BOARD DATA - Zack APBA Handbook

BOARD DATA

Revisions of the Basic Playing Boards for the APBA Baseball Game

Frank A. "Dusty" Welsh

The APBA playing boards for the basic baseball game have undergone multiple revisions since the original 1951 version. However, the number of versions that exist, as well as the time of their introduction, has not been previously documented. My interest in the board revisions was kindled during a 1953 basic game replay in which I was using the original cards for the 1953 season and the boards from a 1976 game. I assumed that, apart from the addition of the pitching and base-running symbols, the play results on the 1976 boards were nearly identical to those on the 1953 boards. As I played, however, I wondered how many of the play results had been changed between 1953 and 1976 and to what extent these changes might affect the outcome of an inning or a game. Thus began a quest to identify the changes in the play results between 1953 and 1976. This quest was soon expanded to document all of the revisions in the basic game boards.

The first step was to obtain early versions of the boards, or copies of them. Because no dates were printed on the early boards, complete games were needed to identify their vintage. With the help of many individuals in the APBA community, most, if not all, versions of the basic game boards have been tracked down (Table 1) In some cases, the vintage was deduced by comparing the play results with those in versions of known vintage. Revisions of the boards were frequent during the 1950s; no fewer than nine were produced in this decade. My assumption that there was a one-to-one correspondence between card seasons and board versions proved to be incorrect. Complete games containing the 1952 season cards have been found with two different versions of the boards, and a third version may have been used with this same season. Similarly, multiple versions of the boards have been associated with other card seasons. Presumably, when the game company's supply of boards ran low, a new batch of boards was printed, sometimes incorporating revisions in the play results.

Finding the different versions of the boards was fascinating to me, but identifying the changes in play results between different versions was tedious. This was my method of study. First, I made Xerox copies of each version, reducing the size of the playing boards to 8x11 for convenience. Second, I compared the play results between two consecutive versions, beginning with the earliest and highlighting any alterations on the latter version. In this manner, I marched through the nineteen versions, highlighting any revisions. I found it useful to distinguish between three types of revisions in play results. The first (Type I), and most significant, involved a change in the number of outs and/or position of the runners, thus potentially altering the outcome of an inning. For example, changing an out to a hit, or giving a runner an extra base, was considered a Type I revision. Type II revisions changed the way a batter reached base (hit instead of an error), or changed the fielder making an out, with no change in the number of outs or position of baserunners. Thus, the status of the game was not affected by Type II

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revisions. Finally, Type III revisions were changes in wording, without a change in the actual play.

Table 1. Chronology of the APBA Board Revisions

# Season(s)

1

1950

2

1951

3

1952

4

1952

5

1952

6 1953-1954 7 1954-1955

8 1956-1958

9 1958-1959

10a 1959-1960

10b 1960-1962

11 1963-1966 12 1967-1976 13 1977-1984 14 1985-1994 15 1995-1998

16

1999

17 2000-2001

Major Changes and/or Identifying Features Patterned after National Pastime boards; Addition of pitching and fielding grades; Two large boards (14" x 22") and large game box Several errors changed to outs; Some play results switched between fielding grades Reassignment of outs on play results 8, 9, and 10 Addition of hit-and-run to sacrifice booklet (runner on first only); Elimination of "batter takes second on throw" on play result 7 with runners on first and third Hit-by-pitch changed to error on play result 23 with bases empty; Doubleplay changed to fielder's choice on play result 12 with runner on first Ball and strike counts added to play results 10 and 11 on stolen bases Four smaller boards (14" x 11") and smaller game box; Addition of optional pitching rules (grade reduction after 6 ER/3 IP) Addition of pitching (W,X,Y,Z) and running symbols (F,S); Optional base coaching (playing it safe); optional fielding rules; Hit-and-run with runners on first and third added to sacrifice booklet; New font; several revisions in play results unrelated to new symbols X and Y added to play results 27, 33, and 34 with bases empty; Several play results switched between fielding grades Addition of large letters "A", "B", "C", and "D" to boards; Daggers used to denote extra-base hit on double-column cards Grade reduction after 5 ER in 3 IP; Play result 22 with runner on first changed to hit-by-pitch Alteration of two fielding plays with two outs New font; changes in sacrifice fly balls Addition of play result 14* and 42 to boards (previously on cards) ? 1986 printed on boards; thinner cardboard stock in later years Color-coded play results; radio-style descriptions of play results; Addition of ZZ pitching rating; ? 1986 and ? 1995 printed on boards; Outfielder assists on extra-base hits varied with pitching grade; fly out to centerfield on play results 30 and 32 with two out and bases empty; Omission of infield rating First booklet; brown cover; premier edition (APBA 2000); tabs used for different base situations; ? 2000 printed on back of booklet 50th Anniversary edition (APBA 2001); restoration of infield rating; ? 2001 printed on back of booklet

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18 2002-2004 First "66" booklet; traditional descriptions of play results; play result

12 with bases empty a grounder to thirdbaseman; ZZ-ball added to

several base-situations; ? 2003 printed on back of booklet

19 2005-2006 New K and R strikeout symbols; optional scorer's rule to adjust

errors by season; ? 2006 printed on back of booklet

20

2007 New artwork on cover; no changes in play results; ? 2007

21 2008-2009 A few typographical omissions corrected; ? 2009

22 2010-pres One typographical omission corrected; ? 2011

Version 1 (1950 season)

The play results on the original APBA boards were closely patterned after those of an earlier game, National Pastime. Like the APBA boards, National Pastime listed 41 play results for each of the eight baserunner situations. The organization and wording of the play results was nearly identical between the two games. The major innovation in the APBA boards was the inclusion of pitching and fielding grades.

The original APBA boards were two large boards (14" high, 22" wide) with two base-situations on each side. One board had BASES EMPTY (on the left) paired with RUNNER ON FIRST BASE. On the flip side of this board RUNNER ON SECOND BASE (on the left) was paired with RUNNER ON THIRD BASE. The second board had RUNNERS ON FIRST AND SECOND BASES (on the left) paired with RUNNERS ON FIRST AND THIRD BASES, while on the flip side, RUNNERS ON SECOND AND THIRD BASES (on the left) was paired with BASES FULL. The large boards with this arrangement of base-situations were retained for the first six versions. The large boards were often found cut in half, presumably for ease of use. Curiously, when the boards were cut in half, the resulting pairing of base situations on opposite sides of each board was different from that in the later versions. For example, BASES EMPTY was paired with RUNNER ON THIRD BASE on the flip side. When the seventh version of boards came out with the 1954 and 1955 season games, there were four smaller boards with BASES EMPTY paired with RUNNER ON FIRST BASE on the flip side. The remaining boards had the conventional pairing of baserunner situations, which was retained for the next 40-plus years. The large size of the original boards required a large game box (15?" high, 23?" wide, 1?" deep). When the size of the boards was reduced, so was the size of the game box.

Beneath the play results on the original BASES EMPTY board were paragraphs describing the use of pitching grades, intentional walks, sacrifices, fielding grades, and playing the infield "in" or "deep". In the original game, there was no hit-and-run play, nor were there optional pitching, fielding, or base-running rules. These innovations were added to the game within the first five years. The original boards are easily identified by play result 41 on the BASES EMPTY board. In the original version, the error is given the shortstop for each of the fielding grades. In all later versions, the error is given to the pitcher for fielding two and the thirdbaseman for fielding one. The only known sets of the original boards belong to Richard Hormel (not verified) and Woody Studenmund.

Version 2 (1951 season)

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The second version of the boards most likely appeared in the second edition of the game (1951 season). The date of the second version of the boards is uncertain because the only known set of these boards, belonging to Robert Henry, is not part of a complete game. Thus, the card season issued with the second version of the boards has not been verified. However, because the third version of boards is found in a complete game containing the 1952 card season, it is likely that the second version of the boards was issued with the 1951 card season. A number of revisions of the play results in the second version of the boards were minor (Type II), such as shifting an out from one fielder to another. However, other revisions were more substantial, altering the number of outs and placement of the base-runners (Type I). For example, with BASES EMPTY (play results 17, 19, 21, and 22) several errors were changed to outs for fielding one and two. In other cases, play results from one fielding column were simply exchanged for those in another fielding column (e.g., play result 38 with RUNNER ON SECOND BASE). This finetuning changed the relative defensive strength between the different fielding grades as well as changing the distribution of outs among the fielders.

Version 3 (1952 season)

The third version of the boards was included in a complete game along with the 1952 season cards. This game was purchased at an auction by Francis Rose, displayed at the 2002 APBA convention in Lancaster, and subsequently sold to me. Another copy of this version of the boards was owned at one time by Shea Smith. The third version of the boards contains minor revisions of play results 8, 9, and 10, in which the outs were changed from one fielder to another (Type II). Two of the revisions (play results 8 and 9 with BASES EMPTY) had been previously altered from the original version and, thus, represent a second revision of the same play result.

Version 4 (1952 season)

The fourth version of the boards was discovered on eBay in February, 2004, auctioned by Tom Heiderscheit on consignment for a friend. Another copy of this version was reported to belong to a complete game containing the 1952 season cards. Analysis of the changes in play results on these boards places it between the third and fifth versions. Notably, this version introduced the hit-and-run play, which was explained on the BASES EMPTY board below the instructions for the sacrifice bunt. The hit-and-run play was permitted only with a runner on first base. The hit-and-run play would be extended to runners on first and third in the eighth version of the boards (1956 season). Introduction of the hit-and-run play would have necessitated a new version of the sacrifice booklet with an extra page of play results. It has been reported (Bill Blair) that a separate hit-and-run sheet accompanied the original sacrifice booklet along with this version of the boards. It is curious that Mr. Seitz apparently chose to make these revisions midway through the season. Perhaps the stock of old boards and sacrifice booklets were nearing depletion, necessitating a resupply of both items.

Only a couple of changes were made in the play results in this version of the boards. The first, on play result 6 with a RUNNER ON FIRST BASE, allowed the

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runner to score when there were two outs. The second, on play result 7 with runners on first and third, removed the advance of the batter to second base on the throw to third. This was the first removal of the batter's advance to second base on play result 7; in subsequent versions, this advance was removed in additional base-situations. Apparently, Mr. Seitz was just beginning to realize that play result 7 allowed the batter to advance to second base all too often.

Version 5 (1952 season)

The fifth version of the boards is in a complete game housed in the National Baseball Hall of Fame library in Cooperstown. Another complete game, owned by Bill Blair, has this version of the boards. Interestingly, both games also contain the 1952 season cards, indicating that games sold with the 1952 season cards contained as many as three different versions of the boards. It is possible that games sold early in the year included the third version, while those sold later had the fourth and fifth versions. It is also possible that the fifth version of the boards was used in the following year with the 1953 season cards. However, a complete game exists with the 1953 season cards and the sixth version of the boards. Again, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the version of the boards and season of cards.

On the BASES EMPTY board the following sentence was added to the instructions INTENTIONAL WALKS: "Intentional walks may not be called when the Hit and Run play or the Squeeze play is on." Many changes in the play results were made in this revision. On the BASES EMPTY board, play result 23 was changed from a hit-by-pitcher to an error for all fielding grades. On the RUNNER ON FIRST BASE board, play result 12 on fielding 3 was changed from a doubleplay to a fielder's choice. In general, many of the changes involved extra bases taken by runners on base hits (Type I). Also, there were alterations in the fielder making assists and putouts. In one case, play result 22 with base full, the play result with infield in, a doubleplay, was switched with that with infield deep, a pick-off play. These revisions demonstrate that Mr. Seitz was constantly fine-tuning the play results in the early years of the game.

Version 6 (1953 and 1954 seasons)

This version is part of a complete game containing the 1953 season cards. An identical set of boards is present in another complete game containing the 1954 season cards. The only revisions to the play results were the addition of ball and strike counts to play results 10 and 11 after a stolen base. In addition, a sentence was added on the bottom of the RUNNER ON FIRST BASE board stating, "When not otherwise indicated, the even numbers are balls and the odd numbers are strikes, if the play required a pitch and the same batter remains at bat." While these revisions are unlikely to change the outcome of a batter's plate appearance, they show the game-maker's attention to detail.

Version 7 (1954 and 1955 seasons)

This version of the boards was acquired separately from a complete game and, thus, it is only by inference that it can be associated with the 1954 and 1955 seasons. The

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revisions in the play results clearly place this version between the sixth and eighth versions. Because the sixth version came in a complete game with the 1954 season cards, and the eighth version came in a complete game with the 1956 season cards, it is likely that the seventh version was issued with the 1955 cards. Recently, however, a complete game was found which contained the seventh version of boards with the 1954 season cards. Thus, unless cards and boards were switched after purchase, it appears that the 1954 season cards were issued with two different versions of the boards.

This is the first year that the play results were printed on four smaller boards with the conventional pairing of BASES EMPTY opposite RUNNER ON FIRST, etc. The boards were printed on thicker cardboard stock with a glossier surface. The smaller size of the boards permitted the size of the game box to be reduced. The game box for this edition had the same blue-and-white printing used on previous larger game boxes. Optional pitching rules were introduced and described on the bottom of the RUNNER ON SECOND BASE board. Interestingly, in the original rules, 6 earned runs (later changed to 5) in 3 innings were required before reducing the grade of a pitcher. The rules for grade advancement are the same as in later years. The play results on these boards are nearly identical to those of the preceding version. Two changes were made, only one of which altered the outcome of a play. First, on play result 40, fielding one, with a runner on second, the fly out, runner taking third, was changed to an infield grounder, runner thrown out at third. Second, the putouts were altered on a doubleplay line drive on play result 25, fielding one and three with runners on second and third.

Version 8 (1956-1958 seasons)

The eighth version of the boards was in a complete game containing the 1956 season cards. Another copy of this version was reported (Bill Blair) to be in a complete game containing the 1958 season cards. The 1956 season was the season of major innovations, probably the result of Mr. Seitz being able to turn his full attention to the game. Base-running symbols (F,S) and pitching symbols (W,X,Y,Z) were added to the cards and boards and their use was explained on the bottom of the RUNNER ON FIRST BASE board. Sporting a new font, the boards also introduced optional base-coaching rules on the bottom of the RUNNER ON THIRD BASE board and optional fielding ratings on the bottom of the RUNNERS ON FIRST AND SECOND board. Curiously, the word "BASE" was omitted from this latter board, but was subsequently restored on a later version. Extensive revisions were made in the play results incorporating the new symbols. There were also a number of revisions to the play results that were unrelated to the symbols. An additional page was added to the sacrifice booklet permitting the hitand-run play with runners on first and third. The new version of the sacrifice booklet was bound on the left side with dark-colored tape instead of the light-colored tape used in previous versions.

Interestingly, the roster sheet for the 1957 season includes for the first time the stern warning, "WE WILL NOT REPLY TO ANY CORRESPONDENCE WHICH PROPOSES TO QUESTION OUR SELECTION OF PLAYERS WHICH COMPRISE THE TEAMS LISTED BELOW". This statement may have resulted from the number of complaints about the composition of the 20-man rosters. However, the tone of statement

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contrasts with the otherwise friendly and welcoming sentences on the roster sheet from previous seasons.

Version 9 (1958-1959 seasons)

The ninth version of the APBA boards was in a complete game containing the 1958 season cards and may also have been used with the 1959 season cards. Evidence for this possibility comes from an eBay image of the boards from a complete game containing the 1959 season cards. The image shows that the BASES EMPTY board does not have the large letter, "A", in the lower right-hand corner, a change which was made in the next version of the boards (1960 season). Revisions of play results in the eighth version included additional X and Y strikeout results. Also, on several error numbers, play results were simply exchanged between fielding grades, usually exchanging an out for an error. On the bottom of the RUNNERS ON FIRST AND SECOND board, a new format was used to show fielding numbers used for optional fielding ratings. This format was easier to read than the explanatory paragraph in the previous version, although no changes were made in the rules for optional fielding.

Version 10a (1959 season?) This version of the boards was only recently discovered (September, 2010) in a

set of boards belonging to the trove of Robert Henry and sent to the author by Pete Simonelli. Because the boards did not come in a complete game, the corresponding card season can only be inferred by comparing the boards to those associated with complete games containing the 1958 and 1960 season cards. This is the first version of the boards to be labeled with the large letters "A", "B", "C", and "D" on the lower right-hand corners of the BASES EMPTY, RUNNER ON SECOND, RUNNERS ON FIRST AND SECOND, and RUNNERS ON SECOND AND THIRD BASES boards, respectively. A change in the rules for extra-base hits for players with double columns was denoted by a dagger on play result 6 on the RUNNER ON THIRD BASE board with an instruction to score the play the same as No. 4--a Double. Similarly, play result 2 on the RUNNERS ON FIRST AND SECOND board was to be scored as a triple for players with double columns. Finally, play result 6 with bases full was also to be scored as a double. Evidently, these changes were made to correct a skewing of extra-base hits that would otherwise occur on double-column cards.

Version 10b (1960-1962 seasons)

This version of the APBA boards came in a complete game containing the 1960 season cards, and an identical set of boards was found in complete games containing the 1961 and 1962 season cards. The outside of these game boxes had a few minor changes, although the blue-and-white format remained the same. In the top right corner the line "Each Individual Player Performs" replaced the line "320 Players Perform". Evidently, an exact number of players was removed from the 1961 edition of the game to reflect the expansion of the American League to 10 teams for the 1961 season and anticipated expansion of the National League in 1962. Also, printed on the bottom of the box is "APBA GAME COMPANY, INC.", adding the abbreviation, "INC.", for the first time to

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