[Cobby]

Dang, I did it again.

As GM, I spend most of the season cooped up in my office shuffling papers around and wishing someone would hurry up and invent the damn computer already. (it's 1888, so I've got a while to wait for that) (actually, maybe that Babbage dude could help me - I hear he's working on some 'analytical engine' contraption...) (oh wait, he died 18 years ago - see if I had google I would have known that)

Anyway.

Occasionally though I make it out to the ballpark to watch our team. The trouble is, I'm quite nearsighted...

After squinting and watching our shortstop flail around helplessly at the plate and muff routine grounders, I say "Harmon is looking lost out there..." (puzzled look from the assistant GM) ... "maybe we should give that kid Mobley a shot" (another puzzled look from the assistant GM, but the dufus doesn't say anything.)

What I don't realize is that Harmon is warming the bench and it *is* Mobley out there.

This all goes back to spring training. I love versatility, so my main mission during spring training is to give younger players experience at new positions. The veterans are either also learning new positions, or else just playing barely enough to shake off the rust.

I like to use 7-day lineups to accomplish this, it seems to work well and gives me fine control over who plays where and how often (I don't know what the AI does during the game though...)

Then, for the regular season, I make my cuts and switch back to regular lineups. Except when I forget to uncheck the box to use 7-day lineups - which I've done twice now in 18 years. Then the AI presumably still tries to use the 7-day lineups. It's got a few veterans playing out of position, a few younger players like Mobley playing in place of veterans and lots of holes where younger players were sent back to the reserve list.

The result is a mess, the team underperforms and I should be fired.



Nah, actually I think I'll just blame it all on the assistant GM and fire him instead...