Explain all of this to me???

This is not a valid complaint. Don't set up a bullpen with a bunch of R9 and 9L with R2 ratings, have starters that are not rated as relivievers and expect HAL to manage that. There were no other pitchers available, Sambito was tired and unavailable.

This entire team was a connivance and was down to 69Million in salary from 80 million and a total workaround of existing rules. Dropped 3 studs as part of 3 studs and a dud strategy who could legitametly hold down 9 innings so the bullpen strategy would work, while cutting a 1E17 SS for a 3E56 SS to a cheapo starting strategy hoping souped up bombers in the lineup with Mark Maguire and Chipper Jones would work. Cut 8 players during the regular season. HAL is probably not very happy with his GM.

Pitchers IP H R ER BB SO HR PC ERA
G. Suggs 4.1 7 8 8 3 1 0 93 7.42
S. Crawford 1.1 3 4 0 0 0 0 28 5.51
B. Campbell 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 7.84
M. Garman (L, 1-5) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 6.03
J. Sambito 2 8 5 5 0 2 0 51 4.58
Totals 8 20 18 14 3 3 0

Expecting to win with the bullpen with a one million dollar starter with that lot after previous day of this, SAMBITO had 51 pitches in his 2 innings. And ignoring that HAL had allowed him to win 12 of 15 games with this monstrosity of a strategy prior to this "injustice". That teams set up like this win and make the playoffs is enough for me to puke, to have nerve to expect HAL to manage a total crap shoot successfuly and complain on the forum like you are wronged is not right.

That being said, the most recent problems are pretty bad.

Garman is a multi-inning reliever so his POW never came up, and relievers don't fatigue after 5 runs in an inning, only starters do that. So the only way Garman would've fatigued was pitch count, which apparently never got high enough. And Avoid Lefties is only operative when HAL decides whether to bring him into the game. For some reason once he's in the game HAL completely ignores Avoid settings.

And Avoid Lefties is only operative when HAL decides whether to bring him into the game. For some reason once he's in the game HAL completely ignores Avoid settings.

Do we know this to be a fact, because if so, well, that's just plain silly.

And Avoid Lefties is only operative when HAL decides whether to bring him into the game. For some reason once he's in the game HAL completely ignores Avoid settings.

Do we know this to be a fact, because if so, well, that's just plain silly.

Yes, just like Avoid a side for hitters, only when they are entering the game.

And Avoid Lefties is only operative when HAL decides whether to bring him into the game. For some reason once he's in the game HAL completely ignores Avoid settings.

Do we know this to be a fact, because if so, well, that's just plain silly.

Actually, disregard that part. I thought I'd seen that on the boards and it seemed to fit with HAL's behavior. But now that I look it up I see that Avoid is supposed to work both before and after the pitcher is in the game. So yes, one would certainly hope Garman would've been yanked sometime during that fireworks show. Sorry for the bad info.

And Avoid Lefties is only operative when HAL decides whether to bring him into the game. For some reason once he's in the game HAL completely ignores Avoid settings.

Do we know this to be a fact, because if so, well, that's just plain silly.

Yes, just like Avoid a side for hitters, only when they are entering the game.

Here is what the wiki has to say:

When this setting is active for a relief pitcher, he will avoid entering or staying in a game to face the corresponding type of batter. A switch-hitter is (intuitively) considered to be a lefty if the pitcher is a righty, and vice versa. This avoidance is rather strict as long as 1) there are other fresh, available options in the bullpen that are not otherwise restricted from being used in the given situation, 2) the game is relatively close, and 3) the game is in the later innings. This setting is ignored in otherwise lower-leverage situations.

Note: This setting is ignored completely for a pitcher if he is the starting pitcher for a game.

This setting was greatly improved for SOM Online's Bullpen v2 enhancement, as compared with the original CD-ROM game implementation, resulting in fewer instances of pitchers facing their Avoid side, among other things.

And out of curiosity I checked the Windows help file to see if that's what I'd been originally thinking of, but the Windows game also claims that the setting is operative on pitchers already in the game:

Avoid lefties or righties - Try not to bring this pitcher into a game when a left-handed or right-handed batter is at-bat. Also if this pitcher is in the game already against a batter he should avoid in a key situation then try to bring a relief pitcher in for him.

Is there no chance for an intentional walk if the wrong side hitter is in the middle of a lineup which is otherwise overwhelmingly the correct side?

i.e. Sambito is pitching against a Sportsman'38 team with Bagwell and 8 Lefties. Seems like an opportune time for an IBB if Bagwell comes to bat?

I wouldn't say no chance, but am not sure how to quantify it.

I think a few things are at play.

1. Does the hitter behind Bagwell (or whoever the wrong side hitter is, but we'll use Bags) have negative clutch, such that their OB chance is less than Bagwell?
2. Is the hitter behind Bags higher salary?
3. What is the intentional walk team setting and the IBB individual setting for Sambito?
4. Max Rules: Consider that the "Pitch Around" Max Rules option is also in play here--and it is a black box how HAL makes the decision to pitch around. And if it occurs, the PBP will not indicate it was selected or that the result was altered.
5. Max Rules: "Correct Board Game Excesses". You will have to guess on this one when it might apply--and your guess is as good as anyone's because we will never know if it was invoked.