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Strat-O-Matic Fanatics: The Unlikely Success Story Of A Game That Became An American Passion ReviewObviously, you're not going to read this book unless you've already invested hundreds of hours of your life in playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball. I got the game as a birthday present from a cousin when I turned ten, and again from my mother when I turned 14. With the occasional lapse along the way, I've been a regular player for over 20 years now, and was even fortunate enough to get my name in the computer game credits for two of those years. Therefore, I was destined to buy and read this book, even if it was written by, oh, let's say, the editorial staff of the Washington Times.
Glenn Guzzo, newspaper editor and long-time Strat-O fan, is the man who refused to use the corporate name for the new Mile High Stadium in Denver in his old paper. I therefore had high hopes for the writing of this book. Basically, I was disappointed with the end result, but not enough to prevent me from finishing. Maybe the problem is in the editing -- game creator Harold "Hal" Richman is called by his full name on almost every other page. Other details, such as the circumstances of Hal's first "intimate encounter" with a woman, just don't belong here.
However, the star of this book is the Strat-O-Matic game, the history of which would be enthralling no matter what. The stories from celebrity Strat-O players are quite welcome, especially Spike Lee's. I'm actually going to have to watch "Crooklyn" now. So Guzzo's done what a team of wild horses haven't been able to do.
The first two thirds of the book detail the game's creation, and its survival by creative evolution in the competitive board-game and video game markets. One upside is that, since I finished the book, I've been playing my computer version in dice mode, the first time I've rolled dice to play Strat-O in almost a decade. Not that the results have worked out very well for my retro-league 1934 Boston Braves. Wally Berger, stay out of the 3 column!
The final third of the book details the derivation of the annual fielding ratings, and also includes numerous personal stories, such as a weekend at a face-to-face Strat tournament, and biographies of representative Strat players. As with any game that requires such a time commitment in order to become proficient, Strat draws its share of troubled personalities for whom the game defeats real life. I had to set the game aside in college when it came time to graduate, and didn't get back to it for two years, until my academic future stabilized. The book covers the down side as well as the up.
A book about Strat-O-Matic is going to have a built-in audience and is not going to have much crossover appeal. Therefore, it need not be written by David McCullough or Simon Winchester (though that would be nice). I doubt that a significant portion of the target audience is going to be put off by simplistic writing or the occasional awkward literary device ("That is why the boys' discovery...nearly killed Strat-O-Matic before its birth"). Go read the book, then pick up the dice and cards for a few hours, and see if you can't manage to lose a few to my lowly '34 Braves.
Strat-O-Matic Fanatics: The Unlikely Success Story Of A Game That Became An American Passion OverviewThis is the true story behind the creation—and re-creation—of America's most popular sports board game ever Strat-O-Matic. Overcoming abuse and betrayal, Hal Richman beat the odds and built a company that continues to thrive in a highly competitive industry. More than a tale of a single man and his small company, Strat-O-Matic Fanatics shows the power of a dream. It details Hal Richman's youth; the first tenuous years of Strat-O-Matic; numerous episodes of conflict and opposition; and the devotion and addiction of the hobby's fans. Along the way, author Glenn Guzzo reveals a universal story of determination, love, loyalty and honesty in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds that has made Strat-O-Matic an icon in the board and computer game industry. Core Strat fans will be intrigued by the exclusive, inside view into how Richman and his crew determine their baseball fielding ratings. Former players will enjoy this look back on the history of a game that brought them so much joy.As entertaining as a novel, but as dramatic as only real life can be, Strat-O-Matic Fanatics is truly an unlikely success story, one that will be appreciated even by those who never once rolled the famous Strat-O-Matic dice.Strat-O-Matic Fanatics won a bronze medal in the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Awards.
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