Royal Rumblings III

I didn't get around to posting team happenings after the 20 game stretch. Was 12-8 in the stretch but it kept me in the hunt for the playoffs. It finally donned on me why I was having problems winning 1-run games. A minor change to the Manager settings and suddenly I am 22-29 in 1-run games, vast improvement from 15-26 I would say. So what was the change? I know everyone wants to know. The old configuration wasn't allowing my bench to get in the game. Sounds a bit ludicrous right? Why would I want my bench players in the game and take offense away. Most generally I was winning the game before losing it that is why. I needed my backup defensive PC catcher in the game and he wasn't getting there. 12 points of pitch calling and a much better defense has more meaning to me in tight games and to the pen it seems. The rest of the players coming in late is not going to have that much of an adverse effect defensively or offensively for that matter. Also it got me to wondering if they may have put an upper level cap on 1-run games so I did some checking in other worlds. It seems it is possible that it could be 55 as I found a bunch of those but never found one over 55.

So here I set with 1 game to play in the regular season and suddenly find myself with a 1 game lead for the last wild card spot. The final 17 games had my nerves in an uproar believe it or not. Losing 2 of 3 to Minnesota didn't help. Then losing 3 of 4 to Austin, I got the pepto out. I was actually resting some players, they needed it, but it was disheartening. Another small change to the Manager settings and I was back in business taking 3 of 4 from Helena. Then took 2 of three from arch-rival Chicago. It should have been a sweep if you ask me. What happened in the loss threw me for a second, couldn't figure out the lineup from the box score to the one I supposedly had in place. Something I had never seen before happened, mostly because I don't let it happen. The sim auto rested my tired players. Ok, so now I had to change the auto rest feature for position players something that I have never had to do before, except for pitchers.

So after a decidedly disastrous start to the final 17 games, I have finished with an 8-2 run that I am pretty sure has put me in the playoffs as the #6 seed. I am resting my players anyway in the final game of the season. The reason, a 1 game lead and if I did my counting right, I hold the tie-breakers, so if I lose the last game I should back into the playoffs. I know I hold the H2H with Jacksonville 7-3 for the tie breaker with them. Chicago and I are 5-5 H2H but I hold the division record. So I will get Tampa Bay in the first round, egads things never get better but then who said it would be easy?