Hello all, 
 
I have been corresponding wth Luke Kraemer of Diamond Mind about the problems we have been having 
controlling reliever usage. In talking about this with Terry, Mike, and Gary, we basically have a consensus 
that we will handle relief overusage fairly leniently because it is due to us learning, as a group, to control 
the computer manager. We will strictly apply the limitations on pitcher starts, but we will not count relief 
appearances against these starts. In other words, if a starting pitcher pitched three games in real life only as 
a starter, he will be permitted three games even if the computer uses him in relief. 
 
At the same time, we feel equally strongly that we don't really want to adopt a batters-faced standard, not 
only because it would run counter to SPB practice across the board but because in the deadball era 
especially it would encourage the use of pitchers as relief specialists, and that animal simply did not exist in 
that era. 
 
However, Luke has some suggestions that may give us more control. First of all, I will ask Terry Baxter to 
jack up the pitch count allowances to 200 and 60 and see what that is.
 
The most interesting thing he says is to set the pinch-hit rates for INDIVIDUAL pitchers to never. If you 
have individuals with this setting, you can make sure they are never taken out, while pitchers who can and 
did sometimes relieved or did not finish games will be the ones that are affected. 
 
So, set your pinch-hit for starting pitchers, using relievers, and using closers in the general team chart to 
"least frequent/never" and ALSO do this for pitchers, like Mathewson (as Luke says) who simply never 
came out of games. 
 
Here is what Luke said most recently: 
 
"The first thing I'd do is really jack up the average pitch counts for the era.  For 1905 they're 112 and 43.  I 
can't remember what the max values can be but fiddle around with it some.  Try some REALLY big 
numbers.  Something else you might play around with is the Player Tendencies.  There you can specify that 
a player never be pinch hit for.  Try that with some of the "stud" pitchers like Mathewson, Three Fingers 
Brown, Plank, Waddell, Bender, etc.  The guys that have a huge percentage of complete games.  I know 
that there were a lot of non-famous pitchers who also complete a high percentage of games they started.  I 
don't know if that'll do what you want but it'd be interesting to see what happens.  The managers in SPB are 
going to have to realize that many pitchers still hit for themselves back then even if they were behind in the 
9th. 
 
Luke"