REGIONAL TOURNAMENT REPORT

 

As previously reported we are in a tournament lull period as no tournaments are scheduled between Thanksgiving and the New Year.  Accordingly, I would like to take the time to recap the following 2017 Tournament winners (Tournament attendance in parentheses):

 

January 2017 APBA Go Tournament - Bill Dansbach with the 2013 Tigers (8) January 2017 APBA Go Tournament - Steve Ryan with the 1927 Yankees (19) February 2017 APBA Go Tournament - Jeffery Lemm with the 1957 Dodgers (22) February 2017 Capital of the Confederacy Tournament - Tim Rounds with the 1930 Athletics (14) March 2017 Greater Michigan Tournament - Aaron Radlinski with the 1902 Pirates (38) April 2017 Twin Cities Tournament - Jeff Boeding with the 1930 Yankees (26) April 2017 Prairieland Tournament - Sick Butler with the 1977 Phillies (22) May 2017 APBA Go Tournament - Joe Francis with the 1914 Robins (17) June 2017 APBA Convention - Dave Sweeley with the 1972 Pirates (75) July 2017 Linda B. Schulz Tournament - Steve Skoff with the 1974 Dodgers (44) July 2017 Lancaster World Series Tournament - William Sagle with the 2014 Orioles (26) August 2017 APBA Go Tournament - Dave Druk with the 2013 Red Sox (16) August 2017 Robert Herny Tournament - Brian Demler with the 1902 Pirates (34) August 2017 Chicago land Tournament - Tom Johnson with the 2005 Astros (36) September 2017 Toledo Glass City Tournament - Robert Wyks with the 1954 White Sox (28) October 2017 Wisconsin Tournament - Ryan Daniel with the 1961 Yankees (8) October 2017 Twin Cities Tournament - Alec Otto with the 1929 Athletics (30) October 2017 Capital of the Confederacy Tournament - Jeff Scalzo with the 1931 Athletics (10) October 2017 RollAPBAlooza Tournament - Tony Stevens with the 1928 Athletics (20) November 2017 Chicago land Tournament - Pastor Rich Zawadzki with the 2011 Phillies (33)

 

Congratulations to all the tournament winners and thank you all the tournament directors for their hard work and dedication to make these tournaments possible. These 20 tournaments were attended by 526 participants, expanded face-to-face gaming in our community, but more importantly fostered friendships and brotherhood that will last overtime. A special thanks to the following to the following tournament directors who worked tirelessly to hold these tournaments: Ken and Darren Schulz, Ron Emch, Jim Saska, Tony Stevens, Rob Spatz, John Cochrane, Percy Ashcraft, Tom Neishoppen, Bryon Sievert, Kurt Bergland, Pastor Rich Zawadzki, Jim Fraasch, Dale Shreiner, and last but not least APBA CEO John Herson. Thanks Gentlemen your efforts and appreciated and recognized by the APBA community.

 

The 2018 APBA Regional Tournament schedule through July 2018 is as follows:

 

Saturday and Sunday January 27-28, 2018 - APBA Master Game Baseball Tournament,  Fairlawn Heights, Ohio a superb of Akron, Ohio.  Contact Bill Lilley [email protected] or call 330-801-3613.

 

Saturday February 3, 2018 - The Wisconsin Spring 2018 Tournament, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Public Library.  The theme will be the 1950s.  Contact Kurt Bergland [email protected].

 

Saturday March 3, 2018 - The 4th Annual Greater Michigan APBA Baseball Tournament (GMABT), Jackson, Michigan.  Contact Rich Zawadzki [email protected].

 

Saturday March 10, 2018 -The1st Annual Apba Heartland Tournament in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  Contact Earle Shamblin at  [email protected].

 

Saturday April 7, 2018 - The Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament, Maple Grove, Minnesota.  Contact Jim Fraasch at  [email protected].

 

Saturday July 7, 2018 - The 4th Annual Linda B. Schulz Memorial APBA Baseball Tournament, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.  Contact Ken Schulz [email protected].

 

Saturday, July 21, 2018. The Second Annual Lancaster World Series , Landisville , Pennsylvania.  Contact Dale Shreiner  [email protected].

 

If your tournament is not mentioned above and you are planning a Regional APBA Tournament in 2018 please forward me your tournament and contact information at [email protected] and I will be sure to promote your event in APBA's company electronic newsletter.  Remember all APBA game tournaments are welcome.

 

THIS WEEK IN APBA RADIO SHOW 

 

APBA has began to sponsor a weekly broadcast offering insights into the game of APBA and players within the APBA community.  The host is John Asalon who offers a extremely professional broadcast.  Please join John Asalon and his guests every Thursday night at 8:00 pm (Eastern) for THIS WEEK IN APBA radio show.  John's guest this week were Brian Cavanaugh and Ken Kraft. Brian shared his experience to bring APBA to the boys and girls of the Bridesburg (Philadelphia) Boys and Girls club. What started out an initiative to expand some face-to-face gaming experience quickly developed into oh so much more than that. The kids embraced the game, formed a club league, and ultimately participated in the APBA Convention under Brian's leadership. The kids developed a sense of togetherness, improved their math skills, learned to win and accept loss, and learned commitment and hard work results in reward. Following the relocation of APBA and the Convention to Alpharetta, Georgia, Brian worked in conjunction with APBA Hall of Famer John Cochrane in formation of the Robert Henry Memorial Tournament. This tournament provided for continued club member participation in a tournament involving Senior APBA players. This club league has flourished for a decade now and a few early youth participants still work at the club as adult counselors and have fostered a lifetime friendship with Brian. What a great success story. Great job Brian! And a special thank you to John Cochrane and Dr. Rebecca Peterson for their continued and dedicated efforts in support of the Robert Henry Memorial Tournament.

 

The second guest was Ken Kraft and he shared his draft tips and strategies, discussed differences in replay verse draft leagues, and discussed how table gamers have always understood the importance of on-base and slugging percentage. Ken shared stories of his visits to Arizona Spring training and his attendance at the First Pitch Arizona Seminar where he learned much on drafting and early identification of such names as Tulowitzki, Judge, and Gregorius. Ken discussed the explosion of player data availability and the sabremetric approach to player evaluation. He also shared the varying skills, that you as a General Manager, must apply to formulate your line-up. For example a good lead-off hitter with a high on base percentage and speed, followed by a good contact/hit and run hitter, followed by power hitters (e.g. 1-1-5). No matter what type of league (e.g. replay, draft, high/low), players available (carded and/or uncarded), and the number of protected players year to year, it's up to you as the General Manager to research available player information in advance of your draft. Embrace the challenge and remember to have fun with your participation in APBA leagues. Thanks to Ken for sharing his APBA league and drafting experiences.

 

John's scheduled guest for the live December 7th show will be Greg Wells, an APBA Hall of Famer. Greg will be discussing the APBA Football GTOP I and II. Be sure to tune in to hear Greg's analysis of these card sets and also get the latest information about APBA. 

 

 

APBA LEAGUE INFORMATION

 

I am pleased to report that this column has assisted leagues in finding new managers to fill open vacancies in their leagues.  I hope this continues to be a valuable service to the APBA community.  Openings or individuals looking for leagues are as follows this week:

 

TSL League Opening - The TSL has an open manager's spot for the 2018 season that someone can step in right now and begin trading and preparing for the February draft.  The TSL is a basic 12 team, continuous ownership baseball league with very few board changes - we basically play "right out of the box".  We will be entering our 43rd season of play.   The new owner can step in right away and be just in time to begin wheelin', dealin', and preparing for the February rookie draft.   If you are interested in joining a well-established mail/email APBA league, or have questions or need more information about the league, contact Dan at  [email protected] 

 

League Opening - The Matt Kading Memorial APBA League is a 17 year old 30 team DOS league looking to fill a team that will compete for a playoff spot. Dosbox is installed on each computer system and that allows any windows machine to run the DOS game.  All games are played against another league manager over the internet.   The league plays 162 games from April to September.  If interested please contact Kirt at www.apbakading.com or at [email protected].

 

ABL League Opening - The American Baseball League (ABL) is looking to add one or two managers for their 2018 season. The ABL has been in existence since 1982.  It is a face-to-face basic game (w/ modifications) league. If you live in the Butler County or Greater Cincinnati area and are interested, send an e-mail to  [email protected].

 

League Openings - A face-to-face Master Game league in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area is advertising for new managers in a well-established league.  The 12-team league, playing a 99-game season mostly on "League Nights" in one of the manager's homes, has been in existence since the early 1970s and has included notable managers, such as Thatcher Longstreth and David Eisenhower.  Most of the managers live along the "Main Line", though one commutes from Reading and another lives in southern New Jersey.  In addition to the 12 active teams, there are 2 inactive teams that are available to new managers.  It is a keeper league, using the new card sets.  Draft occurs in late January (probably later next year), and the season begins shortly thereafter, winding up in October with playoffs and "World Series".  If interested, please contact Dusty Welsh at [email protected].

 

WBO League Openings - The World Baseball Organization ("WBO") is looking to expand in 2018 from 12 to 14 managers.  We are a current year play keeper league, using the old fashioned cards & dice.  NOT face-to-face, but rather solitaire style play (instructions and pitching rotations sent to opponents by email).  Ballstat/Ballscore used for gameplay and stat-keeping.  Full 162 game season running general from March/April - October/November.  Basic game with some solid modifications.  This is an opportunity to be part of a truly great league that has been around for a long time, with high character guys. http://wboapba66.wixsite.com/wbo-baseball 

 

New Orleans Salary League Opening - The NOSL is looking for a manager. We have a 20 team league divided into an American League (DH) and a National League (no DH). We use BBW 5.75 and AIM. It is a salary league with an annual payroll of 100 million dollars. We have an auction for players whose contracts have expired and an 8 round draft for first time players. Roster max is 60 people with 6 uncarded players on each team.  NOSL is a very detailed and intricate league with lots of competition. Cost is $15 a year to help cover webpage expenses. Please contact commissioner Brad Labrosse at [email protected] if you are interested or for more information. 

 

Looking for a League - Chester from Philadelphia is looking for a Face-to-Face League in the Philadelphia area.  Contact Chester Davis at [email protected].

 

Looking for a League - Gregg from Northwest New Jersey just started playing APBA and would like to meet some people and join a local league.  Contact Gregg Wiseburn at  [email protected].

 

BoxCar Baseball Association League Opening - The BXCR is an 8 team "winter DH league" entering its 4th year this Fall that plays 154 games based this winter on the 2016 season.  The Philadelphia Phillies need an owner-manager.  Each franchise gets all of the players on the APBA Baseball disk for 2016 (aka Franchise Players.)  In addition, each team can choose or refuse to accept "Transaction Players" that their team dropped or acquired via trade or free agent signing from the trade deadline until December 31, 2016.  There is also a limited draft from all unowned players to fill out the winter roster, and these drafted players are returned to the league at the end of the season.  Limited trading is allowed.  For more information, contact Ben Zuhl at [email protected].

 

O.Z. League Opening - The O.Z. League, an APBA Baseball League founded in 1982, seeks new members.  They are currently a 12 team multi format League utilizing choice of BBW, Master Game Boards, and original Paul Marino Boards (combines Basic Game results with MG pitching and stealing). They were featured in the NY Daily News as an Opening Day story in 1988 and are made up of APBA players from New York, New Jersey, Florida, North Carolina, Sacramento, and Nashville. Their Draft is held in Commack Long Island in February.  If you would like a copy of their Rulebook, a copy of their most recent StatPak, or are interested in getting more info send an e-mail to Dom at [email protected] 

 

Looking for a League - Jody Huneycutt from Ellijay, Georgia is looking to join a Face-to-Face league in Northern Georgia, Southeastern Tennessee, or Western North Carolina.  If your looking for a league member in this region, please contact Jody at 770-312-5995 (cell) or at 706-276-1122 (work).

 

OOTL League Opening - OOTL has crowned a new first-time champion for the third straight season!  The OOTL currently features 10 teams run by 10 passionate baseball fans in the Harrisburg-York, Pennsylvania region. The OOTL plays a modified Master Game with SAMBO pitching grades, control and power factors. They always seek additional expansion, so feel free to reach out to them to ask questions, sit in on a few series, and determine whether you'd like to join the fun next season. Learn more at  http://ootlapba.com/ or contact Commissioner Brandon at [email protected].

 

CMBA League Opening - Central Massachusetts Baseball Association is a face-to-face Master Game league in the Central Massachusetts/Worcester area.  Currently a 10-team league, playing a 80-game season, usually every 3rd Saturday afternoon/evening, we've been around since the 1970s, and have made several innovative enhancements to the game (for example pitching grades), and have had many notable APBA managers.  It's a keeper league, using the new card sets.  If interested, please contact Rich Lundin at [email protected].

 

ABL League Opening - The American Baseball League (ABL) is looking to add one or two managers for their 2018 season. The ABL has been in existence since 1982.  It is a face-to-face basic game (w/ modifications) league. If you live in the Butler County, Ohio area and are interested, send an e-mail to [email protected].

 

MDTL League Opening - The MDTL is in it's 45th season. We have one manager that has announced that he is leaving the league at seasons end due to time constraints. We also just had another manager pass away after a long illness. Therefore, we are looking for replacement managers to take over the ownership of these two fine franchises. Players on the teams include Murphy, Odor, Belt, and Lester on one team. The other team includes Bradley Jr., G Sanchez, Donaldson, and Grienke. The league is a 20 team league with 25 man rosters. We use the basic boards with a few modifications. We also use the basic pitching grades. This is a very solid league with a competitive but friendly membership. If you are interested in joining our league please email me at  [email protected] with your gaming history and any questions you may have.

 

Looking for a League - To all MAINE-iacs: Looking to form or play in an existing league. I desire cards & dice face-to-face play. Winter league to pass the time with some baseball.  Contact Dr. Bill in Dresden, Maine 04342 or e-mail  [email protected].

 

Looking for a League - Timothy Zack (Yes the brother of APBA HOFer Ed Zack) is retired and looking to participate in a F-T-F League in Western New York.  You can contact  [email protected] or call him at 716-472-9781.

 

Looking for a League - Mark Dergarabedian looking to find a face to face league to play in; master baseball, master football or master golf.  Mark lives in Sammamish, Washington; a suburb of Seattle.  Mark would even would form a league if there is enough interest.  Mark can be contacted at [email protected] or at 425-891-3354.

 

The Long Distance Baseball Association is looking for two new members. The LDBA will be entering its 38th season next summer and is a 24 team BBW league using full AIM. The two teams will be pooled and drafted from that pool. One of the major differences between the LDBA and many other leagues is that the LDBA uses a Free Agency system, but doesn't involve money. Contracts are given based on dice rolls and tables that have been designed by the commissioner, Mike Willett. The LDBA rookie draft includes five rounds of live Internet drafting. If interested, have questions or would just like more information, please contact Joe Schall at [email protected].

 

Based on the number of league listings and to better manage the listing volume, I plan to post your listing for four consecutive weeks then remove the listing to be sure that the listings are current.  You are welcome to continue a listing but you will need to request a continued posting.  I hope this column is continuing to bring many APBA players together be it in regional tournaments or league play.

 

Everyone have a great week.