Head-to-Head gaming - let's do it
Show of hands: How many MSB owners have played at least one regular season or post-season series head-to-head in the DMB program? If you have, you know it's a blast. It's also slightly nerve racking. Keeps you up at night. And causes "what if" questions of which you'll never know the answers.
If you haven't, I understand. But you're missing out on some amazing baseball fun. After all, you built the team. It's your baby. You signed that 8th-inning guy to be used in the 8th inning. You signed that contact hitter with a VG bunt rating and put him in the 2-hole among other reasons for that bottom-of-the-ninth, nobody out, men on first and second, one-run down game. You signed that reliever who has excellent numbers against the glove side. You kept that pinch hitter on your 26-man roster for that 8th-inning, home field advantage RBI opportunity in a tie game. But what does the DMB computer often do? Uses your 8th-inning guy in the 6th when you're 5 runs down. Pinch-hits for your perfect 2-hole hitter with the strikeout king of your team. Uses your excellent glove-side reliever against the arm-side in a tie game with runners in scoring position. And leaves your power-hitting pinch hitter on the bench when you're one run down in the ninth.
Good news! There's a solution to this madness! It's Head-to-Head games!
No, it's not usually a pain to set up. No, it doesn't take 3 hours to play a game. No, you don't have to keep playing a blowout game. Yes, you can play on a slow computer. It takes about 45 mins to play a close game. You can chat live with your opponent all game long. You can tell the computer to automatically finish blow out games. No, we don't have it set up to make you think ahead and get relievers warming up before bringing them in. Yes, you can literally take forever to make a bullpen move if you want. Or a pinch-hit decision. Or defensive replacements. Or chat about the weather between pitches for 20 minutes. Or whatever. There's no clock except for the social clock, since you're making your opponent wait. But your opponent isn't a prick. He's a Mutineer, and he likes you. So no worries.
I've heard a lot of decent reasons for owners not playing H2H. I don't have time. I don't want to make a mistake and cost my team the win. I'm not tech-savvy enough to figure it out. I've never done it, so I don't wanna look dumb while not knowing how to set it up. All can be valid. But again, games are way faster than you think. And would you rather YOU - team builder - make a mistake, or DMB make an even dumber mistake? The tech stuff can be walked through step-by-step with your fellow experienced owners. And well, suck it up and stop caring if a jerk thinks poorly of you because you're not a computer geek.
This is not a proposal to make H2H mandatory. I'm not vying for all games to be H2H, or even one series a season to be H2H (though I do think that'd be great for the league for all kinds of reasons). No, this post is simply an invitation to make the jump. Do it. Heck, do exhibition games before the season starts. I know I can speak for at least Rod, and probably 3 or 4 others who would love to show you all you need to know.
Calling on all owners who've played H2H to check in. Would you be willing to show another Mutineer the ropes?
Let's discuss this.