Negro League Article in Philadelphia Tribune

Written by Donald Hunt Tribune Staff Writer    Saturday, 14 November 2009 17:05   
 
Chance to play ball with Negro League stars

 
If you’re a fan of Negro League baseball or want to learn more about Negro League baseball stars like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell, there’s a baseball simulation game dedicated to these Negro League legends.
The company Strat-O-Matic (Strato) has created a baseball simulation game called “Strat-O-Matic Negro League All-Stars.”
“This game is 10 years in the making,” said Hal Richman, who invented Strat-O-Matic in his Long Island, N.Y., bedroom as an 11-year-old in 1948 and then shared his invention with the world in 1961.
“I knew this was an important game to produce, but because the data we needed was not available, I could not put out a product under the Strato name. When I met Scott Simkus and found out he had access to more than 3,000 Negro League boxscores, I knew we could unlock the mysteries of translating Negro League performance into a Major League context and create a game that was realistic enough to carry the Strat-O-Matic name.”
The game is available on CD. It includes 103 of the greatest players in Negro League baseball history such as Gibson, Paige, Bell, Chino Smith, Ray Dandridge, Martin Dihigo, Rube Foster, John Beckwith, Buck O’Neil and others.
 
The set brings to life every Negro League player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, well-known players who were candidates for the hall during the special election of 2006, plus a few special players recognized by the Cuban and Mexican Halls of Fame.
The company produces the top selling sports board games and is the leading producer of realism/stats sports computer games.
The company publishes baseball, football, basketball and hockey games to play both on and off your computer screen. The games are known throughout the sports community for their statistical realism and accuracy. The game can be ordered online at www.strat-o-matic.com. Player cards are $39.99, complete board game $48.95, CD-Rom Game $79 (players roster $27-if you currently own the computer game).