Being Pen-sive

The red and white die and the player cards are key parts of the APBA game. Actually, they are the most important aspects of the replay. Without them, for example, I’d never know if Ted Williams could bat .400 in my 1947 APBA baseball replay, if Bob Feller could strike out the side in the ninth inning of a close game or if the Yankees and Dodgers could each make it to the World Series.

But another vital element of the game is the pens we replayers use. You’ve got to have a decent writing utensil to record statistics, keep score and set up replays.

As a former news reporter for more than three decades, I’ve become an aficionado of pens. You can’t be hindered with a dragging ballpoint pen when scribing quotes from some fast-talking politician or from a poignant source in a spot news story. 

I first learned the importance of pens when covering football at a small Arkansas weekly newspaper. I used to rely on felt-tipped black markers. They were thin-pointed and easy to use, gliding over my notebook quickly. I covered one game in a blinding rain storm in the western edge of the state, though. The black ink, looking really nice when first on the page, began running when the notebook became soaked. The ink blurred and looked like those advertisements that depict cheap women’s mascara that runs when wet.  My story that week, alas, was pretty much devoid of any exciting game details and relied only on statistics provided by the coach the following day.

I also had to have pens that, after hastily jotting down comments, I could read later. Mike Huckabee was the fastest-talking governor of Arkansas. Jotting his quotes required a strong wrist, decent penmanship and an ability to transcribe hieroglyphics.

So, after years of using  pens in the workplace, I’ve become pretty particular with them.

And, because I have a tad bit of OCD, I use black and blue ink pens for different aspects of a replay. I’ll rely on a blue pen to create team pages. I’ll write every game the team plays – in the 1947 season, that’s 154 games – for each team. Then, when I play the games, I’ll write the scores in using black in. I also set up my stat pages, albeit somewhat limited, the same way. Blue ink for names, black ink for home runs, wins and saves. And this year, I’m including RBIs as well. In black ink.

I also use a pencil for compiling standings. That way I can erase team wins or losses after games and only change the standings page out after a month of games are replayed.

I’ve found that some of the cheaper pens are the best. I used to scamper to a Dollar General to buy college-ruled paper, index cards and pens when I planned to start a replay. Now, I head to three places for pens, and they are all free. 

I used to grab up pens whenever I visited a friend in the hospital near my home. The hospital kept a cup of blue pens near the entrance and I’d pick one up on the way in and one on the way out. Once, my friend had a lengthy stay there and I got a dozen pens that I’m still using.

My bank also has great pens. I’ve got several pens with a bear emblazoned on the side; the bank used to have a bear logo.

And the church I attend has great black ink pens that I pick up.

There is some guilt, though, in getting those pens. Each place has eyes watching. The hospital and bank have security cameras and the church, well… you know who’s watching there. But they are there for customers, so I rationalize. Call it APBA advertising akin to the billboards you see on outfield walls.

Replays are long ventures. You’ve got to have decent pens to make the journey a tad easier. You can grab the good ones up at churches, hospitals or banks … as long as they aren’t chained to a teller’s desk.