Watching a Game and 'Watching' a Game

[DOUGHBOYS]

There is a distinct difference between following a game 'live' or on tv as opposed to the internet.
While watching the actual game, we become a part of the game.
We put ourselves in the pitcher's shoes.
We put ourselves in the hitter's shoes.
We put ourselves in the Manager's shoes.
Even if having fantasy players at that game and other players playing at the same time in other cities, that game we're attending takes precedence.

While at the game, we may see our hitter hit a long ball that misses the fair pole by inches.
We know we've just missed a home run from our fantasy player.
Online, we never know how close we came to having that home run. Only the final result of the at bat.

Online, when we see a teams run total change from one to four and we know our hitter was due up that inning, we start hoping that we got a three run bomb from our hitter.
We open the page and see that the hitter behind our hitter had the three run jack.
That is the online version of just missing a home run.

While sitting at an actual game, we could see a shortstop rob our hitter of a base hit.
Online, we give him an insult for merely grounding out to short.

While sitting at a game, we're enthralled as Jose Altuve has a 14 pitch at bat. Amazed at how long he can keep his at bat going.
Online, we're refreshing our page, sure that something has happened. Afterall, Altuve has been up for over five minutes. Stupid computer.

While sitting at the game, we know that Mike Trout has taken a home run from our power hitter.
Online, our hitter merely flew out to deep center.

At the ballgame, we know that our hitter hit the ball hard all four times up, but came away with a 4-0-1-0 box score line.
Seeing the 4-0-1-0- box score line online, we think about benching that player for the next week.

At the game, we see an umpire squeezing our ace.
Online, we know that our ace threw 25 pitches in an inning and we know he won't go beyond the seventh inning.

At the game, it's the numbers on the scoreboard.
Online, it's the numbers.

We're following the same game. Even though the outcome of the game is the same for both 'live' and online, we come away with a different perception of what we just 'saw'.
There's nothing wrong with following the game either way.
Online is more of a Joe Friday way of following a game. Just the facts, ma'am.
But, the real facts can be found while watching a game.
Even though it all comes down to numbers in a box score at the end of a game, details in how those numbers came to be, can be of inside use for later fantasy decisions.

Of course, there are no games during the off season. We are slaves to online.
This is why Numerish rules the day for six months. We have nothing with which to compare the Numerish.
Like we do now.
Numerish is spun in a dozen different ways. One writer will say that OBP is more important, another will expound on the import of BABIP.
We know that one number is not more important than another, but sometimes we're swayed.
It's human nature.

For now, we have three weeks left in the season. A time where analysts cannot help anybody. The time frame is too short. Kyle Kendrick could be a larger asset than Justin Verlander. Raul Ibanez may hit more homers than Adam Dunn.
Great pitchers are being shut down and teams are going to six man rotations.
Rosters are expanded.
September is a different animal.
And whether we're watching 'live' or 'watching online, that doesn't change.