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1908 - A Great SOM Season
April 07, 2013

Strat fans who want to experience the greatness of baseball in its earliest incarnations might want to take a look at the 1908 season disk. Both leagues have competitive races and there are a number of outstanding and fascinating player performances.

The 1908 season roster is a computer-generated or “chevy” season. Even though it doesn’t have the detail of Strat’s researched past season sets, don’t let that sway you into thinking that the quality and Strat-O-Matic’s “magic” isn’t in this offering. The actual season had 7 no hitters. If you haven't had one yet in your Strat career then this might be a good place to start.

This season has great playoff races and some of the game’s greatest players ever. Great pitchers are the rule. There are a few shining hitters that stand tall over all others. The defense (or X-Chart rolls) is random and chaotic.

The Cubs, Giants (1.0 games back), and Pirates (1.0 games back) battle for supremacy in the National League. This three-way contest keeps your 1908 replays random and difficult to predict. The NL can turn out in a number of different combinations or results. The Cubs don't seem like they have a lot, but then again, the Giants and the Pirates don't either. Johnny Evers and his 2B-1e36 is the star position player for Chicago. The magnificent Mordecai Brown heads the rotation. He's an *9/5/1 pitcher so you can probably squeeze out more than his 312 actual innings in your replays. Mike Donlin with his 6 home runs and .334 average powers the New York offense. That's a big average for this season. Donlin is a game changer every time he steps to the plate. The Pirates have the greatness of Honus Wagner. By today's standards, there isn't a lot of firepower on the card. By 1908 standards, Wagner is mammoth with his 39 doubles, 19 triples, and 10 home runs.

The American League features an amazing race between the Tigers, Naps (0.5 games back), and White Sox (1.5 games back). The 21-year old Ty Cobb provides the offensive firepower for the Tigers. He's great across the board with his hit units and all of the secondary ratings, just as one might expect from the deluxe past season releases. The rest of the team is maddening in both good and bad ways. Shortstop Germany Schaefer has a 3e82 rating. No, that's not a typo, that's his range and error rating. That's an example of what makes this set so much fun. The high e ratings add a random element to almost any game. The fielding is either comical or maddening depending on one's perspective when combined with some of the sensational pitching in this set. The Naps are the perfect foil to the Tigers in this regard. This team has a good chance of getting good returns from their starters in almost any game. Addie Joss, Bob Rhoads, and Charlie Chech have ERAs under 2.00. Glenn Liebhardt is the worst Naps starter and he checks in with a 2.20 ERA.

So, 1908 has great three-way races in both leagues. St. Louis also faded late in the season in the American League. Technically, that makes 7 teams with a chance of coming out on top. 1908 is one of the best seasons ever if you're into great pennant races. There's no way to tell how it will turn out until you begin rolling the dice, or rather, clicking the mouse.

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