Diamond Mind
Encyclopedia
Diamond Mind Baseball is a computer baseball
simulation game, created by Canadian baseball expert Tom Tippett, who released the first commercial version of the game in 1987. In 1992, he started doing baseball work full time.
The game can be considered a descendant of dice-and-charts baseball simulations such as Strat-o-Matic
baseball and Pursue the Pennant. In fact, in the beginning, the game was called "Pursue The Pennant" because Tippett had a marketing relationship with the company of the same name. This relationship ended in 1995, when the game and company were officially given its current name. Pursue The Pennant itself had been revived in 1993 as a board version, windows version and new online version game called Dynasty League Baseball.
Diamond Mind differs from Strat-o-Matic and other games of the genre in that it is not derived from a board game; it is strictly a computer game. Tippett claims that the fact that the game is designed "from the ground up" to take advantage of the versatility and speed of the PC make it a more accurate and flexible game than its competitors, such as Strat-o-Matic. Strat-o-Matic supporters, including Strat-o-Matic founder Hal Richman, have responded to this by stating that since Diamond Mind does not reveal its source code or algorithms, there is no way to independently verify or refute its claims of superior statistical accuracy.
Diamond Mind was named PC Magazine
Editor's Choice for PC-based baseball games in its June 28, 2005 issue. It is also often used by sporting publications to predict the outcome of upcoming seasons.
Diamond Mind relocated from Boston
to Beaverton, Oregon
in 2005. On August 14, 2006, Diamond Mind became a wholly owned subsidiary of Simnasium (now Imagine Sports
), a company which has its headquarters in Silicon Valley
. Tippett stepped down from his position as head of the company to take a position with the Boston Red Sox
, ceding control to Simnasium CEO Dayne Myers. Tippett remains with the company as a consultant.
Over the next two years, Simnasium/Imagine Sports shifted the development of Diamond Mind away from the PC and into the on-line world. On May 24, 2008, Imagine Sports announced to their customers that there will be no new versions of the PC version of Diamond Mind for the foreseeable future so that the company might focus on the on-line version of the game. However, later in 2008, this policy changed as Diamond Mind announced a tenth version of their standalone PC game would be released in February 2009. After numerous production delays, the tenth edition of the game was finally released in June 2010.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
simulation game, created by Canadian baseball expert Tom Tippett, who released the first commercial version of the game in 1987. In 1992, he started doing baseball work full time.
The game can be considered a descendant of dice-and-charts baseball simulations such as Strat-o-Matic
Strat-o-Matic
Strat-O-Matic is a game company based in Glen Head, New York, that develops and publishes sports simulation games. It produces tabletop baseball, football, basketball, and ice hockey simulations, as well as personal computer adaptations of each, but it is primarily known for its baseball...
baseball and Pursue the Pennant. In fact, in the beginning, the game was called "Pursue The Pennant" because Tippett had a marketing relationship with the company of the same name. This relationship ended in 1995, when the game and company were officially given its current name. Pursue The Pennant itself had been revived in 1993 as a board version, windows version and new online version game called Dynasty League Baseball.
Diamond Mind differs from Strat-o-Matic and other games of the genre in that it is not derived from a board game; it is strictly a computer game. Tippett claims that the fact that the game is designed "from the ground up" to take advantage of the versatility and speed of the PC make it a more accurate and flexible game than its competitors, such as Strat-o-Matic. Strat-o-Matic supporters, including Strat-o-Matic founder Hal Richman, have responded to this by stating that since Diamond Mind does not reveal its source code or algorithms, there is no way to independently verify or refute its claims of superior statistical accuracy.
Diamond Mind was named PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
Editor's Choice for PC-based baseball games in its June 28, 2005 issue. It is also often used by sporting publications to predict the outcome of upcoming seasons.
Diamond Mind relocated from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
in 2005. On August 14, 2006, Diamond Mind became a wholly owned subsidiary of Simnasium (now Imagine Sports
Imagine Sports
Imagine Sports is a Silicon Valley company founded by CEO Dayne Myers who launched an online game named Total Baseball using Tom Tippett's Diamond Mind Baseball technology...
), a company which has its headquarters in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. Tippett stepped down from his position as head of the company to take a position with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, ceding control to Simnasium CEO Dayne Myers. Tippett remains with the company as a consultant.
Over the next two years, Simnasium/Imagine Sports shifted the development of Diamond Mind away from the PC and into the on-line world. On May 24, 2008, Imagine Sports announced to their customers that there will be no new versions of the PC version of Diamond Mind for the foreseeable future so that the company might focus on the on-line version of the game. However, later in 2008, this policy changed as Diamond Mind announced a tenth version of their standalone PC game would be released in February 2009. After numerous production delays, the tenth edition of the game was finally released in June 2010.