Baseball is Back to the ‘70s Online
By Glenn Guzzo
The Sporting News and Strat-O-Matic are set to launch a new online “Back to the ‘70s” game in early December, moving the two companies closer to their goal of simulating every era of baseball in online play.
The ‘70s is the decade that shined brightest for Johnny Bench, Rod Carew, Joe Morgan, Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter, Jim Palmer, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter and hundreds of other stars.
“It’s a rich decade, a great 10 years of baseball,” TSN’s Jeff Gerttula says. “It has a lot of cool player cards people will be excited about.”
TSN and SOM previously launched games for 21st Century seasons, a 1980s decade game and 1969, as well as three simulations with all-time-greats from every era.
“Our goal is to represent all the decades, to appeal to every baseball fan,” Gerttula says.
He adds that decade games have “legs” – they have longevity among gamers who find them endlessly fascinating.
“Almost all” of the tens of thousands of online gamers playing Strat-O-Matic at the TSN web site are repeat customers, Gerttula says. “It’s a group that plays, and plays a lot.”
That is almost certain to be true of the ‘70s game, since it is deep in stars most current gamers can remember.
And because of the “mystery card” concept that adds risk and reward.
Like the system also used in the “Back to the ‘80s” game, each player in the ‘70s game will be represented by five Strat-O-Matic cards characteristic of his career.
Knowing which five seasons are possible, you draft the player, but not the card. The game engine shuffles that deck of five cards and chooses one at random. You never find out which card it is.
The cards are likely to be as consistent as the player’s career. For Jim Rice, that’s very consistent. For Bench, did you get his 1970 or 1972 MVP seasons, when he hit 40 or more homers and drove in way above 100 runs? Or did you get his 1976 season, when he hit .234-16-74?
George Brett will have his gaudy 1980 season among years from the ‘70’s when he had much less power, to say nothing of the .390 he hit in 1980.
“If he's off to a slow start, is it because you've got his bad card? Or is it just a string of unlucky rolls on a good card?” the description on the TSN web site teases. “Would you dare cut him? Or maybe you can get something for him in a trade … It's maddening. It's addictive. Now you'll know how the real-life managers feel.”
With five cards possible for each
of thousands of players, “it’s a different game each time you play,” Gerttula says.
For $24.95, a gamer enters a league with 11 others to draft under a salary cap, then make trades and set lineups, pitching rotations and other instructions for a 162-game season run by TSN’s computer. Gamers get game reports, stat leaders and league news daily. They enter chat rooms to discuss strategy, exult in their success and share misfortune.
Gamers can customize their leagues: They can join a group of strangers or get their friends to form their own league. They can choose the salary-cap level to have an all-star league or a balanced one. They have waiver-wire options and more choices.
New for this season is a redesigned user interface that looks better and is easier to use.
Stats are expanded, too, with such additions as home-road splits.
To learn more, follow the link from the home page at www.strat-o-matic.com. It will take you to the game description at The Sporting News web site.
Here is a sample of stars from the 1970s:
C: Johnny Bench, Gary Carter,
1B: Dick Allen, Rod Carew, Cecil Cooper, Steve Garvey, Keith Hernandez, Lee May, Willie McCovey, Tony Perez, Willie Stargell
2B: Bobby Grich, Dave Lopes, Joe Morgan, Willie Randolph, Frank White
3B: Sal Bando, George Brett, Doug DeCinces, Bill Madlock, Graig Nettles, Brooks Robinson, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Joe Torre
SS: Larry Bowa, Rick Burleson, Bert Campaneris, Dave Concepcion, Garry Templeton, Robin Yount
LF: Dusty Baker, Lou Brock, Jose Cruz, George Foster, Ralph Garr, Willie Horton, Greg Luzinski, Al Oliver, Jim Rice, Joe Rudi, Carl Yastrzemski
CF: Cesar Cedeno, Fred Lynn, Gary Maddox, Rick Monday, Bobby Murcer, Amos Otis, Jim Wynn
RF: Jack Clark, Dwight Evans, Reggie Jackson, Tony Oliva, Dave Parker, Frank Robinson, Ken Singleton, Reggie Smith, Dave Winfield
SP: Vida Blue, Bert Blyleven, John Candelaria, Steve Carlton, Mike Cuellar, Larry Dierker, Dennis Eckersley, Bob Gibson, Ron Guidry, Ken Holtzman, Burt Hooton, Catfish Hunter, Ferguson Jenkins, Tommy John, Randy Jones, Jim Kaat, Koosman, Mickey Lolich, Dave McNally, Andy Messersmith, Phil Niekro, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, Jerry Reuss, J. R. Richard, Steve Rogers, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Mel Stottlemyre, Don Sutton, Frank Tanana, Luis Tiant, Wilbur Wood
RP: Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Al Hrabosky, Sparky Lyle, Tug McGraw, Dan Quisenberry, Joe Sambito, Bruce Sutter, Kent Tekulve