GREAT MOMENTS IN STRAT

 

Have you experienced a game of Strat-O-Matic so thrilling, unique or bizarre that you just HAVE to share it with someone? That would be us. Send you Great Moments in Strat to SOMTalkShow@aol.com. Please include your name and hometown. Readers like to see that and you deserve the credit.

 

 

           

300 Wins in One Strat-O-Matic League

 

            It was the privilege of the Gentlemen’s Base Ball League managers to be on hand a few nights ago to witness a historic event, as Roger “The Rocket” Clemens posted his 300th career win. This is his 21st season in the league and his 16th as a member of the Zurich Zephyrs. He spent his first five campaigns toiling for the charter member Brooklyn Excelsiors, and fate would have it that the old master beat the same Excelsiors, 3-2, for his landmark victory. He fanned 10 batters in 7-2/3 innings, before he turned the game over to an effectively wild Mariano Rivera, who struck out no one and walked four in his 1-1/3 innings of relief. Clemens brought his season record to a respectable 13-10, which has been a nice turnaround after his 9-13 slate last year, the only year he didn't win at least 11 games.

 

     It was his 707th career start, and he is just 8-2/3 innings short of 5,000 innings pitched. He has whiffed 4,811 batters in his storied career. He never won more than 19 games in any season. To put his achievement in some sort of perspective, the second most wins on the career list belong to Kevin Brown who has won 204 games. The “retired” Curt Schilling (203) and also “retired” Greg Maddux (202) are right behind Brown.

 

     It is especially poignant that Clemens was released by the Zephyrs after his eighteenth season, and he endured two long years of intense conditioning under the watchful eye of an obscure trainer named Brian McNamee, before he was drafted by the Zephyrs to extend his career. In an era marred by accusations of steroid use and other performance enhancing drugs, it is refreshing to see a standup guy like Clemens persevere and ultimately succeed by doing things the right way. He will humbly explain the value of hard work to anyone who will listen, but he does not beat anyone over the head with his beliefs. He is a ballplayer's ballplayer and a man's man.

 

     Whereas the Excelsiors’ Barry Bonds saw his home park renamed BALCO Ballpark after he surpassed Henry Aaron's all-time home run record, the Zephyrs renamed their stadium Honorable Great Hero Park, or as some call it, HGH. No one would disagree that Clemens is deserving of this accolade.

 

     Lastly, some observers still marvel at the trade that brought Clemens to Zurich just prior to the league’s sixth season. Wily Brooklyn general manager, Randy Boring, hoodwinked the Zurich GM, Rick Zaborsky, by talking him into parting with reliever Mark Davis in exchange for Clemens. As we all know Davis went on to become one of the greatest peanut vendors of all time, and yes, his voice could be heard throughout Clemens’ big win as he hawked his goods. You play Strat; you know the voice.

 

     Such are the fortunes of baseball.

 

                                                                                                                                                            Rick Zaborsky, Dublin, OH 

 

Fantastic Finish

           

            My cousin introduced me to Strat-O-Matic in 1965. I was immediately hooked and still can recall Don Pavletich’s three two-run homeruns in that debut game to beat me.

            My first set was based on the 1965 season and my inaugural game was in Milwaukee, Dodgers vs. Braves, Claude Osteen vs. Denver Lemaster. As if it were yesterday, I recall Osteen taking a perfect game into the bottom of the ninth, a scoreless battle between two crafty lefties. I decided to pull Lemaster for a pinch-hitter with two outs in the bottom of the ninth despite his three-hit, shutout performance.

            Rico (The Beeg Boy) Carty, number 43, stepped into the box as a pinch-hitter. Osteen gets the sign from Roseboro, into the windup, deals, it's a 5-5 Homerun 1-10 Fly LF 11-20. Oh, my, what's it gonna be, it's going, going, it's a 10, I don't believe it, Carty has gone yard and the Braves win 1-0.

            Over the years, I can remember a few no-hit gems, I’ve seen a bunch, some of them coming from unusual names: Bob Priddy, Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax, Tony Cloninger (twice), Ed Figueroa, Nolan Ryan ( one combined with Tug McGraw, one completed), Catfish Hunter, Fergie Jenkins, Al Downing, Billy McCool just to name a few.

            In ‘83, Fernado fanned 17 Phillies and threw 8 innings of no-hit ball only to surrender a dinger to Mike Schmidt in a 2-1 loss!

 

Scott G., Katonah, NY

 

Vander Meer Knows Something About No-Hitters

   

            I played my first Strat-O-Matic game in 1965.  Until Friday March 14, 2008, I never had a no-hitter. Finally I had one.  I am replaying the 1941 season with exact starting lineups.  For the May 19, 1941 Boston at Cincinnati game I had my no-hitter. Johnny Vander Meer threw the gem.  He had 13 strikeouts, issued 3 walks and had 2 errors committed behind him, on consecutive batters by shortstop Eddie Joost. Cincinnati won the game 1-0 on a solo home run by Frank McCormick in the 6th inning. 

     

            About the only memorable events in games I have not had while play SOM are a perfect game and a four-homer game by one batter.

 

Mike Sanders, Prairie Village, Kansas

 

 

After 3,000 Games, it Comes Down to One Roll

 

            The Greatest Night In My Strat History- I have played beyond 3,000 games and have never had the satisfaction of throwing a no-hitter or hitting for the cycle. Come close I have, but never could close the door. I had just gotten home from finishing another semester of nursing school, my arch rival was set to meet me at my house at 9 p.m.

           

            I felt an extra energy in the air. The 1st game was a thunderous rainout as I pounded the skies with shot after shot on my way to a 17-2 victory. With Ichiro Suzuki a chance in the 8th to hit for the cycle, he needed a double but did not get it. I then said, “Next game a no-hitter, it’s my night.” I was up against a “Bronx Bombers”-type lineup: Pujols, Ortiz, C. Jones, Mauer, A-Rod.  Oh, yeah, his park is HR 1-18 both ways.  The pitcher was Roy Oswalt, whose card is not that great, a big hit on 5-7 which usually is a bad hit to have on a pitcher’s card.

           

            Pitch after pitch and there were no hits as we reached the 7th, single on a 1-8, doesn’t get it. I am having a hard time breathing as my pulse and respirations are increased. Sweat was pouring from Oswalt’s head and the same for me, my opponent Al Maier glaring at me speechless as with each roll our eyes became completely fixed on those three small dice. Owalt breezes through the 8th, striking out the side. One inning away from something I’ve never felt. The next inning will go down in the archives.

           

            I am now standing and pacing. Al is in disbelief that his powerful Copperhead lineup was being no-hit by Oswalt. The first two hitters were retired easily and then he looked to his bench to find a stud pinch hitter Edgar Renteria, who hit .332 last year. Here it was, one pitch away, I rolled the dice only to see them come up 2-7 -- my heart rate now at 130 as he spits out Single 1-14. The 20-sided dice is already in the air and as it settles in I see that he rolled a 17 and my first no-no was complete. I jumped for joy and celebrated like any crazy Strat player would. It was a classic moment. The true Strat man that Al is, he asked me if it would be all right if we cancelled the rest of the Strat night and he go home. I shook his hand and said have a good one. Thank you, Strat for allowing me to feel such JOY, never mind that I called it.                               

James Grigaitis, Enfield Strat League