23
April

League Profile: DVAL

Dick Moore, famous for his DVAL modified basic game boards, writes in to tell us about the DVAL APBA League. 

Here’s a quick summary:

League Name

DVAL
Contact Person Dick Moore
Sport Baseball
# of teams 12
Year of inception 1984
Basic/Master/Computer/ Combination Basic Game
Out of the box or with modifications? with modifications
Geographic location

Wilmington, DE area

Dick Moore tells us a bit more about DVAL:

“Creator of the "world renowned" DVAL Basic Game boards. 12 team, face to face league. Draft only from 14 NL teams (not COL/MIL). 300+ page annual yearbook with all time leaders, records, full directory of active players, a la Stats Inc Yearbook.”

 

Indeed, “world renowned” may seem like hyperbole but I’ve heard good things about the DVAL boards.  Those who I’ve heard use them, swear by them.  

If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening! Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

2 comments

7
February

League Profile: Retro league DRBL working through the 40s

The official name is the DOS Retro Baseball League (DRBL).  However, commissioner Jeffrey Hart says that now it’s technically the “DOS Memorial” Retro League in light of the fact that the league now has moved on to APBA Baseball for Windows.  For those wondering, that’s made very clear in their constitution. 

A.  The DOS RETRO BASEBALL LEAGUE is a play-by-computer, continuous ownership, draft league.

B.  The APBA BBW 5.5 Computer Game is the league standard.

I love reading APBA Leagues’ constitutions :)

Check out the DRBL website which is chock full of their replay statistics.  Don’t miss their Past Seasons page that has stats and standings from the 1946-48 replays. 

Here’s some info on the DRBL:

League Name

DRBL
League Website http://drbl.webs.com/
Contact Person Jeffrey Hart
Sport Baseball
# of teams 12
Year of inception 2009
Basic/Master/Computer/ Combination Computer
Out of the box or with modifications? out of the box
Geographic location Milwaukee, WI

 

Jeff says they are currently playing the 1949 season.  The DRBL plays about two seasons per year. 

Thanks to Jeff for sending this in.  I love hearing about retro leagues.  They are such a different breed of league than what I’m used to.

 

If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening! Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

3 comments

19
December

League Profile: Lame Duck Baseball Association

I got an email from Jeff Cory who wants to mention his league, the Lame Duck Baseball Association.

The LDBA uses the Delphi Forums as their web presence.  I thought that was creative.  For those who don’t want to invest the time in a web site and don’t feel Facebook is for them, the Delphi Forums is a great idea.  It’s obviously worked well for the APBA Between the Lines forum.

Here’s the scoop on the LDBA:

League Name

Lame Duck Baseball Association
League Website http://forums.delphiforums.com/LameDuck
Contact Person Jeff Cory
Sport Baseball
# of teams 20
Year of inception 1981
Basic/Master/Computer/ Combination Basic Game
Out of the box or with modifications? with modifications
Geographic location League office in Chicago, managers from coast to coast

Jeff tells us a bit about the LDBA:

“The Lame Duck Baseball Association is a 20-team, continuous ownership, modified basic game mail league that plays a 162-game schedule from April through November, with an annual rookie draft in March. The LDBA is an established and competitive league utilizing many fun innovations that combine basic game playability with the sophistication of the master game and beyond.”

Seems like I’ve heard about the Lame Duck Baseball Association for a long time now.  They’ve been around since 1981 and it DOES have a name that sticks in your memory.

thanks for checking in, Jeff!

If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening! Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

No comments yet

9
December

League Profile: Mid-West Baseball League

Stray Corrado sent us an update on the BBW-based Mid-West Baseball League and includes some information on a new retro league called the Mid-West Winter League. 

League Name

Mid-West Baseball League
League Website http://www.straybaseball.com/mwbl
Contact Person Stray Corrado
Sport Baseball
# of teams 28
Year of inception 1997
Basic/Master/Computer/ Combination Computer
Out of the box or with modifications? with modifications
Geographic location USA and Canada

Stray included a fantastic description of both leagues:

“My name is John (STRAY) Corrado (I live in the METRO DETROIT AREA) and I am the Commissioner of the Mid-West Baseball League & the Mid-West Winter League.

Both are APBA Leagues, and have been mentioned as two of the BEST APBA Leagues around.

On Saturday February 18th, 2012 the Mid-West Baseball League will be holding its 15th annual Draft Day.  Please take a moment to check out the Mid-West Baseball League.  If you have any thoughts or questions, or would like more information please E-Mail me at: straymwbl@gmail.com

The Mid-West Baseball League is a Fantasy Baseball League – 28 Team Deep, 38 man rosters, 12 Man Minor League system.  The Mid-West Baseball League is entering its 15th season of play, and is one of the finest most established APBA / BBW Leagues around. 

Not only does the Mid-West Baseball League have unique playing rules, but we’re also deeply interested in the development of the game and minor leaguers. With Twenty-eight (28) (Yes that’s right twenty eight franchises scattered throughout the United States, we have a wide range of ownership.

With that wide range of ownership comes a great amount of knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication that makes the MWBL shine above other fantasy (alternative reality) baseball Leagues. Ten plus years ago the Mid-West Baseball League was formed as a continuous ownership league. To this day, we still have eight of the original members, and seven other members who have been with us for at least six plus years. The beauty in all this is represented by the fact that there are still people who are fanatic about the game of baseball.

It goes back to the great old saying “If you build it – they will come” and come they have. From as far West as California, and as due East as New York, and as far south as Florida. The Mid-West Baseball League goes beyond what a normal fantasy (alternative reality) baseball League does. You actually play the games, based on statistics from the previous MLB season using APBA Baseball for Windows game. We play a full 162 game season, along with playoffs (Wild Card & League Championship Series) as well as a World Series and All-Star Game. We have Awards for players, just like the pro’s – everything from Gold Gloves, right down to MVP, and Cy-Young awards.

Scouting and development don’t take a back seat in the MWBL, actually quite the opposite. Each team is allotted twelve (12) minor league roster spots. These twelve minor league spots are often used to draft minor leaguers, college or high school kids, or foreign born players. That’s part of the beauty of the MWBL. Also each minor leaguer play drafted must make it to the big leagues within a three year period or you lose his rights. Sort of like a free agent system.
Each off season we hold a live draft. It’s at this draft where you can try (and I say try) to rebuild your club. Not only do you need to finish off your major and minor league roster on draft day, you need to be more than prepared. There are not a lot of super “Gems” in this draft. Most decent to solid prospects are usually taken a year or two before most of the normal public know who they are. Which if you’re not knowledgeable on the subject you probably missed your prospect two years ago.

The draft is tough, but for the serious baseball aficionado, this is like Christmas Day for you. It’s where you get that great present, but don’t have a clue what it really is.

How many leagues out there, that you know of that have career statistics and full player information including trade and Draft History for each individual player. Do other leagues show what a certain player has done just for your team? Do other leagues have a trade register based on individual teams, so you can go back and look at all your good trades, and all those bad ones you may have made?
The Mid-West Baseball League prides itself on quality owners, we do this for a few reasons. This is not something we take lightly. Some say we’re “overly compulsive” about it. We have a great group of guys, and are looking for a few more. If you don’t believe what your reading to be true, stop by the Mid-West Baseball League web site and see for yourself. This is absolutely one of the premier fantasy (alternative reality) baseball Leagues around. Come check us out at the MID-WEST BASEBALL LEAGUE WEB SITE.

We are always looking for RECRUITS & Back up Managers. If you’re interested , or have any questions please let me know.
I also run a RETRO-LEAGUE called the Mid-West Winter League – you can check that out as well.

Always looking to meet up with more APBA enthusiasts.”


If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening! Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

No comments yet

2
December

League Profile: Franchise Owners APBA League (FOAL)

Larry Olson just sent me information on a new league starting up called Franchise Owners APBA League.  A quick look at the FOAL:

League Name

Franchise Owners APBA League (FOAL)
Contact Person Larry Olson
Sport Baseball
# of teams 15
Year of inception 2011
Basic/Master/Computer/ Combination Basic Game
Out of the box or with modifications? out of the box
Geographic location North America

 

Larry tells me that the FOAL is a brand new “retro league which uses 2010 rosters and draft”.

I always like hearing about new leagues starting up.  Good luck with the league, Larry!

If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening! Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

No comments yet

9
August

League Profile: Southern APBA Baseball Association (SABA)

We have a second league profile in as many days. Today, Southern APBA Baseball Association (SABA) is on the pedestal for display.  Wayne Hughes wrote in to tell me about SABA which is a retro league that has been around for 37 years.

The facts about SABA:

 

League Name

 SABA (Southern APBA Baseball Association)
Contact Person Wayne Hughes
Sport Baseball
# of teams 18
Year of inception 1975
Basic/Master/Computer/
Combination		 Combination
Out of the box or with
modifications?		 with modifications
Geographic location Nebraska, started in the South

 

Here’s what Wayne says about SABA:

 

We are an 18-team retro league currently finishing the 1990 season. We are in our 37th year. We also have a few openings for managers right now as we’ve had a couple managers quit due to health reasons. The new season starts in two more months. We’d like to hear from you if you’re interested.

Bob Grant is our President.

 

I don’t hear about too many retro leagues though I know they are out there.  A few of my league members are frequently talking about starting up a side retro league but time commitments seem to get in the way.   I’d love to hear more about how these leagues are set up and run.

Side note:  I’m on vacation and just rambled through Nebraska. Go Red.  Am I doing it right?  Welcome to the Big Ten, Huskers.  Nice choice of Darin Erstad for your baseball coach.

 

If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening!  Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. 

In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

No comments yet

9
August

League Profile: Mid-West Baseball League

straightup

John “Stray” Corrado contacted The APBA Blog with info on Mid-West Baseball League. 

It took me a while to figure out that it means Mid AND West… and for that matter there are managers from the East, too.  The 28 team computer based league is everywhere. 

Here are the details on the MWBL:

 

League Name

Mid-West Baseball League
Contact Person Stray Corrado
Sport Baseball
League Web Site http://www.straybaseball.com/mwbl
# of teams 28
Year of inception 1997
Basic/Master/Computer/
Combination		 Computer
Out of the box or with
modifications?		 with modifications
Geographic location US and Canada

 

Stray writes about the MWBL:

 

My name is John (STRAY) Corrado (I live in the METRO DETROIT AREA) and I am the Commissioner of the Mid-West Baseball League & the Mid-West Winter League.
 
Both are APBA Leagues, and have been mentioned as two of the BEST APBA Leagues around.  
 
On Saturday February 20th, 2010 the Mid-West Baseball League will be holding its 13th annual Draft Day. 
 
Please take a moment to check out the Mid-West Baseball League.
If you have any thoughts or questions, or would like more information please E-Mail me at:  straymwbl@gmail.com
 
The Mid-West Baseball League is a Fantasy Baseball League – 28 Team Deep, 38 man rosters, 12 Man Minor League system. 
The Mid-West Baseball League is entering its 15th season of play, and is one of the finest most established APBA / BBW Leagues around. 
 
Not only does the Mid-West Baseball League have unique playing rules, but we’re also  deeply interested in the development of the game and minor leaguers.  With Twenty-eight (28) (Yes that’s right twenty eight franchises scattered throughout the united states, we  have a wide range of ownership. 
 
With that wide range of owner-ship comes a great amount of knowledge, enthusiasm, and  dedication that makes the MWBL shine above other fantasy (alternative reality) baseball Leagues.  Ten plus years ago the Mid-West Baseball League was formed as a continuous ownership league.  To this day, we still have eight of the original members, and seven other members who have been with us for at least six plus years.  The beauty in all this is represented by the fact that there are still people who are fanatic about the game of baseball. 
 
It goes back to the great old saying “If you build it  -  they will come” and come they have.   From as far West as California, and as due East as New York, and as far south as Florida.   The Mid-West Baseball League goes beyond what a normal fantasy (alternative reality) baseball League does.  You actually play the games, based on statistics from the previous MLB season using APBA Baseball for Windows game.   We play a full 162 game season, along with playoffs (Wild Card & League Championship Series) as well as a World Series and All-Star Game.    We have Awards for players, just like the pro’s  -  everything from Gold Gloves, right down to MVP, and Cy-Young awards. 
 
Scouting and development don’t take a back seat in the MWBL, actually quite the opposite.  Each team is allotted twelve (12) minor league roster spots.  These twelve minor league spots are often used to draft minor leaguers, college or high school kids, or foreign born players.  That’s part of the beauty of the MWBL.   Also each minor leaguer play drafted must make it to the big leagues within a three year period or you lose his rights.  Sort of like a free agent system.  
 
Each off season we hold a live draft.    2011 MWBL DRAFT LINK  It’s at this draft where you can try (and I say try) to rebuild your club.  Not only do you need to finish off your major and minor leaguer roster on draft day, you need to be more than prepared.  There are not a lot of super “Gems” in this draft.  Most decent to solid prospects are usually taken a year or two before most of the normal public know who they are.  Which if you’re not knowledgeable on the subject you probably missed your prospect two years ago. 
 
The draft is tough, but for the serious baseball aficionado, this is like Christmas Day for you.   It’s where you get that great present, but don’t have a clue what it really is.
 
How many leagues out there, that you know of that have career statistics and full player information including trade and Draft History for each individual player.  Do other leagues show what a certain player has done just for your team?  Do other leagues have a trade register based on individual teams, so you can go back and look at all your good trades, and all those bad ones you may have made? 
 
The Mid-West Baseball League prides itself on quality owners, we do this for a few reasons.  This is not something we take lightly.  Some say we’re “overly compulsive” about it. We have a great group of guys, and are looking for a few more.  If you don’t believe what your reading to be true, stop by the Mid-West Baseball League web site and see for yourself.  This is absolutely one of the premier fantasy (alternative reality) baseball Leagues around.  Come check us out at the MID-WEST BASEBALL LEAGUE WEB SITE.
 
We are always looking for RECRUITS & Back up Managers.   If you’re interested , or have any questions please let me know.
 
I also run a RETRO-LEAGUE called the Mid-West Winter League – you can check that out as well.
On Tuesday August 16th, 2011 the Mid-West Winter League will be holding its 15th annual Draft Day. 
 
Always looking to meet up with more APBA enthusiasts.

 

The MWBL website is very detailed and I had fun poking around.  I was a bit envious as they have all of their postseason and even no-hitter games documented on their site.  Our league should do as well.  Nicely done. 

 

If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening!  Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. 

In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

No comments yet

21
June

League Profile: It’s all in the family for the Bump Proffitt Memorial APBA League

No doubt, every APBA League has something that is different or unique about it.  Whether it’s how they play the game, its the geographical location or something special about how they take advantage of resources to make their league run smoothly.

But several things stand out about the Bump Proffitt Memorial APBA League, the first being they are based in my home state of Illinois.  More importantly though,  this league has been around for an incredible 50 years, according to manager Chris Proffitt.  Not only that, its current membership is primarily made up from one family.  Six of the seven managers are in the Proffitt family.

 

A quick look at the BPMAL:

 

League Name

Bump Proffitt Memorial APBA League
Contact Person Chris Proffitt
Sport Baseball
# of teams 7
Year of inception 1961
Basic/Master/Computer/ Combination Basic Game
Out of the box or with modifications? with modifications
Geographic location Illinois

 

Chris writes:

 

This is only my third season in the league, but it has been going on for a long time in the Proffitt family. There have been some non-Proffitt’s in the league over the years but right now, 6 of the 7 players are Proffitt family members. We just finished our World Series last month. I had a 3-1 series lead and was winning 7-0 in game 5. I ended up losing the game and the series. In game 6, I was down 6-0, came back to go ahead 8-6, and was two outs away from victory in the ninth. My uncle got a three-run homer in the top of the ninth to take the lead.

 

This must certainly be a tight-knit family to be playing this game for so many years.  I’m wondering how the seventh non-relative got in.  When there’s a family get together does it just turn into a APBA fest to the dismay of the non-APBA fans in the family?  So many questions!

Thanks to Chris for writing in.  

 

If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening! Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it. In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

4 comments

22
December

League Profile: American Baseball League (ABL)

Every time I see the web presence of an APBA league, I’m impressed for one reason or another.  This time it’s the American Baseball League or ABL, for short.  If you see their web site, you can see that they’re going for an MLB.com/Baseball Reference feel they’re going for and I think it really works.  I’ve already gotten a few ideas for our league website. 

Here’s what ABL contact Chip Kruthoffer has to say about his league:

 

Face -to Face Dice league, AL East + plus Detroit and Cleveland only, which makes for interesting – and kind of pathetic – drafts.

48 games in two divisions, modified basic game league, NO DH even though we’re AL-based, with a terrific web site: www.ablonline.org

 

“Terrific web site”, he says.  It ain’t bragging if you can back it up, I always say. 

The ABL has been around since 1982.  I was in high school in 1982 so that’s a long time to me.  The team restrictions on drafts is interesting (our league balks at missing out at a chance at one player).  I’m sure it makes each team more realistic and avoids having powerhouse teams up and down the standings.

 

The details on the ABL:

 

League Name

American Baseball League
Contact Person Chip Kruthoffer
League Website ablonline.com
Sport Baseball
# of teams 8
Year of inception 1982
Basic/Master/Computer/
Combination		 Basic Game
Out of the box or with
modifications?		 with modifications
Geographic location Greater Cincinnati

 

thanks to Chip!

 

 If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening!  Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it.  In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

No comments yet

13
December

League Profile: The APBA League (A.P.B.A.L.)

Hugh Brown writes The APBA Blog about his league simply called the APBA League (or A.P.B.A.L. for short).  The A.P.B.A.L. has been around for a good long time, 1960 to be specific.  Their website claims (and as far I know, I can’t dispute them) they are “the world’s oldest face-to-face APBA baseball league”.

I was obviously drawn to their History Page.  I liked the way they divided that page up into three “eras” much like you see pro baseball history texts you would find in the bookstore.  They describe in detail their “Formative Years”, “The Expansion Years” and The Modern Era”.  Very clever.  It makes me want to do that for our league.  Check that… It makes me want to get someone ELSE to do that for our league (I’m busy enough).

The rest of the A.P.B.A.L. web site is very well put together as well.  Details on managers, All-star games, records are all there.  Nice job, Hugh.

 

In Hugh’s words:

The A.P.B.A.L. was founded in 1960 and has played annually since 1973. Originally a face-to-face dice league, it moved to a BBW format this year. Unlike most APBA leagues that have been created in order to replay specific seasons or to afford the league’s managers some player continuity, the APBAL has allowed its participants an opportunity to manage a variety of teams against well balanced competition.

 

The details on the A.P.B.A.L.:

 

League Name

APBA League (A.P.B.A.L.)
Contact Person Hugh Brown
League Website apbal.net
Sport Baseball
# of teams 10
Year of inception 1960
Basic/Master/Computer/
Combination		 Computer
Out of the box or with
modifications?		 with modifications
Geographic location U.S. (based in Utah)

 

thanks to Hugh for informing us on A.P.B.A.L.!

 

 

 If you want to brag about your league, we’re listening!  Tell us all about the league you are in and we’ll post a profile about it.  In the meantime, read about other leagues who have written in.

No comments yet

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