Hardcore
Strat Smackdown
Ted McAllister
Terry Dell bills himself as the “hardest working man in
Strato.” That may hit the nail on the head because few people put
as much effort into helping you get the most for your money in this hobby.
This guide isn’t about predictions or telling you the
best Strat card in 2010. Dell says go get a Magic 8-Ball.
He sticks with position rankings, card set evaluation, and top strategies for
the 2003 season.
These are strong words for anyone, even with all of the
posturing and narcissism that occurs throughout tournaments and FTF draft
leagues on a regular basis.
Page 8… Good insight on building teams based
on specific circumstances…
Page 9… The world finally knows what’s wrong with
the Jason Schmidt card. You may say Dell states the obvious with
Schmidt. He is the first person I’ve heard mention this fact.
Page 11… Dell gives the goods on how to select a
second tier starter…
Page 12… Not all categories are the same for
first base cards. Some are more important than others.
Dell tells you what to look for and what to avoid like the plague.
Page 13… Big surprise statement on Soriano.
No one else has made this claim.
I could go on and on… but there’s no reason to
give away the entire story. Simply stated, the Dell guide drips with
insightful nuggets on each page.
The “Top Prospects” section is a nice touch for those
interested in keeper players or future draft sets. Many of the names on
these two pages will play in an All-Star game someday, perhaps even for your
team if they’re not swiped by the Yankees by then. Just kidding.
The BIG STORY with Dell is the Player Rankings System.
This additional 22 page segment has a fantasy baseball magazine format.
Dell has charts for the top 15 players at each position (more with pitchers).
He’ll give stars to players with certain amounts of hit, on-base, total base,
and home run chances, plus range and arm ability. Javy Lopez has the
most stars at the catchers position, with A.J. Pierzynki right behind in second
place. This is a great way for comparing players and analyzing
strengths and weaknesses.
The new Dell system also includes a chart for defensive
range ratings and a valuable commentary section. This last part
includes all of those wonderful Dell witticisms that we’ve come to love over
the past three years. Dell says that Troy Glaus has fewer hits than
Vanilla Ice. It’s certainly looking that way
There are a few negatives to toss in Dell’s direction.
The guide isn’t perfect. I wish he’d cut out a few of the
graphics and reduce the font size. I’d like to hear his thoughts
on the bench/role/replacement players. What does Dell think about
Julio Lugo? A majority of the guide deals with the top 20 players
per position, except for pitchers. I’d like to know about some of
those guys in that bottom 10 or 20.
I don’t think the guide needs any more pages.
It’s big enough. Reducing the font size and condensing some of the
discussion will create more room for future growth plus keep printing costs and
subscriber prices down. There is a lot of progress. This third effort
far surpasses the two previous ones. There’s more progress
in Dell Version 3.0 than in the Strat-O-Matic football Version 3.0.
So Dell is working at making this a better, bigger effort every year.
I applaud him for always striving for the next level.
There is a need for the Dell insights and wisdom in the
Strat-O-Matic community. I play in three Strat leagues where
Dontrelle Willis was a top five draft pick. These are the guys that
need Dell’s help. Not surprisingly, I’m sure they’re the last
persons to come to such a conclusion.
Dell is for everyone, young or old, rich or poor, advanced
or beginner. Dell keeps you in the game. That’s a good
reason to buy this product
Ordering Information
www.stratostrategy.com