By Brad Cook

The championship game. Top of the ninth, two outs, a runner on second base. Your team, the California Red Cats, trails the New York Wizards by a run. Their top hitter, “Speedy” Carlson, enters the batter’s box. You challenge him with a 95 mph fastball and he smacks it high and deep … and foul.

You take a deep breath and sweep your finger around the click wheel. A curveball trails across home plate and Carlson chases it with a mighty whiff. For the coup de grâce, you summon your newly unlocked change-up by pressing and holding Select. Carlson falls for it. The crowd cheers.

“Lefty” Garcia is your first batter up in the bottom of the ninth, and he knocks a fastball into the gap for a stand-up double. “Crusher” Jones follows him, and you sweep your finger around the click wheel as a curveball crosses the plate, following its bend perfectly. Jones not only hits it over the wall, but he also puts the ball in a glove perched over right field, earning you bonus points for the post-championship rundown. The fans roar their approval.

It’s All in the SPOGS

After the thrilling victory, you view your final point tally, which is based not only on your success at the plate and on the mound but also on your ability to hit outfield targets, such as bulls-eyes, a glove, a baseball, and other objects scattered throughout the game’s six ballparks. The stadiums are home to six teams each comprised of five SPOGS (Sports Player Object Gyros), unique circular athletes whose six feet propel them around the bases at top speed.

You can also create unique SPOGS and populate your own teams with them, developing prospects for Chalkboard Sports Baseball’s playoff mode, in which you guide one club through two best-of-three series before tackling the championship game.

Success in playoff mode allows you to unlock three new pitches — change-up, screwball, and splitter — with which you’ll confound your opponents. Just make sure you mix up your pitches while facing each batter, because the game features I-Think AI, which lets computer-controlled players make smart decisions in the heat of the moment. A practice mode lets you get ready for the big game, while quick play gives you a chance to easily try out your strategies with a brief three-inning contest.

So do you think you have what it takes to compete with the best of the SPOGS? Sing a refrain of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” — you’ll hear it during the seventh inning stretch of each playoff game — and head to the ball yard to find out.

Scouting Report

Get the lowdown on Chalkboard Sports Baseball’s teams before you hit the field. Since this is five-on-five baseball, pitchers must do double-duty as infielders and solid hitters.

  • California Red Cats: The Red Cats are well-balanced. Leftfielder “Crusher” Jones and catcher “Lefty” Garcia anchor the lineup with their .306 and .289 batting averages, respectively. Centerfielder “Iron” Orr sports just a .204 average, but he’s quick on the base paths.
  • New York Wizards: Leftfielder “Speedy” Carlson brings the big guns with his .340 batting average. Centerfielder “Home Run” Sloane may seem misnamed with an average that’s half of Carlson’s, but he’s a sure bet to hit it out of the park when he makes contact. The rest of the team bats .238 but also brings a lot of power to the plate, making the Wizards perfect for multi-home run games.
  • Nevada Tornadoes: The Tornadoes are a whirlwind on the bases. Catcher “Little” Clark’s .323 batting average and fleet feet lead this team, with leftfielder “Slugger” Sands’ (.306) ready to drive in a lot of runs. Pitcher “Fast” Robinson hits a respectable .272 and adds even more speed.
  • Illinois Bombers: Leftfielder “Captain” Hawks (.340) and catcher “J.J.” Jules (.306) bring a one-two punch to the plate. The rest of this well-balanced team features batting averages that aren’t flashy but get the job done.
  • Florida Rockets: Pitcher “Hurricane” Hannigan and leftfielder “The Glove” Carter produce a lot of hits with their .306 batting averages. The rest of the team is solid, albeit unspectacular, and centerfielder “Jet” Jenkins (.187) tends to be the weak link.
  • Texas Prairie Dogs: Pitcher “Goose” Gallagher is a modern-day Babe Ruth with his .323 batting average. Leftfielder “Knuckles” Johnson supports Gallagher’s pitching efforts with a .306 average. You can count on the rest of the Prairie Dogs to get on base when they need to score runs.
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System Requirements

  • Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or Windows 2000
  • iPod nano (3rd and 4th generation only), iPod classic, or iPod (5th generation only). Not playable on your computer, other iPod models, iPod touch or iPhone. Please check which iPod model you have.
  • iTunes 7.5 or higher required to download (games cannot be played in iTunes)
 
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