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Good morning,
April is awesome!! Little league opening day. Sat in 45 degrees in shorts last night watching one of the neighbor kids. NBA playoffs start. I hate to admit it but I do like the play-in games for the 7th and 8th seeds. NFL always makes news. See you in Kansas City at the draft. My favorite playoff season begins in a week. NHL HOCKEY. Congratulations to Boston and their fans on a remarkable season. Who saw this coming? No you didn't.
Rays are 10-0. The 1987 Brewers won their first 13 games. Lost 12 in a row in May and finished third. These streaks are dependent on who you are playing. Not all streaks are the same. Just saying.
Magnus Carlsen's , World's top ranked men's chess player, final match as world champion last week — an online game — ended with an epic blunder when his mouse slipped and he accidentally dropped his queen on the wrong position. Whoops!
APBA is the first tournament held at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Well done Geoff. Check out the story.
2023 APBA Convention Hockey Tournament Week 2 standings.
2023 APBA Convention update
We are still finalizing the last details. After this is done, we can determine the prices. At that time, you can place your orders. Right now the 2023 Convention page is a place holder.
But you can make your convention hotel reservations here.
CLIFF VAN BEEK
This past week I was at the beach. My thinking place. I was walking the beach one morning, early in a heavy fog. I've been reading a business book about the experience economy.
During my walk, I started thinking about Cliff Van Beek. What kind of man does what he did? It is the late 1920's early 1930's. The country is in or coming out of a horrible depression. Modern Major League Baseball is thirty years old or so. All games are day games. Games had been broadcast on radio since 1921. No televison. No ESPN. No internet. Despite these "factors", a Green Bay grocery store operator decides the world needs a baseball simulation board game and he was the person to make one. What? Huh? Out of nowhere, Van Beek creates the sports simulation board game category. I would love to know how this come about. What vision! Van Beek decided their was a market for this product and filled it.
It seems so obvious today but it wasn't back then. And finally, Van Beek designed a game that has stood the test of time as APBA. Well done Mr. Van Beek well done. The man stepped into the arena.
NEW PRODUCTS
The 2022 SEC football card set is available. Can you coach a team to beat Georgia?
Get your 2022 Ladies golf set here.
BBW 5.75 is now a download.
Get the 2022 MLS Soccer season card set with 28 teams here.
Similar to the World Series sets, APBA is now offering Stanley Cup Finalists card sets. The first three sets are the 1968, 1979 and 1989 finals.
Tired of winter? APBA has a new golf course Hoylake for your enjoyment.
TOURNAMENT NEWS
There were two regional baseball tournaments this past week. The Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament in Shakopee, Minnesota and The Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational Tournament at The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The next APBA Regional Tournament is The Lancaster World Series APBA Baseball Tournament in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on Saturday April 22nd.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational APBA Baseball Tournament
It was a balmy and overcast Saturday in Cooperstown, New York as 14 participants and 4 non-playing observers convened at The National Baseball Hall of Fame for an invitational baseball tournament. The APBA community was the first gaming community to hold such event at The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum according to Assistant Sales Manager Adam Halay. Attendees traveled from ten (10) States including California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Eleven (11) attendees were APBA Hall of Famers, many of whom took individual pictures and a group picture with their APBA Hall of Fame plaques in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery.
The 14 participants were broken into two pools of players and pool play began at 9:00 am. The four players advancing out of pool play were all APBA Hall of Famers and included Steve Ryan and his 2020 Atlanta Braves (Seed #1), Jim Sce and his 1963 New York Yankees (Seed #2), Steve Skoff and his 1911 New York Giants (Seed #3), and Dom Provisiero and his 1958 New York Yankees (Seed #4). The first semi-final saw Steve Ryan defeat Dom Provisiero by a 11-8 score. The second semi-final witnessed Steve Skoff dispose of Jim Sce by a 4-1 margin. This set up a one game winner take all championship game between two-time National Champion Runner-Up Steve Ryan and his 2020 Atlanta Braves and three-time National Champion Steve Skoff and his 1911 New York Giants.
In the Championship Game, Steve Skoff took a 2-0 lead into the 9th inning. But Steve Ryan and his Braves scored twice in the bottom of the 9th inning on a Ronald Acuna HBP and two-run Homerun by Travis d’Arnaud to send the game extra innings. In the top of the 10th and a ghost runner at second Skoff and his Giants were unable to push a run across the plate. In the bottom of the 10th inning, with Braves at 1st and 3rd base, Ozzie Albies play result number of 41 resulted in a double steal and Dansby Swanson stole home plate for the walk-off winning run.
Congratulations to Steve Ryan and his 2020 Atlanta Braves who were crowned tournament champion. Congratulations also to Steve Skoff and his 1911 New York Giants on a deep run in the tournament. But the real winners today were all who attended the event and shared the comradely brought by APBA and the APBA community….because in the words of APBA CEO John Herson, “APBA is more than a game it’s a community.”
At the conclusion of competitive play, all those attending were blessed with a live broadcast with Mr. Ed Zack; a long-time APBA player, APBA Hall of Famer, and author of The APBA Handbook. In the face of health issues, Ed most eloquently shared many thoughts on his blessed and full life, love of the game of APBA, and his admiration for all those individuals comprising the APBA Community. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as Ed spoke of life, love, and lasting friendships. It was by far the most moving and impactful speech that this author has ever heard. When it was my turn to briefly speak to Ed, I thanked him for documenting and preserving the magic of the cards and history of our game! His work was a result of his passion and love of the game and is currently being carried forward by The APBA Handbook Committee chaired by John Cochrane. Ed, we thank you, love you, and may God bless you….what a special gift you gave us all today!
A special thank you to Geoff Giordano for organizing the tournament and to John Cochrane for directing the tournament. A big thank you also to three anonymous APBA Hall of Famers whose donations made the days events free to all attendees. A great time was had by all who attended and future events are being considered….the only challenge with the current Hall of Fame facility is the size of the room limits the playing and non-playing attendance to 20 individuals. We are hoping that facility expansion plans at The Hall of Fame may increase this number in the future.
The Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament XIX
April 1st, 2023, might be known to most of the greater Twin City metro area as the “April Fool’s Day Blizzard”. For the 22 APBA Fanatics who were able to make the trek to Shakopee early on this wintery morning, memories of the “blizzard” quickly faded.
While the bad weather did prevent a few of our entrants without a safe way to arrive Saturday AM in Shakopee, we were fortunate the snow ended around 4-5am on tourney day. For those who were able to show up, the only delay was waiting for the parking lot of the Shakopee Community Youth Center along with the sidewalks to be cleared. The roads were actually very clear and drive worthy. After about a 20-min delay of our entry into the facility, the next delay transpired when we realized one of our legendary TCABT members, Fred Johnson, was no where to be seen or heard from. It turns out, his property lost power in the middle of the night, leaving Fred with no way to communicate out, after realizing he did not have my phone number saved in his or his wife’s cell phones. The APB was put out a few times, but no response, that is, until around 1pm in the middle of tourney day. Fortunately, Fred was doing fine and was just happy to have his power restored in Inver Grove Heights. Also relieved at this news were the “Nelson Hacks” … yes, our own Gregg Nelson, and his brother, Jeff Nelson (MLB Umpire and Crew Chief), who were early suspects in the power outage around Fred’s homestead. While I attempted to defend this shady duo, Fred was not as convinced they were not the culprits (Gregg and Jeff Nelson being former basketball star athletes in the community where Fred was a staff sportswriter for the local fish wrap). Afterall, any attempt at keeping Fred away from TCABT Tourney day, meant Fred’s eventual championship trophy hoisting, would be delayed for another 6 months. Gregg’s alibi was that he was running an AAU Basketball tournament at his college alma matter, Bethel University. Jeff was at Globe Life Field working the Phillies/Rangers tilt. Potential suspects cleared.
Alas, after a quick ruling (all games involving Fred’s 1959 Giants would be called as 1-1 series splits, agreeable by all division foes), the dice started bouncing and rolling. Note, this new ruling will be used in future tournaments, when we have a very late drop, or late arrival, where any un-played series due to a no-show or a late-show, will become an automatic series split, with pitcher rotations advancing to the next starters as scheduled. This allows for a fair, timely outcome, without disrupting any other games or schedules already set for the tournament.
Previous 3-time TCABT Champion, Kevin Cluff, but not since TCABT-IX in April of 2018, with the 2017 Nationals, had he won the coveted TCABT Traveling April Trophy. Kevin now has 4 TCABT Titles, each earned at the April Tournament. His championship series featuring his 2022 Dodgers vs John Kalous and the 2022 Astros was hard fought, tight series, all 3 games. Kalous was making his first TCABT Bracket appearance. Congrats to our TCABT-XIX Champion, Kevin Cluff (2022 Dodgers) and our TCABT-XIX Runner-up, John Kalous and his 2022 Astros. The 2022 Dodgers are now eliminated from all future TCABT events.
The path to bracket play was not as clear for Kevin Cluff and his 2022 Dodgers. After the #1 thru #4 seeds (division winners – 1905 Giants/Dave Norlander, 1953 Yankees/Phil Geraffo, 1936 Yankees/Leroy Arnoldi, 1911 Giants/Bob Long), the next 4 seeds to round out the bracket of 8, found that 5 teams were tied for the 4 slots. In plus/minus Run-diff order, #5 seed (2022 Astros/John Kalous), #6 seed (1930 Senators/Jim Fraasch), #7 seed (1971 Pirates/Kirk Davis) and finally #8 seed (2022 Dodgers/Kevin Cluff).
Cluff’s #8 seeded 2022 Dodgers had to open vs the #1 seed 1905 Giants managed by Dave Norlander. Kevin escaped by taking the 1st game 7-5, losing the 2nd game 6-5 but prevailing with a 8-3 rout in game 3 of the quarter-final series.
The #2 seed, 1953 Yankees, managed by Phil Geraffo was upset by #7 seed, the 1971 Pirates and Kirk Davis. The #3 seed 1936 Yankees, skippered by Leroy Arnoldi, made quick work of the #6 seed 1930 Senators guided by Jim Fraasch. And the #4 seed, Bob Long and his 1911 Giants were quickly disposed of by the #5 seed, 2022 Astros with John Kalous calling the shots.
Semi-final action saw the frequent nemesis of Kevin Cluff, that being Leroy Arnoldi and his 1936 Yankees, take a quick 1-0 series lead, but then Kevin’s 2022 Dodgers took over with commanding wins in games 2 and 3. The 2022 Astros and John Kalous found a rout in game 1 vs Kirk Davis and the 1971 Pirates, 12-4, with Kirk’s ’71 Pirates answering the call in game 2 with an 8-4 rout, but John’s Astros would prevail again in game 3, 4-3.
Another great tourney … #19 is in the books!
We are back the first Saturday of October, October 7th, 2023 for TCABT-XX. Team selection will be announced shortly after July 4th. Also, we are making special t-shirts available for individual orders, via CustomInk. It has been a long time since we have done t-shirts. This being the 20th TCABT event, it felt like the time was right. We will do a new tshirt every 5 tournaments from now on.
2023 APBA CONVENTION SOCCER TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
A replica of the World Cup Trophy is at stake this year! Each year, this tournament has grown and this year is no exception. To date, 12 participants have registered and we are looking for four or five more participants to make it an even 16 entrants. In short, and Club Team with DEF ratings on the player card and any European Championship Set teams 2019-2022 are eligible. Champion League Sets, World Cup Sets, etc. are ineligible. The tournament will start with a Group Stage where each team plays the other three teams in their group once. The top two teams in each Group will advance to the single elimination stage until one team prevails! You’ll have a full two weeks to coordinate a date and time to play your opponent over Zoom/Skype/Webex/etc. The tournament begins on Saturday March 25th with the Tournament Final match being played during the week of the National Convention (no requirement to attend the Convention). The final match will be broadcasted live over a YouTube channel for all APBAns to see. Anyone interested in participating, even if new to the game, please contact Jack Dolan at jaxondolan@gmail.com. There are a few participants who will also play a game or two online to teach the game before the tournament starts.
CALL FOR 2023 TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
I am now accepting Regional Tournament announcements through September 2023. Please submit your tournament information to Randy Coryer at apba66nyslp@yahoo.com. Please keep the announcement to 100 words or less and include the tournament date, name, location, theme, price, any deadlines or restrictions, and tournament director contact information.
APBA REGIONAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The APBA Regional Tournament schedule is as follows. Please mark your calendars accordingly and be sure to attend and participate in one of these fine events. You will not regret the experience of face-to-face gaming and tournament play.
Saturday April 22, 2023 - The Lancaster World Series APBA Baseball Tournament, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Lancaster World Series Tournament returns. This immensely popular tournament will be held at The Heritage Hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and cordially welcomes APBA managers of any skill level to playin a friendly yet competitive atmosphere. The tournament theme is “Seitz on APBA; The Early Innings 1951 through 1970”. Those seasons represent and commemorate the first twenty years that the game company produced in Lancaster. Early registration is $20 and is due by March 22nd. Early registration guarantees you participation In the team draft. All teams from 1951-1970 are eligible, but restrictions apply. This is a non-DH tournament with a four-man starting pitching rotation. Updates on registration, rules, and team draft are forthcoming. To express your interest in participating in this tournament and to receive additional information and updates, please e-mail the organizing committee at apba66lancaster@gmail.com. The ALS Foundation is the designated charity of the Lancaster World Series.
Saturday, April 22, 2023 – The Island City Classic APBA Baseball Tournament, Plainwell, Michigan. The tournament will begin at 9AM with the theme of the tournament being “Major League”. Any APBA issued regular season team from 1973 through 2019 with a winning percentage no higher than .481. Managers will be able to draft an extra player from the above years. The drafted player must have an “F” and a first column 11. The team draft will be held on March 18, 2023. The cost of the tournament will be $20. If interested, e-mail Bill Geresy at bill.geresy@charter.net or Kevin Seckel at fortressofsolitudestore@outlook.com
Saturday May 6, 2023 - 2nd Annual Charm City Classic, Timonium, Maryland. The tournament will be held at the Holiday Inn in Timonium, Maryland, 21093 beginning at 8:30 am. The tournament features teams from 1953 to 1972 that had a record between .500 and .556. There will be 114 available teams with no designated hitters. Players must have a minimum of 40 innings pitched or 40 plate appearances to qualify for play. A team draft will be conducted on April 1st. If needed and upon request, a Google Drive link containing photos of team cards can be sent out via e-mail to aid in your team selection. The tournament entry fee is $20. This fee will be put towards food, refreshments, and prizes. If interested, please contact Sonny Hall at sonnyorkin@msn.com.
Saturday May 20, 2023 - 2nd Annual Kansas City APBA Baseball Tournament (KCABT), Gladstone, Missouri. The tournament will be held at the Gladstone Community Center in Gladstone, Missouri beginning at 8:30 am. Come enjoy a great group of people enjoying the experience of rolling dice face-to-face. At the end of the day, a champion will be crowned and join the inaugural winner the 2019 Houston Astros. Early team selection will begin in March. Come and join in the fun! If interested, please contact Jeff Boeding at buffalojeff13@gmail.com.
Thursday June 22 through Sunday June 25, 2023 - APBA National Tournament and Convention. Save these important dates (that means you Langhans) and watch for additional details in late March or early April. Don’t miss out on the comradeship, trips to the game company, order pick-ups, side games at the big table, gaming sessions, baseball / football / hockey / soccer / golf tournaments, the annual Friday night dinner, the always hilarious tournament rules overview, and The APBA Hall of Fame inductions.
Saturday July 22, 2023 - The 1st Ultimate APBA Baseball Card Tournament, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This tournament will be held in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. Teams will be composed of a basic team (Ex. 1969 Cubs) with six additional players from another team in the same division. Both teams must have a .558 winning percentage or lower. Eleven games are guaranteed (8 pool games and 3 winner or loser bracket games). Tournament rules apply international rule for pool play, 4-man starting pitching rotations, relief pitching rest days, etc. Cost of the tournament is $25. For a copy of the tournament rules or to register, please contact Chester Davis at superdawg17@hotmail.com.
Monday July 24 through Wednesday July 26, 2023 - 2023 Vegas APBA Baseball Championship, Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament will be held at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas located just off the Fabulous Las Vegas Strip. Team selection can be any team from 1960 to 2010 with a winning percentage .450 to .475., but it’s first come first served. Each team is guaranteed 12 games with the top 8 teams advancing to the playoffs. Playoffs series are best of three games while the championship series is a best of 5 games. The cost is $50 if registered by March 1st and $60 thereafter. Lunch, snacks, and refreshments are included. Please contact Chris White at VSUSports23@gmail.com to register and be sure to identify your t-shirt size so I can get shirts made for the tournament. Rules are available upon request or available on-line.
Saturday August 26, 2023 - The 8th Annual Toledo Glass City APBA Baseball Tournament, Maumee, Ohio. The tournament will be held at the Maumee-Bowling Green Elks Lodge #1850, 137 W. Wayne Street, Maumee, Ohio 43537 (same location as last year). The tournament will start at 9 am and the cost is $15. The theme of this years event is “The Strikeout Era”…only non-playoff teams (i.e. no divisional winners or wild cards) from 1995 to present will be eligible. The DH and a three-man rotation will be used. The rest of the rules will be consistent with previous years. To register, contact Ron Emch at rce@emcher.com or send a message on Facebook with your name and cell number. On June 1st, the draft order for managers who have already signed up will be randomly determined. You may select your team at that time. After that managers can pick a team at their leisure. Due to a personal commitment of Ron Emch, the tournament directors this year will be Norm and Zack Zevela. A special thank you to them for stepping in to continue the tournament tradition.
Saturday October 14, 2023 - The Old Dominion APBA Baseball Tournament, Hopewell, Virginia. The tournament will be held at the Woodlawn Presbyterian Church, 1201 Blackstone Avenue, Hopewell, Virginia. The theme of this year’s tournament will be The Bridesmaid Tournament; any World Series losing team from 1920 through 1999. The tournament cost is $20 and will include lunch and prizes. There will be a draft in the Summer via e-mail. More information about the draft will be forthcoming. If interested, please contact Jim Saska at jamessaska@gmail.com.
Saturday October 28, 2023 - Linda B. Schulz (LBS VIII) Memorial APBA Baseball Tournament IX, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. The tournament will again be held at The Slippery Rock Township Community Building, 155 Branchton Road, Slippery Rock, PA 16057 and start at 9 am (participants are to arrive no later than 8:45 am). The cost is $20 per entrant and includes food and beverage. This year’s theme is “Lovable Losers” which includes MLB teams 1901 to present (except 2020) with a winning percentage below .500. Team selection is first come first served. Over 30 entrants are registered to date. Guidelines and tournament rules are available upon request. Please register by
emailing Ken Schulz at schulzka02@yahoo.com, messaging Ken on
Facebook messenger, or texting/calling Ken at 412-780-4131. If you need any advice on lodging in the local area, please contact
Darren Schulz at dcs1700@yahoo.com or text/call at 724-421-7166.
NEW LISTING - January 25 - 29, 2024 - APBA at Sea Tournament and Cruise - APBA at Sea January 25th-29th aboard the Celebrity Silhouette leaving from Ft. Lauderdale Florida. Call Aidy Alonso 954-377-6424 to book a cabin. Put down a 100% refundable deposit to lock in the price $410 inside cabin, $470 Oceanview, $610 for a Veranda. All prices based on double occupancy. If you are a single traveler Aidy is keeping a list to pair people up. This offer is open to everyone even those not playing in the tournament. Tell your family and friends. Eligible teams for the tournament are any team that finished in 3rd place between 1980-1999. Managers may add 1 player that played for that team 20 years prior. Ex: if you choose the 1999 Pirates you may choose any player from the 1979 Pirates. Only APBA game company teams are eligible. This is a first, unique, and interesting tournament….sign-up and cruise to victory at sea!
New England anyone? - I just recently moved to New Hampshire, and I’m looking to gauge interest in an annual tournament to be held in the New England area. If you are interested in attending such a tournament and/or helping with tournament coordination please contact Jason at footejb@gmail.com with New England Tournament in the subject line.
TAMPA ANYONE? - Looking for interest in a Tampa Based APBA Baseball Tournament –
Florida used to have a couple of tournaments a year but unfortunately the gentleman (Tony Stevens) who coordinated them has moved to the Carolina’s. Accordingly, I’m looking to gauge interest in an annual or semi-annual tournament to be held in Greater Tampa. If you are interested in attending such a tournament and/or helping with tournament coordination please contact Rob at rob@zombiedata.com with header Florida Tournament.
If your tournament is not mentioned above and you are planning a Regional APBA Tournament prior to June 2023, please forward me your tournament and contact information at apba66nyslp@yahoo.com and I will be sure to promote your event in APBA's company electronic newsletter. Remember all APBA game tournaments are welcome.
APBA LEAGUE INFORMATION
I am pleased to report that this column continues to assist leagues in finding new managers and pairing individuals looking for leagues. I will be glad to run your league opening, if you contact me at apba66nyslp@yahoo.com with a brief and concise write-up (Maximum of 150 words please). League openings or individuals looking to join leagues are as follows:
March 12th
Southern APBA Baseball Association Opening - SABA , a basic game C&D league is looking for a few good managers. Their next season will be 2003. The league schedule runs from October to May, which fits nicely with contemporary leagues. If interested, please contact Bob Grant at bobg55291@gmail.com and he will provide rosters and rules for you to look over.
Tampa Area Face-to-Face League - Rob is gauging interest in a Tampa based Face-to-Face League. Rob began playing in 1975 as a high school Freshman (Thanks Mr. Meale) and played for years in a face-to-face hybrid Basic/Master Game league. He is looking to gauge interest and form a face-to-face league in Greater Tampa meeting one to two times a month. Intending to play 81 games plus playoffs. League structure would depend on the number of participants. If you would be interested in such a league please email Rob at rob@zombiedata with header TAMPA LEAGUE.
March 5th
Keep It Simple Stupid League Opening- The KISS Winter AIM league with 24 teams is looking for a manager. AIM controlled with expanded BF and RP but using full injuries. Simple play, fast turnaround since you may cut and draft as many players as desired each new season. Just an easy going winter league to see what would happen if those good but injured players escape the injury bug…. If they can! If interested, please contact Robert at robertjacobus1@comcast.net for more information.
TSABL Retro League Opening - The TSABL, a 24-team AIM League, is currently in the 2003 season. AIM usage with a 190 game season. One team is open. If interested, please contact Robert at robertjacobus1@comcast.net
February 5th
LANCASTER APBA LEAGUE OPENING - A face-to-face APBA league, using the basic game with some variations, is looking to fill a vacated managerial position. The league was founded in 1962 and still has some of its founding members. The interested individual must live in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. If interested, please contact Skeet Carr at skeetcarr@comcast.net.
January 23rd
New 1986 Franchise BBW League - A new BBW league is forming and looking for managers. The 20-team league will be a 1986 Franchise League. Franchises already selected include Boston, Detroit, New York, Toronto, and Texas in the AL and Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Montreal, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and San Diego in the NL. Rosters will be at 35 with
active roster set at 26. Rules are simple and can be requested. If interested, please send a message to Ted at rkruegerjr@gmail.com (optional: 724-885-0218) with a list of teams in order of preference (first come first served). Once 20 teams are assigned a draft of open players will be held using real life won-lose record for draft order then gaming will commence.
CMBA LEAGUE OPENING – The Central Massachusetts Baseball Association is seeking new managers for the 2023 season. They will hold the player draft in February. CMBA uses the APBA Master Game with modifications, and managers have the option of playing games face-to-face or via Zoom/phone. The league play a round every 3 weeks. If interested, send email queries to Rich Lundin at Me@RichardLundin.com.
MBBL League Opening - The MBBL is an AIM league with 28 teams and is currently looking for two managers. The league uses their own salary system and employs a salary cap. Debut players are under team control at a minimum salary for four years. They become arbitration eligible for three years unless an extension is negotiated. They then go to free agency. Teams have a 40-man roster plus a 20-player minor league of un-carded non-MLB players. Rule 5 draft comes into affect in a few years as the league is only in its 2nd season. Draft will be conducted upon disc release. The league needs two solid managers who want to try handling the closest thing to a real MLB operation as you may find in a game! If interested, please contact Robert at robertjacobus1@comcast.net for more information.
January 15th
Long Distance Baseball Association Opening - The LDBA has a sudden league opening. The LDBA is a 24-team BBW APBA league with 6 divisions of 4 teams each, with contracts for players “without money” involved. TIME OF CONTROL of the player is the key. Most contracts signed are standard showing contract length, and others can be guaranteed (guaranteed means guaranteed a roster spot) or with trading restrictions, or with management options. And occasionally a player will declare free agency, at that point the team must decide if they want to give up draft picks to still save the player. Compensation picks go to teams who lose players to free agency. The LDBA uses a lottery to determine who gets the free agents. The LDBA has a rookie draft, five (5) trading periods, and many other offseason activities too numerous to mention here. Foe an exciting APBA challenge, join the LDBA. Lots of years of continuous membership. The team available has many good players and made the playoffs last season. If interested, please contact Mike Willett, LDBA Commissioner, at tttriplesteal2651apba@gmail.com.
I trust this column is continuing to bring APBA players together be it through regional tournaments or league play. I am glad that we can provide this service to the APBA community and further promote brotherhood within our hobby of APBA gaming.
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