Then again, there are a lot new APBA fans out there and others coming back to the game.  Finally, I could be erroneous in my thinking.  Perhaps the Unusual Play Card and its brother, the Error Chart may be popular in my neck of the APBA woods but not be as well known elsewhere.  So I thought I’d pass both it on for everyone so could evaluate them and use them if they find them useful.  Note:  both of these modifications have been around for decades and I don’t know who was the original creator of either.  If anyone knows, please inform me so I can give them credit.

Similar Purpose

The UPC and Error Chart both serve a similar purpose.  While easy to implement, both serve to randomize result numbers that occur on players’ cards which mostly appear due the position that they position.  For example, it addresses the question: “Is it right that a baserunner has a much higher chance to get caught stealing if a shortstop is at bat?”.  It takes away the inherit unfairness that comes with the game.

With both modifications, it requires an extra dice roll every so often but not so much to extend the length game significantly.

I should say at this time that the cards displayed below and methods described are not canon.  These are the cards that our league has used for used and I have used for replays.  I’m sure there are variations that work just as well.  If you like the concept but the rules or cards don’t quite work for you, feel free to change them.  Better yet, let us know HOW you change them and why.

Unusual Play Card

The rules for the UPC modification are simple:

If bases are not empty and the offensive manager’s result (red number on the card) is a 23 or 36-41, the offensive manager rolls two dice again and refers to the UPC.

The result (again the red number) is the actual result number the offensive manager will use to refer to the boards.

Error Chart

The Error Chart works much in the same way.

If the offensive manager’s result (red number on the card) is a 15-21, the offensive manager rolls two dice again and refers to the Error Chart (the Error Chart is referred to with bases empty unlike the UPC).

The result (again the red number) is the actual result number the offensive manager will use to refer to the boards.

One drawback (because someone will bring it up if I don’t) is the 15.  I’m sure APBA uses the 15 to increase HBP totals on batters and using the Error Chart will skew this a little.

All in all if you don’t mind rolling the dice a few more times per game, these two modifications are pretty decent if you’re looking to randomize those position-related numbers.  I’d like to hear from others who have used similar modifications.  Did they work for you??

John says:

I have been replaying the last month of the APBA 1965 season in the National League. It has always bugged me that great catchers have no influence on base stealing so I devised a simple chart for catchers rated 8 or 9 in which the baserunner runs a risk if he rolls a result of 10 or 11 and decides to steal. I have found that using this chart, I increased the value of the  9 or 8 Catcher, raised the involvement level of the managers and placed a reasonable risk for players to steal a base against a good arm.

• I have found that I am more likely to hesitate to pinch hit or pinch run for a good fielding catcher
• In tight games I have to decide to bring in a defensive catcher for the later innings against a “running team”
• In the late innings in a tight game, its a nail biter when a 9 catcher is behind the plate and a batter rolls an 11 ..to steal or not to steal ?
• Finally it brings a little bit of reality to the stat, stolen bases vs caught stealing

Great Defensive Catchers vs the Stolen Base;
The charts below are used for catchers rated 8 or 9
when a batter’s first column 10 or 11 results in a
stolen base

Example: Ty Cobb’s roll results in an 11. If the opposing catcher is rated an 8 or 9 Cobb’s 11 no longer results in an automatic steal. First, Cobb’s manager decides to “Coach” Cobb and if he instructs him not to steal, Cobb remains on first & no dice are rolled. If Cobb is allowed to steal then Cobb’s manager rolls two dice & combines the dice. He then refers to the chart corresponding to the catchers rating *”Chance” refers to the percentage chance

I haven’t tried this so I can’t verify how this works but certainly looks interesting.  John’s right in that the basic game doesn’t provide any disincentive for a player to not steal against a catcher with a cannon for an arm.  Our league used to use a Catcher’s Throwing Chart on hit an run plays only but ditched it in our housecleaning move a few year’s back. 

Thoughts anyone?  Has anyone used such modification? 

Essentially, Coxx uses the Master Game pitching grades and from there uses charts to randomize the basic grades not unlike how the Master Game randomizes fielding grades.  In other words, your B pitcher won’t always be an B (but chances are, he’ll be in that range).

The charts are used whenever there is a potentially preventable single rolled.  If this happens, another roll is made (in competitive play, I assume the defensive manager would roll) and the appropriate MG pitching grade chart is referred to determine the basic pitching grade to be used for that play. 

Makojo.com has the charts on their web site plus full instructions on how to use the system. 

Thanks to Steve Stein for pointing me to them!  Steve points out that one advantage of the Coxx system is that it deters managers from “counting hits”.  No more “Lemme see that card!” 

If anyone has had experience with Coxx system, I’d like to hear their opinion, good or bad.  Not having used it, it will be interesting to hear what people have to say about it.

So he and I ended up playing by Skype.  I’ve mentioned of playing APBA by Skype before.  As I’ve said, if you couldn’t play in person, using Skype certainly beats playing by mail.  Playing by mail lacks the human element and isn’t near as fun.  Also as Todd said, it’s always frustrating when the other manager wins all his games and a little awkward when you win all yours.

And with Skype’s video capabilities, it adds a bit more fun than just playing over the phone.  I’ve done that and it suffices in a pinch.

The hardest part with Todd and my series was trying to fit it in.  We had to reschedule it twice.  But last Tuesday night, we both sat down at our respective computers in our respective homes, him in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and me in Urbana, Illinois, and played APBA.

As you can from the screen cap, Todd’s so cheap he didn’t have a webcam (again, I kid).  So all I saw the whole series was an icon that looked like a clothes hanger.  But he was forced to look at my ugly mug.  Skype fortunately does give you a window to give you an idea what you are broadcasting to the other caller.

The audio was clear and that was the important thing.  We played a six game series and managed to chit chat about baseball and umpiring (Todd is an umpire in Division III).

Close to the end of our series, I noticed that Mike, our league commissioner, was on Skype.  It wasn’t long before he started chatting with me using Skype’s internal instant messaging feature.  Mike has long coveted Albert Pujols.  With Albert’s slow start in the Majors, Mike thought he tried to pry him away from me with some EARLY trade talk.

Nice try Mike.

If you haven’t tried Skype and it sounds like something you might want to try, it is free.  You can download it here.  You and the other caller will both need to have it installed.  A webcam is nice have for video calling but using audio is just  fine.  A headset with a mic is handy but if your webcam has a built-in mic like mine did, it’s not necessary.

Has anyone else used it (or other web conferencing tools) to play long distance APBA?

This time, John and the RCMBA are addressing how APBA addresses fielding and errors.  Now, as much as I love the game of APBA, I have to admit there is a problem with how it administers errors.  It just seems to there are too many, especially when it comes to the middle infielders.  Even a SS-9 will garner more errors than Julio Lugo would in real life.

The RCMBA modification that John shares seems to address that pretty well.  It’s pretty simple as it only comes to effect when bases are empty. 

Here’s the chart:

Here’s a quick screen shot:

(click to enlarge)

Essentially, the Schedule Tracker is a web page that keeps track of who has played what games in the TBL.  But it seems to take it a bit further than that.  It allows managers to log their progress in playing their games.  Have they sent their instructions?  Are the games in progress?  Are the stats mailed? 

Assuming that the managers have faithfully updated their progress, the nifty online table displays a color-coded table which shows the progress for the month. 

Very nifty.  You can see the Schedule Tracker in action here.

Of course, this tool isn’t incredibly easy to implement and a few things are necessary to get started:

• a web hosting site with My SQL
• the knowledge of My SQL to put it all together

As an aside, the TBL has a standings page which is updated live.  Again, let me say I think this is a pretty good set up.  Kudos to Steve and the TBL.

Have a APBA modification you want to share?  Email me.

The second entry in the APBA League Modifications and Tools Series comes from my own league, the Illowa APBA League. 

I can take the credit/blame for instituting the Pitcher’s Hitting Card in the IAL though admittedly it was not my creation.  I picked it up somewhere from a fellow APBA player (I can’t remember who) back in the early 90’s when I was commissioner of the league.  We modified it slightly and introduced into play.  We’ve used it in the IAL ever since. 

It’s sometimes called the “American League Pitcher’s card” but that’s really a misnomer.  Our rules are simple.  If a pitcher with less than 10 real life at-bats is up to bat, we refer to the card below instead of the card that APBA gave him. 

The PHC serves two purposes:

1)  It gives those American League pitchers with the typical 7-8-9 card fighting chance.  Let’s face it, if your league is a pitchers hitting league and John Lackey was on your team, he would probably develop some hitting skills… at least up to the par of your typical National League pitcher.

2)  On the other end of the spectrum, the PHC lessens the impact of some of the monster cards that some of the relievers get from just a few at-bats of work in real life.  Does anyone remember Mike Stanton?? 

Essentially, the Pitcher’s Hitting Card evens things out a little bit.  Owners of Carlos Zambrano and Livian Hernandez fear not… according to our rules, this card will only affect those with less than 10 at-bats so those slugging starters (and starters who hit poorly too) will get to use their own card.

Pitcher’s Hitting Card

11-   7-1     31- 13-6     51- 39-6

12- 25-7     32- 26-6     52- 27-6

13- 13-6     33-   8-1     53- 21-6

14- 30-6     34- 31-6     54- 32-6

15-   9-2     35- 13-6     55-   9-2

16- 28-6     36- 33-6     56- 34-7

21- 30-6     41- 24-6     61- 13-6

22-   8-1     42- 13-6     62- 13-6

23- 29-6     43- 29-6     63- 32-6

24- 13-6     44-   8-1     64- 13-6

25- 36-2     45- 14-6     65- 35-7

26- 13-6     46- 12-6     66-   0-1

My Take on the Pitcher’s Hitting Card

Since it was my idea to use this in the IAL way back when, I suppose it would be prudent to say this was a great modification.  It does achieve its goals of equalizing the hitting prowess of those pitchers who really batted in real life.

It’s highly customizable.  You think the card is too strong/weak?  Fine.  Change it.  On a side note, we change it every year to relocate the 12 to where it is supposed to be.

But you would be surprised how controversial the Pitcher’s Hitting Card is in our league.  “The card is too strong”.  “The card is too weak”.  “Why can’t we just use APBA’s cards?”  For a while there, we were voting every year on whether to use it.  I think we even added a stipulation that we couldn’t bring up for vote for the next year because managers were tired of voting on it. 

There IS something calming and simple about  just using the cards that APBA deals you.  If you’re willing to get past that and this appeals to you, give it a try.

Have a APBA modification you want to share?  Email me,

John Briggs brings us our first entry.  He’s a manager in the Roberto Clemente Memorial Baseball Association.  The RCMBA saw a need to adjust how the optional base coaching was done in the APBA Basic Game so they came up with their own system.  It’s called the “Slow Runners Card”. 

It’s obviously been popular in the RCMBA.  John says they’ve used it since 1977. 

SLOW RUNNERS CARD

• APBA’s "Optional Base Coaching" (ie; "playing safe") will not be used no matter the situation or result.
• The below chart will be used whenever the runner is slow and the hit & run board is not in use & play result is 7-11.
• The slow runner will advance safely the following number of bases unless "SR" indicates otherwise.

PLAY RESULT IS:	7	8	9	10	11
1st	1	1	1	1*$	SR
2nd	2	1	1	1	SR
1st & 2nd (S at 2nd)	1*	1	1	1	SR
1st & 3rd (S at 1st)	1	1	1	SR	SR
2nd & 3rd (S at 2nd)	SR	1	1	1	SR
Bases full (S at 1st or 2nd)	1*	1	1	1*$	SR

Our league uses the Pitcher’s Hitting Card.  I originally introduced the PHC sometime in the  early 1990′s during my fateful reign as President of the Illowa APBA League.  I don’t know who in the APBA community originally designed the card first but we modified it to our needs and adopted it. 

Our rules state that any pitcher who has less than 10 at-bats (NL or AL) must use the Pitchers Hitting Card. 

The idea here is to diminish the effect of those pitchers who in real life batted so infrequently but maybe got that lucky hit and as a result, got a fantastic hitting card from Lancaster. 

We keep the card pretty much the same year to year.  The only change we make is where the ’12′ is placed. 

It does take a little research before the season to determine which relievers are affected by the rule and which are not  Certainly not difficult… but it has to be done..

One last point… our league hasn’t been of one mind when it comes to using the Pitcher’s Hitting Card.  It seems we vote on this every annual league meeting.  Some like it because of reasons stated above.  Others just find it easier to play the cards.

Do any other leagues out there use a modification similar to the Pitcher’s Hitting Card? 

Using Brian Davis’ Card Generator, Guthrie created sets for most of the Division I teams out there.  Using Excel, you can print them out. 

The sets available are for the year 2007. 

These are teams available:

Set 1: SEC, Atlantic 10, Wright State, Hawaii-Hilo

Set 2: ACC, Ohio Valley, Oral Roberts, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A and M, North Carolina A and T, Dallas Baptist, Prairie View A and M

Set 3: Big XII, Sun Belt, Mountain West

Set 4: PAC-10, Missouri Valley, Southern

Set 5: Big East, Ivy League, America East, Texas-Pan American

Set 6: Conference-USA, Colonial, West Coast

Set 7: Big West, WAC, Metro Atlantic, Army, Navy

Set 8: Big 10, Big South, Atlantic Sun

Set 9: Southland, Mid-American, Illinois-Chicago, Lafayette, North Dakota State, South Dakota State

Here is the entry point for Steve Guthrie’s NCAA Baseball Cards site