Mecca depends on your faith. To the devout Strat-O-Matic baseball fan, a pilgrimage to be among the first to get their hands on the baseball set is an annual event.

Strat-O-Matic Game Co. occupies a non-descript brick building that might easily be mistaken for a bunker. It's nestled in the North Shore community of Glen Head, N.Y., across the street from the local line of the Long Island Rail Road.

It's a quiet street when not overrun by commuters during rush hour. But on Jan. 26, 2007, hundreds of Strat players descended on Glen Head to be among the first to purchase the 2007 edition of Strat-O-Matic baseball.

Fans made the trek from as far away as Ohio. Even reigning World Champion Hank Smith of Torrance, Calif., was on hand...
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Before Jim Baumbach became a valuable contributor to the complex equation that makes up the greatest sports board game ever made — the Strat-O-Matic baseball card — he was simply an avid fan of the 45-year-old classic.

Baumbach, 28, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., first began playing the game as a freshman at St. John's University when his college paper sports editor, Joe Schad (now of ESPN), invited him to join a Strat league. He's been a loyal player ever since.

But his involvement with the game crossed over to that of contributor once the Newsday sports reporter was promoted to the high-profile New York Yankees beat. This is the second straight year that the Long Island, N.Y.-based company has used input from Baumbach to help compile cards for Yankees players...
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