You've read the instructions and now is a chance to see it work out on the cards.  First roll is 396.  Palmer is a righty, so we look in the "vs R" column on Clemente's card.  396 is a "RG 2b" (it falls in the range 386-426).  Regular ground out to second base.  Let's do it again.  Roll is 601.  Clemente is a righty, so we look in the "vs R" column on Palmer's card.  601 is an "EF cf", in the 584-621 range.  Easy fly out.  One more time, the roll is 471.  That's an "EF cf" on Clemente's card.  Three outs.

Below is a more detailed inning that involves many of the charts.  Most results are simply read right on the card, but a few will require the use of an outside chart.

Practice Inning

Let's pretend it's Sunday, May 21, 1972 and we are headed out to Veterans Stadium to see the Phillies take on the Mets. The park still has that "new ballpark" smell to it.

And what luck! The pitching match-up today is Tom Seaver against Steve Carlton. Oh boy!

The lineups;

Mets

Mays, 1b (Pr/14)
Harrelson, ss (Fr/13+)
Agee, cf (Av/6/0)
Staub, rf (Md/14/-1)
Jones, lf (Fr/17/-1)
Fregosi, 3b (Fr/9)
Martinez, 2b (Pr/20)
Grote, c (Vg/20/-3/5)
Seaver, p (Av/14/3/-2)

Phillies

Bowa, ss (Fr/20+)
Doyle, 2b (Fr/14+)
McCarver, c (Av/14/-1/3)
Luzinski, lf (Av/6/-1)
Montanez, cf (Av/15/-1)
Hutton, 1b (Av/13)
Money, 3b (Av/19)
Stone, rf (Av/16/+1)
Carlton, p (Pr/15/3/0)

The symbols in parentheses are defensive ratings. The first symbol is the range rating, superior (SP) is the best (none in either lineup) and Weak (Wk) is the worst. In between you have Very Good, Average, Fair, Mediocre and Poor.

The next number is the error rating and these range from 20 (the best) on down to 1 (the worst). So you can see Ted Martinez will make few errors for the Mets at second, but has Poor (Pr) range.

Infielders get only range and error ratings and an occasional double play rating (both Bowa and Doyle have a plus (+) for the Phils. Outfielders and catchers get arm ratings, -4 is the best, +3 is the worst. Catchers also get a passed ball rating.

First thing to do is to roll for the weather. Roll two 10-sided dice (2d10) and refer to the Philadelphia weather chart. We roll a 56 and for a day game in May, we find that it is "warm." Checking the key, there is no change to the stamina ratings for our starting pitchers.

We are not done with the weather, we need to check on precipitation. We roll 2d10 again and get a 55 for P/C or partly cloudy. No rain, so we will get this one in.

Play ball! Carlton takes the throw from his infield and stares in at none other than Willie Mays, now in the twilight of a Hall of Fame career. We roll 3d10 and read them red, white, blue.

The roll is 959. Results 000-499 are on the batter's card and 500-999 are on the pitcher's card. Since Mays is a righty spray hitter (Rsp) we check Carlton's card for 959 vs. RH batter. The result: DP ss. With a runner on first, this would be a hard groundball to the shortstop to start an automatic double play. Since Mays is leading off, the throw goes to first for a routine 6-3 groundout. One away.

Bud Harrelson steps in next. The roll: 028. Checking Harrelson's card vs. a LH pitcher, we find "Error?" This is an error check play, so we flip our chart book to the error chart. We roll a 1d10 to find the defender whose fielding ability is being challenged and the number on the die corresponds to the fielder (1 is the pitcher, 2 is the catcher, and so on - a 0 is a regular grounder to the pitcher for an out).

Our 1d10 roll is a 9, error check on the RF. That's Ron Stone and he is a 16 in RF, better than average, in terms of errors. We roll 2d10 and refer to the outfield portion of the error chart. The roll: 58. Looking under 16 (Stone's error rating) we find a 58 is a Short Fly. Batter out, any runners would hold. Two down for Carlton.

That brings up Tommie Agee, a Rsp. Agee rolls 3d10: 064, another "Error?" result. We follow the same procedure as for Harrelson, the 1d10 roll shows a 1, error check on Carlton. His rating is 15, a 2d10 roll produces a 05 result. Checking the pitcher error chart under 15, we find E(2) or two-base error. Carlton hurried his throw to first and chucked it down the RF line. Agee reaches second.

Rusty Staub digs in, lefty against a lefty. The 3d10 roll: 082. The result: Park Effects.

Each ballpark has two sets of ratings for this result, one for LH and one for RH batters. Flipping to Veterans Stadium, we roll 2d10: 60. The result for LH: 1b, a single. The chart key tells us this is a 1B gcf, or a single grounded up the middle fielded by the CF.

Remember, Agee was on second because of Carlton's error. To the right of the Park Effects chart, you will see a Baserunner Advancement chart. This tells us that for a single on an EVEN roll, runners on 2nd and 3rd score. Since the roll that produced the single was a 60 (on the Park Effects chart), Agee scores without a throw. Montanez just flips the ball back to the infield, and the Mets lead 1-0. Carlton, presumably, is pissed.

Cleon Jones is the next hitter. His 3d10: 735. On Carlton's card, vs. RH batter, we find cf EF cf/Tired? The EF stands for Easy Fly, the cf means fielded by the center fielder. The "Tired?" Result means that if Carlton were fatigued, instead of an easy fly, this would be a Deep! Result, or a possible homerun. But Carlton is not tired, just pissed, so this ends the inning.

Okay, on to the home half of the first. Bowa, Doyle and McCarver due up for the Phillies.

The 3d10 roll for Bowa: 995. Bowa is a switch-hitter (Bsp) so we check the vs. LH column on Seaver's card. We find a DP 2b there. One out.

Next up, Doyle. The 3d10 roll: 368. On Doyle's card, vs. RH, we find RG ss. This is a regular grounder to short, batter out at first.

Two away, and here is McCarver, due to be sent to Montreal later in the season. The 3d10 roll: 838. On Seaver's card, vs LH batter we find: K. McCarver fans and the Phillies go very quietly.

Thanks to Fletch for this instructive (and entertaining) inning