When I was 11 years old growing up on Long Island I was introduced to the board simulation game Strat-O-Matic Baseball. The son of one of my Mother’s friends, Michael, was into the game and once while visiting their house he showed it to me. Michael was a bit of a loner, didn’t play sports, and was more or less nerdy. I played sports all day, every day, every season, and was just so-so in school.
Baseball was of course my favorite sport. I played little league at the time, and was obsessed with the Mets.