Come on HAL, use some common sense!

[voovits]

I'm playing in the 80s mystery card game. I have Tony Pena and Chris Bando as my catchers. I got lucky and have Bando's best season, so even as a backup, he's worth using as a DH.
So game 100 goes in the books and Pena gets hurt for 2 games. Not a problem, I have another catcher. Surely HAL will start Bando at C and put a bench guy in to play DH...

What do you think HAL does? Take a look:
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/league/boxscore.html?group_id=33404&g_id=608

He did the same for game 101, fortunately I won that game.

Check out how I lost though...
*** TOP OF INNING 10 ***
0 W.Boggs 3 Single b-1
0 1 T.Gwynn 4 Sac Bunt 1-2 b-0
SUBSTITUTE PR- Bill Almon
1 2 1 Stolen Base 2-3
1 3 F.Lynn 5 Sac Fly 3-H b-0
2 S.Buechele 3 Ground Out b-0

Now granted Bando does not have a cannon for an arm, but he's better than +5 with a T and PB rating of 20.
If you check the boxscore for the game, 3 of their runs came on sac flies, shortly following a stolen base. I noted than Bando is not a great defensive C, but I will safely assume that at least 1 of those SBs would not have happened with him at C.

What makes this even sadder is that Bonilla is my regular 3B. HAL moved him from 3B to C, put in Wayne Gross to play 3B, leaving Bando to play DH.

Dumb...Dumb...Dumb...


On the bright side, game 100 was one of the best offensive outputs I've ever had for a team.
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/league/boxscore.html?group_id=33404&g_id=596

[Assmeriten]

Hal will not take out your DH no matter what. That is the risk you run when you use your backup catcher at DH.

[voovits]

OK, I accept that and am not going to complain about it anymore, I got my venting out of my system, but the real question is why is this the case?
Why is the DH spot in the lineup so sacred that HAL will not make a change to it?
I think HAL needs to be coded to where he could make that substitution if necessary. At the very least under the circumstances of when there are no other available guys to use in replacement.

[CHARLESBELL]

My take is that there are two reasons why HAL will not touch a catcher playing DH.

First, in the situation presented, moving Bando from DH to catcher would invalidate the DH, and the pitcher would conceivably have to bat. Computer based Strat is designed to be played either with or without the DH, and pitchers just aren't allowed to bat in a DH league.

The other reason, which most Strat online gamers ignore is: HAL doesn't feel he should have to cover for situations where a manager was foolish enough not to have a backup catcher on the bench. Managers who DH their #2 catcher are expected to have a third catcher on the bench. ;-)

[voovits]

I understand him using Bonilla at C in the game in which Pena got hurt, I would do the same in lieu of having the pitcher hit.

My problem is that HAL needs to be willing to put the player slated as the DH in the field when choosing starting lineups for the game if he is the only player available at that position.