My comments in response to
> Cameron's comments

>I agree that this experiment was totally within
>the rules of PB and in the short term it
>proved to be effective. But, I wouldn't call
>it legitimate.

>How often do you see a MLB playoff team send
>their whole starting rotation to the pen
>for a playoff series?

Atlanta Braves, 1999 :-)

>Two of those relievers only started one game,
>the other only started 3 games. Why should a
>reliever not get down-graded because of one
>start? Who's to say he didn't get hammered
>in that one game he started and otherwise
>built up a superb record as a reliever.

In APBA some pitchers that fit this description
get one grade as a starter and a different grade
as a reliever. Perhaps that would be a reasonable
long term solution if they have the programming
resources to do it.

>In MLB there are plenty of pitchers who began
>their career as below average starters and
>have gone on to become great relievers. These
>are also the types of guys that get
>called on to start the odd game in a pinch.

>In a PB playoff series, guys like that become
>ace starters. If you quietly acquire a few
>of them during the regular season you can
>really ambush someone in the playoffs.

Perhaps

>I don't consider this a huge problem, but it
>is a tad unrealistic. I'm not one who is
>overly concerned with the realism factor, but
>for those that like the sim to be as real as
>possible, I can see how they would be
>concerned with this. Maybe relievers should
>have a few more starts under their belt before
>they perform without a downgrade.

Perhaps, especially in the playoffs.

>A more radical approach: Give all relievers
>the ability to start without a down-grade
>after their third or fourth PB start of the
>season (even if they haven't started a game
>in the corresponding MLB season) thus giving
>us the opportunity to convert pitchers from
>relievers to starters on our own. Pitchers
>who are converted during the regular season
>would have to be re-converted for the
>playoffs but with maybe only one or two starts
>nstead of three or four.

I think this is way too radical and way too complicated.

>Having to eat up a substantial portion of a
>relief pitcher's usage limit with this
>"conditioning" process would be a strong
>deterrent against this practice and thus it
>would only be done out of desperation, as it
>is usually done in MLB. If a MLB reliever is
>truly inserted into the rotation for a good
>stretch, he will accumulate enough innings to
>make the conversion worthwhile for a PB manager
>to consider.

>But then again, with the way the offence
>is dominating in PB already, why make it
>harder to field good pitchers. If anything
>we need something to cool the offense a bit.

I'm not going to touch this issue. :-)

>Status quo is also fine with me, I'll always
>used my players the way I think I can get the
>most out of them regardless of whether or not
>it is realistic.