SIM COMPLETE - 2000 - SIM 19

[Clay]

Had nothing to do with the 7 HOF on the squad of course.

Chicken and the egg. The HOFs didnt win the titles...the titles made them HOFs.

[Lintyfresh85]

Meh...platooning for handedness wins Reg Season games, but you need a best lineup in this league with the 7day sims. In every one of my title runs, I did it with a set 8 starters. Stars and Scrubs, Boys.

As I tell all the girls I sleep with... you have to fake it till you make it.

Winning regular season games does help... it leads to higher crowds, better revenue, and when you make the playoffs, even more revenue... which all leads to more money to buy better players.

[Clay]

As I tell all the girls I sleep with... you have to fake it till you make it.

Winning regular season games does help... it leads to higher crowds, better revenue, and when you make the playoffs, even more revenue... which all leads to more money to buy better players.

All valid. Unfortunately, even that hits a ceiling.

However, as I said, it absolutely can work for Reg Season wins.

[Delandis]

Meh...platooning for handedness wins Reg Season games, but you need a best lineup in this league with the 7day sims. In every one of my title runs, I did it with a set 8 starters. Stars and Scrubs, Boys.

Logically, you have proof that a set lineup works not that platooning doesn't work. Those are two completely different assertions. C'mon Clay, its easy to have a set lineup when you have a lineup like Woodbury, Chavez, Daly, and Maeda, all of whom hit at 32+ just as well, if not better, than they did at 26-32. The league has only been around for 20 years so there isn't really not enough data yet, but I'm sure that no one else has had that type of consistent production for all of their top players for such a long period. Outside of California, no team in the league is anywhere close to the offense you've had for a decade now. And NO TEAM has the combination of offense AND pitching that you had, I attribute that to the change in drafting, but that's another discussion.

Finally, you have the best pitcher of All-Time so in at least two game out of every series, you likely don't have to score anymore than 3 runs (see Baltimore v. Virginia 1999). Add in another HOF pitcher like Morgan and guys who play much better in the playoffs than they do in the regular season like Jenkins, Legere and Magness, it should be no coincidence that the only teams to beat you had to have Dimmick and Curtis.

[Jake]

I thought platooning was putting your best players in the lineup in a given situation?

[Delandis]

SIM 19: Baltimore Bulldogs (72-45)

3-0 vs WIL
2-1 vs CHI

We got the job done well this week, winning 5 of 6 and keeping the pressure on California to keep up. We gained one more game on the Kodiaks and I'm sure we're going to need it because it starting to look more and more like the wildcard is going to be out of the question. With seven players "on fire," my biggest worry now, is that we are getting too hot too soon.

THE GOOD

-With the void of any really talented rookies in the IL this year, Oscar Lerma (IF) is making a strong case for ROY. We moved him to the #3 spot this week and he showed up big time. Going 12/24 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 7 RBI, he puts a lot of pressure pitchers to stay honest against him, especially with the IL's home run leader ready to clean up any mess Lerma leaves on the table.

-Derek Vleugel is arguably the best young pitcher in the game right now. At just 24, Vleugel is leading the BLB in K's, while only trailing Pancho in both WAR and VORP in the IL. He probably doesn't win the Pale Ale this year, but he is making my bold prediction come awfully close.

-There was a mid-90's sighting of Don Hudson this millennium. The former 2nd overall pick powered his way to a 1.531 OPS for the week with 3 home runs and 8 RBI.

-Ruben Pineda has been a great pick up for us so far. Since coming to Baltimore, the veteran has been a calming presence in the bullpen, while lowering his own ERA to a blistering 1.50.


THE BAD

-Ignado Sanchez has had a bit of a rough road back from his injury, giving up 10 runs in just 4 IP in his last two starts. I may consider temporarily moving him to the pen for the next few weeks until he rounds back out into form.

-Wade Coates will probably not make the playoff roster if we make it that far. I'm not sure which guy will show up, and if its comes betwee

NEXT UP:

-Time for interleague play as we face the best of the Ale in Maine and Hartford. I'm not looking forward to this as I'm pretty sure we will lose our 2-game lead since Cali matches up against Pawtucky and Pitt this week.

Prediction: 3-3.

[Dave]

Meh...platooning for handedness wins Reg Season games, but you need a best lineup in this league with the 7day sims. In every one of my title runs, I did it with a set 8 starters. Stars and Scrubs, Boys.

Important note: will not work if your opponent starts 3 DWI-caliber OFs.

[Delandis]

Important note: will not work if your opponent starts 3 DWI-caliber OFs.

My guess is that it also doesn't work when you don't have 4-5 HOF position players who hit equally as well against LHP or RHP, the best pitcher of all-time and another HOF pitcher behind him.

[Clay]

... it should be no coincidence that the only teams to beat you had to have Dimmick and Curtis.

Not that case at all with the NO loss... in fact....

Important note: will not work if your opponent starts 3 DWI-caliber OFs.

Exactly...

Back to the original point.

I think you best lineup develops because you play them more than you don't. Ok... only 20 years... but you're making the argument that my teams are an EXCEPTION TO THE RULE... yet arguing that there's not enough time for there to be a rule.

My point is, I feel like you get your best 8 position players in 155 games if possible. The L/R matchup thing in this engine is garbage. LH hitters CRUSH left-handed pitching in this game.

With these dice rolls... good players hit against any pitchers. Plus, with the AI management of bullpens and poor substitution logic, you need your best 8 out at all times.

[Clay]

My guess is that it also doesn't work when you don't have 4-5 HOF position players who hit equally as well against LHP or RHP, the best pitcher of all-time and another HOF pitcher behind him.

We won without Morgan last year... and with maybe 3 HOFs at best (Chavez, Maeda and Daly - though Pat will make a case against all of them).

[Jim]

Not that case at all with the NO loss... in fact....


Exactly...

Back to the original point.

I think you best lineup develops because you play them more than you don't. Ok... only 20 years... but you're making the argument that my teams are an EXCEPTION TO THE RULE... yet arguing that there's not enough time for there to be a rule.

My point is, I feel like you get your best 8 position players in 155 games if possible. The L/R matchup thing in this engine is garbage. LH hitters CRUSH left-handed pitching in this game.

With these dice rolls... good players hit against any pitchers. Plus, with the AI management of bullpens and poor substitution logic, you need your best 8 out at all times.

"Good players"...you're right. I play the match-up game from time to time too because some of my average players have horrible splits. So I'd rather platoon and let the guy with the better splits play against the SP he's best against.

[Delandis]

Not that case at all with the NO loss... in fact....


Exactly...

Back to the original point.

I think you best lineup develops because you play them more than you don't. Ok... only 20 years... but you're making the argument that my teams are an EXCEPTION TO THE RULE... yet arguing that there's not enough time for there to be a rule.

My point is, I feel like you get your best 8 position players in 155 games if possible. The L/R matchup thing in this engine is garbage. LH hitters CRUSH left-handed pitching in this game.

With these dice rolls... good players hit against any pitchers. Plus, with the AI management of bullpens and poor substitution logic, you need your best 8 out at all times.

Nah. I'm making the point that we don't enough data to say that using platoons in the playoffs doesn't work. The talent disparity between Virginia and everyone else was so great, there was no reason for you to platoon. The reason there finally seems to be a bit of parity is because the league has finally caught up to Virginia due in part to our change in the financial system, the change in the drafting system, but mostly because the juggernaut that was Virginia is finally dying.

Plus the set lineup goes hand-in-hand with your dominant pitching. You didn't have to try to squeeze out every run possible because you have always had Pancho. Nobody, not even Maine, had a guy like him. 2 games a series, EVERY series, you had/have inarguably the best pitcher in the league ever. If that's not an exception to the rule, I don't know what is.

You'll see what its like to be mortal again in a few years.

[Jake]

It's a chicken and the egg thing. If you're good enough to win a championship, you probably have 8 studs who laugh at the idea of a platoon. If you're good enough to lose in the first round, you probably have one or two positions where you have to because you're frankly not that good 1-8.

New strategy: Get 8 studs who can hit RHP and LHP.

[Clay]

I miss where the league has caught up to me...

[Delandis]

More exceptions to the rule:

- 10: Stout Slugger (Woodbury - 88-91, 93, 95/Chavez - 92, 94, 96 & 98)
- 10: Pale Ale (Herrera - 89 & 91-99)