Here are the lists of current card sets available for each sport APBA offers.

"Words cannot express the depths of my gratitude for inviting me to the APBA Convention this year. For more than 40 years, I have been playing APBA with my brother, neighbors, son, daughters and solitaire. But playing at home, even with my own children, is so vastly different that what I experienced at the convention. Watching the events, I could see that when you order your cards and play at home, it is NOTHING like the experience of being with other table-top game lovers. I can play a baseball game at home in 25-30 minutes, but these people were taking twice the time because they were sharing stories, using baseball strategy as if it were the seventh game of the world series, and generally enjoying one another's company. They all wanted to win, of course, but the enjoyment of the conventioneers was in the playing of the game. It was an experience somebody who has never been to a convention cannot possibly understand! It was a wonderful time hearing the dice rattle, the chatter of the gamers, and just soaking in the atmosphere! 

 

I was also overwhelmed with the fellowship of the convention. I was told I was sitting with some "heavy hitters" at supper Friday night, but they talked to me as if I was an equal. And these were APBA Hall of Famers who were including me in every conversation. I did not understand the full extent of the people I was sitting with until afterward when somebody explained to me with whom I was sitting! 

 

In the same vein, John Cochrane must have spent three hours with me on Saturday--talking about baseball, his life, etc. But the point is that he was an EARLY APBA HOFer, and he talked to me like he was just one of the boys! I had  a really great time visiting with him, and getting to know him a little. He said he was looking forward to reviewing my cards for an online APBA Handbook of which he is an editor.

 

The whole room was just like Mr Cochrane. You were already at lunch, but I was packing up Saturday at dinner time. A group of college baseball players came into the room. They said they heard about the baseball tournament, and wanted to see what it was like. Of course, the players were upstairs eating, but a HOFer (I do not know his name) passed on getting his lunch to explain and demo the game to the ball players. I heard him explain the cards, dice, boards, scoring, etc. The kids were listening attentively, and understood the basics of the game after about three minutes. They were really excited, and said they wanted to order the game and play it. All because one of the APBA players took his own time to explain the game to a new generation! It is something I would not have expected before I was in the room for two days!! 

 

One last observation. Friday at the elevators I met a first-time attender. He was from Virginia, and had only played about "six to ten" games of the baseball game he had gotten less than a month earlier. In fact, he only brought four teams--the playoff teams that came with the 2017 game! After his first game at the convention, he was hooked! He said he could not wait until next year. He said he was going to order some historical teams and come loaded for bear next year. He got some Negro League teams, and I told him to compare them to his teams that came with the game. But once he experienced the APBA Convention, a first-time player was hooked.

 

Your game does a WHOLE lot more than provide countless hours of economical home entertainment. After experiencing the convention, I can see the brotherhood that has developed throughout the years among the players. Mr Cochrane was ready to talk baseball, but he was just as willing to talk about APBA HOFers who had gone on before, the experiences he had with them, what they did for the company, etc. They were a part of him, and he was a part of them. You cannot experience that kind of fellowship playing at home."

If you have ever thought about attending a convention, add it to your bucket list.  The 2018 Convention will begin Thursday morning June 21st at 10:00 AM.  Hope to see you all there.

You can now reserve your hotel room for next year's convention.  I strongly recommend reserving your room as soon as possible.  The hotel hosts several travel baseball and softball teams this same weekend.  This year we used our entire allocation of rooms plus some.  The sooner you reserve your room, the sooner we can get add additional rooms to the APBA block. 

The TAHL (The APBA Hockey League) is looking for coaches. Here is their Facebook page.

CHECK OUT THE TABL BASEBALL ANNUAL.