AHRC New York City Foundation when they are presented with Thurman Munson Awards at the 44th annual benefit on Thursday night, March 14 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers (23rd Street at West Side Highway) in New York City: Four-time New York Yankees World Series champion first baseman Tino Martinez (1996, 1998-2000), 1986 Mets World Series champion third baseman Howard Johnson and Fordham University women’s hoops pioneer and New York City Basketball Hall of Famer Anne Gregory-O’Connell will each receive “Thurmans” as members of the “Class of 2024.”

The Munson Awards are presented to individuals for on-field excellence, and the betterment of sports and community. The AHRC NYC benefit has helped to keep the memory of the legendary Yankees catcher and captain Thurman Munson alive since his tragic passing 44 years ago, while raising more than $21 million for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives.

Robert Scheinman, Principal, J.T. Magen & Company, Inc., will receive the M. Anthony Fisher Humanitarian Award.

Thurman’s widow Diana Munson is an honorary chair who has supported AHRC NYC and its fund-raising efforts through the Thurman Munson Awards for four decades.

The 2024 benefit will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of AHRC NYC.

The Master of Ceremonies will be FOX 5 lead sports anchor and Sports Extra host Tina Cervasio.

Special guests expected to attend include Football Giants Super Bowl champions Harry Carson, Ottis Anderson, Chris Canty and Karl Nelson; Yankees World Series Champion Jeff Nelson; four-time Islanders Stanley Cup Champions Butch Goring and John Tonelli, former Mets pitcher Nelson Figueroa, NY/NJ Gotham FC soccer midfielder McCall Zerboni, SiriusXM Radio host Ed Randall and New York radio/television personality Sweeny Murti of MLB.com, with others to be announced.

Martinez, whose plaque installed in the Stadium’s Monument Park underline his Yankees legacy, was an integral member of four Bombers World Championship teams in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. During a 16-year major league career, Tino knocked in 1,271 runs on the strength of 1,925 hits and 339 home runs. The two-time All-Star had more than 100 RBI in six different seasons and led the American League in homeruns (44) and RBI (141) in 1997.

His two most memorable World Series home runs were a Grand Slam in Game 1 in 1998 to give the Yankees the lead and the win against the Padres; and then in 2001 against the Diamondbacks. With the Yankees down to their last out, Martinez launched a game-tying, ninth inning home run in Game 4 and the Yankees went on to win in the 10th.

Like Thurman, Martinez starred in the Cape Cod League early in his career (1986), and last summer returned to serve as an assistant coach for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. The Tampa native was a standout in college at the University of Tampa as a three-time All-American.

Johnson was a Tigers product who debuted in 1982 and was a member of Detroit’s 1984 championship team. He was traded to the Mets following that season and two years later went on to win his second World Series in 1986. With the Mets, Hojo was a two-time All-Star and led the National League in both home runs (38) and RBI (117) in 1991. Johnson still ranks third on the Mets’ all-time list for homers (192), RBI (629), doubles, and stolen bases (202).

Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame earlier this year, Hojo is a three-time member of the “30-30 Club” (1987, 1989 and 1991) all in New York, and set the record for most home runs (36) by a switch hitter in 1987.

During his 14-year career, Johnson drove in 760 runs totaling 1,229 hits, 228 home runs and 231 stolen bases.

Gregory-O’Connell scored 2,548 points and pulled down 1,999 rebounds during a storied Fordham career from 1976-80. She is enshrined in the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame as the first female inductee in 1986, the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame (2017) and the Bronx Basketball Hall of Fame (2023). In 2023, in a celebration of Title IX’s 50th Anniversary, she was recognized for her contributions in spearheading the growth of women’s sports as an Atlantic 10 “Trailblazer’ by the conference for “paving the way for thousands of girls and women to participate in and be successful in sports and life.” Anne’s number is the only number of a women’s player retired by her alma mater (2009), and #55 hangs from the rafters at the Rose Hill Gymnasium on the Fordham campus.

The women’s basketball pioneer is a New York product from The Bronx, New York. A stone’s throw from Yankee Stadium, Anne Gregory was a dominant force on the Fordham University women’s basketball team from 1976-80, long before women’s basketball took off as part of mainstream sports. The rebounds total stood as a record in women’s basketball until 2009. Anne graduated cum laude from Fordham with a degree in sociology in 1980.

She was one of seven children who grew up in the Parkchester section of the Bronx and is a product of Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, New York. She played professionally briefly in France following her Fordham career.

Anne’s late husband was the beloved Hall of Fame college basketball writer Jim O’Connell, whom she met as a Fordham student when “Oc” was the university’s Sports Information Director.

Always giving young people direction during 36 years in Catholic School education, Anne’s post-basketball career included 20 years as guidance counselor at Holy Trinity High School, 12 years at Aquinas High School, and two years at Cardinal Spellman; Anne began that career at a physical education teacher and basketball coach at St. Helena Commercial High School.

The list of previous Thurman Munson Award recipients reads like a “Who’s Who” of sports stars including: Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, David Wright, Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, Julius Erving, Jim Brown, Harry Carson, Aly Raisman, Nancy Lieberman, Theresa Weatherspoon, and Mark Messier, just to name a few.

Founded 75 years ago, AHRC New York City is a family governed organization that is fiercely committed to achieving equity for people who are neurodiverse in New York City. With over 5,000 staff, reflecting the demographics of our city, we offer an unsurpassed array of services to more than 15,000 people and their families annually in the five boroughs. The organization is part of a social justice movement grounded in our common humanity. AHRC NYC is fully accredited by the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) and is a recognized leader in the field. We are committed to promoting the highest levels of excellence and innovation in all of its programs and services.

Strat-O-Matic Opening Day At Glen Head, N.Y. Headquarters A Big Hit For Fans

They began lining up at 2 a.m. At least that’s the reported time that the first guest appeared at Strat-O-Matic Headquarters on Railroad Avenue, in the shadow of the Glen Head Long Island Rail Road stop. The first of what grew to more than 200 hearty souls braved near-freezing temperatures Friday in order to be among those to get ahold of the new baseball season cards fresh out of the warehouse.

In what has become an annual tradition, gamers from across the country – and sometimes other parts of the world – gather outside the blue-gray offices, not only to pick up the new season game and other items, but to meet friends old and new who share a love for the game that has been such an important part of their lives.

By all accounts, Bret Sypniewski traveled the farthest, getting into his customized white cargo van and traversing the country all the way from Las Vegas, where he took orders of his own for upwards of 30 games from friends and competitors at the various tournaments that he’s participated in regularly since retirement.

“It took me about 10 days, I took the scenic route,” said the affable Sypniewski, who has played the game for more than 35 years, a time frame that seemed to match many of the Opening Day participants. “I enjoy the tournaments, playing face to face, getting to interact with people while we play.”

Sypniewski made the Strat-O-Matic visit the fulcrum of a trip that included stops in Lubbock, Texas, for some hiking and a Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball game, another in Lexington, Kentucky, for a UK game and various other activities. His diverse interests match the variety of Strat-O-Matic baseball seasons that he enjoys playing.

“I enjoy playing the 1911-1930 teams, but I’m picking up the new season and 1984,” he added. “I like the old time stuff, I learn a lot about the players.”

Another highlight for Opening Day attendees is meeting the Strat-O-Matic founder and creator, Hal Richman, who enjoys hearing fans talk about the decades of enjoyment that the game has brought them.

Strat-O-Matic Chief Content Officer John Garcia presided over the Opening Day ceremonies, which included the induction of three members into the Strat-O-Matic Hall of Fame, including former major leaguer and noted SOM enthusiast Keith Hernandez, longtime game tester Larry Foster and Strat-O-Matic Forum editor Dan Patterson.

Garcia and CEO Adam Richman also raffled off some unique items, including test cards from last year’s 1933-1983 All-Star baseball set, a game autographed by Hal Richman, a subscription to the pending release of Baseball Max, currently in beta, and more.

Texas in Five: Strat-O-Matic Simulation Crowns Rangers World Series Champions

The Texas Rangers franchise has never won the World Series, but with Nate Eovaldi earning victories in both of his starts, Jonah Heim hitting .450 for the series, Evan Carter batting .357 and José Leclerc saving all four Rangers wins, Strat-O-Matic (@strat-o-matic), the market leader in sports simulation games, has tabbed Texas taking its first title in its simulation of the 2023 World Series, four games to one over Arizona.

In the sim, Eovaldi won games one and five, permitting three earned runs over 11 ⅓ innings in the two contests. After Texas won the opener, 5-3, highlighted by a Marcus Semien home run and four innings of one-hit shutout relief by the bullpen, Arizona battled back to take Game 2, 6-5, on the first of Tommy Pham’s two series homers and a two-run double by the Diamondbacks’ right fielder. 

Game 3 went to Texas and Max Scherzer, who allowed one run over 5 ⅓ and again depended on a strong bullpen outing in the 8-3 victory. Corey Seager had a home run and three RBI in the win. Texas took a commanding 3-1 series lead with a narrow 4-3 win in Game 4, surviving a three-run first inning for an early 3-0 deficit and getting 3 ⅔ shutout innings of long relief by Dane Dunning and ending the game when Leclerc induced a double play grounder by pinch hitter Pavin Smith.

With a chance to close out the series in Arizona, Texas turned again to Eovaldi, who allowed five hits and no earned runs over 6 ⅓ innings in the 4-1 win. A three-run second was decisive, with RBI singles by Heim and Josh Jung and a sacrifice fly by Leody Taveras to back Eovaldi and three relievers, culminating in Leclerc’s save, getting two strikeouts and a fly out, all with the tying run at the plate in the ninth.

Pham had two home runs and seven RBI in a losing cause for Arizona, whose starters failed to get out of the fourth inning in the final three games.

In his four saves, Leclerc allowed no runs, three hits and struck out four over 4 ⅔ innings.

Game 1:

Arizona………. 0 0 0  0 0 3  0 0 0  –  3  4  0

Texas………… 2 0 0  2 0 0  1 0    –  5  6  0

WP: Eovaldi (1-0); LP: Gallen (0-1); SV: Leclerc (1)

HR: Semien (1)

Game 2:

Arizona……… 3 0 1  0 0 1  1 0 0  –  6 14  0

Texas……….. 0 0 3  0 0 0  2 0 0  –  5  9  0

WP: Kelly (1-0); LP: Montgomery (0-1); SV: Sewald (1)

HR: Pham (1), Garver (1)

Game 3:

Texas……….. 0 0 1  1 1 0  1 2 2  –  8 10  1

Arizona……… 0 0 0  1 0 0  2 0 0  –  3  7  1

WP: Scherzer (1-0); LP: Pfaadt (0-1); SV: Leclerc (2)

HR: Seager (1), Jung (1), Moreno (1), P. Smith (1)

Game 4:

Texas……….. 0 2 1  1 0 0  0 0 0  –  4  8  0

Arizona……… 3 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  –  3  5  1

WP: Dunning (1-0); LP: Castro (0-1); SV: Leclerc (3)

HR: Seager (2), Marte (1), Pham (2)

Game 5:

Texas………… 0 3 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  –  4 11  1

Arizona………. 0 0 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  –  1  7  0

WP: Eovaldi (2-0); LP: Gallen (0-2); SV: Leclerc (4)

HR: none

Strat-O-Matic Celebrates All-Star Game, Collectible Set with ’33 vs. ’83 Challenge Game

When the baseball All-Stars hit the field in Seattle tomorrow night, they will have a lot to live up to in order to match two anniversary midsummer classic lineups. The 90-year anniversary of the first-ever game in 1933 and the 50th of the 1983 contest, both held in venerable Comiskey Park in Chicago, is upon us, with first-rate Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth and Rickey Henderson and fan favorites like Pepper Martin and Fred Lynn among the popular stars dominating the team rosters.

Baseball fans love comparing great teams and players across eras, and one of the most fun aspects of Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulations, is its ability to put those squads together and see how they might fare.

Fans will soon be able to relive those games or create teams and leagues of their own as the Strat-O-Matic Collectibles Series: Strat-O-Matic All-Stars goes on sale today at www.strat-o-matic.com. To celebrate, Strat combined the A.L. and N.L. squads from both classics, and played a single contest, one of many ways fans will be able to utilize the set, which features every player on the All-Star rosters from 1933 and 1983, all produced in super-advanced format for the first time for those specific years.

“Who Would Win” is the popular question: and in this simulation, it was the ‘83’s, whose seven pitchers scattered eight hits in shutting out Ruth and Lou Gehrig and Co., 4-0. Philadelphia’s Mike Schmidt, a first-level Hall member, has the game’s only home run as part of a two-for-two day, making a winner of Cincinnati’s Mario Soto, who tossed the first two frames. Lefty Gomez took the loss, unable to replicate his victory in the actual ‘33 game.

Robin Yount, Andre Dawson and Steve Sax also drove in runs for the ‘83 stars, while Al Simmons had two hits for ‘33, whose defense turned three double plays but whose offense went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position

Linescore:

1983 All Stars………… 0 3 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  –  4  8  0

1933 All Stars………… 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  –  0  8  0

2b- M.Schmidt, J.Wilson; 3b- S.Sax; HR- M.Schmidt

WP: M.Soto; LP: L.Gomez

Is 2023 Oakland Or Kansas City The Worst Team Ever? Strat-O-Matic Simulates Series

With the 2023 Oakland Athletics adding the ignominy of having a perfect game thrown at them last night by New York’s Domingo Germán to pile on a 21-61 record that threatens to be the lowest win total in the expansion era, and Kansas City just a few ticks better at 22-58, Strat-O-Matic got to wondering: are one of these teams the worst in history? Worse than the famed 40-120 Mets in 1962 and 43-119 Tigers in 2003, recognized by many as the most miserable in that span?

The baseball wizards at Strat-O-Matic simulated a seven-game series between those Tigers and Mets, with the loser taking on the A’s-Royals loser. And… drumroll, please… Oakland adds “Worst Team Ever” to its litany of shame this week and this year.

In the “semifinal” sets, the 1962 Mets were swept by the 2003 Tigers in four straight and this year’s A’s lost in five to the Royals to “advance” to the “finals.” Oakland then won the first two against the Mets, 10-6 and 2-1, but amazingly dropped the next three before winning game six to set up a “loser take all” game seven. There, Oakland fell in embarrassing fashion, 13-0, managing just four hits against Al Jackson, a 20-game loser in the actual inaugural Mets season.

To conduct the simulation, this year’s teams were constructed using rosters from the current “Strat-O-Matic Baseball Daily 2023,” which recalculates player cards each day throughout the current season, while the Detroit and New York squads are part of the standard Strat-O-Matic historical baseball seasons, which date back to 1871.

“Fans are always asking about the greatest teams ever, so we thought it would be fun to pit two of the worst ever against two truly bad teams in this year’s Oakland and Kansas City,” said Adam Richman, CEO, Strat-O-Matic Media. “Most think of the ‘62 Mets and ‘03 Tigers as the worst teams, and this simulation shows that they may have company with these two clubs.”

Strat-O-Matic Celebrates 1933, 1983 All-Star Games With Unique Limited Edition Collectible Card Set

Ninety years ago, baseball debuted its All-Star Game, a novelty that quickly became an annual tradition. Babe Ruth, naturally, launched the classic’s first home run in that inaugural contest, and it was 50 years later that California’s Fred Lynn hit the game’s first grand slam. Those two memorable shots, in games replete with dozens of Hall of Famers and other favorites, have made the 1933 and 1983 games among the most memorable in history, and beginning on July 10, Strat-O-Matic fans can relive and replay them like never before with the issue of the second entry in the Strat-O-Matic Collectibles Series: Strat-O-Matic All-Stars.

This special edition card set will feature the baseball All-Star teams from the 1933 and 1983 seasons on vivid, colorful cards with all-red (for the American League) or all-blue (for the National League) backgrounds and white text on both the basic and advanced sides of the cards. The numbered sets will be offered in a unique shrink-wrapped box that will also include charts detailing the starting lineups, rosters, and a box score for each game.

All 96 player cards from these two games will be released in Super Advanced format: a first for the majority of 1983 players (the season having been previously released with advanced-only features) while the 1933 season has never been released in card form by Strat-O-Matic.

“We expect demand for Strat-O-Matic All-Stars to be at least as strong as our Strat-O-Matic Black set, which sold out in less than two days,” said Adam Richman, CEO, Strat-O-Matic, Media. “Only 600 of these All-Star sets will be offered, never to be printed in this format again, so we advise fans to reserve theirs as soon as they go on sale at noon on July 10, just in time for the All-Star Game.”

The 1933 game, and this card set, featured Hall of Famers including Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Carl Hubbell, Pie Traynor, Frankie Frisch, and more. The 1983 classic included an incredible 18 Cooperstown inductees. Both contests were played at the revered Comiskey Park in Chicago.

‘The League’ Negro Leagues World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Monday

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI), executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Oscar-winning SUMMER OF SOUL), Tariq Trotter (DESCENDANT), and produced by RadicalMedia, THE LEAGUE celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball’s triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century. The story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil – whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie Robinson era – as well as celebrated Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who started out in the Negro Leagues.

The feature-length documentary debuts at the Tribeca Festival in New York on Monday and opens in theaters July 7 and on digital July 14.

From entrepreneurial titans Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee, whose intense rivalry fueled the rise of two of the best baseball teams ever to play the game, to Effa Manley, the activist owner of the Newark Eagles and the only woman ever admitted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, THE LEAGUE explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of Black communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, while also examining the unintended consequences of integration.

“My vision was simple,” said Pollard. “Find voices of those who played the game, surround them with historians and fans of the Negro Leagues, use as much archival footage and stills I could find and, to add drama, shoot period recreations and create animation that would add another level of cinematic texture to the film. Fortunately, I was able to find the voices of former Negro League players because Byron Motley (whose dad, Bob Motley, had been a Negro League Umpire) had interviewed and recorded many former players years ago.”

Producers are Robin Espinola, Dave Sirulnick, Jen Isaacson and Byron Motley.

Strat-O-Matic Simulation Tabs Yankees Over Dodgers in 2023 Series

Today is opening day across baseball, and what would the start of the season be without the annual simulation by Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulations, on the regular season and playoffs? Led by Aaron Judge’s 52 home runs, 132 RBI and .313 batting average, the sim has the slugger pushing his Yankees to 102 wins and eventually defeating Los Angeles, four games to two, to win their 28th championship.

Strat’s simulation tabbed Cleveland with a league-best 111 wins earning the A.L. No. 1 seed, with New York at No. 2 and Houston (101 wins) No. 3. The sim has New York beating wild card Minnesota, which had toppled Cleveland in the ALDS, and the Dodgers in the championship.

In the N.L., San Diego’s 100 wins led the circuit, with Atlanta (96) and St. Louis (94) the other division winners. Los Angeles’s path to the final round included a wild card win over New York, revenge 3-1 ALDS triumph over San Diego, and 4-2 series spread over Atlanta.

Other A.L. awards went to Cy Young winner Shane Bieber of Cleveland (20-6, 2.80 ERA, 228K) and Rookie of the Year Grayson Rodriguez of Baltimore (11-6, 2.97 ERA). In the N.L., Nolan Arenado’s .293 average, 46 home runs and 116 RBI for St. Louis earned the third baseman the MVP, Yu Darvish of San Diego claimed the Cy Young with his 17-4, 2.55 ERA and 221 strikeouts and Corbin Carroll of Arizona taking the Rookie of the Year (20 home runs, 62 RBI).

FanDuel Teams Up with Major League Baseball as New Official Sports Betting Partner

As fans eagerly await the return of baseball, Major League Baseball (MLB) and FanDuel Group, the premier online gaming company in North America, today announced a multi-year partnership making its industry-leading sportsbook a co-exclusive Official Sports Betting Partner of MLB. FanDuel will have the right to use official MLB branding and category designations both in its products, including FanDuel’s Sportsbook, Daily Fantasy and FanDuel Faceoff platforms and in its marketing campaigns. FanDuel has worked with Major League Baseball as an Authorized Gaming Operator of the league since 2019.

Starting this season, FanDuel will bring fans’ viewing and wagering experiences closer than ever before by streaming MLB.TV’s Free Game of the Day through both FanDuel’s sportsbook app and on FanDuel’s OTT platform FanDuel+ (local blackout restrictions apply). The company will also have the right to use highlights both in product and as part of original programming on FanDuel TV. The partnership will also create new opportunities for MLB and FanDuel to collaborate on projects for other sponsor partners of both FanDuel and MLB platforms, as well as to work together to bring consumers new sports betting product innovations to drive deeper fan engagement.

“As one of the top sportsbooks in America, FanDuel has been an industry leader in innovative fan engagement opportunities while also reminding them of the importance of doing it responsibly,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB Executive Vice President, Media & Business Development. “These key priorities of unique fan engagement and responsible gambling align with our focus from the league level and make FanDuel a natural partner to collaborate with as an Official Sports Betting Partner.”

“The baseball fan is one of the most engaged in all of sports, which is why we’re delighted to be the new sports betting partner of Major League Baseball. Our team is eager to showcase FanDuel in nationally broadcast MLB games and help enhance game narratives and bring America’s Pastime directly into our mobile app and OTT platform for fans to watch and wager,” said Christian Genetski, President, FanDuel Group. “We’re also very excited about the opportunity to work together with MLB on new betting product innovations that will give customers the opportunity to enhance their experience on every pitch from March until October.”

FanDuel also believes it’s critical to lead from the front on responsible gambling (RG) and safer play. FanDuel will continue these efforts through this in partnership with Major League Baseball. As part of this agreement, the two companies plan to drive greater advocacy and awareness of the importance of gambling responsibly. For more information on FanDuel Group and the commitment to responsible play please visit https://www.fanduel.com/playwell

MLB is committed to ensuring that fans who choose to wager also have the tools and resources necessary to bet responsibly. As such, MLB is a partner to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign to educate fans and broaden the league’s responsible gaming efforts. MLB also has an expanded partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), serving as a Platinum Member and a part of the group’s Leadership Circle.

Dan Good’s ‘Playing Through the Pain’ Named CASEY Award Finalist

Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever, the story of the three-time All-Star and 1996 National League MVP whose addictions and use of steroids derailed his career and life, has been named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious CASEY Award, which Spitball magazine annually honors as top baseball book. Written by seasoned book writer, ghostwriter, journalist, and editor Dan Good, “Playing Through the Pain” was published in May by Abrams Press to great acclaim in the baseball, sports and mental health communities.

Good began researching Caminiti in 2012 and conducted his first interviews for his biography in 2013. Since then he interviewed 400 people, providing him with an exclusive and exhaustive view into Caminiti’s life.

More than two decades later, the full truth about Major League Baseball’s steroids era remains elusive, and the story of Caminiti, the player who opened the lid on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball has never been properly told. A gritty third baseman known for his diving stops, cannon arm, and switch-hit power, Caminiti voluntarily admitted in a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover story that he used steroids during his career, including his 1996 MVP season, and guessed that half of the players were using performance-enhancing drugs. “I’ve made a ton of mistakes,” he said. “I don’t think using steroids is one of them.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the CASEY Award by Spitball, a literary baseball magazine founded in 1981 and dedicated to poetry, short fiction, prose, art, and book reviews; all devoted to baseball. Among the previous CASEY Award winners are notable authors and baseball historians such as Joe Posnanski, Marty Appel, Rob Neyer, Kostya Kennedy, Howard Bryant, Larry Tye, Leigh Montville, Phil Dixon, Bill James, Roger Kahn and others.

“It’s truly an honor to be considered among this amazing group of books and authors,” said Good, who has held leadership roles with the New York Daily News and New York Post and also worked for NBC News, ABC News, and local news outlets in New Jersey and his native Pennsylvania. “I’m pleased that the Spitball team has considered Caminiti’s story worthy of inclusion among the other compelling ones that this list represents.”

The 10 books listed as finalists for the award, to be announced in March 2023, are as follows:

• The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life by Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci, Twelve Books;
• Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman Behind the Chicago Cubs by Jason Cannon, University of Nebraska Press;
• The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit by Ron Shelton, Knopf;
• The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series by Tyler Kepner, Doubleday;
• The Lineup: Ten Books that Changed Baseball by Paul Aron, McFarland;
• Playing through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever by Dan Good, Abrams Press;
• Red Barber: The Life and Legacy of a Broadcasting Legend by Judith R. Hiltner and James R. Walker, University of Nebraska Press;
• Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original by Howard Bryant, Mariner;
• In Scoring Position: 40 Years of a Baseball Love Affair by Bob Ryan & Bill Chuck, Triumph Books; and
• True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson by Kostya Kennedy, St. Martin’s Press

Strat-O-Matic, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum To Launch NFTs Honoring Greats, Partner With Fanaply

Few organizations have stronger ties to the rich history of baseball than Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (@NLBMuseumKC). In their latest collaboration, the two venerable institutions today announced the planned February 2023 release of digital collectibles in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) honoring several Hall of Fame Negro Leagues players, in partnership with Fanaply (@fanaply), the eco-conscious NFT solution provider for the world’s biggest names in sports, music, and entertainment.

Each NFT will feature a short audio commentary on each player’s legacy, contribution to baseball and their lasting impact. A photo montage of many never-before-seen images related to each player will accompany the voiceover. In addition, Fanaply is creating an exclusive, NFT-powered at-bat simulation using Strat-O-Matic’s proprietary statistical game engine. This will allow NFT owners to simulate at-bats of each player against figures from throughout baseball history. Players to be included in the initial set will be announced at a later date.

“The Negro Leagues had a profound impact on the advancement of American civil rights and culture.” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic C.E.O. “These NFTs will preserve this legacy and celebrate these players, who need to have their stories and contributions to history preserved for future generations.”

With today’s announcement, Fanaply, Strat-O-Matic and the NLBM have issued a free NFT that represents a stylized NLBM logo and is now available to all fans at https://fanaply.com/moment/negroleaguesbaseballmuseumnft.

“Collecting and trading baseball cards has been part of the storied history of America’s pastime. We are thrilled to partner with Strat-O-Matic and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to bring their dedicated fan bases an innovative and exciting new way to commemorate the trailblazers of the past,” said Danielle Maged, Fanaply’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Both the NLBM and the families of the depicted players will receive a portion of the profits from the offering, which may also include a collection of traditional limited edition printed cards.

“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is proud to continue its amazing partnership with Strat-O-Matic, which has long been a supporter of the museum and Negro Leagues history,” said Bob Kendrick, NLBM President. “The NFT offerings are a creative new way to help fans and collectors celebrate the greatness of these legendary players while supporting our mission.”

Fans can look forward to exciting rewards and experiences tied to participation, including potential opportunities to collect exclusive player NFTs with varying tiers of rarity, various opponents to simulate at-bats against, physical collectibles, and more.

Verdict In: Judge’s 62nd Largest Topps NOW Run Ever

Aaron Judge’s A.L. record setting home run display was not just a boon to the Yankees — and his impending free agency. It was also a big hit with collectors, as the Topps NOW card depicting his historic 62nd blast of the season enticed fans to purchase 91,685 of the base card, the most ever in the seven-year history of Topps NOW, which depicts the greatest moments and milestones from Major League Baseball almost as soon as they happen, with physical cards limited to the number ordered within 48 hours of issue.

And it wasn’t just the final bomb that appealed to fans as they bore witness to greatness: home runs #61 (29,523) and 60 (21,490) and two base cards shared with former league homer champs Roger Maris (19,741) and Babe Ruth (13,804) set the precedent, rounding out five of the top six sellers of the 2022 season. Albert Pujols’s 700th career shot (third most, 28,898) was the only other card to top 10,000 in sales.

In all, the five top Judge cards accounted for a total of 176,243 cards issued, more than half of all the base cards (330,699) produced through the regular season (112 individual cards).

Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (qualifying as pitcher and hitter, 7th, 7331 cards; and reaching 200K strikeouts, 10th, 4381), the Mets’ Francisco Alvarez (debut, 8th, 6005) and Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez (sets rookie HR record, 9th, 5449) rounded out the top 10 for 2022.

Fans can continue to purchase Topps NOW cards throughout the MLB playoffs at https://www.topps.com/toppsnow.

2022 Top Ten

  1. Aaron Judge, 62nd home run, 91,685
  2. Aaron Judge, 61st home run,29,523
  3. Albert Pujols, 700th career home run, 28,898
  4. Aaron Judge, 60th home run, 21,490
  5. Aaron Judge and Roger Maris, 61 home runs, 19,741
  6. Aaron Judge and Babe Ruth, 60 home runs, 13,804
  7. Shohei Ohtani, qualifying as pitcher and hitter, 7331
  8. Francisco Alvarez, debut, 6005
  9. Julio Rodriguez, sets rookie HR recorded, 5449
  10. Shohei Ohtani, 200K strikeouts, 4381

Art by DJ Skee, Gregory Siff Features All-Stars In New Limited Topps Set

DJ Skee and Gregory Siff, whose amazing artwork has graced numerous Topps baseball cards, take to the canvas again for the limited 2022 MLB All-Star Game set, available now through Thursday at 2 p.m. ET at https://www.topps.com/cards-collectibles/online-brands/2022-mlb-all-star-game.html.

The collection, limited to 2,500, includes rare and new foil parallels numbered to /499 and down, using eye-popping rainbow foil, cracked ice foil and lava foil technology.

Featuring four of MLB’s biggest stars seen through the eyes Skee and Siff, the Topps 2022 MLB All-Star Art Collection includes American League All-Stars Mike Trout and Aaron Judge and National League All-Stars Mookie Betts and Pete Alonso in the four player checklist of this limited edition release.

cover images: Aaron Judge by Gregory Siff, Mookie Betts by DJ Skee

RealResponse Enters Professional Baseball With Major League Baseball Agreement

RealResponse, (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning safe and secure feedback, monitoring, and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced its expansion into professional baseball, as Major League Baseball has begun to implement the RealResponse Anonymous Texting system for reports of player, staff, or employee misconduct.

RealResponse will provide an additional platform to help MLB track and proactively respond to misconduct issues, including the use of PED’s, sports betting, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other potential violations of baseball’s conduct rules and policies for players, staff, and employees.

“With Major League Baseball’s implementation of our services, they expand the ability for individuals to report misconduct issues in medium that they may feel more comfortable in, while remaining safe and anonymous,” said David Chadwick, CEO and Founder of RealResponse. “It will really help augment the great work MLB has already been doing in this space and, most importantly, it can help not only identify but potentially prevent potential issues before they arise. We look forward to learning and assisting in any way we can to help MLB.”

MLB’s Department of Investigations will leverage RealResponse’s Anonymous Texting platform to receive and respond to messages with the Anonymous Texter, which will enable the individual to remain anonymous as long as they would like while they can continue to provide information and assist with investigations.

“The addition of RealResponse to our existing reporting channels will provide another option to encourage the reporting of misconduct, by ensuring that people have a variety of pathways to make a report, so they can use the method that they are most comfortable with,” said Moira Weinberg, MLB’s Senior Vice President, Investigations & Deputy General Counsel. “The platform is another safe and confidential option for people to speak up and helps us continue to take a proactive approach addressing potential misconduct issues.”

cover image: credit Pixabay

Congressman Peter King Named To Save The Game Advisory Board

Peter T. King, the former New York Congressman who represented the South Shore Long Island district for almost 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been named to the advisory board of Save the Game™ www.savethegameus.com, the grass roots effort designed to align with Major League Baseball to encourage youth participation in baseball and “Grow the Game.”  King will be joined on the advisory board by five additional charter members: youth sports authority, Rick Wolff, the host of the “Sports Edge” on WFAN Radio, a publisher, and former minor league player and college coach; Mike Port, the former Major League executive with the Red Sox, Angels and Padres, and former MLB director of umpires; Queens native and Suffolk Sports Hall of Famer Fred Cambria, a former big league pitcher and instructor; the longtime Chicago Cubs scout, Brooklyn native and NYS Baseball Hall of Famer Billy Blitzer; and girls softball coach and Trumbull Little League (CT.) executive board member Jeff Dobrydney, a senior vice president at JSG Commodities in Norwalk. King, the respected elected official and former Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security,  is a New York native, and an ardent New York Mets fan since the team’s inception.  The announcement was made today by Save The Game™ founders – former college baseball standouts and New York natives Kevin Gallagher and Pat Geoghegan and former MLB infielder, nine-year veteran Jeff Frey. Baseball is part of the very fabric of our country, so anything I can do to enhance the game is important to me,” said King. “Save The Game™ is a significant grass roots effort to encourage young boys and girls to play, and move baseball back to the faster pace of a bygone era, which I greatly enjoyed throughout my youth.”

Prominent Soccer & Baseball Owner Gary Green Teams With Jet Linx Aviation In ‘Fly Like An Owner’ Sweepstakes

Prominent businessman Gary Green is living the dream of every sports fan as the owner of four professional sports teams: the United Soccer League’s Union Omaha, and MiLB’s Omaha Storm Chasers, Richmond Flying Squirrels and Montgomery Biscuits. Now, the native New Yorker is teaming with Jet Linx Aviation – founded in Omaha, Nebraska with a New York flagship terminal in Teterboro, NJ – to share that dream with sports fans.

The recently-launched “Fly Like An Owner” sweepstakes will send two fans from both Omaha teams to accompany Green on a private Jet Linx plane to road games with the owner.

“As a sports fan, when I became a team owner it was a dream come true,” said Green. “I am excited to share that feeling with a lucky Storm Chasers and Union Omaha fans, and am so appreciative of the partnership with Jet Linx to make that possible.” For more information and complete rules, please visit www.omahastormchasers.com/contests.

The soccer contest began on the first home match on April 23 and continues through the August 31 match against Forward Madison at Werner Park. Every fan that attends a home match will automatically be entered in the contest. The winner will get to select one guest to bring along for the trip which will take place on one of three dates: Sunday, September 11 at FC Tucson; Wednesday, September 21 at Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC; Saturday, October 1 at North Carolina FC.

The baseball sweepstakes began with the Storm Chasers’ April 12 homestand against the Louisville Bats and will continue through the August 23 homestand against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Every fan that attends a home game at Werner Park in Omaha will automatically be entered in the contest. The winner will get to select one guest to bring along for the trip which will take place when the Storm Chasers visit the Columbus Clippers on Saturday, September 17, 2022.

“We are proud to partner Union Omaha and the Omaha Storm Chasers, both beloved and engaging community institutions that offer the kind of entertainment and inspiration that helps attract top talent to our area,” said Jamie Walker, President and CEO of Jet Linx Aviation. “As an Omaha-based company, we are excited to support the fan-base of these teams through the ‘Fly Like An Owner’ contest, and to introduce their supporters to the Five-Star service of Jet Linx and the opportunities in private aviation.”

Milwaukee Tops Minnesota For Championship As Strat-O-Matic Simulates 2022 Baseball Season, Playoffs

As fans eagerly await the delayed start of the 2022 baseball season, Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, just can’t wait to deliver its preseason simulation on what was supposed to be Opening Day today across North America. Fans in Milwaukee and Minnesota will be particularly excited to learn that Strat-O-Matic sees the two squaring off in the championship, with Milwaukee taking a seven-game classic for its first title.

Los Angeles stars Mike Trout (45 home runs, .315/.424/.617) and Trea Turner (113 runs scored, .325/.386/.513) won the A.L. and N.L. MVP awards, respectively, while New York’s hurlers Gerrit Cole (15-9, 2.66 ERA, 245 strikeouts) and Jacob deGrom (17-4, 2.14 ERA, 269 Ks) were the A.L. and N.L. Cy Young winners. 

In addition to today’s look at the full 2022 season, Strat-O-Matic will conduct a daily “Strat-O-Matic Game of the Day” simulation featuring an interesting matchup, beginning with the rival Boston vs. New York contest on April 7. Fans can follow on the Strat-O-Matic website (https://www.strat-o-matic.com) as well as its social media outlets.

In 2021, Strat-O-Matic’s Opening Day simulation correctly tabbed Atlanta as the champion, with seven of the 10 playoff teams correct. Three of the playoff seeds were pegged exactly right, with St. Louis losing the Wild Card game, the home run leader clubbing 48, Julio Urias as the major league wins leader, and Atlanta beating Milwaukee in the NLDS on the way to the title.

In this year’s simulation, Milwaukee won the N.L. Central at 96-66, earning the No. 3 seed. Under the new playoff format, Milwaukee topped third wild card and No. 6 seed San Francisco, two games to none, then upended No. 2 New York, 3-1, and defending champion and No 5 Atlanta in seven games before the dramatic seven game win over Minnesota, the A.L. No. 1 seed that had swept second Wild Card Toronto in three games and No. 2 New York in four to get to the championship.

“Strat-O-Matic has a long tradition of getting our season simulation to fans on Opening Day, and we didn’t want to let the delay keep us from that,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder. “We are particularly excited about the added wrinkle of the ‘Strat-O-Matic Game of the Day to keep fans of every team engaged in the biggest matchups on the schedule.”

cover image: Corbin Burnes (Flickr/Ian D’Andrea)

No Baseball? Strat-O-Matic Has Fans Covered With Regular Season Simulation Beginning Opening Day

While there may be no baseball on the field this spring until owners and players settle their differences, fans don’t have to go without their favorite sport come Opening Day. Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, today announced it will provide daily simulations of scheduled games beginning on Thursday, March 31, which was to be the date of the first contests across the league. Those following @StratOMatic on Twitter will help determine the team assignments for notable remaining free agents during the week of March 21-25.

Strat-O-Matic, which performed a simulation of games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, will publish the results daily on its Website at http://www.strat-o-matic.com as well as through its various social media channels. These simulations have proven to be extremely accurate, with Atlanta’s 2021 baseball championship predicted in the preseason simulation and Los Angeles’s football title nearly matching the exact score and closely approximating statistics for top stars Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp as the most recent examples.

“We are hopeful that the season will get underway soon, but in the meantime, we have fans covered,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder. “Fans absolutely loved how we kept their baseball juices flowing with the simulation when play was suspended in 2020, and we hope that this keeps them ready for when the players are back on the field.”


Strat-O-Matic, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, had its own annual “Opening Day” in February, and although it again couldn’t be held in person, thousands of fans celebrated the arrival of the new cards based on the 2021 season statistics as well as various newly formulated sets depicting the 1986 and 1947 seasons, the latter just in time to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut.

O’Neil, Mackey, Foster Among Negro League Stars Featured In Strat-O-Matic, NLBM NFT Partnership

Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulation, and the Negro League Baseball Museum, the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America, today announced a partnership to distribute NFTs (non-fungible tokens) featuring all-time baseball greats from the Negro Leagues. The program includes partnerships with the estates of superstars like new Hall of Famer Buck O’Neil, Biz Mackey, Bill Foster, Rube Foster, Leon Day and Pete Hill in the first set of digital collectibles.

The NFT offerings will include images or media owned by the NLBM or estates as well as a voiceover discussing the player’s career and legacy and their unique Strat-O-Matic game card, playable via Strat-O-Matic’s proprietary game technology.

The NLBM will receive 25% of profits from the offering, making it one of the first philanthropic digital collectibles available.

“The Negro Leagues had a profound impact on the advancement of American civil rights and culture.” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic C.E.O. “These NFTs will preserve this legacy and celebrate these players, who need to have their stories and contributions to history preserved for future generations.”

“The Negro League Baseball Museum is proud to continue its amazing partnership with Strat-O-Matic, which has long been a supporter of the museum and Negro Leagues history,” said Bob Kendrick, NLBM President. “The NFT offerings are a creative new way to help fans and collectors celebrate the greatness of these legendary players while supporting our mission.”

cover image: credit kc congdon