Stat-keeping is all about paperwork.
While that certainly sounds threatening, with the power of a personal computer and basic applications, the work involved in keeping your records up has been reduced considerably.
To start with, here Is a list of important tools that you will need, at a minimum:
- The APBA basic or Master baseball game, your choice.
- A personal computer.
- Word processing and spreadsheet applications. I recommend Microsoft Office (Word, Excel).
- Two or three packages of #2 HB Ticonderoga pencils (and a pencil sharpener) or whatever kind of pencil you feel most comfortable using.
- A red pencil and a black pencil (or pen). Flair pens do great work.
- White out, to cover up those mistakes you make with colored pencils or pens.
- Erasers (get the big ones that erase a lot of stuff all at once).
- One or two college ruled, 5-subject notebooks (11 x 8 inches) for recording box scores. This will accommodate box scores for an entire season.
- A one-subject college ruled notebook (11 x 8 inches) for recording daily standings.
- Manila folders (probably a minimum of eight or more, depending on the number of teams you will include in your replay.
- A “D” three-ring binder (one-inch will do) for storing information.
- Some kind of see-through plastic storage box, for the pencils, erasers, dice, and other things that will be necessary to keep close at hand.
- Individual stat-keeping sheets for each player in replay.
Figure around a cost of $25-35 at Office Depot or Staples, which includes copying for the individual player sheets (excluding the computer and software, which, you are reading this blog, I can assume you already have). This is a small investment for the tools you will need for what will be an enormously satisfying undertaking.
Next: What stats to keep?