APBA Baseball

          A co-worker asked me the other day what stress relieving hobbies I have in my life. I sort of chuckled and said, 'I have one main one. And it's magical.'

          When I was an 8 year old boy I discovered this amazing thing called APBA Baseball. People who have played the game know how it all works but for those that don't, it's a board baseball game that sees the action triggered with dice and player cards. Those player cards are created in a way that allows them to have the optimum chance to recreate the actual statistical performance of any given player from any given season, depending on the year of the card set and name of the player at hand. There is a basic game for beginners, a master game for advanced players, and countless innovations that one can pick and choose from so that the gamer can set the amount of detail to his/her liking.

          Anyway, it's now some 38 years since I first discovered this game and my love affair with it has yet to dwindle. I played in a fun and competitive league for 14 years with some of the nicest and most interesting people I've ever known and even though I'm no longer in the league I've kept in touch with several guys, two of which have become close, lifelong friends. I highly doubt I ever would have crossed paths with Mark or Dan had it not been for this incredible game.

          Since I left the league several years ago I've gone back to playing solo. I'm currently in the midst of a project that involves great teams from the 1970's and I find myself daydreaming about it often. I get to rekindle the careers of guys such as Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, and Reggie Jackson. The Swingin' A's, the Big Red Machine, Earl Weaver's Orioles, Tommy Lasorda's Dodgers, and Billy Martin's Yankees are all back in action whenever I have the time to play. It's like getting in a baseball time machine and enjoying their careers all over again.

          A co-worker asked me the other day what stress relieving hobbies I have in my life. While I didn't share APBA Baseball by name, I did close my answer by saying, 'It's a game that allows me to forget about the stresses of life and travel back in time. It has brought me joy, laughter, surprise,  and even lifelong friendships. If everyone had a hobby that they enjoyed as much as I enjoy this game, I think we'd all be just a little bit happier and a little bit better off than we are now. It's really not 'just' a game. For me, it's a passion.'

          APBA Baseball. Stress relieving hobby. And so, so much more.