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Well, with one convention under our belt, it was pretty easy to setup the next one at the good old University of Illinois. However, this year we had more help, especially from quite a few friends we knew in Chicago, where I was living at the time. We were running all kinds of league this year (baseball, football, etc...) so I was very grateful for all the extra helpers plus we even had some financial contributions.
This year everything worked like clockwork
and we tried an experiment by expanding the Elementary Baseball Tournament
by breaking in down in the so-called "Old Timers" tournament and another
branch was the more recent teams. So basically we offered the
same tournaments as before. And even this year, I had a chance to
play in my first finals, in advance baseball, the first SOM game I love
but unfortunately I met a tough opponent and had to settle for second
place. It was great fun, having everyone say at the dorms worked
well and we expanded the convention from two to three days, as we
experienced the year before, that we needed the extra day for tournament
play. Finally, we hoped for a better turnout and we had twice as
many people attend as the first convention we sponsored. We took
this to be a good sign that our work was far from done and that we will
continue to use Champaign-Urbana as our base for quite some time for more conventions. As we have done thus far, please find
below the early announcements and reports
printed in the Strat-o-matic Review of how the '75 Convention happened --
that's two baby!!
EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS FEBRUARY ISSUE, 1975 Howlings
from the 'Wolfman' For those of you who
missed last year's convention in Champaign-Urbana, IL, we will be starting
work on next summer's convention in less than two months. It
probably will be held the first weekend in August. There will be a
dorm available for conventioneers (the price is less then $5 a night) and
the site will again be at the Illini Union. APRIL ISSUE, 1975
Signals 'Go' For '75 Convention The campus at Champaign-Urbana, IL, will again be a beehive of Strat-O-Matic activity in the summer of '75. Rick (Wolfman) Shapiro passes along word that he will definitely host another convention -- August 1-3. Site again will be the Illini Union at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and Rick reports that housing -- always a major problem with a convention of this type -- will be available for the very minimal cost of $5.00 per person (more for a single room). The Florida Avenue Residence Hall (dorm) has been reserved from July 31-August 3. Accommodations will also be available for husbands and wives, as well as single girls (women). Tournaments are planned for all three S-O-M games -- baseball, football and basketball -- both elementary and advanced versions. A $1.00 entry fee will be charged to help pay for the cost of trophies that will be presented to the winners. Rick, who held a successful tournament at the same site last summer, wishes to start the ball rolling toward the next (convention) immediately and is asking for those who are interested to send him a list of the top four tournaments that they would like to enter, plus a self-addressed, stamped envelope. "We can guarantee that a person who sends in now will be able to play in his/her first tournament choice," says Shapiro. "As far as how many tournaments a person can play in will be determined by how many total tournaments we have and how many people enter." Friday is planned as the starting day for the biggest tournament fields, Saturday as a continuation plus starting and finishing smaller tournaments, with Sunday the championship round games being played. People will be notified via cards what tournaments they're in and when they will start. It also will be possible for people to arrive on Saturday and still get in on the beginning of some of the tournaments. As far as
the cards used, for baseball it will be elementary cards from 1964-74;
football, 1973 {?}, and basketball, probably the latest teams
available. JULY ISSUE, 1975 Dates Are August 1-3 S-O-M CONVENTION COUNTDOWN UNDER WAY The countdown is well under way for the launching of the first roll of dice at the National Strat-O-Matic Convention at Champaign-Urbana, IL, August 1-3. Rick [Wolfman] Shapiro, organizer of the event, is looking forward to a turnout of from 100-200 people. And there should be something for everyone, too. Along with the tournaments in baseball, basketball and football, there should be plenty of opportunity to socialize with many of the people whose names have appeared frequently in the Review: pore over Robert Henry's [Detroit] vast S-O-M card collection, perhaps buy, sell or swap cards, and even partake of the on-campus recreational activities offered, that's if you should exit quickly from tourney play. J.G. Preston, a former summer employee of the S-O-M Game Company, is expected to attend the convention. His views should provide an interesting "inside" on the workings of S-0-M and its ingenius creator Harold Richman. "The most important factor which makes the university an ideal location for a convention is that everything is relatively close," points out Shapiro. "The dorm is only a 15-minute walk from the Union. There are other eating places besides the school's cafeteria just a block or two away from the Union. And, since most people will be staying at the dorm, your roommates and neighbors are likely to be opponents in the tournaments. This will give you a chance to meet them beforehand, perhaps discuss strategy and make it so you're not strangers when you meet over the tourney table." All the tournaments, Shapiro adds, will be rough and good tests of abilities, and that the luck factor will not play a major role in one's success or failure. If one wants to enter the tournaments in a casual mood and play just for the fun of it, that's fine too. The tournaments that will be staged include: advanced baseball, football and basketball, and two elementary baseball [one with teams from 19O5-1957, the other teams from 1960-1974]. The tourney schedule will find the advanced football and baseball tournaments getting under way Friday, Aug. 1; both continuing on Saturday, plus the three other meets beginning; with all championship rounds being staged on Sunday. Some of the gamesters expected to vie for honors include: Defending elementary baseball champion Bob Anderson of Chicago, IL; Roy "Mad Shuffler" Diaell, winner of the 1973 elementary baseball championship at the National Convention held in Brooklyn, NY; last year's advanced basketball king Bart Ewing of St. Louis, M0; last year's basketball runner-up Brad Furst, who is expected to come all the way from White Sands, NM, and Harold Roughton, the advanced football champ last summer. J.G. Preston and Tom Nelson, of Mid-Coastal League Football fame, are expected to give all a battle for gridiron laurels, while Shapiro reports that Alfred Wong of the U. of Illinois is another battle-tested football buff who could win it all. In baseball, Fred Floreth of Litchfield, IL, will be back to defend his advanced-version crown. Diaell might make a run at him, rather than play the elementary version. And there will also be Eric Johns and Steve Walters, both veteran and innovative gamers, in the baseball field as well. If you're still interested in getting in on the fun, Shapiro reports that it's possible to do so--if you hurry. Since tournament fields are about to be drawn up it's important that you contact the Wolfman immediately. Write him at xxxxxxx, Skokie, IL, xxxxx, tell him what tournaments you're interested in and send along a $1 [to cover the cost of trophies] and a stamp so that he can reply instantly. Who'll be the new [or maybe it will turn out the "old"] national Strat-O-Matic champions? A roll of the dice by you might just go a long way toward deciding.
Vol.. V-8
October 1975 45¢
Over 80 people doubled their fun -- also the attendance from a year ago --
at the second annual Champaign-Urbana, IL, Convention staged by Rick (Wolfman)
Shapiro. Beginning as early as Tuesday, July 29th, early arrivals made
their way onto the branch of the University of Illinois campus where the
three-day, weekend gathering was to be held. ADVANCED BASEBALL
This tournament had the moat participants -- 75 -- and Shapiro himself
made it into the finals. Fred Floreth, last year's champion, reached the
final round of 16 end then was sidelined, however. Also in the baseball tourney, Don Wilson of the '71 Astros hurled the only no-hitter, stopping the '73 Orioles for Steve Namerovski.
Only 10 ten tested their S-0-M skills in advanced basketball, with Mike Ericksen and Mark Hatton, from Richland, MI, facing each other in the championship showdown. Mike had the '73-74 Boston Celtics and Mark the '73-74 Golden State Warriors. The Warriors jumped out to an early 36-29 lead but a 44-point burst by the Celtics signaled the beginning or the end for Hatton's Golden Steters. The Celts continued to pile it on in the long contest, finally winning 137-106. John Havlicek led a balanced Boston attack (the point total was the tourney team single-game high) with 26 points, while Golden State was paced by Rick Barry, 31; Cazzie Russell, 26, and Nate Thurmond, 19. ADVANCED FOOTBALL
The most fiercely competitive of the tournaments as 50 armchair
quarterbacks went after the trophy. After the smoke of battle had cleared
through the semi-finals, only Tom Nelson and Alfred Wong, Mattoon. IL,
survived. Nelson rated as the favorite as, behind the '68 Kansas City
Chiefs' offense, he had run up scores of 53-24, 30-3, 40-23 and 34-23 in
smashing opponents. One final tournament was also held--to determine the overall elementary baseball champion. So Steve Dempsey ('69 Cubs) and Dale Barnes ('24 Senators) met in this playoff. Goose Goslin tripled twice in the opener and Walter Johnson did the hurling as Washington won the first game, 5-2. Dempsey bounced back in the second contest, however, as handling the Senators this time, he watched Ossie Bluege slam a three-run homer to cap a four-run first frame. Ogden hurled another shutout, this time 4-O, and Dempsey was the overall elementary baseball champion by the margin of one run, 6-5. (Notes from the Wolfman: Well, another exciting time was had by all and once again, the group of devoted gamers who were supporting our convention, we got together to see what changes we could offer for the '76 Convention. I was a bit disappointed I couldn't take the crown in the Advanced Baseball tourney, so I had a year to see if I could change my strategies. Everyone went smoothly again for our next gathering at the good old U. of I. So you know what to do to find out what happened in the National Convention #5, our third attempt to bring the best SOM players together.)
1976 Strat-o-matic
Convention #5
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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