Speaking of Negamco, Remember how exciting it would be when it arrive. It took about 6 weeks and every single day of those weeks I would dream about getting the game. 😁

Yes I remember that feeling as well as how I would cringe when one of the charts showed the dreaded 'INJ" result.

when I got to NY I found a company on Long Island called stat o matic that you could actually go to the ware house and get the game immediately. I would take a leave on the day the new release came out from work and drive to Glen Cove to get the new edition. Such fun. No weeks of waiting.
I remember 20 years later walking into computer stores (Something new back then) and seeing games like Micro league and Earl Weaver and getting so excited as I would run home to stick the disc in the drive to play. No more waiting and God forbid no paper or pencil to keep stats. It was a whole new world for me. I also remember years later going at 2 in the morning on Black Friday because Madden was released that night. (We had no football games of note at this time) I remember the teller looking at me like something was wrong and askIng me “Is this all” as the whole place was being barrage by customers with carts of crap running wild. Looking back I remember how excited I would get . I actually got goosebumps driving home in anticipation of planning my new league. Lol. I actually think the first game I could download online was OOTP. I can’t remember . What I do remember is at that time I had dial up and it took me 4 to 5 hours to download it. Times have changed. Some for the better and some for the worse. But as far as gaming goes it is a wonderful world out there. To think I can now download great game like PSF with just a iPad to lounge around anywhere I please and try to win that elusive Ring is just unimaginable to me while at the same time playing OOTP baseball on the laptop across the Room and DDSPB on the desktop in the Den. In appreciation of all the great programmers I have come in contact with I support around 20 games each year from Golf, Tennis, Baseball, Football and Basketball. Half of them I do not even play anymore but for all the enjoyment these people has brought me through the years I will support them until the day I die. Thank you very much . You know who you are.😉

I lived in PA up until 2016, and when in high school, my buddy and I would make the 45 minute trek to Lancaster, to pick up the APBA games. Played the heck out of those games, football and basketball. And you're right about paper and pencil stats, as he and I used to keep incredibly detailed, on paper, stats.

I bet that 45 minute trip was very exciting for you and your friend. My trip to SOM was about 45 minutes also. The trip there was exciting but the trip back was agonizing . I wanted to get home so badly to play the game but it seemed Iike it took hours on the way back. 😉

Even as a Brit, I used to play Strat-o-Matic Football in my college days. As a student quick game of SOM over a couple of beers was a great cheap night in!

When I played Ronnie Lott was so overpowered it was ridiculous!