APBA Football Club Podcast Network

APBA Hall of Famer Joe "MakoJo" Sweeney (Class of 2005) is one of the earliest inductees into the gameco's tight-knit club of honorees His editors, viewers and utilities for #APBABaseball and #APBAFootball are legend. Joe finished 4-6 in our 10-game Ed Zack Memorial tournament on April 6-7, 2024, at the  @baseballhall . We conducted this interview right at the entrance to the exhibits because the playoffs were going on in the learning center and we had to choose the lesser of two evils in terms of background sound. I might attempt to filter the background noise on this later, but for now let this suffice. MakoJo site (archived): https://web.archive.org/web/20210126045052/http://www.makojo.com/ APBA Hall of Fame: http://apbagames.com/hall-of-fame Sample Between the Lines forum string praising MakoJo: https://forums.delphiforums.com/apbabtl/messages?msg=64542.1 Joe Sweeney's BtL profile: https://profiles.delphiforums.com/makojo1 Video version: https://youtu.be/S31A5WsQciE

Sports Info Solutions is one of the foremost players in the game of big data and how it informs not only the game on the field of play but on the tabletop. Mark Simon, content lead for SIS, is a former newspaperman, ESPN staffer and one-time Strat-O-Matic player who run the SIS baseball podcast. Mark shares with us some of the intricate workings of acquiring big-league sports data and the critical job of the SIS video scouts – not a few of whom have gone on to careers with major league teams like the Rays, Orioles and Twins. It is the keen eyes of the SIS video scouts that glean reams of advanced playing data from broadcast after broadcast. PT Games recently signed an agreement to use SIS data to inform its PC-based football game — and Mark shares his work with SOM on a recent MLB article simulation project, as well as his gaming history with Strat, MicroLeague and Diamond Mind. Mark is also a huge fan of Keith Hernandez and strongly supports Keith's entry into the  @baseballhall . Sports Info Solutions: https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/ SIS/Strat Simulation "Reimagining The 2022 Yankees & Giants as Average Defensive Teams": https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2023/02/08/reimagining-the-2022-yankees-giants-as-average-defensive-teams/ SIS baseball podcast: https://pod.link/1461705002 SIS football podcast Off the Charts: https://pod.link/1039074748 #tabletopsports #fantasybaseball #keithhernandez Video version: https://youtu.be/NRKZAX7rFJE

Dan Prizzon and Alan Lipman are bringing back an #APBABaseball tournament to Toronto, where more than 30 years ago a tournament supported heavily by radio legend Bob McCown. Set for May 11, the tournament will be held in one of the community rooms at Alan's condo in the city center. Rules and other particulars remain TBD, so sign up to their event page on Facebook and stay tuned! 1st Annual Toronto APBA Baseball Classic page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/382191204256678 We can personally vouch for the beauty of Toronto and urge anyone who hasn't been to plan a longer visit. Video version: https://youtu.be/fUMadZQDB0E #APBAbaseball #toronto #apbafootballclub #tabletopsports

Grant Fines, creator of 49 Sports Games, traces his game design history back to creating playing cards for Gayle Sayers and Franco Harris. Now, he offers a handful of thoughtfully designed stats-based games including his On the Turf and Quick Decks football — the former a play-by-play game that takes about an hour per game. Grant discusses his game design philosophy and methodology — right down to the reasons behind his choice of dice. The 2022 NFL season for On the Turf Football is available for preorder now: https://www.49sportsgames.com/products/49-on-the-turf-football-standard-game

Lords of Baseball, a Euro-style game of baseball franchise ownership and management, took father-and-son team Bob and Max Jamelli 12 years to refine and fund via Kickstarter. Max, a high school teacher and former football coach, walks us through the development of LoB, his thoughts on the future of gaming, and his work as national director of tabletop gaming for the Video Game Clubs of America (vgcusa.org). The seed of the idea for Lords of Baseball came to Max’s father after a trip to the World Boardgaming Championships; inspired by the Cold War game Twilight Struggle, Bob Jamelli began sketching out ideas for LoB. Now, after 50 revisions, nearly 90 iterations of the rule book and more than 1,500 playthroughs, LoB is ready to hit the market. Offering a complete picture of baseball team ownership, from stocking talent to winning games — even building a stadium — Lords of Baseball is a Euro-style take on the game of pro baseball. Jamelli recalls how he came to know key collaborator Jeff Horger, who took on the role of streamlining LoB’s mechanics, vowing to “tear (the game) apart and build it back up.” Max also discusses his take on tabletop football games Legends of Football, Pizza Box football and 1st and Goal from his perspective as a coach. In the last part of the interview, Max discusses the mission and methods of the VGCUSA, how he came to be involved, and how the organization fosters social and emotional learning for students in more than 800 schools in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Europe. Helping kids socially through gaming is “the best thing I’ll ever do in education,” he says. Lords of Baseball is still available by Kickstarter late pledge at the time of posting this video; L4 Studios will be selling the game at conventions — and a retail option is likely. How to play Lords of Baseball: 01:56 Seed of the idea from the WBC: 19:50 Mechanics used in Lords of Baseball: 32:05 Playing SOM and Baseball Stars on Nintendo with his dad: 45:40 Coaching football and playing football games (Legends of Football, Pizza Box): 46:37 Sports on the field vs. on tabletop: 52:38 Funding Lords of Baseball and potential expansions: 56:50 Future of board games and accessibility to audiences: 1:02:35 Video Game Clubs of America and its mission: 1:09:22 Joining VGCUSA and creating a school game club: 1:13:54 Lords of Baseball on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lordsofbaseball/lords-of-baseball?amp;mc_cid=5cccc19d8c&mc_eid=73f5a6be1a Max’s BoardGameGeek profile: https://boardgamegeek.com/user/sigtaulefty Video Game Clubs of America: https://www.vgcusa.org/ Max’s review of Legends of Football: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/369071/old-time-football-meets-fantasy-football VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/2D0Cb-9Mn8E

How will the 2022 APBA Football set be carded? Listen in as three APBA Hall of Famers and one master modifier weigh in with more than 150 years of APBA Football experience in this first-ever APBA Football Super Bowl Pregame show. The road to Super Bowl 57 featured many fine performances — how will they be rendered in APBA Football's next season set? VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/JbVbVtQcRLQ (Published Feb. 12, 2023) #superbowl #superbowl57 #chiefs #eagles #mahomes #jalenhurts #apbafootball #apbagames #apbafootballclub #apbafootballhandbook

The finale of the 1976 Bucs' season. Original-issue APBA Football cards, 10-year project — fantastic results! Key stats from our 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers replay (original cards copyright 1977): 54:24 Thank you to S.T. Patrick and Jen Henson for the opportunity to include a summary of the Bicentennial Bucs' saga in Issue No. 11 (February 2023) of Sports Sim Magazine, available at this link: https://www.lulu.com/shop/mwn-publications/sports-sim-magazine-issue-11/paperback/product-ppre5n.html?q=sports+sim+magazine&page=1&pageSize=4 VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/_6FdhXO-aOk

Catching up with APBA Hall of Famers Ray Dunlap (Class of 2016), Roy Langhans (2001) and Jim Sce (2008) between the fast-paced competition at the first-ever tabletop sports gaming tournament at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Ray gives an update on his 2022 Yankees and Aaron Judge, Roy on his 1905 Giants and Christy Mathewson. Dunlap began playing APBA in 1964, wrote for the APBA Journal for many years, co-created the Suncoast Football League in Tampa in 1979 and served as the Tampa Bay Bucs' official statistician for most of the 1980s. Ray's APBA Football matchup system is a milestone for more fully utilizing all the player cards. Langhans began playing APBA in 1957 and among his myriad achievements played in the baseball and football tournaments at the first-ever APBA convention in Philadelphia in 1973. His Game of the Day thread on the Delphi forum Between the Lines is still going strong after he kicked it off on Aug. 23, 2000. (Roy's GOTD thread: https://forums.delphiforums.com/apbabtl/messages/?msg=3870.1) Sce was a key part of APBA"s coach's program, in which APBA ambassadors spread the word about APBA games to potential players. VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/iO4QZEels3o

Imagine my surprise learning that Sean Culnan — who ran the demos of Plaay's Second Season on Friday, July 28, at Plaay Dot Con 23 in Denver — is also a third-year coach in the National Card Football League. The NCFL dates back to 1981 in Ohio and has been using APBA Football since then. Sean made the NCFL Super Bowl last year and has also completed two full-season replays, 1980 and 1984, using Second Season. He shares a few thoughts regarding league play, tabletop coaching and more. National Card Football League site: https://jzajack.wixsite.com/ncfl VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/RxFXzr3oOuk

At long last: The long-awaited, much-anticipated quarterback Clash of 1983 — as it should have happened. One of the all-time “what if” projects featuring John Elway staying with the Baltimore Colts (and perhaps the Colts staying in Baltimore) and facing fellow first-round selection Dan Marino at the helm of a Steelers offense in flux. Amazingly, Elway and Marino only met three times in their careers: two regular-season games won by the Dolphins (a 30-26 shootout in 1985 and a 31-21 MIami win in 1998) and one postseason blowout, a 38-3 drubbing of the Dolphins by the Broncos en route to their Super Bowl 33 victory. Denver and Miami met in the 1999 regular season, but of course Elway retired upon winning his second ring. Had the ’83 draft played out as envisioned here, Marino would have traveled to Baltimore with the Black and Gold for a Nov. 13 contest won by the Steelers, 24-13. The 1980s weren’t entirely terrible for either the Steelers or Colts franchises — there were some playoff appearances amid the more dismal campaigns. In 1983, the Steelers finished 10-6 before bowing in the playoffs, while the Colts struggled at 7-9. MIami finished 12-4, Denver at 9-7 — and both were dispatched in the playoffs by the Seahawks. WIth Marino earning a four-point card in APBA Football’s original 1983 season set vs. only a two for Elway, there’s not much hope of the Colts far exceeding their ’83 record — especially with Elway’s 47.5% completion rate. That said, Elway did show a sign of the magic to come when he threw three fourth-quarter TDs in Week 15 against the Colts in Denver to lift the Broncos from a 19-0 deficit to a 21-19 win (in fact, the Colts and Broncos met in Baltimore in Week 2 as well, with Denver winning 17-10). It would be far more interesting to put Elway 1986 or 1987 with the Colts — although even then Elway’s completion rate stayed in the mid-50s; he didn’t crack 60% completions until his 1993 season. Speaking of the Broncos and Dolphins, they’ve only met 20 times in their history, with Miami leading the series 12-7-1; there’s another great what-if best-of-three series: • 1983 season, when both made the playoffs and could have faced each other. • 1984 season, when Denver lost to Pittsburgh in a bid to face Miami in the AFC Championship • 1997 season, when both made the playoffs Along the lines of this project, check out the 1984 NBA what-if by Rod's Tabletop Hoops ( @redfanrod ) The 1984 Blazers took Jordan, the Bulls took Barkley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejNiE7yvBhc REDZONE/HIGHLIGHTS 11:3422:0532:1437:5554:181:02:451:17:151:30:10 Denver-Miami head-to-head history: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/game_query.cgi?tm1=den&tm2=mia&yr=all First Elway-Marino meeting, 1985: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198509290den.htm Second Elway-Marino meeting, 1998: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199812210mia.htm Third Elway-Marino meeting, 1999: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199901090den.htm 1983 Steelers at Colts: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198311130clt.htm 1983 standings: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1983/ “The day the Royals drafted Elway and Marino”: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2017/jun/13/john-elway-dan-marino-1979-mlb-draft-kansas-city-royals “John Elway, Bob Irsay and the Colts fleeing of Baltimore”: https://fansided.com/2021/07/23/john-elway-1983-nfl-draft-baltimore-colts/ “How the legendary 1983 QB draft class changed the NFL forever”: https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/04/26/1880-nfl-draft-john-elway-dan-marino-jim-kelly-historic-class “What if John Elway played for the Colts?”: https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/what_if_john_elway_played_for_the_colts/s1_11773_18227675 VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/qmRSCZGbXoc

Native New Yorker turned South Floridian Frank Fumai is turning his retirement passion of attending as many APBA tournaments as possible into a new outlet: APBA At Sea, one of the newest regional APBA Baseball tournaments. Fumai, a veteran of APBA tournaments from Chicagoland to Chattanooga and Las Vegas (he's also planning to attend the Kansas City event), initially sought to create a tournament tied to spring training in Florida. When that proved a bit costly, he turned to another passion of his — and the APBA baseball cruise was born. The four-day cruise will feature a one-day tournament. The theme is any third place team between 1980 and 1999, and competitors can choose one player who played on the team 20 years prior (for instance, the 1995 White Sox can include a player from the 1975 team). Team selection will likely begin just before Labor Day, and Fumai will pick last. Veterans and rookies are welcome, and single attendees are eligible to be paired with others to share a room and keep their costs down. The itinerary starts in Fort Lauderdale; Key West is the destination on Day 2, and Day 3 will feature the competition from roughly 8 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. On Day 4, cruisers will spend time in Nassau, Bahamas, before heading home. veterans and newbies welcome — and Frank can supply a team for anyone who needs one. Costs are all inclusive; there is no separate fee to play in the tournament. And there are plenty of things for nonplaying family and friends to do on competition day. The chosen ship is the Celebrity Silhouette :https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships/celebrity-silhouette For more information and to reserve your spot, call cruise coordinator Aidy Alonzo at 954-377-6424. Deposits are refundable if your travel plans change. VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/UooZdyxoJ_E

On the occasion of the seventh Strat-O-Matic football tournament held at CincyCon this year, we talked with tournament director Meredith Adkins about the competition rules, as well how he runs his face-to-face league, the GMVFL. He also discusses two other SOM football tournaments: the Bushwhacker tournament in May and the MDOR in September; both have been running for more than 20 years, he noted. Adkins shares insights into everything from home-brewed rules to how to keep a league running, as well as the custom roll-up mats they had created to expand on the basic SOM game board. The 2023 CincyCon tourmament fielded 10 teams: 1983 WAS 1984 SF 1984 MIA 1985 CHI 1998 DEN 2004 NE 2004 IND 2010 PIT 2019 BAL 2020 KC In a wild 20-19 finish, the 2004 Patriots snuck past the 1985 Bears. Meredith limits participating teams to those from 1983 to the present to aid in recruiting efforts. APBA Baseball and APBA Football figured into his early gaming career, when he saw a testimonial for the baseball game from a wargaming source. 10:08: The Lyman Bostock tournament. GMVFL page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1003156216549923 CincyCon announcement and rules on SOM's website: https://www.strat-o-matic.com/announcements/som-football-and-baseball-tournaments-cincycon/ Reach Meredith by email at baoman2004@cs.com. Strat-O-Matic football leagues listed on SOM registry: https://bit.ly/41vEBlP VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/CTmZ2K3dH0E

Some important things to know about the tabletop football game APBA Football — for newcomers and returnees alike. 00:39 No. 1 01:39 No. 2 04:11 No. 3 05:49 No. 4 07:42 No. 5 09:17 No. 6 APBA Football Stadium Shop: https://apba.stores.yahoo.net/apbafootball.html VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/JcMp4nU3J8E

In a survey of 440 folks not keen on board games, Nick Bentley found seven recurring themes, which he posted in a string of Tweets on May 4. Mr. Bentley is the president of Underdog Games Studio ( @underdoggames5039 ). Those themes won’t surprise us aficionados of tabletop sports games and simulations. All credit for my learning of this survey goes to U.K. board game design expert Chris Backe, founder of  @entrogames https://boardgamedesign.beehiiv.com/ The envelope please: 1. Too long to play 2. Too complex to play 3. Board games are boring 4. Board games make people too competitive 5.Board games aren't social 6. Too costly 7. Negative stereotypes ("geeks," "nerds") Read Nick's entire Twitter thread here: https://bit.ly/3VV7DJD Nick's Google doc detailing every response to his survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tz_RTQ6N6tIXGgmy7jUwfeidhiTawGJP_k0-Z7Q-uks/edit#gid=0 Summary of the seven key reasons by The Meeples Herald: https://meeplesherald.com/news/game-designer-nick-bentley-asks-why-oh-why-dont-you-like-board-games/?fbclid=IwAR2Jz4F5wRrgWxcvRSIuUMfwAdegKPCGqHUJ3dlkX3XdsG-Jp2IXzlr9f1A Nick Bentley's game site: https://www.nickbentley.games/ VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/5zYkwxxCl-Q (published May 10, 2023)

Game designer Mark Bates (Infinite Pi Games) discusses how he transformed the game World Cup! from creator Shaun Derrick’s original version into an all-card version. World Cup! lets users run an “association” of four teams by playing various soccer actions from a deck that lets managers attack, score and defend. Play the entire World Cup in two to three hours. Watch the World Cup! playthrough video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKu49tAh3LQ Buy World Cup! from Infinite Pi Games: https://www.infinitepigames.com/Sovereign Chess:https://mark-bates.squarespace.com/ *** Use discount code APBA for $20 off the World Cup! Champion Package, which includes all three expansions: Laws of the Game, EURO 2020 and QATAR 2022: https://www.infinitepigames.com/store/p/world-cup-world-cup-champion-pre-order The original version of World Cup by Shaun Derrick/Games for the World: https://boardgames.com/boardgame/the-world-cup-game VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/bxvEJmAgmGw

From June 2 to 6, 1980, #Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw appeared on Ralph Emery's country music radio show. I found the five LP collection of all five shows several years back and have since collected many other five-record sets of Emery's show from that era. Bradshaw being my No. 1 all-time sports hero, this is one of my most prized possessions. Terry appeared primarily to promote his then-current single "Until You" but talked about his #NFL future and #football starts of the day. He was particularly candid about the challenge of overcoming the #Rams in Super Bowl 14. I culled the football-related highlights from the five shows, which do not appear in chronological order. Bradshaw also talked about his peanut butter venture, his friendship with and gift from the Pirates' Willie Stargell, and cautioned against youths starting tackle football at too early an age. 0:31: Terry Bradshaw peanut butter campaign 1:42: Sponsor spot: Jimmy Dean 2:13: Intro to Bradshaw's career and his relationship with Texas 3:51: Sponsor spot: Ford 5:57: Why No. 12 is his jersey, and NFL jersey number rules 7:40: Bradshaw on his NFL future 8:06: Pursuing his music career 9:26: Super Bowl 14 thoughts and ex-Steeler coaches with Rams 11:22: Recalling the Steelers' 1979 season 11:56: Thoughts on Joe Greene 12:27: Jack Lambert story 13:18: Fun with Dallas 14:21: Return to camp vs. next recording 15:16: Life in football and concern over kids playing football too early 18:44: Super Bowl rings 20:18: Gift form Willie Stargell 21:03: His favorite players of the era 22:49: NFL salaries 24:27: Music career detractors 26:39: Music and the Steelers 27:41: Roger Staubach's retirement and friendship 28:42: Traveling as an NFL team 30:32: Injuries and resilience 33:33: Fan clubs 34:30 1980 performance tour Ralph Emery's page at the  @countrymusichof : https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/ralph-emery Terry Bradshaw performs "Until You" for Nashville on the Road, 1980: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKoCP2NZNyU Terry Bradshaw at the Reagan Library in 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNDtOUG-4XA NFL display during Bradshaw's appearance at the Reagan Library: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dSOdy5-3zY VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/3p97MSM8b4A

It has been 10 years since regional APBA tournaments began to appear nationwide. I started talking about creating a tournament at the  @ProFootballHOF  in summer 2012–and we are posted to hold our second there this August (26th-27th) during induction month and the NFL 2023 preseason. Here, I talk about a few things to address when starting your own tabletop sports gaming event, from venue selection and acquisition to rules, awards, communications and more. Read the APBA Blog’s 2015 series of interviews with tournament directors: https://www.apbablog.com/?s=Organizer+roundtable ViDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/EUsbrWExQEc (Published June 3, 2023)

Commercial designer John Sparti began building custom dice rolling stadiums as an offshoot of his work designing labels for products like Turtle Wax and Simoniz. Since building his first stadium, a replica of Fenway, he has created 265 stadiums for eager gamers (as of June 4, 2023, the date this interview originally posted). John credits his wife for suggesting he sell his creations on eBay. and his portfolio has expanded from there. He has since sold that first stadium, preferring it be in the hands of a grateful customer. One of the most difficult stadiums he has created is the Polo Grounds, which required significant research before he settled on re-creating one of the venue's many iterations. Check out John's stadiums and contact him with your ideal project through his website: https://spartidesign.myportfolio.com/mini-dice-stadiums-1 VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/Q3_QiD-URH0

Chuck Foreman. Carl Eller, Stu Voigt. These and many other legendary Minnesota Vikings have been connecting with fans through social media thanks to Ben Theis, founder of  @SkolMarketing  and Minnesota Sports Legends. Stemming from a work encounter with Foreman, Theis hit upon the idea of working with iconic athletes of his beloved Minnesota Vikings, as well as other state sports legends, to bring them closer to fans through digital media. As Foreman recommended Ben’s services to former teammates, MSL has grown to represent more than two dozen golden-era athletes, who share their experiences through everything from signed merchandise, personalized videos and in-person events. Minnesota Sports Legends: https://www.mnsportslegends.com/#/ (Click each photo to access each athlete’s personal page). Minnesota Vikings on Facebook: Chuck Foreman: https://www.facebook.com/chuck44foreman Ed White: https://www.facebook.com/EdWhite62 Sammy White: https://www.facebook.com/sammywhite85 Stu Voigt: https://www.facebook.com/stuvoigt83 Tommy Kramer: https://www.facebook.com/twominutetommy Carl Eller: https://www.facebook.com/CarlEller81 Paul Krause: https://www.facebook.com/PaulKrauseHOF VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/tWxrajoYeso

In 1983, at age 24, Richard Sarkisian decided to replay the history of baseball with a few friends. Almost 40 years later, his PANJ Table Baseball League has replayed every MLB season from 1903 to 2002. And on Sept. 9, he and his 22-team league will meet in King Of Prussia not only to conduct their draft for the next season project but to replay the concluding season's World Series. Not only does Sarkisian, an accounting professor, run the league — in which each team plays a 72-game schedule over five months — but he created the game the league plays. Sarkisian has crafted his version of a statistics-based game that refines the batter-pitcher duel, and he finds the process of creating cards year after year a rather "zen" exercise. PA/NJ Baseball League site: https://panjbaseballleague.blogspot.com/ PA/NJ Baseball League featured in The Berlin Sun: https://thesunpapers.com/2019/05/13/local-tabletop-baseball-league-a-throwback-in-a-digital-age/ VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/gBmTWUo59Zc