Paul Trinkle, the winner of the baseball tournament at last weekend’s APBA National Convention, asked if he could submit an article for The APBA Blog in light of some negative comments regarding player usage (details here on the Between the Lines forum). I’m happy to oblige. -Tom
Just wanted to say that I have played the 1916 Brooklyn Robins for years now
in the tournament. Twice I made it to the finals only to lose to the 1930 Cardinals
both times. Nothing better than 6-4 for the other 6 years. No one ever said a word
about this team or me playing this team until now. Has the issue on player use
been talked about before? For sure. The legend George Puccinelli has been the subject of many a debate. I think anyone who has ever played me knows how animated I can be. I have always put having fun over the importance of winning. That is not to say that I don’t enjoy a competitive team like everyone else. However, even the gentleman most annoyed by Jim Hickman and Hack Miller admits it was the Robins pitching staff that beat him and not these 2 players.
You should already know of Hack Miller. Some time ago I submitted him has my favorite player and he was featured in Monster Card Monday.
I am a quiet guy until you put the cards in my hand. With Casey Stengel up I announce that Casey is talking to the catcher and umpire but no one knows what he is saying. I take my time rolling because it takes Casey awhile to get up the 3 steps in the dugout. With Hickman up and all the 14;s I give him the take sign and yell ""Fined"" if he hits the ball. When Fred Merkel was up I had my base couch point to bag and yell "The Bag Merk, The Bag." When Ray Chapman was at bat for the other team, each time I announced ""Chapman Bailing out on the pitch."" I run the bases with the cards. I think folks who have played me will say they had fun win or lose.
If the truth be told I would rather lose and have fun then win and not have fun.
Somehow someway despite losing 5 games in the tournament the Robins are the Champs. If you look at the Robins you will see a great 1st 4, but Stengel is average at best at 5. 6-9 are very poor for a tournament team. You need to manage this team. Pitch Hit, Hit and Run, Bunt, etc to get anything you can from the bottom of the order. The pitching is great and the real key to the team. 3 A’s, All Z’s with the ace being Marquard A&C. (No X’s and a Mowrey is fielding 1 at 3rd.) I am going to miss playing these guys. They where perfect for me who likes to manage a team rather than sit back and hope for 66’s every roll.
The many congratulations I have received has really touched me. I want to thank everyone for the joy, laughter, and fun that was experienced at this convention and the many others past and yet to come.
-Paul Trinkle
[ed note: I wasn’t at the convention but from reading the forum posts, it seems that the negative comments are coming from a small number of attendees. While the tournament rules might need to be looked at, Paul played within the current rules and deserves the rightful title of champion. Congrats Paul!!]
I congratulate Paul on not only capturing the Tournament Championship, but also capturing the Spirit of the Game. The games are the vehicle for a great time. If you haven’t attended an APBA Convention, do it once. The following day you will start planning to attend the next APBA Convention!
Look, I’ve been playing APBA for almost 50 years and have played in a face to face league for 35 years with the same guys. Some guys do aggravating things. Some guys press right up to the limits. But in the end, as long as they stay within the rules … well, complaints about other players “styles” are just sour grapes indeed. Granted, perhaps the convention should change its rules about who’s eligible for the rosters but until they do, just roll better numbers and shake the winner’s hand.
using players with 4 & 7 AB’s as starters…..why bother even playing the damn game. why not just make up your own cards using wiffle ball and little league stats and play a tournament?
the whole point of playing is to match up the teams from the different eras and manage them. sure the 4 & 7 AB guys are on the team and their stats are ridiculous so you want to use them but limit them to pinch hitting. as they clearly were used in reality. try to make the games somewhat realistic and statistically sound. otherwise you might all as well be at an XBOX convention !!
laughable that anyone would think it is OK to use 4 & 7 AB players throughout a tourney and consider himself a legitimate champion. hack.
whose on next year’s team? Bug Bunny?!
I have played APBA for 30 years, and was considering attending a convention. hearing this type of middle school crap is going on….why bother incurring the cost. I could just play a game against any little kid in the neighborhood and have the same boring experience…..lame.
While the champ won within the rules, clearly APBA needs to review the rules. It does seem silly to use cards based on less than 10 ABs.
CONGRATULATIONS Paul!
I think some of the concern over player usage is a two way street. On the one hand there are players that were carded to fill out the twenty card set. On the other hand, more recent seasons has players who were part time starters and didn’t even make the 25 card sets available for the tournament. Also the earlier teams had virtually not bullpen compared to say the 1995 Indians who have three or four relievers who are rated better than any of the starters. So while there are a few cards that are useful, under tournament rules, the more recent teams can have 20 cards or more that can contribute. More recent teams can also engage in a short sequence offense as opposed to sustained dice rolls needed to score. Pick your poison, but when my opponent rolled a 66 then 11 with two outs and didn’t score, I felt better about my 1998 Braves. And remember the 1916 Robins made one final in eight tries. #AllabouttheDice!
I no longer “play APBA for blood.” And I try not to play against opponents who “play APBA for blood.” So I agree with Bill.
Let’s say I devote a day to travel & an APBA tournament. If I lose to a team that uses a guy was 4 at bats & another guy with 78 Maps, I will not be very happy.
More important: It will negatively affect my desire to go back to that tournament again the next year.
7 at bats. Not 78 Maps.
Don, you have hit the nail on the head. The basic question is: do the current rules positively or negatively affect the attraction of the APBA convention tournament? If the answer is that they make the convention less worth the time, effort, and cost to attend, then the rules need to be changed. I play in a 40-game winter league based on a selected season (this winter it will be 1941) and we “de-select” aberrant cards.
I have never been to an APBA tourney; I might go next year. Anyhow, I’ve been playing for over 35 years. My friend and I would play for hours on end in the summer as kids, and he played unrealistically. Drove me nuts. I seem to remember the Cardinals in the late 70s had a pitcher that hit a triple. He had 2’s all over his card and he’d use him to PH all the time! Now, that is not what Paul did in the tourney.
Anyhow – what do you get; something like 10 games guarantee? Why not take that into account and make ALL players who have minimal ABs be only used at a realistic percentage. If a player had 7 ABs for a season, in a 10 game tourney he might get 1 AB maximum. Same thing applies to a pitcher who pitched very few innings; just do the math and base it off of a percentage to the total games being played.
Can’t blame a guy for playing within the stated rules, but I am in the boat with those who don’t view this favorably.