Book Review
Strat-O-Matic Fanatics by Glenn Guzzo
By Mike SanClemente - Managing Editor
09/10/2005
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
When I first sat down with Strat-O-Matic Fanatics, this year’s book on Strat and Hal Richman written by former Philadelphia Inquirer sports editor Glenn Guzzo, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it primarily focus on Hal, on the game itself, on its users, on how it fits into the set of competitive games (especially rotisserie), or some other area?
Guzzo begins by providing some background on the Richman family. Now, most of us, including me, want to immediately get to the good stuff, you know, the inside dope that tells all about individual players, talk about how they arrive at fielding ratings, learn why the 1-5 automatic homerun has gone away, that kind of thing. From other books we've all read, family background and the like are often important to develop the characters. But these pages can usually be dry and uninteresting, especially to sports fans yearning to read more traditionally exciting material, like great comebacks, STAR tournaments, and the like.
Not this book.
The early pages are, in fact, full of great information and rich stories, making you feel like you knew the entire Richman family (both the good and the bad). I was left with two very clear thoughts: one, that I now very much want to meet Hal in person someday, and two, that I'd like to meet Glenn Guzzo as well.
THE TASK AT HAND
You start out thinking it’s a book about Strat, or at least about baseball, but you are immediately gripped with a very different story. Harold Richman had, by and large, a horrible childhood. His overbearing father practically detested him, making his life miserable at nearly every turn and creating an adolescent who was socially uncomfortable, and lacking confidence.
How many of us can relate to the way his story turned? Strat-O-Matic ultimately became his sanctuary away from both social awkwardness with his peers and displeasure in the eyes of his parents.
At summer camps during his elementary school years, Hal “ who was a pretty good athlete “ and his fellow campers would actually wish for rain so they’d have to stay inside and play the baseball dice game that he invented. Everyone loved it, and suddenly, he found a place where he was valued. Later, after college and after a huge gamble (borrowing money from the overbearing father who was certain Hal would not succeed), and then later after several failures, it clicked. He had a following. Strat-O-Matic was born and thriving, he was free from his father’s debts, and more importantly, free from his Father’s long shadow.
Great stories abound at every turn. Literally under the influence of Jon Miller, Cal Ripken played a game on a flight back from a road trip, and then took the results to his father, who was managing the team at the time. Ripken returned, vowed to correct some managerial errors he’d made, and then won his next game. It’s not known if Ripken has held the dice since then, but he credits those two games with improving his strategic mind.
One of the best quotes is naturally from Hal himself, but it’s not one packed with emotion or force. One day Denis Boucher, the former Expo, traveled to Strat’s headquarters to pick up a set. One of Strat’s employees mentioned to Hal that Denis’s card isn’t a very good one. Hal answered, “He’s got a card, and we haven’t. Never forget that.” Upon reading that line, I was immediately reminded of a San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter who called Angels reliever Ben Weber “a fraud” a few years back because of his odd windup and delivery. Hal respects the big leaguers who, with one degree of separation, put food on his table. The Chronicle sportswriter needn’t worship every major leaguer, but obviously needs a lesson in respect. Hal doesn’t need to take that class.
Other parts of the book can help you as a GM. Do you want to gain a competitive advantage on your league mates? The fact that you’re already on this site answers that question quite soundly. Further insight into making up the 2003 MLB season fielding ratings can be gained by checking out these nuggets:
Page 220: Carlos Guillen was likely going to be a 4 at shortstop, but since Rey Sanchez played short frequently during Guillen’s injury absence and got a 2, Hal was able to give Guillen a 3 instead of the possible 4.
Page 223: Hal says, “I like to give one starter per team a 5 rating.” This could be something very important to remember, and should make Pat Burrell and Jim Thome owners annually nervous.
Page 225: The brain trust surrounding Hal is jockeying between a 2 and a 3 rating for Jose Vidro. They notice he was replaced defensively three times, and can’t find any data to show that he’s outstanding in any one respect. He gets a 3. [For this reason, Mark Bellhorn owners should beware that the Alex Cora acquisition by the Red Sox means a possible second straight 4 rating at second for Bellhorn instead of a return to the 3s he had earlier in his career. Late-game Sox leads already feature John Olerud replacing Millar at first, and now I’d imagine Cora would go in for Bellhorn, if he isn’t already in the game. These frequent defensive replacements could doom Millar and Bellhorn’s ratings.]
THE MEAT
But what about the mechanics of the game, the assumptions that underlie the best baseball simulation available, and the people who work there? Guzzo takes you there as well, tackling issues such as playability, other sports, competitors, the move to the advanced baseball game, the decision to keep producing cards while the computer game soared in popularity, and even legal action. Hal’s resume includes the bullet point “Was issued a ˜cease and desist” letter from MLB Player’s Association in 1966.”
There really isn’t a part of the Strat game that Guzzo fails to discuss, making this excellent beach reading for the summer. I mean, how much of a nerd could you be if you are reading this book while lying on the sands of the Jersey shore, working to tan up that skin that’s grown pale from too many STAR tournaments?
Guzzo finishes the book with examples of pro players and their interaction with the game, as well as full coverage of a STAR tournament and the many characters (nearly caricatures, actually) who participate. As we all know, it’s amazing how a person’s personality comes out in the way they behave as a manager and a GM.
For those who have never participated in a weekend tournament, the recap provides great insight into picking a team, and then carries you through the ups and downs of each club as they jockey for playoff position, with heated rivalries turned up to “high” and all the plot twists and turns you could expect.
One of the best quotes in the entire book comes when Guzzo, for a moment, deviates from his reporting to offer some flowery verbiage to describe an item that you either swear by or swear at: the 20-sided die.
“The 1-20 split die is the most cursed of all Strat-O-Matic game pieces, a small bit of molded plastic capable of transfiguring a perfectly pleasant human into something hideously unrecognizable if he stares at it too long at the wrong time.” Guzzo is at his best here, though in his quest to - and success at - describing the company’s history, he allows himself precious few moments like this to stray from simply bringing the facts to life.
Strat-O-Matic Fanatics is just a book, and Strat itself is just a game. But if you’ve ever replayed a season, relived a great moment, developed longtime friends, or launched a website specifically devoted to the game, you are just that, devoted to Strat. You could play solitaire, or maybe you’re in multiple leagues; you swear by dice-and-cards only, or you’re a computer guy who plays in tons of weekend tournaments. Whichever areas you fall in, this game occupies a place in your life, and probably a significant one at that.
Sure, our dollars keep him in business, but his game keeps so many of us very happy. Hal Richman has an incredible story and produces the best game on the market. Guzzo’s book has shown me that we all owe Hal a huge debt of gratitude.
To purchase the book, go to http://actasports.com/index.html.
To offer feedback to the author, email Mike at Mike@Stratogists.com.