tweaking for rookie bases

[Benoît Racette]

Good morning.

 

Is some of you have some tips/hints about how to tweak those bases to get them go as straight as possible.

 

 

Any help will be very appreciated, cheers, Benster from north of the border.

[Daryl Collins]

I just started doing this so after watching as many posts as I could and amassing my tools, I found there was base knowledge and then trial and error. I put the player on the base and start by lightly flattening the front prongs. Then I try the player out, then, I flash with a flame, and try him out. Clipping the prongs ever so slightly for direction or balance seems to help other coaches, but I have had limited success with this. I do move to the back prongs at some point if I need to and very lightly flash with a flame. Then if I’m satisfied, I’ll weight up the base. I’ve had a base come to life at any point in the process and I’ve also crashed and burned spectacularly. Still learning, but at no time have I not been having a great time!

Good luck!

Journey On!

[Terry43]

On 12/10/2023 at 8:52 AM, Daryl Collins said:

start by lightly flattening the front prongs.

I agree with everything Daryl wrote 😃👍 except this tiny part.  🤏😃 I never mess with the front prongs except to flash with a flame.

 

On 12/10/2023 at 8:52 AM, Daryl Collins said:

Then if I’m satisfied, I’ll weight up the base.

I agree whole-heartedly with this step. 👍 In my experience most tweaking can be avoided if the base and figure are weighted up to at least 5 grams. 🏋️‍♂️

 

On 12/10/2023 at 8:52 AM, Daryl Collins said:

I’ve also crashed and burned spectacularly.

The Law of Diminishing Returns sets in. Each successful tweaking sets the bar (or measure of success) a bit higher.

Tweaking is necessary but it's playing the game that's the thing. As far as I can tell the Law of Diminishing Returns never sets in on playing this crazy game of Electric Football.   😃👍

Enjoy the Journey    T43   ⚡🏈♾️

[BlueHen]

On 12/11/2023 at 5:13 PM, Terry43 said:

 In my experience most tweaking can be avoided if the base and figure are weighted up to at least 5 grams. 

 

 

Obviously, there's a limit to the weight your players can be in a tournament (4 grams I think?), but if you're making your own house rules, why bother with weight limits, right?

If there's no limitation being set, and you could give any players any weight, what would you recommend is perfect for lineman, ends and backs/backers, and speed guys? Would you set them all the same weight (assuming you're using  Power/Strength/Fast bases from ITZ), or would you make the line the heaviest ones and receivers lightest?  

[nefgm.org]

I have toyed around with basing the weight of players on the following scale: 1 gram = 60 lbs.  A long time ago, Reginald Rutledge came up with the idea of a weighting system called Cumulative Weight Distribution that is based on 1 gram = 50lbs. I have always thought this was a more realistic way to create a team and weight players.    

Cumulative Weight Distribution.pdf

[nefgm.org]

Here is an example of a team roster created by Reginald Rutledge.

 1967 Green Bay Packers Roster.pdf

[Terry43]

15 hours ago, BlueHen said:

If there's no limitation being set, and you could give any players any weight

Good questions Brian and I believe Chris at the museum has given you a great answer. 

My answer is more philosophical. Do you remember the movie Space Cowboys? Tommy Lee Jones (Hawk) has a bit of a soliloquy to the SR-71 Blackbird. He says (paraphrased), "Hawk talks about how ugly it is and how terrible it functions when it’s trying to get up to speed, but once it passes Mach 1 everything clicks into place and it becomes the most impressive piece of airborne machinery ever."

Tudor bases like the 1949 steel bases, 1967 Aqua Bases, 1971 Red Peg, and the Superior Toys Monday Night Football butterscotch bases are like the SR-71 Blackbird below mach 1. Add a screw, a washer, and a nut and suddenly those 'ugly' bases are the "most impressive" bases ever.

This is true of all bases. When I get a base over 5 grams then it becomes the most impressive base I will ever have the pleasure to build into a team. I have 21 teams and the 1949 steel bases, 1967 Aqua Bases, 1971 Red Peg, and Convention bases all compete equally because I broke the weight barrier. Four of my teams ride on ITZ bases and ITZ bases perform better over 5 grams.

Norman Sas and Lee Payne were engineers and I feel certain they knew increased weight makes bases perform better but there is a big difference between functionality and profitability. Sas and Payne had to choose profitability. That's the American Way and I don't disagree with their decision. That decision made this hobby possible.

In the Heavy Metal Electric Football Consortium I choose physics and functionality. 

Enjoy the Journey    T43    ⚡🏈♾️

[BlueHen]

6 hours ago, nefgm.org said:

I have toyed around with basing the weight of players on the following scale: 1 gram = 60 lbs.  A long time ago, Reginald Rutledge came up with the idea of a weighting system called Cumulative Weight Distribution that is based on 1 gram = 50lbs. I have always thought this was a more realistic way to create a team and weight players.    

Cumulative Weight Distribution.pdf 62.93 kB · 0 downloads

Awesome. Thank you Chris. 🤝 💯

[BlueHen]

4 hours ago, Terry43 said:

Good questions Brian and I believe Chris at the museum has given you a great answer. 

My answer is more philosophical. Do you remember the movie Space Cowboys? Tommy Lee Jones (Hawk) has a bit of a soliloquy to the SR-71 Blackbird. He says (paraphrased), "Hawk talks about how ugly it is and how terrible it functions when it’s trying to get up to speed, but once it passes Mach 1 everything clicks into place and it becomes the most impressive piece of airborne machinery ever."

Tudor bases like the 1949 steel bases, 1967 Aqua Bases, 1971 Red Peg, and the Superior Toys Monday Night Football butterscotch bases are like the SR-71 Blackbird below mach 1. Add a screw, a washer, and a nut and suddenly those 'ugly' bases are the "most impressive" bases ever.

This is true of all bases. When I get a base over 5 grams then it becomes the most impressive base I will ever have the pleasure to build into a team. I have 21 teams and the 1949 steel bases, 1967 Aqua Bases, 1971 Red Peg, and Convention bases all compete equally because I broke the weight barrier. Four of my teams ride on ITZ bases and ITZ bases perform better over 5 grams.

Norman Sas and Lee Payne were engineers and I feel certain they knew increased weight makes bases perform better but there is a big difference between functionality and profitability. Sas and Payne had to choose profitability. That's the American Way and I don't disagree with their decision. That decision made this hobby possible.

In the Heavy Metal Electric Football Consortium I choose physics and functionality. 

Enjoy the Journey    T43    ⚡🏈♾️

Wow. Thank you Terry. 

It's simply amazing how many details are in this hobby when you dig beneath the surface. 

Merry Christmas brother 😎

[nefgm.org]

Obviously, when the game was invented, it was just a kid's game to be played causally among friends and family for fun and entertainment. I doubt very seriously, Norman Sas or Lee Payne had any idea that it would become one of the most popular competitive sports games that it is now.  What is even more amazing is that the same basic technology that was invented to power the game boards and give movement to the players has virtually remained unchanged for 75 years. Sure, it has been tweaked and improved upon by many others, but it still goes back to that original patent for a "Vibrating Propelling Device." 

2167985.pdf

[Terry43]

From the patent, "... (B)ut it will be obvious that a resultant of that force will cause said article to move forwardly,"

Absolutely priceless. 😃👍

Made my day.     T43.     ⚡🏈♾️

[nefgm.org]

5 minutes ago, Terry43 said:

Absolutely priceless. 😃👍

Terry43, since you liked that one so much, here is another one for you. 

 

 

2772512.pdf

[Terry43]

An object of the invention is to provide a playing piece having laterally extending lineal supporting members of sufficient stiffness to support the playing piece and which
 are sufficiently flexible to permit the flexing of the end portions thereof.

 The supports consist of the downturned end portions of a thin strip of sheet material which may be composed of paper stock, cardboard, synthetic plastics, thin metal and the like.

Very interesting. I've tried wood and wood doesn't seem to work. 🤔 I think it may have something to do with, "sufficiently flexible to permit the flexing of the end portions thereof.

Enjoy the Journey.  T43. ⚡🏈♾️

[BlueHen]

8 hours ago, Terry43 said:

From the patent, "... (B)ut it will be obvious that a resultant of that force will cause said article to move forwardly,"

Absolutely priceless. 😃👍

Made my day.     T43.     ⚡🏈♾️

 

😂 I Love it

 

But the question is: "Will that force resultant in said article crossing the goal line with the ball, or will the opposing linebackers sack said article for a 5 yard loss from the resultant of that force?" 🤔

 

 

[RickLM30]

I have found that to make a base go straight, put it under a player that you tell to turn - in my experience it is a sure-fire way to get a base to go straight!  It also works in reverse - a player on a base that you tell to run straight will invariably turn!  🤣

[Terry43]

7 hours ago, RickLM30 said:

I have found that to make a base go straight, put it under a player that you tell to turn - in my experience it is a sure-fire way to get a base to go straight!  It also works in reverse - a player on a base that you tell to run straight will invariably turn! 

Exactly. When you give in and say, "Fine. Do what you want," then when the game is on the line the player will have a change of heart and do just the opposite. 🤪

Enjoy the Journey.   T43.   ⚡🏈♾️

[Daryl Collins]

Holy cow! And I thought I was the only one with this experience! Needs a name. Some kind of syndrome.🤣🤣🤣

Journey On!