by 1st Command Commando » Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:37 am
I really think face-to-face play would shed some excellent light on this subject. I've probably played 3,000 face-to-face Strat games from the 80s, and I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I've had a promising rally going only to hit ss(x) to Ozzie freakin' Smith and watch the rally die from an inning killing DP. It was automatic, unless I rolled a snake eyes and the third die was a 1 or a 2. I became a firm believer in 1 Def up the middle after that, but it doesn't limit my thinking. Many times Sandberg patrolled 2B for me and I think it was 85 or 86 Hubie Brooks was my SS. I definitely didn't turn as many DPs with Hubie, but offense was always good. But the telling factor was this, (we used to have six players draft teams, throw in $10 each, and play a 42 game season with a 7 game playoff between the top two teams), I made the playoffs about 50% of the time, but only won one championship. It was always the 1 up the middle teams that won the championships, they supplemented the D with awesome hitting corner infielders, a bashing DH, and at least one other studly hitting outfielder. But that is the fun of the 80s, you could get the 87 Wiz of Oz and he is a great leadoff hitter. My .02.
Jim