Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (2/5/2008 3:31:53 PM)
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Big Decision Update So I was thinking about something this morning before I got dressed; McDaniel's EYEs. One thing I've learned from my experience in running a ball club like the Havanna Galleons is that, offensively, the first thing to go is a player's EYEs. As they age, their abilities all begin to decline- there's no surprise there. Also, there's an even chance that any one area could crumble faster than the other. However, I've observed that more often than not, a hitter's EYE usually takes the biggest hit, followed by their ability to make CONTACT and then how much POWER they can deliver. All-around, I would say that their fielding skills (HANDS) get a raw deal and are almost always the real first-to-go. From the batting standpoint though, it's usually the hitter's EYE that plummets first and farthest. So looking at that, and based from the latest medical exams and physicals we have on file for the players, I find that Parker has the sharpest vision (EYE: 74), Queiroga is next-best (EYE: 70) and McDaniel, well... McDaniel's EYEs aren't what they used to be (EYE: 53). This makes me think that even if all three suffered, say... a generous aging penalty (a 7-point loss), McDaniel's EYEs would be in poor shape (EYE: assumed at 46). That's not good for a hitter. Now, if McDaniel were a better fielder, I could easily justify accepting the offensive drop because he can still field cleanly. Well, that's not the case. He's better than Queiroga, but only slightly. In order to have a fair shot at learning third base, McDaniel would have to be a much greater fielder than he currently is. When you consider that improvement at this age (33yo) is, I feel, highly unlikely, you realize that he's as good as he's going to get. Even being slightly better than Queiroga defensively (McD/Q HANDS: 57/50, McD/Q RANGE: 46/61, McD/Q ARM: 47/41), he's far behind Queiroga offensively. When judging between a slightly better fielder vs. a much better bat, I'm thinking of leaning towards the better bat. Dilemma 1 resolved; McDaniel cannot be moved to third. Looking now at strictly offensive capability, McDaniel cannot compete with Parker. In all the key fields, Parker holds anything from a slight to a significant advantage (CON: +24 points higher, POW: +17 points higher, EYE: +21 points higher). Though the difference is less when comparing Parker to Queiroga, Hugo still doesn't hit harder, better, or more often than Royce. So, there's no argument here- Parker will remain as DH. Dilemma 2 resolved; McDaniel will not be the DH. It sure looks like these dilemma resolutions have, by process of elimination, made the decision for me. I'm going to attempt to resign Queiroga and Parker. McDaniel will not be actively pursued. The reason I say actively, is because, should he still be available after Free Agency, or willing to sign for an affordable, bargain price, his return will be considered. ::sigh:: It sucks when you realize that someone you like so much is going away. What makes it hurt the most is knowing that you could stop it if you wanted to, but you're choosing not to. Granted, the choice came after a lot of thought, reasoning, logic and a little math, but still... it was a choice. Your choice; and you chose to let him go. That's the thing about managing all your team's games and playing that team for so many game (and real) years- you get attached to these bits of code and information. Odd universe, no?
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