Apparently It's Not Just Dusty
Jul. 12th, 2006 01:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
billroperLast night, Phil Garner demonstrated how it's possible to become a major league manager without learning to comprehend the most fundamental principles that one learns by playing baseball strategy games -- such as APBA or Strat-o-Matic. In this case, the missing principle was "Defense Is For When You're Ahead".
It's a one-run game, winner-take-all. It's the bottom of the ninth. And your third baseman is Miguel Cabrera, while your left fielder is Carlos Lee, neither of whom are notably good defensively. In fact, they're both notably bad defensively. Meanwhile, as you look down your bench, you see Andruw Jones, Gold Glove winning outfielder, and Scott Rolen, Gold Glove winning third baseman.
Your average APBA manager who is smarter than a turnip will probably decide it's time to put in the defensive replacements. Your average big-league manager who apparently is somewhat dumber than a stone will not.
Rolen and Jones might not have made the plays on the balls hit by Konerko and Glaus. But they might have. And I guarantee that Rolen would have at least gotten his uniform dirty making a dive for Konerko's ball. As slow as Konerko is, had Rolen gotten any part of his body in front of the ball, the National League would be celebrating it's first All-Star win in a very long time.
It's a one-run game, winner-take-all. It's the bottom of the ninth. And your third baseman is Miguel Cabrera, while your left fielder is Carlos Lee, neither of whom are notably good defensively. In fact, they're both notably bad defensively. Meanwhile, as you look down your bench, you see Andruw Jones, Gold Glove winning outfielder, and Scott Rolen, Gold Glove winning third baseman.
Your average APBA manager who is smarter than a turnip will probably decide it's time to put in the defensive replacements. Your average big-league manager who apparently is somewhat dumber than a stone will not.
Rolen and Jones might not have made the plays on the balls hit by Konerko and Glaus. But they might have. And I guarantee that Rolen would have at least gotten his uniform dirty making a dive for Konerko's ball. As slow as Konerko is, had Rolen gotten any part of his body in front of the ball, the National League would be celebrating it's first All-Star win in a very long time.