Cards and dice
When I was 9 years old, my dad introduced me to Strat-O-Matic baseball, a cards-and-dice baseball game. I've been hooked ever since.
Tonight, I introduced Michael to Strat-O-Matic. He's 8.
Admittedly, I would have been hooked on Strat if I started playing at age 6. I was adequately understanding baseball and reading well enough that I would have picked up the rules of the game right away. (I was playing All-Star Baseball instead, which in retrospect, was a natural segue to Strat-O-Matic.) Considering that, I figured Michael might enjoy Strat now. I'm also hoping he learns baseball a little more than he knows now, as well as giving him more opportunities to read (especially names, which he won't find in his literacy class in school). But who am I kidding -- I'm hoping he loves the game as much as I do.
We used the 2009 cards (the last new set I own -- I'm pondering getting last year just to stay current), with Michael picking the Blue Jays and me playing the Cubs. After three innings, Roy Halladay was pitched nine outs, and though I was sure it wouldn't last, I wondered if Michael's first SOM game would be a perfect game. The Blue Jays won 7-6 on a walk-off homer by Aaron Hill (which I fudged a little, distracting the boys and adjusting a die; it was getting late). Michael said he had fun. He did a good job reading results off the cards and learning the abbreviations (e.g., "ss" means shortstop).
Ben, who loves board games more than his brother, helped me roll dice. Maybe this was a start of getting both boys enjoying a game that I enjoyed so much when I was a kid (and still do). Maybe one of them will be smart enough not to automatically take the Cubs.
Tonight, I introduced Michael to Strat-O-Matic. He's 8.
Admittedly, I would have been hooked on Strat if I started playing at age 6. I was adequately understanding baseball and reading well enough that I would have picked up the rules of the game right away. (I was playing All-Star Baseball instead, which in retrospect, was a natural segue to Strat-O-Matic.) Considering that, I figured Michael might enjoy Strat now. I'm also hoping he learns baseball a little more than he knows now, as well as giving him more opportunities to read (especially names, which he won't find in his literacy class in school). But who am I kidding -- I'm hoping he loves the game as much as I do.
We used the 2009 cards (the last new set I own -- I'm pondering getting last year just to stay current), with Michael picking the Blue Jays and me playing the Cubs. After three innings, Roy Halladay was pitched nine outs, and though I was sure it wouldn't last, I wondered if Michael's first SOM game would be a perfect game. The Blue Jays won 7-6 on a walk-off homer by Aaron Hill (which I fudged a little, distracting the boys and adjusting a die; it was getting late). Michael said he had fun. He did a good job reading results off the cards and learning the abbreviations (e.g., "ss" means shortstop).
Ben, who loves board games more than his brother, helped me roll dice. Maybe this was a start of getting both boys enjoying a game that I enjoyed so much when I was a kid (and still do). Maybe one of them will be smart enough not to automatically take the Cubs.
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