Cactus League Interactive Baseball Play-By-Play

Cactus League Interactive Baseball for Windows Play-By-Play Philosophy
It's more than just "a grounder to second"
Every text-based baseball game depends on written play-by-play descriptions to convey the action. That, after all, is what the "text" refers to. And there's a tendency to think that "a grounder to second is a grounder to second." Much More! But play-by-play can be so much more than just a description of each play outcome. Properly presented, play-by-play can immerse the baseball gamer deeper into a season replay than has been the case with computer baseball simulations to date. That is what the play-by-play in Cactus League Interactive Baseball has been designed to do. A Sense of Time and Place Cactus League Interactive Baseball play-by-play will draw you into the concept of the simulated season by establishing a sense of time and place, just as the broadcast of a real big league ball game does. Think about a radio or television broadcast of a big league game. In addition to having the action related to you, the listener/viewer, you're also informed about how the players and teams are doing, in a number of different contexts. That's what the Cactus play-by-play is based upon; that's what is being emulated.
A typical game opening, from an April 26, 1996, game between Minnesota and New York, from The Bronx: Everything in Bold on this page is actual play-by-play text from the game!	It's Friday night in New York... Hello from Yankee Stadium... this evening the Yankees play host to the Minnesota Twins in the 1st game of a three game series... Chuck Knoblauch steps in against Rogers... Knoblauch hitting .289... with seven RBIs... he enters the game with a five game hitting streak... he's hitting .450, 9-for-20, with two doubles... and three RBIs since Sunday... Kenny Rogers is 0 and 1 on the year... making his 2nd start... he's pitched 5.2 innings, given up seven hits and has a 9.53 ERA...
It's a night game--Friday night, the first game of a multi-game series, from "The Stadium." All of that is reflected, in the opening, as it would be in a real broadcast (and these distinctions will periodically pop up later in your "simulated broadcast"). Note that, in addition to presenting the basic statistics for the pitcher and hitter, that reference is made to the Knoblauch hitting streak; not merely its length, but just how well the Minnesota second baseman has hit over the span of the streak, and when it started. Sunday. The beginning of "this week" in the simulation. Knoblauch hasn't been without a hit since last week! Can he keep it going?
The pitch... Swung on... hit in the air to right field... base hit... a base hit to start the game for Knoblauch... Knoblauch has now hit in six consecutive games..."	He sure can! The Knoblauch streak continues! The kind of information that you might get at the start of a half inning early in a game is as varied as you might hear in a real broadcast. And it will all serve to remind you that the game that you're about to play is a piece of a full-season's puzzle.
In The Bottom Of The First In The Same Game Tim Raines steps in against Radke... for the Yankees in the bottom of the 1st... Raines... hitting .333... last night he went 0-for-2 against the Indians... Right-hander Brad Radke has a 3.47 ERA in five starts... no complete games... he's pitched 36.1 innings... allowed 34 hits, 13 walks, has struck out 20... and has a record of 2 and 1... this is his 2nd start of the year versus New York... he's 1 and 0 with a 3.86 ERA in 7.0 innings...
As you can see, Raines went hitless in the previous night's game with Cleveland. And this is Radke's second time around against New York this season. And he's had some success against the Bronx Bombers.
You're liable to be informed of other noteworthy "vs. the opponent" performances as well: The batter is the third baseman Wade Boggs... he's hitting .338... overall... and .500, 6-for-12, against Minnesota with one homerun and five RBIs... Sometimes you'll find that coupled with hitting streak information: And here is Martinez... left-handed batter... he's hitting .382... overall... he has a hitting streak going too... he's hit safely in his last 11 games... his streak started on April 13th... since then he's hitting .435, 20-for-46, with three doubles... six homeruns... and 21 RBIs... and is 4-for-11 on the season versus Minnesota with one homerun and four RBIs... Or the focus may be placed on an earlier performance of note: Dave Hollins is ready to lead off the 2nd for the Twins... Hollins is hitting .310... in yesterday afternoon's game he was 2-for-5 with two RBIs versus Detroit... or, There's a break in the action... Minnesota goes to the bullpen for right-hander Dave Stevens... he has no wins and one loss on the season... an ERA of 4.00 in 9.0 innings... he's allowed nine hits, walked three and has six strikeouts in eight appearances... in his last appearance, yesterday at Detroit, he pitched 1.0 inning, and allowed one run in the victory... It's all designed to pull you into the season, with references to how and where the clubs and players are performing. We Move To Action Later In The Same Game As the game wears on, you'll see increased focus on the game at hand. From a brief recap of earlier plate appearances: Here's Mariano Duncan... he's 0-for-1... with a strikeout... To in-progress reports of events just unfolding: ... that's three hits in a row given up by Radke... To updates of cumulative pitching accomplishments: Taken... called strike three... Coomer was fooled by the changeup... the 3rd strikeout for Kenny Rogers... And the side is out... Rogers retires the Twins one-two-three for the first time in the game... From detailed end-of-inning summaries: And that'll do it for the Yankees in the 7th... BIG inning for the Yankees... they batted around... nine men came to the plate resulting in five runs, on only four hits... there were no errors, and one man left on base... after seven full innings... the Yankees have increased their lead to eight... To signature end-of-game wrap-ups: Wetteland... into the windup... and delivers... Strike three... home plate umpire John Shulock rings up Molitor... Molitor strikes out for the 2nd time in the game... two strikeouts this inning for John Wetteland... That's your ballgame... The Yankees win it... 10 to 3. For Minnesota in the 9th... no runs, no hits and no errors... The winning pitcher is Kenny Rogers, 1-1... Brad Radke is the loser, 2-2... Jim Leyritz hit the only homerun in the game, in the 5th, off Brad Radke... that's all from New York... once again, the final score: New York 10, Minnesota 3... Just A Taste What you've seen here barely scratches the surface, but it should give you a sense of Cactus League Interactive Baseball's approach to play-by-play. All The Plays Are Here All the routine plays are here, of course, as are dozens upon dozens of "rare plays," from bench clearing brawls and fan interference to injured umpires and equipment problems. There's lots more, but we won't spoil the surprise. It's all here, waiting to be uncovered by you! You Will Surely Be Drawn In It's all wrapped up in a package designed to envelop you deeper within the context of the game--and the season--you're playing than ever before. Perhaps "a grounder to second is a grounder to second." But with Cactus League Interactive Baseball's play-by-play, there's so much more, a grounder to second is the last thing you'll be thinking about. Find Out More!