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Again, we will tell the tale of the 2nd SOM Convention
through the reports given in the Strat-o-matic Review. I think this
might have been the first time I ever flew on a plane by myself, being 18
years old. I stayed with the commissioner of the play-by-mail league
I joined in 1972 started by J. G. Preston, the Metropolian Baseball
Association (MBA), the International League (IL), a division of the MBA.
J.G. had close ties with the people who worked at the Game Company and was
involved with the organization of this convention. For this year,
the Game Company was the main sponsor with the help of the Start-o-matic
Review and Abraham & Straus, a large department store in Brooklyn who sold
Strat-o-matic. Also, during this year,
in the April (1973) issue of the Review was reported an unusual
play-by-mail series I participated in against one of the few female Strat
players of the time. It was a young lady (who I apologize to, that I
refer to her as a girl in my report -- click
here to view this report) by
the name of Donna Chevrette from Plainfield, CT. They called
this series the "Battle of the Sexes". It was through this series
that I made a name for myself (or became a bit infamous) and people
started to know me as "The Wolfman".
EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
DECEMBER ISSUE, 1972 Target date is again for the summer months. Plus there's the possibility the Strat-O-Matic Game Company might be directly involved this time. If so, the choice of sites could swing toward the East, probably very near the Game Company's headquarters at Port Washington, New York, on Long Island. In discussions with the game company, we've found that a final decision will probably not be made until January or February. Of course, as soon as a decision has been made, the readers of the Review will be immediately notified in the next issue . Discussion has also centered upon the length of a convention, with a two-day gathering a possibility as well. Harold Richman, owner and creator of the Strat-O-Matic games, has already made one suggestion we feel is an excellent one. If a football tournament is held again -- which seems most likely -- random teams will be chosen by the participants. But, instead of coaching one team throughout the game, teams will be switched at halftime, thus both coaches will handle each of the teams. It won't be so much a contest between which is the better team but which coach is tops -- and that's the way it should be. (Wolfman's Notes -- thus the concept to switch teams in the tournaments which we used in our conventions later on, came through SOM's creator)
This was the issue we had hoped to give you the final plans for the second annual S-O-M Convention, unfortunately, though, we can't. However, set aside the weekend of July 21st and 22nd. This is definitely the weekend of the next convention. What's the hang-up? A convention site. As mentioned before either Kalamazoo, MI, or New York, NY. New York is the probable, but as of this printing, the Convention Hall is still in doubt. Some have complained that New York seems unreasonable because it is not centrally located like Kalamazoo. True, but the greatest number of SOM players is on the East Coast. Also the Game Company is there. For you statistics nuts, present odds are 60-40, New York. If in New York, the Convention will probably be a two-day affair, with various tournaments for both elementary and advanced versions of both the football and baseball games. Of course, if the convention is in Kalamazoo we hope to have many of these same features.
Error, error, error! Last issue we mentioned the SOM Convention this year was for sure July 21st and 22nd and needless to say we were wrong. August 3rd and 4th, Friday and Saturday 10:00-6:00 both days, are now the aboslute, for sure, positive, correct dates for the 1973 SOM Convention. The Convention will begin at 10:00 AM in the morning with many tournaments taking place. Convention location will be the Abraham & Straus Brooklyn Store, at the corner of Fulton and Hoyt, in the store's convention hall, New York.
Final (hopefully) announcement will be made the
next issue with regard to exactly what tournaments will be held.
However, again you will be advised to bring with you the teams that you
would like to play with in the tourneys. Both elementary and
advanced tournaments will be held for both the baseball and football
games. Because of the larger amount of people that will be expected,
a one dollar reservation fee will be required ... next issue we will print
entry blanks on the back of the Review for you to send into Abraham &
Straus to reserve a place for yourself. Please, do NOT send the
money to the Review, and please also wait for the entry blank to be
printed before sending money to the store.
Countdown Begins
The countdown to the second annual
Strat-O-Matic Convention is well under way. Only a matter of days, not
months, remain before a throng of Strat-O-Matic buffs gather at Abraham
and Straus Department Store in Brooklyn, New York, for two days of
game-playing, browsing, conversing and card trading.
Convention '73
GAMING TABLES WERE ACTION-FILLED PLACES DURING S-0-M CONVENTION. Right, Game Creator Harold It looked like an overflow pre-season camp for fledgling Bobby Fischer's. But in reality it was the second annual Strat-O-Matic Game Convention, in Brooklyn, New York's Abraham and Straus Department Store. Over 500 table-game buffs, parents and browsers were on hand for the twoday convention, July 27 and 28, which featured tournament play in both basic and advanced versions of the Strat-O-Matic Football and Baseball games. Where the first S-0-M Convention in Kalamazoo, MI, in Aug., 1972, had been the pioneer, the second proved that table-game playing had gone big league all the way. Over 100 participants engaged in dice-rolling combat in Kalamazoo, while there were 128 entries in three of the tourneys and 32 (basic football) in a fourth at A&S. Winners of the tournaments were more than rewarded for their feats, too, as color television sets went to the advanced-game Champs and black and white gets to basic-game winners. In addition, victors were also given trophies. Runnerups were given gift certificates by the game company. Abraham and Straus contributed three of the television sets, Strat-O-Matic the other, while the game company provided the trophies. Twenty-three states, plus Canada, were represented at the two-day marathon. Gamesters came from as far away as California, although the majority were concentrated in the East, which is natural since the home of Strat-O-Matic is at Port Washington, NY, on Long Island, Jeff Fleischman from Downey, CA, and organizer of GUSSOMO (Greater United States S-O-M Organization), was in attendance, although another Californian, Emery Kurts, made the long trip From Santa Maria end then fell ill end missed the convention. Tom. Nelson, of Springfield Gardens, NY, who along with Kurts have been instrumental in making the Mid-Coastal play-by-mail football league a success, housed Kurts during his New York stay. "Emery did get to visit the game company and that we. a big thrill for him. So, even though he wasn't able to attend the convention, he felt the trip was worthwhile," said Nelson at the convention. Harold Richman, the guiding genius behind the Strat-O-Matic games, was at the convention both days bright and early, starting at 8 a.m., and worked tirelessly to 6 p.m. each day keeping the tournaments running smoothly and, most important of all, patiently answering the thousands of questions directed his way by the legion of fans playing his games. There never was a formal question-and-answer session with the crowd, but it really didn't matter since everyone had an opportunity to pose their questions in informal, small group gatherings with Richman. One and all had to have come away impressed with Richman, crew-cut and very down-to-earth, despite growing fame due to his creative genius in the sports table-game field. Richman's wife, Sheila, who had done most of the behind-the-scenes organizational work in conjunction with A&S for the convention, was also present, while others from the game company included James Williams (who handled the bulk of the announcing duties), Steve Barker, J.G. Preston, Pauline Williams and Linda Truskowski. Co-host for the convention was Del Newell of Kalamazoo, MI, co-editor of the Strat-O-Matic Review, who attended with his wife, Mary. Both editors of the Review could not make the trip to New York, however, as Mike Allison was readying a move into a newly built home and had to be content to wait and hear about the convention. There were many other people well known to reader. of the Review who were at the convention. Brad Furst, who had hitch-hiked from Spencer, IA, lost year, was again on the scene; Rick (Wolfman) Shapiro flew in from Skokie, IL, stayed with J.G. Preston and also sang a folk song about the Strat-O-Matic Convention; Donna Chevrette of Plainfield, CT, Rick's opponent in the so-called "Battle of the Sexes" baseball series, came to try her luck in the diamond tourney, plus there were many, many others. Donna, the lone female entry in the tournament, caused male chauvinists no worry we one bowed out early in advanced baseball play. Shapiro, however, made it to the semifinals of the advanced baseball, losing to eventual champion, Joel Furst of Stamford, CT. Brad (Furst) won his opening two games in the advanced football tourney before being ousted by a 44-24 score in the third round by Dave Waters. The tournaments themselves were hold at intervals, starting with the basic football Friday at B a.m.., Followed by the advanced football at 10 a.m.., basic baseball at 12:30 p.m.., advanced at 1:30, and then resuming with the second rounds in football at 3:00 and baseball at 5:00. The opening tournaments were hectic as, after the 32-player field for basic football was processed without a hitch, the large advanced football delegation poured in and it began to look like Chinese troops streaming over the Yalu River all over again. Eventually the participants were processed at the registration tables and the main quest--tournament success--was under way. Although entries had been closed over a week before the convention date, there ware openings in the tournaments for those who registered at the door, mainly because some who had already signed up failed to show. The tournaments were no place for the timid, the unskilled, or those with heart conditions as, in order to take home championship honors, a gamester had to win five basic football games or seven in the other three tournaments. Two rounds were played opening day and five the second. That makes for two long days of dice-rolling and a lot of head-stretching. The football tournaments were set up as follows: Two teams wore chosen (one by each coach) from the 1971 season (excluding Dallas). Teams had to be exchanged at half-time, though, so the game was a contest of a coach's skill and not a matter of how good the team was. Total points won the game, although if there was a tie in points, the winner was determined on the basis of first downs. Sudden death overtime decided later games that were deadlocked in points and first downs. Believe it or not, but there were a large number of games that were decided by a mere first down or two. That's a tough way to lose! In baseball, again two teams were chosen. A two-game series was played, with the teams exchanged after the first game. A starting pitcher, however, could only hurl one game of the series. Again, most runs determined the winner. If the score was tied, than the winner was decided on the basis of hits. Then, extra innings. Again some rollers had their dice silenced for good in the tournament by the slimmest of all margins--a hit or two. The tournament participants were models of conduct, despite the score, in almost all cases. "I remember a number of years ago the store put on a Mah Jong tournament and people started throwing things at each other," sighed Miss Jean Miller of A&S's special event department who, along with sports buyer Steve Feigin, were instrumental in bringing the convention to the department store. "Frankly, I was worried something like that might happen again, but these people conducted themselves amazingly well. It wasn't anything like before." COMING NEXT MONTH... ..How the Strat-0-Matic tournaments at A&S came out and a
look at the winners... More pictures from the convention ... (see
next issue next)
Convention Champs Crowned
(Editor's note: Here is the second and final part of the "Convention '73"
story.)
To correspond with the "Wolfman" feel free to send him an email at:
To view the leagues that the "Wolfman" is competing
in, feel free to visit:
To read the article entitled "The Wolfman's Return to SOM", which
deals
Or to read his article about Wolfman's first experience at the
Star Tournaments http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/startournament_chi1.html
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