Patent Publication Number: US-5522590-A

Title: Baseball card game

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to baseball and, more particularly, to a baseball card game. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Heretofor, the game of baseball has been simulated by utilizing die or spinners mounted on numbered cards, wherein the various combinations of numbers determined by rolling the die or spinning the spinner have been arbitrarily assigned an out or a hit of some kind, such as a single, double, triple, or home run. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     A general object of the invention is to provide an improved simulated baseball game. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide an improved baseball card game. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a baseball card game including twenty seven &#34;out&#34; cards and a plurality of cards covering the various typical ways in which batters in baseball are able to &#34;get on base&#34; and score runs. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a baseball card game which comprises twenty seven &#34;out&#34; cards including fly outs, ground outs, strike outs, and double plays, and a plurality of &#34;on base&#34; cards including singles, doubles with provisions for a triple, a home run, walks, and error cards. 
     A still further object of the invention is to provide a baseball card game, including blank box score sheets, and wherein the individual cards describe the types of outs and ways to get on base, along with appropriate symbols therefor, which teach the players how to fill out a box score sheet on which any selected line-up of players may be listed by the player or players of the card game. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a baseball card game, wherein the cards include &#34;on base&#34; cards which reflect the actual types and average numbers of ways to get on base rounded off to the nearest whole number, which occurred during an entire major league season of 162 games by all major league teams, namely, six singles, two doubles, one home run, one error, and three bases on balls or walks, and provision for a triple which occurred, on an average, every fifth game. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a baseball card game, including a deck of cards having an assortment of &#34;out&#34; and &#34;on base&#34; cards, and wherein, by shuffling the deck before each inning, the odds of turning up the &#34;on base&#34; cards are similar to the odds facing the average batter stepping into the batter&#39;s box in a real baseball game. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of 27 &#34;out&#34; cards embodied in the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of 13 &#34;on-base&#34; cards; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of 1 &#34;wild pitch&#34; card; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of a prior art blank box score sheet; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of 9 &#34;incidence&#34; cards; 
     FIG. 6 is a chart listing &#34;on-base&#34; symbols; 
     FIG. 7 is a layout of a prior art baseball playing field; and 
     FIG. 8 is a plan and end view representing a marker for use on the FIG. 7 layout. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIGS. 1-3 and 5 illustrate a baseball card game 10 comprising a deck of cards, including a plurality of &#34;out&#34; cards, represented as 12 (FIG. 1), for example, twenty seven cards, representing nine innings of three outs per inning including typical ways that occur during a game, i.e., gound outs to the infielders, fly outs to outfielders, infielders, and the catcher, and strike outs, and a plurality of &#34;on-base&#34; cards represented as 14 (FIG. 2), for example, thirteen cards including six singles, two doubles, one home run, three bases on balls or walks, one error, and provisions for a rare triple. One wild pitch card 16 (FIG. 3) is also included. 
     It should be noted that the on-base cards 14 represent the average numbers of the respective singles (6), doubles (2), home runs (1), bases on balls or, so-called, walks (3), errors (1), rounded off to the nearest whole number, which occurred during a major league season of 162 games each for the twenty eight major league teams. Since a triple occurred only once in every five games, getting a triple in this card game is handled by each double card stating that, if this is the third double of the game for a player&#39;s team, it is to be counted and cited as a triple on a box score sheet, shown as 18 (FIG. 4). 
     An additional set of nine cards, represented at 20 (FIG. 5), indicate the position and its number where an error occurred in the event that the error card is turned up during game play. Should the error card appear, one of the set of nine cards is then turned up to determine the error position. The set of nine cards 18 further identify whether an attempted steal requested by a player is &#34;out&#34; or &#34;safe&#34;, and the way it is to be marked on a box score sheet 18. 
     A set of symbols 22, shown in FIG. 6, is suggested as a teaching means of completing the box score sheet 18, as cards are turned up one-by-one, until three outs are attained. 
     It is to be noted that these symbols are suggested as one easily understood way to represent the various game events. 
     A playing field 24 (FIG. 7), identifying the nine positions by their respective universally recognized numbers, is inclined to identify the positions to players unfamiliar therewith. Specifically, the positions are: pitcher 1, catcher 2, first base 3, second base 4, third base 5, shortstop 6, left field 7, center field 8, and right field 9. The players may, if they desire, keep track of base runners by placing selected markers, represented as 26 (FIG. 8), such as discs or coins, on the respective bases of the playing field 24, as directed by the turned-up cards. 
     In operation, each of two players, who may consider themselves as team managers, first fills in the blank score sheet 18 with the selected team line-up. Then, after deciding home team and visitors in any convenient manner, such as by tossing a coin, both managers shuffle their respective decks of cards. The &#34;visiting&#34; team manager then proceeds to turn up one card at a time, filling in the score sheet 18 until completing three outs. 
     Ground outs are identified as 6-3, 5-3, 4-3, 3-1, and U-3 (the latter meaning by first baseman unassisted), and double plays as 5-4 and 4-3, 6-4 and 4-3, and 3-5 and 5-3, the first out being against the base runner and the second out against the batter. In the event of a sacrifice bunt which advances a runner, the box score entry is ##STR1## which does not count as a time at bat. Fly outs are identified as F-2, F-3, F-4, F-5, F-6, F-7, F-8, and F-9. In the event of a fly out to the outfield, which scores a runner from third base, a sacrifice fly has occurred. The identification therefor is ##STR2## which does not count as a time at bat. A strike out is identified as K. 
     The &#34;home&#34; team manager then turns up the cards one at a time until three outs are completed, and the box score sheet 18 is filled in accordingly. Any on-base cards 14 which are encountered within each three out segment are recorded on the box score sheet 18 as identified on each card and/or on the chart shown in FIG. 6. 
     Each out card 12 and each on-base card 14, besides identifying the symbol for entry on the box score sheet 18, advises as to what happens to any runners who were on any or all bases, when such out or on-base card is drawn. The runs and hits, if any, which occur each inning are recorded on the score sheet 18 at the bottom of each inning column above and below the slant lines shown as, for example 1/2, 2/4, 0/1, etc., and 0/0 if no runs and hits occur. 
     The cards played each half inning are returned to the deck, and the deck is reshuffled at the beginning of each half inning by the respective players. 
     In some instances, a particular out card 12 will identify a runner as having reached first base as /FC. This identifies a &#34;fielders choice&#34;, meaning that a fielder to whom a ground ball was hit has elected to make a play on a previous runner at some advanced base, rather than throw the batter out at first base. 
     The symbols shown on each box score sheet 18 (FIG. 4) to the right of each batter&#39;s and pitcher&#39;s line may be completed at the end of the game, as is done after each major league game by official score keepers. For those desiring to do so, individual batter&#39;s statistics, such as batting average, may be calculated. These symbols for batters stand for times at bat (AB) [a walk does not count as a time at bat; an error does count as a time at bat], runs scored (R), hits made (H), and runs batted in (RBI). The symbols shown for pitchers stand for: innings pitched (IP), runs allowed (R), hits allowed (H), earned runs allowed (ER), bases on balls given up (BB), wild pitch made (WP), and winning pitch (W), or losing pitcher (L). A pitcher&#39;s earned run average (ERA) may be calculated, if desired. 
     In the event, a manager elects to have a runner on first attempt to steal a base, if OUT, as decided by one of the set of nine cards 20 (FIG. 5), the entry made on the box score sheet 18 for the runner is 2-4 if attempting to steal second, or 2-5 if attempting to steal third. If SAFE, as also decided by one of the set of nine cards, the entry made is ##STR3## or ##STR4## for stealing second or third, respectively. 
     APPLICABILITY 
     It should be apparent that the invention describes a baseball card game, wherein games ranging from &#34;no-hitters&#34; to, so-called, &#34;blow outs&#34; may be simulated as a result of shuffling the deck and turning up the cards one-by-one. 
     It should also be apparent that the invention teaches a user of the card game a clear and consise way to keep a box score, using the suggested symbols to identify each type of out and each type of way to get on base. 
     It should be further apparent that, if it is desired to not keep a box score, only runs and hits need be recorded for each inning. 
     It should be still further apparent that a player may use the game as a game of solitary, i.e., using a single deck to determine either how few runs and/or hits occur, or how many runs and/or hits may be attained. 
     It should also be apparent that only player can play a game involving two teams by alternating the shuffling and play action through three outs for each of the regulation innings. 
     It should be further apparent that two groups of people can participate by selecting managers from their respective groups to handle the cards throughout the reglation innings. 
     While but one general embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, other modifications are possible within the scope of the following claims.