First, please read http://www.baseballboss.com/pages/announcement.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the news those of us who have played, supported and worked on the game since its launch in July of 2008 were hoping for.

A number of issues completely out of our control made 2009 a very challenging year for the game. As players and customers, I know that made it difficult for you as well and for that we are sorry. As to the nature of those challenges, I’ll only say that those of you who know baseball history know that labor and management have infrequently seen eye to eye on a number of issues. We also hope you understand that any lack of communication or clarity about the future was not out of apathy or indifference, it was us trying to make sense of a changing licensing landscape and trying to run a game at the same time.

Our current plan is to leave the game up through March 10th, but we will keep you posted on any date changes. Earlier today, we closed the store immediately upon making the decision to wind down the game, and have set active Memberships not to renew. If you have specific concerns related to your account, please contact support@baseballboss.com.

We certainly had our share of ups and downs along the way. I believe we did the first interesting thing with the baseball game genre in many years. We made some cool virtual cards. Through it all, the one constant has been our players. We want to thank everyone who has supported the game and actively created and participated in the strong community that formed.  We wouldn’t have made it as far or as long as we did without the support of all of you.

Also due to a very significant change by Facebook around how items are published on their site, we will not be able to start Series 4 pack awards for publishing items to Facebook or granting Facebook permissions. There is a chance we’ll not be able to do a Series 4, but more details as we have them.

And since a number of you have also asked, as of today we only have 3 of the Grand Slam bonus bundles left.

As we always have, we have a number of new card sets in development for Baseball Boss. Our goal is to round out the eras of baseball that are currently not represented in the game. But, as some of you know from previous conversations, posts, and the like around here, producing new sets is never just as simple as a desire to make the cards.  There are always circumstances around photos, rights, etc. that are outside of our control.

Unfortunately - as much as we’d like to be able to say “here’s what we’ll have and by when” - we can’t. I know that’s not the answer many of you would like to hear.  And it’s not particularly the answer I want to give. What we can promise is to give you specifics and dates as soon as we know them. I want to thank everyone for their patience.

The fun part (and the challenging part) about building games for the web is that the web evolves incredibly rapidly. A great example of this is what has happened to gaming over the past year. It’s impossible not to notice the impact social networks - and especially Facebook - have had on how people play games. After a great deal of thought and deliberation, we’ve decided the best way to build games that large numbers of people play and love is to focus our energies on developing games for social networks. To be clear, we are still extremely committed and very passionate about building fun social games.

Gridiron Live (http://apps.facebook.com/gridironlive/) is our first game on that path. Even though it is in beta and we still are doing much to improve it, it is a first-of-its-kind intersection of sports gaming and social gaming. We are very encouraged by what we’ve seen in GridIron Live in just its first 2 weeks. In the coming weeks, we will release another new Facebook game. We are proud of these two games and believe they will add significantly to the next generation of games people play on social networks.

As a current player of Baseball Boss, it’s natural to wonder what this means. The answer is twofold. First, we are not planning to take this game - or any of our existing games - down. We will continue to maintain and support them, although perhaps not at the level that the most passionate of our players would like. Second, we will launch new versions of some (and possibly all) of our web games on Facebook. We will do our best to make the transition from web game to Facebook game as smooth as possible, and do what’s right by the people who have helped make our web games what they are.

Two things are evidence of this strategy. First, Warstorm has a new card expansion coming out today. Second, we will roll out a new generation of one our current games to Facebook in November. We’ll be announcing more details in a few weeks, but the introduction of that game is close and we think it looks great. We’ve found that Facebook provides a number of opportunities to make games even more fun to play, and we’re looking forward to doing innovative things on that platform, just as we have done on the web.

Know that this is not a decision we made lightly. We recognize that not everyone will be satisfied. But it is an exciting time for Challenge Games. Our goal has always been to make Baseball Boss the greatest baseball game ever, and that has not changed. We believe this transition to social gaming will bring all our games to an entirely new audience while doing what is best for our players, our company, our employees, and our investors.

Alex Rodriguez:

Ryan Howard:

I’d choose the Subway sub over Kate Hudson, too. Aside from that, I’m not sure whether to go with the guy who’s as productive as the Eagles offense and looking to tie Lou Gehrig’s 77-year-old record for consecutive postseason games with an RBI, or the guy who’s shedding demonizing labels and looking to reclaiming his GOAT status. Not scapegoat: Greatest of All-Time.

I’m torn. Rather let the pitchers decide who to throw to.

But let’s get down to brass tacks: I loves me a good hoax, and oh, did the Balloon Boy Incident have it all. There was a Pixar-inspired UFO, reality-TV parents, a spooky box in the attic, and all of it caused a media swell for a truly spectacular couple of frenzied hours. The national live feed of the low-speed chase following the homemade saucer’s flightpath from the local-affiliate newscopter might just be our generation’s white Ford Bronco on the lam coverage. [And notice that O.J. reference comes without any “bizarro” alternate-universe connotation.]

I laughed, I was shocked, and there was even the suggestion of death. Is it too much to ask the internet if we can we have one of these every month or so?

In the meantime, allow me to continue Falcon Heene’s original mission: to usurp the Goodyear blimp with aerial, weather-specific coverage of the ALCS. Looks like it’s going to be very cold and very damp, but (by all estimates) playable. Still: anybody want to take odds on the prospects of November baseball? Or is that already a foregone conclusion?

We have a new game in the Challenge Games family, and it’s on Facebook! Our sports game team has been hard at work on GridIron Live, the first 3D football game that plays in a web browser, and it just went live.

Check it out, give us your feedback and - if you enjoy it - share with friends. Thanks!

Onto the rematch between the Phillies and Dodgers: my original prediction for Los Angeles to fold in the face of stellar pitching has already been disproven, so why would I bother citing Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels here? Because Lee has been the most dominant pitcher this postseason, and Hamels is the reigning NLCS/WS MVP? Maybe?

But a Dodgers/Yankees title fight would invoke all types of subplots and nostalgia, even if they’re nonexistent, and promise a higher rated championship series. Joe Torre returning to the playoffs in New York as the opposition’s manager? With Manny Ramirez on his team? This is the sort of buzz MLB needs, and is my only basis for predicting a modicum of revenge for the Dodgers (in 6).

There’s also that whole “team of destiny” title that was bestowed upon the Twins: I don’t think the Angels were too happy about that. This is a team that believes in rally monkeys, rally threads, and is playing with resolve for a lost teammate. Oh, and there’s a revenge-seeking, productive ex-Yankee who the Halos signed using the remaining funds in their petty cash drawer. Yep. Defeating them will really help the Yankees change that whole “Evil Empire” moniker.

But if the Yankees were truly to quash playoff demons, winning against Carl Pavano is not enough. The Angels have been their playoff litmus test for the past decade: advancing past them remains tantamount to eradicating the specter of the dominant post-90s franchise looming as a blueprint for October success.

Past failures aside, the Yankees cannot afford for their bats to become suddenly anemic; the Angels led the majors with a collective .285 batting average. And with doubt cast upon who their fourth-starter will be for this series, any notion of an advantage of pitching depth is lost. Only my bias believes that many a McCarver will be cueing the narrative about the new Stadium being a postseason panacea. (Unfortunately, the National League will still have a Chip on their shoulder.) Yankees in 6.

Speaking of piling on Mr. Caray, the New York Times has already prepared a comprehensive analysis of his tendency towards “bad play calls, descriptive exaggerations and factual errors.” We’re all prone to mistakes, but at least I would never proclaim “It’s Lopez Tonight weekends on TBS! …I think I meant to say weeknights.” That’s because I’ve already programmed my DVR.