trevordayschool

INSIDE TREVOR TREVOR TRANSLATES FEATURE AR TICLES ALUMNI concept of fantasy baseball, and more importantly, to the potential power of the computer. This was long before the internet and the networking capabilities of computers we expect of today's technology. In fact, the game we played didn't have any graphics; it was simply text based. The program asked us what we wanted to do and then told us the result of our strategy. Both team managers had to be sitting there in front of the same computer. Although Mr. Patton had left The Day School as a faculty member, he would occasionally visit Mr. Lindow to work on their other projects, and he still had a team in our school computer league. Its name, Patton's Tanks, was a play on his last name which is shared with World War II's General George S. Patton. At the time, Mr. Patton was also participating in the earliest form of a brand-new fantasy baseball game: Roto Baseball leagues. In the years to follow, Mr. Lindow would help Mr. Patton with calculating player valuations and analyses via a computer program he designed. I would begin to play some 15 years later, long after I graduated from The Day School. In hindsight, that computer league was the most unique way I experienced inquiry-based learning. Of course, it wasn't ubiquitously embraced, but those of us who played learned not only about computers, but also how to utilize more complex forms of analysis. I learned the value of making progress through trial and error in the strategies I deployed as a team manager, and even how to use unique strategies to exploit rules and game play in our computer league. (If you're curious, ask about my Alan Ashby strategy the next time you see me). Mr. Patton's first year playing in a Roto league was 1982. It was the second year of this nascent form of fantasy baseball, and he played in a new offshoot league called The American Dreams league. He also employed some of the earliest radical strategies that led to rule changes that today's players accept as standard. Rules are an integral part of any game, whether we are discussing physical or fantasy variants. They establish the basis for not only the integrity of the game, but creating a fair, challenging, and fun game for its participants. This is also why rules constantly change. Consensus needs to be reached by game participants, and sometimes a rule (or the lack thereof) needs to be exploited before that consensus is reached. Mr. Patton is regarded as being the first manager in Roto to exploit the lack of an early rule for an innings pitched requirement. He recognized that some categories for scoring the game were cumulative, meaning you added up your team's total number of home runs or points, while other categories were scored using ratios, meaning they were averages, like Earned-Run Average (ERA). It was easier and cheaper to create a team on the pitching side of the ledger since it had two ratio categories. This allowed him to employ a unique team-building strategy by acquiring cheap middle relievers with great ratios and ignoring the more expensive starting pitchers. He won that year using that strategy and, subsequently, the league decided to create a new rule adding the now standard innings pitched requirement. Alex Patton is perhaps best known for his books, which he started publishing in the late 80s. With more and more people playing the fantasy game, fantasy analysts began to offer guides for player values, evaluations, and game strategies. Mr. Patton's books were among the first of their kind. What was once mostly a hobby for early participants has grown into a full-time business with year-round content generation from fantasy analysts. It was this work that led to Patton's election to the Fantasy Sports Writers Hall of Fame. He still contributes through his website: pattonandco.com, where you can join the baseball conversation for free. As interesting as this may be for the school's historical narrative, it is tied to this specific announcement: Having played in Roto Baseball leagues for over two decades, I'm pleased to announce the return of an annual Roto Baseball League to the Trevor community. This spring, I'll act as commissioner to the inaugural season of the Trevor Baseball Association. It will be open to anyone who wants to participate, at no cost. We'll tailor the style and type of league depending on how many people wish to play. Please watch for a sign-up form to join the league. It will come soon, along with spring. n TREVOR DAY SCHOOL / 47

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