SkeeterSoft, Inc.

With the proliferation of entities producing cards and ratings with which the APBA and APBA-derived computer games are compatible, one might question why another competitor might enter the market.

Even more, one might wonder what yet another entrant in the marketplace could possibly bring to the table that hasn’t been presented by someone else. SkeeterSoft, Inc. is not, in reality, a new entrant. SkeeterSoft, under the auspices of Sports Game Publishing, Inc., was the first company outside APBA to begin mass marketing of full card sets spanning the 20^th century. Sports Game Publishing distributed these sets worldwide for SkeeterSoft. Both Sports Game Publishing and APBA International marketed the “SkeeterSoft for BBW” disks, which are engineered for maximum efficiency and accuracy when playing the Baseball for Windows computer game.

In November 2004, SkeeterSoft determined to remove its products from further distribution by third parties and sell directly to the public.

These card sets and disks have proven to be immensely popular due to their performance in recreating baseball seasons. This performance can be attributed directly to a number of advantages SkeeterSoft, Inc. has in the marketplace.

Bill Staffa, the creator of the SkeeterSoft brand, has been conducting mathematical analysis of the APBA board game(s) and player ratings since he was a high-school student in the early 1960’s. He has continued this analysis through the present, and has made contributions (voluntarily and as a consultant) to several dice-activated and computer baseball simulations. He has also created a number of methodologies for creating or synthesizing statistics critical for the simulations but which may not have been kept for a particular period. These statistics are required, particularly in APBA, to insure that the sum of all the results is a proper ratio of runs and earned runs scored per game.

• No other maker of ratings for the APBA game, synthesize the “missing stats” with such accuracy. Although one might wonder what could be so important about batters hitting into double plays, or sacrifice flies, base runner control is critical to controlling runs scored. The entire game model is based on runs.

• SkeeterSoft, Inc. ratings are calculated using a targeted Weighted Average Grade and a Hit Adjustment on the batter which insure the proper distribution of pitcher grades and batter hit numbers in a particular season and insure an optimal distribution of both that best conforms to the game engine itself.

• SkeeterSoft, Inc. removes all IBBs from the batters and the pitchers. To a degree which is reflected more than by any other card maker, SkeeterSoft aims to make the card reflect the individual’s performance. There are some numbers, which will always be on a card, but there is no artificial rounding based on games played, plate appearances, etc.

• SkeeterSoft, Inc. has introduced several control ratings and play results, which are reflected only in the SkeeterSoft cards, and serve to further delineate the skill levels between pitchers without disrupting the consistency of the pitching grades. These are copyrighted play results and ratings, which appear only with SkeeterSoft card sets.

It is important to note that any seeming differences in the ratings are designed within the framework of the game engine and can be used with any boards created for the game. Teams with the new ratings can be played against teams without the new ratings with no loss of accuracy or realism.

The disks provided by SkeeterSoft, Inc. for each set are designed to give the same realism as the original disks created by the now defunct Miller Associates, for both the DOS and BBW games. The SkeeterSoft, Inc. for BBW disks offer even more realism and statistical accuracy when used with BBW.