$2.00 MAY 1987 New Computer Products Coming Stat Compiler , New Season Diskettes Football, Basketball, Bowling Cards by Howard Ah/skog very pleased with product .. even very play both the board and computer games. surprised at its exceptional qualility and The compiler will be only available in the APBA Computer Game owners even versatility. The software has been IBM format at first, but it's only a matter of possibly APBA board game baseball fans developed by Millers Associates of time before the Apple version is ready. will be saying so long to pencils and stat Darien, Connecticut, the developers of the APBA will be making the program available compilation sheets ... the long-awaited computer game. initially for $45.00, below the $49.50 stat compiler for the Computer Game will One indication of its versatility is that publisher'S list price. be a reality sometime this summer. The board garners, playing the identical AJ has learned that the auxiliary piece will season of a diskette, will be able to import Computer Football Not Available be announced in the summer product their statistics into the compiler. That This Summer mailing to APBA fans. capability should generate very exciting APBA Vice President Fritz Light told the possibilites for the growing number of For those who have inquired about the Journal that he is confident fans will be "hybrid" APBA leagues whose members availability of the Computer football game, it looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer. Well the wait will be worth it football fans because that product will be fantastic, Making Your Own 88 Cards believe me. In addition to the stat compiler, APBA will Part 1 - Power. Numbers·. be making additional old seasons and . .· .. ··:·:_ <- (New Products; Continued on p. 6) by Mike Burger ·.. ·. · ..i/ .· ..... · ........ · Ever since receiving that first set of APBA carqs, the l)ew ownar Manage the Mets/Red Sox wondered about the "form uta: for making cards. ·· ·· ·· · ·· ·· · ·· · Update In the APBA Journal, people such as Ron Mura, ~aron Shomo, and others have. In the artide, "Try to Out-Manage Johnson stated what they felt the "formula" is. I am not going to say that I am right or the{ and or McNamara• in last month's issue, we are wrong, but merely what my research state~ what the formula is, To . inadvertently left out the list of players for demonstrate this, ., will introduce three players, Chuck~ Miift, and Ryan, and give < the Mets and Red Sox that APBA managers you their "statistics~ for a season. should use and their positions. Here they are: G AS H 28 38 HR 88 so S8 •· HP SH SF DP Ave. Mets Red Sox ·o . 1 a.uck 162 1134 174 26 4 21 50 88 1 4 s ·· :274 c G . Carter R.Gedman Molt 153 824 31 4 20 50 118 6 t • 3 11 .276 <·. ·• tO : • -:-··· 1B K. Hemandez B. Buckner 4 28 ·· so 25•/ 2 11 . 2 .241 Ryon 1111 405 101 16 3 . •·•· .. .. ··.·. 2B Backman or Teufel M. Barrett A power hitter, solid hitter, and a Three good players 3B Knight or Johnson W. Boggs a s~eed~i~r.Y td n LF Wilson, Mitchell or J. Aice demonstrate how tci make a card. < Heep To start, let's figure out each player's mi(llb~r of plate appearances CF Dykstra or Wilson T. Armas (AB+BB+HP+SH+SF) RF D. Strawberry D. Evans DH D. Baylor Chuck: 634 + 50 + 1 + .. + ., .·. = 690 Mlllt: 624 + 50 +· 6 + 1 f . •• 3 684 Ryan: 405 + 28 + 2 + 11 ••• ·+ 2 = 448 Managers accepting this challenge should also use a realistic opponent pitching Now that we have the three figures, we divide them by 36 to figure out a number rotation to ensure that New York and we will now refer to as "PA ratio", · Boston face a proper mix of good, (Continued on page 7) average, and poor pitchers. Wants Card Prediction Issue Burda hit .296 and APBA thought that he had a 297 card (9 .5 hits in 32 at bats). Instead, Burda has a .286 Earlier card with 9 hits in 31 .5 at bats. Garren, with only seven second column 42's, is more accurate. APBA has not My major complaint this year was that the baseball used second column 42's since the first year, card prediction issue (January) came several days presumably having recognized the problem. after I got my cards. Almost everybody in Chicago that The proper solution is to treat one of the 14's (if the is a subscriber is one for that one issue. Just a hint for player has an extra half 14) as a walk half the time and next year. as one ball half the time. One could re-roll one die with P.S. I do realize the cards were out extraordinarily a 1-3 being a walk and a 4-6 being a ball one. early. Alternatively, one could treat the "designated 14" as a Mike Raisanen walk with the bases empty and as one ball with one or Chicago, Ill more runners on base, or vice-versa. If the player is short half a 14, the solution is more difficult. While the Sorry the issue didn~ arrive until after you received result will produce slight inaccuracy, any result, 36-40, your cards, Mike. It was mailed on January 26th which with Bases Empty, would be considered a walk. For would normally mean a January 31st or February 1 any such player, either 12 or 35 (not both) would be arrival in Chicago. If thars when it came and you had treated as a walk against a W pitcher with the Bases your cards "for a few days", you received pretty jiffy Empty. service from the Game Company to be sure. Obviously the A.J has no control over the availability of the new card set and normally the January publication date would have given you ample time to peruse the You are certainly correct about the tit value of the 0 in article before receiving the cards. To ensure this the APBA formula and how that prevents the cluttering doesn't happen again, we could put the card of the second column with anything but unstoppable prediction story in the December issue. We run it in hits, Bob. January because it's a natura/lead story and eases the Actually when I brought up that suggestion, it was problem of finding appropriate leads each month. I'd intended as a broad theoretical solution without getting like to keep it there for that reason but we11 see. into its mechanics which would probably amount to Probably a few readers are thinking "why not send the more work than it's worth. issues out earlier in the month?". They have a good Obviously if one is to use the second column for point. My goal is to send the AJ between the 15th and anything other than hits, a change in the formula would 20th of the month, but we're still running a week behind be required. I've asked Paul Vickers to prepare Wade schedule. As you may know, the AJ resumed Boggs' rurrent card, with both the 14 's and 13's publication last September instead of waiting until fractionalized and it is included below. The second October when we could have mailed out the issue colurm singes lUll subjtH:t to reduction by the easily by the 15th. But considering the confusion pitcher's grade. Wlat do you think? generated by the mess of last summer and the fact that Your suggestions regarding the use of a "designated some people had sent in subscription monies to North 14" for fine-tuning the fractional walk is certainly a very Carolina in June and had heard absolutely nothing for playable alternative. I would endorse the use of a re­ months, I wanted to send out an issue as soon as ro/1. However, making control a factor with the bases possible without further delays. And once you've empty -your "vice-versa"- would , in some cases, started a publication on a certain date, irs very difficult require modification of the pitching grades. As you to make up ground unless you come out with a tiny know, the APBA grading system requires that bases issue one of the months. As readers know, we haven~ empty control be generally non-differentiated. produced a tiny issue yet. Bats: Left Throws: Right Using Second Column 14's to Fine­ Height: 6-2 Weight: 197 Tune A Hitter's Walks Born: 6-15-58 Omaha, Nebraska Wade Anthony Reference is made to your comment in the "Boggsy" November, 1986 issue in response to a question from Stephen Jones. The inquiry concerned a system for assigning walks to players who deserve half a 14. You BOGGS suggested 14's in the second column. Thirdbaseman (5) Your suggestion is statistically inaccurate under the 11- 0- 1 31- 7- 9 51- current forumula. In computing the cards, APBA treats 7 - 9 12-25- 8 32 - 26- 8 52-27 - 8 a 0 always being a hit. That is why second column as 13- 14-14 33- 0 - 1 53-19 - 14 numbers are always hits regardless of the pitcher's 14-30- 8 34- 31- 8 54-32 - 8 grade. Second column 14's would obviously !Jill. be 15- 6 - 6 35- 8- 14 55- 6 - 6 hits. If APBA did use second column 14's, it would have 16-28- 8 36 - 14- 8 56 - 14 - 8 to re-compute the value of a 0.