Collusion and Streaming.
I've seen collusion, but it was years and years ago. A pair of brothers got together and beat me in a Prodigy Baseball Manager game.
Crap!
Now that I think about it, that was 20 years ago.
Collusion is almost gone from our game. Games people, ever fearful of collusion, have devised ways to limit or totally eradicate collusion.
And good riddance to it!
Streaming is different. In some way, we all fear it.
We're afraid that the streaming monster will attack the beautiful stats our own pitchers have worked hard for all year.
The fact is, that most of us are streaming to get those beautiful stats.
I'll use Bruce Chen as an example here. None of us go out of our way to roster Bruce Chen, or do we?
We see that Bruce Chen has home match-ups vs. CWS and HOU.
We win Chen for five bucks through faab and start him.
THAT is streaming. We had to pay for the privilege of streaming, but it is still streaming.
After Chen pitches ok in his two starts, we decide to keep him on the roster.
We bench him while paying six dollars for another two start pitcher.
Again, STREAMING.
In two weeks, we stream again while pitching Chen in another two week start.
This form of streaming is deemed ok by our community. We are giving up faab to pay for streaming.
It becomes less of a cuss word.
A month ago, I suggested a rule change that would allow one new pitcher to be activated on Friday, replacing another pitcher.
My thought was that this pitcher could be used for-
A) Replacing a pitcher with two starts and one horrible match up.
B) Putting a pitcher in for a pitcher once thought to start, but now not starting.
C) Having a change of heart mid-week due to weather and/or Managers decision.
D) If none of these first three occur, we simply use it for the best match up that it allows our team.
It gave us options to use one pitcher any way we saw fit.
One word kills the rule change.
Streaming.
It's still a cuss word.
Option D allows for streaming. And even though we all do it or could do it under the new rule, it is not considered acceptable in this manner.
Even though most of us already stream on a weekly basis.
And if thinking that it is not done that much, look at your free agent pitchers left this week. Were there any two start pitchers?
Yeah, none on mine either.
Some say it would give some an unfair advantage.
These same folks don't think that bidding four dollars on a streamer is unfair, but using one off your own bench is.
?
I just don't get it.
I consider the one pitcher change on Friday as viagra. There are so many benefits for the users of the product.
A life changer even.
Sure, there are side effects.
Liver damage , strokes , heart attack , or even worse, streaming.
A bit tongue in cheek, sure, but the benefits are better than the side effect.
Go ahead, ask the millions that use Viagra.
