Sports Media Report
A time-honored tradition for thousands of fans throughout the years, Strat-O-Matic Opening Day is set for Friday, February 21, at company Headquarters in Glen Head, N.Y. There, Strat-O-Matic’s greatest enthusiasts line up along Railroad Avenue in the Long Island hamlet to be among the first to get their hands on new 2025 baseball games as well as the debut of numerous product offerings from the market leader in sports simulations.
For the third straight year, Opening Day will also serve as Induction Friday, with four new members joining the ranks of the “Hal Richman Strat-O-Matic Hall of Fame.” This year, legendary baseball media member and longtime SOM player Tim Kurkjian, Lamanna Baseball Bulletin creator John Lamanna, “Original Strat-O-Matic Ambassador” Tom Swank and longtime SOM game tester Ken Wenger will be honored on the 21st with enshrinement.
Kurkjian, who began playing Strat-O-Matic at age 13, also introduced the game to his son Jeff. Together they share baseball stories on their popular podcast “Is This A Great Game, or What?,” on which they also discuss a customized Strat-O-Matic simulation every week during the season.
In 2024, fans from as far away as Las Vegas began lining up as early as 2 a.m., braving less than temperate conditions to pick up their orders as well as gain the honor of meeting the Strat-O-Matic founder and creator, Hal Richman, who enjoys hearing fans talk about the decades of enjoyment that the game has brought them.
This year, fans who preordered will be able to go home with their purchases, including the new 2024 baseball season cards, “Diamond Gems” series featuring 16 great teams from the 2000-2009 decade, the full super-advanced 1970 baseball season, and the “True Blue Strat” designed t-shirt. Windows products including the 2025 game, numerous Negro League seasons, Cuban All-Time Stars teams and updated Hall of Fame roster will be released on Feb. 24.
