Fantasy Baseball Fans Rejoice

Although I’m not a fantasy baseball fan, the idea behind this new game is pretty cool. The idea behind fantasy baseball, or football for that matter, is that you get to create teams of active players and as the real games play out, stats are compiled to create scores that allow you “play out” a fantasy game. Baseball Boss, takes the concept one step further, in that baseball players from years past can be part of a team.

CNET reports:

A new online baseball game may finally help put to rest an age-old debate: how would Babe Ruth do at the plate facing Nolan Ryan’s fastball?

That is the kind of scenario that may be possible soon with Baseball Boss, a free browser-based game released Thursday that combines fantasy sports with virtual baseball card collecting. The game allows fantasy managers to build teams with Major League Baseball players from 1907 and 2007 (more years will be added later) that can play other user-created teams or even historical teams such as the 1907 Brooklyn Superbas. Instead of focusing on stat categories such as stolen bases and home runs, this game cobbles together the entire team’s likely performance to give you a final game score.

When managers register for a team, they are assigned 40 players, which are represented by trading cards. From that team, managers can trade for other cards with other managers, purchase cards at auction from other managers using points earned from wins, or purchase premium card packs with real money. My team featured a bunch of players I had not heard of or barely remembered, but presumably (after their career years are added) one could eventually acquire players such as Cy Young, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, or Alex Rodriguez. Even Pete Rose would be a good bet.

This is truly a casual game that can be played in a few minutes rather than the week-long contests that most fantasy baseball managers are used to. Managers make challenges and games are played in about 5 to 15 minutes–managers don’t even have to be online while the game is under way. The computer determines the winner of each game based on chance and actual player statistics. Results appear immediately, presenting box scores and inning-by-inning play on how the teams did, or managers can choose to watch the game unfold on the diamond via Flash.

The cool part of this game is that you can play a game in under 15 minutes. For causual gamers this makes fantasy baseball accessible. I hope they do football too.

source: CNET, Online baseball game teams players from past, present, by Steven Musil, July 11, 2008