|
July 26, 2002 Why are the Undertakers so good? Earlier today, I realized for the first time that the Los Altos Undertakers are having a helluva season. They now sport the second-best record in the BDBL, in fact, at 71-33. A post by Matt Clemm on our forum basically asked, "Why are the Undertakers so good?," and I thought it would make a great topic of discussion for this page. The answer to that question is simple. While most of us are busy playing the game of "baseball", Undertakers GM/manager Jeff Paulson is playing the game of "Diamond Mind Baseball." There is a subtle, yet important, difference between the two. Now, before I get into trouble (or should I say any more trouble), I want to emphasize that I'm not knocking Jeff or Paul Marazita or anyone else. We all have our various strategies, and we're all entitled to play this game any way we'd like, as long as it's within the rules. I'm simply pointing out the facts of the matter as an explanation to this question, and that's all there is to it. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's take a look at the Undertakers outfield as an example. In left field, David Dellucci, Tim Salmon and Kevin Millar have split the duties almost in third this year. In center field, Dellucci and Shawon Dunston have been the platoon pair all year. Danny Bautista and Todd Hollandsworth have also received considerable playing time at those two positions. Dellucci, Salmon, Dunston, Bautista, Hollandsworth and about one-third of Kevin Millar...does that sound like two-thirds of an all-star, championship-caliber outfield to you? Of course not. Not in real life. But we don't play real-life baseball in this league. In the game we play, these guys are, in fact, an all-star, championship-caliber outfield. Don't believe me? Just look at the numbers:
In comparison, Brian Giles and Jim Edmonds, the starting left fielder and center fielder for the Ozzie League all-stars, have created 160.3 runs in the same number of at-bats this year. So by stringing together a bunch of spare parts, the Undertakers' outfield has produced nearly as many runs as the OL all-star outfield - and at a fraction of the cost. Why is this collection of spare parts and pinch hitters doing so well this year? Just take a look at these splits:
Those numbers really tell the whole story. Since the Diamond Mind game relies heavily upon platoon stats (I would argue too heavily), one can build a super team without acquiring any super players. Not only will they perform just as well as all-stars, but they'll cost a fraction of the price, freeing up plenty of cap space for that ace at the front of the rotation or that #3 bat in the lineup. Let's turn for a minute to the Undertakers' pitching staff. Again, if you look at that staff, you see a collection of names that you wouldn't see on any Major League championship roster: Juan Moreno, Ryan Drese, Ryan Franklin, Jeff Wallace, John Riedling, Rudy Seanez and Calvin Maduro to name a few. You'll also find a couple of names (Octavio Dotel, Eric Hiljus, Jim Mecir and Randy Choate) that have appeared on championship MLB teams, though in much lesser roles than they have on the Undertakers. But there are no Mariano Rivera's to be found in this bullpen. Because in Diamond Mind Baseball, you don't need any Riveras. The offense has a few big-name, full-time bats in Rich Aurilia, Larry Walker and Eric Chavez. The pitching staff also has a couple of stars in Chan Ho Park and Tom Glavine. But aside from those five stars and second baseman Craig Biggio, the rest of the team is comprised solely of part-time players with drastic platoon splits. If you've ever played Jeff head-to-head, you know that he thrives on getting favorable match-ups. Once the sixth inning passes, you normally won't see any one of his pitchers face a batter unless he has allowed an OPS of less than 700 against hitters who stand on that side of the plate. If he has to change pitchers nine times in a game, or play a pitcher at second base or behind the plate for a batter or two, he will do it in order to ensure that favorable match-up. As a result, the Undertakers own the best bullpen in the league according to nearly every measurable statistic. This strategy has stood the test of time in this league. Our league champions have utilized this strategy every year, and they've won three championships in a row (and are threatening to win their fourth.) Obviously, this is the way to win this league. To get another idea of just how important it is to get these match-ups, take a look at Stamford's home/road splits over the years. When the Zoots are led by Paul Marazita, and they are able to get the match-ups they want, they are 40-14 this season. When these decisions are left up to the computer manager, the Zoots are just 26-20. Just for fun, I ran a few simmed seasons just to see where the Zoots would finish. They averaged just 82 wins over eight seasons. Right now, they're on pace for 106 wins. Obviously, managing has more to do with the success of the Zoots than it does with other teams that rely less on getting good match-ups. (Note: the Undertakers averaged 102 wins in these sims, which makes me wonder why they aren't as reliant upon their managing.) So why aren't more people imitating this strategy, since it's proven to be so successful? That's a good question. I can only answer for myself. My biggest flaw as a GM is that I treat my DMB team like it is a Major League team, and I make decisions accordingly. Jeff, Paul and some others in the league understand the difference between playing real baseball and playing the game called "Diamond Mind Baseball." They understand that there are differences between the two, and they take full advantage of those differences. (And again, please understand that I don't mean this as a criticism.) When I first purchased the Diamond Mind game, I was led to believe that it was an accurate simulation. I remember reading somewhere in the DMB documentation that platoon splits were not overemphasized in the DMB game like they are in some other games. Clearly, though, after four years of playing this game, that is obviously not not true at all. I still believe that the DMB game is the most accurate simulation on the market. But even the most accurate simulation is still a simulation, and recognizing and capitalizing on the differences between the simulation and the game is what separates the champion from the also-ran. |