Out of the Park Baseball Release Date

While this is not necessarily related to "real" baseball, one of the most enjoyable computer games I've encountered, Out of the Park Baseball, annouced the release date of its next version today: May 31, 2006. As in previous versions, this game allows you to take over the role of a manager/GM of a major league baseball team, sign free agents, cope with injuries, negotiate contract extensions, and develop young players into Hall of Famers as you try to guide your team to long-term success. It features a reasonably sophisticated statistical engine (e.g. incorporates Defense Independent Pitching Statistics in its modeling of pitcher performance), good AI, and unpredictable (at times) players. This new version is a complete rewrite. Compared to previous versions, it features a more flexible league system, more realistic scouting processes, and an overhauled interface (among other things). If this sort of thing sounds interesting to you, I'd encourage you to go check it out. You can download and play version 5 (2003) right now to get a feel for what the game is all about. -j