As you may have read, three APBA fans tied for first place in the 2021 Pitching Grade Challenge. Each one guessed 19 out of 20.
This is the second interview I’ve done with each of the winners. This time, we learn about Mark Fitzkee.
The APBA Blog : Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who is Mark Fitzkee outside of the realm of APBA?
Mark Fitzkee : Banker, husband, dad, grandpa. I enjoy playing basketball and all fantasy sports with balls (no pucks).
TAB : Congratulations on your Challenge victory! Did you have a system or formula that led to your high score? Clue us all in!
MF : I look back at the past couple of years for pitchers with similar stats to those in the contest. The 2021 MLB ERA was 18 points lower than 2020, so grades should be tougher to get this year. I believe there were few, if any starters over 3.50 in 2020 who got B’s.
On borderline cases I try to figure out if the pitcher has a W, Z, or ZZ, all of which can affect the grade. Does the pitcher need a bump to help his MLB team in a replay? And then lastly, I cross my fingers and hope that APBA hasn’t tinkered with the recipe again.
Rapid Fire Questions with Mark
| Favorite sports team? | Golden State Warriors, at least until Curry retires. |
| Baseball player you would like to have lunch with (past or present)? | Cal Ripken Jr. I was at 2130 and 2131 and would love to tell him about it. Hopefully he brings his wife along. |
| Best APBA baseball card of all time in your opinion? | 1921 Babe Ruth, though you’ll want to check out 1922 Red Lutz. |
| Do you use a dice shaker, dice tower or hand roll? | Dice tower. |
| What’s one MLB rule you would change? | I’d make infielders play in the infield (not medium right field), 2 on each side of 2nd base. If you let me change two rules, I’d move the rubber back however many inches it would take to give the batters a chance. |
TAB : How long have you played APBA? What first led you to the game?
MF : I’ve been playing since 1973 or 74. My first set was the 1972 season. Previously I had made my own game with play results written on slips of paper, which meant Larry Bowa was as likely to hit a HR as Mike Schmidt. A friend of my mom’s told her about APBA, and I was off and rolling.
TAB : What APBA projects or activities are you involved in?
MF : I’ve been in the Hang In There Baseball League (cards and dice) since 1986. I’m also working on a solo project with 24 of my favorite teams from all eras.
We have our own grade contest in the HITBL, with the winner getting an extra draft pick (#101) in our February draft. I select one pitcher from each MLB team for the contest and I try to pick all tricky ones. I definitely get some W’s in there to see if anyone forgets that a 2.70 ERA with a W is likely to get an A. Our top entries got just 22 of 30 correct this year.
TAB : Finally, because of your APBA expertise, you have won a season set from the APBA Company. Which season did you choose and why?
MF : 2021 baseball cards when they come out. I own over 100 seasons, so I mostly just get the current season these days. Keep an eye out for my obituary-my wife will let all of those cards go cheap.
I had not corresponded with Mark in the past but I liked his dry sense of humor so we may stay in touch. Who knows? With his contest experience with his league, maybe I’ll convince him to help with next year’s Challenge!
Don’t miss the interview with fellow winner Shawn Robuccio. There is one more left. Thanks for doing the interview, Mark and congratulations again!
