MAGICAL GAME: Strat-O-Matic Baseball gives fans another game to play, more cards to collect

Depending on the team, Opening Day for MLB fans normally takes place at the end of March or early April.

For fans of Strat-O-Matic Baseball, however, Opening Day happens in mid-February. This year the big event unfurled on Feb. 16 at the strategic tabletop game’s headquarters in Glen Head, N.Y.

“We had another fantastic Opening Day,” said John Garcia, chief content officer at Strat-O-Matic. “Over 200 fanatics came out to get their new cards [of the 2023 MLB season] and join in the celebration.”

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Garcia said the “season opener” is “always my favorite day of the year.”

This time around they also held their second annual Hall of Fame induction, which included former MLB star Keith Hernandez, a longtime Strat-O-Matic player. Hernandez, the 1979 NL MVP and 11-time Gold Glove-winning first baseman, played from the mid-1970s through 1990, primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets.

Hal Richman came up with the basic idea for Strat-O-Matic at age 11 and over the years it went through numerous changes. Shortly after Richman graduated from Bucknell University he launched the company in 1961.

“When I developed Strat-O-Matic my thoughts concerning the longevity of it was limited to supporting a family and buying a home,” Richman recently wrote via email. “I guess you could say that I was hoping for a 25-year run.”

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Looks like his wish came true, plus a number of decades.

“The name Strat-O-Matic was derived from a word in the dictionary [strategicalmatical] that does not exist anymore,” Richman noted. He also considered another option. “I initially thought of using a different name for the company [Dadson], but dropped it on the advice of a friend who was in the advertising business.”

Rolling the dice on a small ad in 1961 in Sports Illustrated “was a financial failure,” Richman said, but “this was before the game took off.” Ads in other publications as the company grew sparked better results.

“Major success came from advertisements in baseball annuals [Street & Smith’s was most successful], Sporting News and Baseball Digest. Comic book advertising came later and it was successful, too.”

Strat-O-Matic, nicknamed “the original fantasy baseball game,” features cards with player stats, ratings, and result tables. Combine that card info with a roll of the dice and managers and seamheads dig in like a veteran slugger clawing at the batter’s box dirt while facing a rookie hurler. Computer versions of the game are also available.

Some 44 years ago, Joe Beland, now 58, began playing Strat-O-Matic and never stopped. He labeled the game “magical.” Beland’s streak looks to stay intact for the foreseeable future as not only did he order the 2023 season, but, when he is not working behind the scenes at Home Depot, he focuses on his position as Commissioner of a Strat-O-Matic league based about an hour northwest of San Francisco.

On Tuesday nights the league gathers for cheers, beers and to play three contests at Ausiello’s 5th Street Bar and Grill in Santa Rosa, Calif., “where everyone knows your game,” as the restaurant’s website states.

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Beland’s Strat-O-Matic league has a postseason, World Series rings, a championship trophy, and even produces baseball cards of the league participants.

To hear Beland tell it, several Strat-O-Matic players bring strong enthusiasm to the game and for good reason.

“Seeing all your favorite players come to life, hitting and scoring but also seeing them get beaten as well,” he said. “The game becomes an adventure as you coach and manage the greatest players of all time!”

Of course, many “average” ballplayers and others of various eras show up, too.

To boost the atmosphere of his league even more, Beland pays close attention to his attire on game nights.

“I have every home and away jersey in Major League Baseball, and I have all the classic jerseys, too. So every night we play I always wear the team I am playing [representing], because it’s different every week,” he said.

One seasoned Strat-O-Matic community member noted that in addition to the regular baseball season for 2024, the company is producing a new set, a 1984 re-issue and a 1920s Diamond Gems series of eight great teams from that decade, all with super-advanced features. New football (college and pro), basketball and hockey sets also come out this year.

Garcia said baseball and football games are the company’s strongest sellers.

Beland bought the latest Strat-O-Matic baseball set from the company as soon as it became available and employs many options when searching for older cards.

“I really look on eBay, but expect to pay top dollar,” he said. “If you’re lucky you can snag a deal, but the demand has grown.”

A recent eBay listing showed that a complete 1962 baseball season of Strat-O-Matic cards sold for $7,200 on 30 bids.

The California resident also spends time canvassing thrift stores, garage sales, vintage antique shows and local Facebook ads for the game cards. Facebook groups with members who collect and sell cards is another alternative, he said.

Another online option is MoonlightGrahamsMarketplace.com. The

Philadelphia-based company carries some 187,000 loose baseball Strat-O-Matic cards. The site, which carries cards for all four sports, has received many solid reviews for its selection and service.

Like many collectibles, prices can vary a bit for Strat-O-Matic cards for several reasons.

“It’s the year of the card that generates what the general value is of a card,” one Strat card dealer explained. “If a card is from a certain year then it sells for a certain price. If a team is from a certain year it sells for a certain price, depending on condition. Conditions vary in all sorts of ways.”

Back in 2020 Beland battled a severe case of COVID. At one point while hospitalized, he flatlined and his lung capacity dropped to around 20 percent.

Soon after Beland stabilized, his wife, Monica, knew the sports hobbyists would recover when she discovered some credit card charges for, you guessed it, Strat-O-Matic cards. That is collector and brand loyalty under challenging circumstances. Beland laughs about it now.

“I was in the hospital a couple weeks. I got bored and started looking online for Strat-O-Matic cards,” he said.

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Beland said newer cards come in three tiers: Basic, advanced and super-advanced.

“Some are blue, some are black, very few are red. The newer cards that were reproduced have the ‘advanced’ info on the back,” he said.

Cards from the New York company are not dated, per se, but since Strat-O-Matic cards typically focus on a single season of statistics, adding one year to the highlighted season typically reveals the year the particular card/set debuted.

Beland said Strat-O-Matic gatherings take place across the United States on a consistent basis. Finding one is just a few computer clicks away at the Community/Strat Club link at Strat-O-Matic.com.

“They tell you all the different areas. It’s grouped by cities and its growing and growing,” he said.

Garcia said the pandemic in 2020 had a major impact on bringing in many new and returning players.

“Millions have played Strat-O-Matic over the years, and it’s as popular now as it has ever been,” he said.

One of the game’s aficionados emphasized a particular reason for its popularity.

“Strat-O-Matic is doing good stuff, they’re giving the players everything they can want and more to play,” he said.

“I collect the cards,” Beland added, “but the value to me is the value of everybody enjoying the game.”

— Doug Koztoski is a longtime SCD contributor. He can be reached at dkoz3000@gmail.com.