Fellow list members:

As mentioned here about a month ago, Strat is planning to release a
108-card Negro Leagues set this year. I noted then my surprise about
Strat's reversal of its decades-long resistance to the idea. Now an
article in Strat-O-Sphere sheds some light on the company's change of
heart. Apparently, one guy had enough research, including myriad box
scores, to convince Richman to go for it. An interesting read.

http://www.strat-o-matic.com/sphere/negrosimkus.htm

The article has some interesting insights on the pending set. One is
that while it will have 108 *cards,* it won't be 108 *players* -- some
players got both pitching and position-player cards. Also, the
players' cards will be based on their best five to seven years, a
format similar to the 2000 Hall of Fame set.

One revelation that's going to raise some ire is the decision to leave
off the set certain Negro Leagues stars, among them Larry Doby and
Monte Irvin. Now, I can understand not including, say, Willie Mays and
Hank Aaron, guys who made only a brief pit stop in the Negro Leagues
on their way to major league immortality. But leaving off Doby and
Irvin simply because they're already in the Hall of Fame set, as the
article suggests happened, is just silly. Using that logic, you'd have
to deny Satchel Paige a Negro Leagues card too -- and be assured, he's
included in the new set. I half-expect a gamer outcry that will
persuade Strat to reverse this decision.

-Gary