These is no way to sugarcoat this: Amico Electronic Baseball is the worst baseball game ever imagined. Retailed in 1980 for $9.95 (approximately $36.00 today), and probably not for long thereafter, this small game (Model No. 2025) is powered by a single 9-volt battery.
Assuming the games I have are functioning properly, Electronic Baseball is more a torture device than a playable baseball simulation. The game requires no strategy or skill as the LEDs light up randomly. When the big, orange “PLAY” button is pressed, a single LED lights up for the resulting play. When the PLAY button is released, the lights begin their random pattern again. All the while, the game emits a needlessly loud and grating smoke alarm-like sound. This may not be too surprising considering that Amico was a division of Kidde, a company that manufactured smoke alarms.
You can see the Amico Electronic Baseball game in action below, if you dare:
Further adding to the “fun” of the game is the completely manual score keeping. A complete version of this game will include four tiny baserunners that the player needs to place in holes on the playing surface to keep track of any runners. As you can see below, they are about the size of a dime and would be exceedingly easy to lose.
It does not appear that the game came with instructions other than what was printed on the back of the box and the sticker on the back of the game.
Today, Amico Electronic Baseball is a rare game. Presumably because most of these ended up in the trash.
Sources:
Advertisement, Citizens’ Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) October 20, 1980: 48.
John is a Chicago lawyer with an insatiable interest in baseball-related litigation. When not rooting for his beloved Cubs (or working), he is probably reading a baseball book or blog, planning his next baseball trip, or enjoying downtime with his wife and family. He is probably the world’s foremost photographer of triple peanuts found at ballgames and likes to think he has one of the most complete collections of vintage handheld electronic baseball games known to exist. John is a member of the Emil Rothe (Chicago) SABR Chapter and Co-Chair of the SABR Baseball Landmarks Research Committee.
