Backyard Baseball 2001

Backyard Baseball 2001
Console: PC/Mac
Release Date: 2001

Elevator Pitch: BACKYARD BASEBALL is a certifiable club banger, even 21 years later. As a single-digit sports fanatic, there were few things sweeter in life than putting your custom player into the game alongside the sandlot baseball legends.  A few years later, it got even better and the second edition dropped with MLB professionals, of which included Nomar Garciaparra and Ken Griffey Jr. I must’ve jumped through three hours worth of hoops just last year to get my old copy to work again. Even with photo-realistic simulation versions like MLB: THE SHOW out today, this game is certainly worth the effort. Between teaching me a slew of baseball strategies and situations, the careful love they put into the stat-keeping is still incredible to me.

Somehow, two excellent articles were even penned this year about the original game — the first from Martin Kessler of WBUR on Pablo Sanchez, the undeniable GOAT, and the second comes from Zach Kram of The Ringer. But instead of regurgitating their words on this special game, go read their work. For me, this was just part of my childhood infatuation with Humongous Entertainment games — so don’t worry, there is plenty of Pajama Sam and Spy Fox to come yet. Since you definitely asked through your screens, here’s my dream team lineup:

CF — Dante Robinson
3B — Jocinda Smith
2B — Pablo Sanchez
RF — Achmed Khan
LF — Kiesha Phillips
C — Mikey Thomas
SS — Stephanie Morgan
1B — Ernie Steele
P — Amir Khan

Now, excuse me, but I think I have to take down Derek Jeter and Green Melonheads for the umpteenth time.

Nostalgia/Stickwitu: 90
Gameplay/Does It Hold Up: 75
Replayability/Multiplayer: 72
Revolutionary/Uniquity: 80

Total: 79.2