APBA

Last updated

APBA (pronounced "APP-bah") is a game company founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was created in 1951 by trucking firm purchaser J. Richard Seitz (1915-1992). [1] The acronym stands for "American Professional Baseball Association", the name of a board game league Seitz devised in 1931 with eight high school classmates. [2] After World War II, he formed APBA Game Co., working out of his living room. [3] In 2011, after 60 years in Pennsylvania, the company headquarters was moved to Alpharetta, Georgia.

Contents

The company's first offering was a baseball simulation table game using cards to represent each major league player, boards to represent different on-base scenarios (e.g. "Bases Empty", "Runners on First and Third," "Bases Loaded"), and dice to generate random numbers. Seitz's mail-order product derived from the game National Pastime, invented and patented by Clifford Van Beek in 1925, [4] a game that Seitz played in his youth. [5] The game can be played against another person or solitaire. Devoted fans keep track of the results and assess how players' performances compare to their real-life statistics.

The game company later produced football, golf, basketball, hockey, bowling, boxing, soccer, and saddle racing games modeled after the baseball game (cards, boards, and dice).

In the 1980s and 1990s, computer adaptations of some of these games were produced.

APBA enthusiasts have included Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush; presidential son-in-law David Eisenhower; [6] New York mayor Ed Koch; actor Jeff Daniels; [7] ballplayers Bump Wills, Jim Sundberg and Dave Magadan; sports agent and Detroit Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem; MLB writer Rick Hummel; and journalist and memoirist Franz Lidz. [8]

For much of its history APBA's main competitor has been Strat-O-Matic. Other rivals include, or have included, Replay Publishing, Statis Pro Baseball, MLB Showdown and, in APBA's early years, Big League Manager. In 2000 APBA redesigned the packaging of its baseball game and for a brief time expanded its marketing approach to include hobby shops and sport card dealers, with limited success.

Computer versions of the baseball game

In 1984, the game company authorized a computer version of an advanced "master" version of their baseball game. It was published by Random House in 1985, first for PC computers and later for Apple. McGraw-Hill became the publisher after the company acquired Random House's software division in 1989, and the original game developers, Miller Associates, took over publishing and sales in 1990.

In 1993, Miller and APBA announced a version of the game for the Windows platform, and it came out that summer.[ citation needed ] It received a perfect 10 out of 10 score from Electronic Entertainment . [9] Titled APBA Presents Baseball for Windows (with the first two words in small print), Miller continued to update and publish the game software; their final version, 5.5, came out in the summer of 1999. Late in 2000, APBA announced that it had agreed to take over sales and service for the game; Miller Associates disbanded.

In February 2007 the APBA Game Company announced that they had acquired the rights to the Baseball for Windows code, and planned an upgrade to be released in the fall of 2008, featuring the voice of Pete Van Wieren, replacing the earlier editions' Ernie Harwell. Complications in game development, as well as errors in the code that had gone long unrepaired, delayed the release. As of November 2011, the current release schedule has not been announced. The current version of the game runs on Windows 7 in 32-bit mode. For 64 bit versions of Windows 7, it requires Virtual Mode software. Some APBA players maintain computers with older versions of Windows solely for running the APBA software.

In August 2012, APBA released an updated version of Baseball for Windows 5.5, called APBA Computer Baseball version 5.75. The game came with 3 complete major league seasons(1921, 1961, and 2011). This release was updated again in 2015 with the seasons included changed to 1957, 1976, and 2014. Game players can order additional disks individually for all major league seasons from 1901 through the present, with other special disks also available.

Reception

Computer Gaming World in 1992 criticized aspects of version 1.5's interface, but praised the sophistication of the MicroManager module's BaseballTalk language for creating custom managers for simulated games. The magazine called APBA "a work in progress, an impressive baseball park under construction ... but for what it delivers today, at the price asked, APBA Baseball would not be my first choice". [10]

Computer Gaming World in 1993 approved of the "gorgeous" ballparks, sophisticated drafting and statistical options, and "easy-to-use interface" of APBA Presents: Baseball for Windows. The magazine concluded that the developers should "be congratulated for making a true Windows product", with "realistic representation of baseball". [11]

APBA Baseball for Windows was a finalist for Computer Gaming World's Sports Game of the Year award, losing to Front Page Sports Football Pro . The editors wrote that despite new graphics "it is still the statistical model and replay accuracy of this new game, like its venerable ancestor, that command's everyone's attention". [12]

References to APBA have appeared in many novels and videos. Many APBA fans see similarity in Robert Coover's novel The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop., which follows a man who develops his own game, gets too involved with the fictional players and characters he invents, and ultimately loses his mind. [13]

Author Soren Narnia makes APBA the center of his 2006 novel "Roll! They Cried;" the chance to right past wrongs leads a ballplayer to attempt redemption through his APBA card. [14]

David Duchovny's novel Bucky F*cking Dent references the narrators' father playing APBA Football as an escape.

Many sports publications have published accounts of the games' appeal. In December, 1980, Franz Lidz wrote an excellent piece in Sports Illustrated called "APBA IS THE NAME, BASEBALL IS THE GAME, AND OBSESSION IS THE RESULT," which highlighted the devotion felt towards the game by fans and ballplayers alike. [15]

Conventions and tournaments

APBA continues to have a devoted following, with conventions now held every year under the game company's sponsorship. The highlight of the convention is a tournament played by the attendees.

APBA conventions go back as far as June 1973, when more than 300 fans got together at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia for a convention sponsored by the game's independent publication, the APBA Journal. David Eisenhower was among the attendees. The convention tournament was won by Robert Weeks. A record 650 got together in New York City in June 1975, with Barry Koopersmith the tournament winner. The third and final APBA Journal convention was held in June 1976 in Philadelphia, with Richard Beggs winning the tournament. The tournament structure for those conventions allowed participants to construct a team from all the cards they owned.

(The Journal continued to be published under different management until 2002, but never held another convention.)

Conventions resumed in Lancaster in July 1995 under game company sponsorship. The tournament was limited to stock teams that finished with percentages between .480 and .515. Chris Dineen's 1982 Expos prevailed. The June 1998 tournament, held in nearby Millersville, was limited to teams with percentages below .550. Ten-year-old Devin Flawd won, using the 1995 Mariners.

Conventions have been held annually beginning in 2001 (aside from 2020, due to restrictions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic). All except 2003 were sponsored by the game company. The limits on team winning percentages were dropped after 2002.

The 2013 convention was held near the new corporate offices in Georgia; it was unique in that it produced the first back-to-back tournament winner (Steve Skoff). In addition, Brian Wells, a two-time winner himself, was inducted into the APBA Hall of Fame along with his father, Greg Wells (who won the 2013 APBA Football championship, defeating Greg Barath in Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)

In 2021, Steve Skoff became the first three-time champion, and Brian Wells followed him in 2023. John Duke (wins in 2007 and 2009) is the only other two-time champion.

Convention tournament results

Year - Location - Winner - Team

Key:

Face-to-face and mail leagues

A large part of the APBA world is players competing against one another in a wide variety of draft leagues, where players assemble teams and play against other competitors. Some leagues have lasted over four decades, and FTF (face-to-face) leagues are centered in Philadelphia, Greater New York and Washington, D.C. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster, Pennsylvania</span> City in Pennsylvania, United States

Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 census, it is the tenth-most-populous city in the state. The Lancaster metropolitan area population is 552,984, making it the second largest in the South Central Pennsylvania area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Carlton</span> American baseball player

Steven Norman Carlton is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies with whom he won four Cy Young Awards as well as the 1980 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Herr</span> American baseball player

Thomas Mitchell Herr is an American former professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets, from 1979 to 1991. Although he never won a Gold Glove Award, Herr retired with the highest all-time career fielding percentage for National League second basemen (.989), a figure that was matched and surpassed a few years later when Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg retired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Gant</span> American baseball player and news anchor

Ronald Edwin Gant is an American television news anchor and former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1987 and 2003 for eight different teams, primarily the Atlanta Braves (1987–1993), St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1998), and Philadelphia Phillies (1999–2000). He joined the 30–30 club—recording at least 30 stolen bases and 30 home runs in the same season—in 1990 and 1991, while with the Braves. He batted and threw right-handed. He is currently a co-host on WAGA-TV's morning news program Good Day Atlanta.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1981 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clipper Magazine Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Clipper Magazine Stadium is a baseball park located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood. It is the home of the Lancaster Stormers, the city's Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) franchise. It hosted its first regular-season baseball game on May 11, 2005, with the Stormers losing to the Atlantic City Surf, 4–3. The ballpark also serves as the corporate headquarters for the Atlantic League and seats 6,000 people.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2006 throughout the world.

The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball.

Arn Herschel Tellem is an American sports executive who is the vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). From 1981 to 2015, he was a sports agent best known for his representation of basketball and baseball players. Tellem was vice chairman of the Wasserman Media Group, a global sport and entertainment marketing agency headed by Casey Wasserman. From 2009 to 2010, he wrote a semi-weekly sports column for The Huffington Post. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, the op-ed page of The New York Times, Grantland, Detroit Free Press, The Hollywood Reporter, The Japan Times and The Detroit News.

The 2003 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.

The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies season was the team's 98th season in Major League Baseball (MLB) and culminated with the Phillies winning the World Series at home by defeating the Kansas City Royals in Game 6 on October 21, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Pittsburgh Pirates season</span> Major League Baseball team season

The 1985 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 104th season of the franchise; the 99th in the National League. This was their 16th season at Three Rivers Stadium. The Pirates finished sixth and last in the National League East with a record of 57–104, 43½ games behind the NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1996 San Diego Padres season was the 28th season in franchise history. They finished in first place in the National League West with a 91–71 won-loss record, one game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 1954 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in Major League Baseball. The Phillies finished fourth in the National League with a record of 75 wins and 79 losses.

The 1958 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 76th in franchise history. The Phillies finished the season in last place in the National League. It was the Phillies third losing season in five seasons, and their fourth losing season during the 1950s.

Replay Publishing is a game company based in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, that develops and publishes sports simulation games for the tabletop and computer. They currently produce Replay Baseball, Replay Basketball, and PC Replay Baseball. Competitors past and present include APBA, Diceball, Strat-O-Matic, Big League Manager, Design Depot, Negamco, Pursue the Pennant and Statis Pro Baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Bulldogs baseball</span> Baseball team of the University of Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs baseball team represents the University of Georgia in NCAA Division I college baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protested game</span> Occurs in baseball, initiated by a manager

A protested game occurs in baseball when a manager believes that an umpire's decision is in violation of the official rules. In such cases, the manager can raise a protest by informing the umpires, and the game continues to be played "under protest." Protests were allowed in Major League Baseball (MLB) through the 2019 season, after which they were abolished.

<i>APBA Major League Players Baseball</i> 1985 video game

APBA Major League Players Baseball is a 1985 video game published by Random House.

References

  1. Franz Lidz, "Apba Is The Name, Baseball Is The Game, And Obsession Is The Result", Sports Illustrated , Dec. 8, 1980
  2. "Deaths", The Washington Post , Sept. 28, 1992
  3. "Apba Game Founder Dies", The Morning Call , Sept. 27, 1992
  4. Van Beek, Clifford. "Game". US Patent 1536639. US Patent Office. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  5. "Company History". APBA Game Company Website. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  6. Woodward, Bob (1987) [1976]. The final days. Bernstein, Carl, 1944- (1st Touchstone ed.). New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster. ISBN   0671690876. OCLC   20936551.
  7. Soren Narnia, "roll! they cried"
  8. Franz Lidz, "Scorecard", Sports Illustrated , April 9, 2001
  9. Canale, Larry (January 1994). "APBA Presents Baseball for Windows". Electronic Entertainment (1): 118, 119.
  10. Rogers, Win (August 1992). "Miller Associates' APBA Major League Players Baseball 1.5". Computer Gaming World. pp. 72–74. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  11. Poulter, Wallace (November 1993). "A 3.1-Run Homer". Computer Gaming World. pp. 134, 136. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  12. "Announcing The New Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World. June 1994. pp. 51–58.
  13. Roberts, Daniel (2017-09-18). "Robert Coover's Dark Baseball Fantasy". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  14. "Roll! They Cried". Goodreads. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  15. Lidz, Franz. "APBA IS THE NAME, BASEBALL IS THE GAME, AND OBSESSION IS THE RESULT". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  16. "Leagues". APBA Games. Retrieved 2019-01-22.