by Al Hogg » Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:14 am
Didn't know about the $45 million requirement. I suppose the best way to load up on high salaries you don't want in the game would be to spend on starting pitchers that you never actually start.
Can you drop down below $45 million after the draft? If so, I would think that we should allow that. I'll post the question on the main board; it might drum up some additional interest here.
Regarding positions: If you leave a position blank in a lineup, you get a warning that you might not like who HAL picks, but HAL will pick somebody. I know I've done that in situations in which all my players at a particular position are injured. Typically, I think HAL will pick the best hitter on the bench to fill the spot. That's why I say you might be better (that is, worse) off with, say, Paul Zuvello (4e30) at shortstop than you would be having HAL choose a better hitter without a shortstop defense rating.
That said, I would be open for a requirement that, with a healthy roster, you could theoretically fill out all nine positions, although I don't think there would be a way to enforce that people actually fill out their lineup card that way. (Would we want to have a DH? That would open up rosters to include bad hitters who are good fielders without risking that HAL will put them in at the position in which they field well as a defensive sub. On the other hand, having pitchers bat would PROBABLY make the hitting lineup worse.)