Purple Hazed Ideas #2: Manager's Choice DH, Rockies Nicknames

In last week's inaugural Purple Hazed Ideas (PHI) we discussed having the ability to watch sports via PPV and using the term "RsBI." Today's first idea comes originally from Greg Stanwood after some questioning from Andrew J. Martin on Purple Row Radio in 2011.

The written explanation comes from RhodeIslandRoxfan

Idea #1 Manager's Choice DH (By RhodeIslandRoxfan)

The DH is adopted in both leagues but the home team's manager gets to choose if it will be used in each game (doesn't matter if it's A.L. vs. AL, N.L vs. NL, or interleague). Set a time (maybe two hours before each game) and by that point the home team's manager must announce if there will be a DH in the game or not. (They could obviously do it earlier than this as well) Both managers then fill out the lineup cards and the game is played in its entirety with whatever set of rules was picked. Each manager can alter their lineup after the deadline if they need to because of injury, but they cannot change the style of rules for that game one the home team's manager initially fills out his lineup card.

This would allow fans in both leagues to see both styles of the game played throughout the season and it would always balance itself. If one team builds itself around a DH too much, the opposing manager will always take it away and they will have to play by N.L. style rules on the road. If a team doesn't have a good enough hitter on the bench, then they will get blasted through A.L. style rules every time they go on the road.

In addition, this will create an interesting home field advantage in baseball which puts even more emphasis on winning your division because you will want to be able to choose which set of rules are used come postseason time. It will also have interesting byproducts and add another layer of strategy into the game that doesn't even exist now. Perhaps your bullpen is beatup and you need your starter to go deep - Use N.L. style rules for that game. Maybe your opponent's bullpen is shot? - Use A.L. style rules for that game hoping to get the starter out quicker and take advantage of a potential opening. Maybe you've got a star who's banged up a little and you don't want him in the field that night. - A.L. style rules for that game. Maybe you opponent has a bench guy who can't field but has great numbers against your starting pitcher? - N.L. style rules for that game.

Bottom line...

1) The leagues are now equal, and 15 teams in each league means interleague play all season long. This provides a compromise of AL and NL style rules without eliminating either. Both leagues are now playing by the same set of rules; it's just in the hands of the home team's manager as far as how he wants to play it each night.

2) Fans of both leagues get to see both styles of the game played all year long and neither is a casualty of year round interleague.

3) Even more strategy is introduced to the game.

-RIRF

My Thoughts:

I like the idea but have the fear that this would ultimately just lead to the end of National League style baseball. The DH is more than a position, it is also a job and more teams will want to make sure they have an adequate player to do that job if it is always in play. Once more teams start paying a premium to make sure they have the position covered there may just be too much incentive to always use the DH, especially as teams become more and more careful with starting pitchers.

I like making the other team's pitcher bat, and I love the idea that a deeper team with good defense might be able to force the hand of opposing managers to either sacrifice defense or put a high priced player on the bench. I would hope that the attractiveness of this strategy combined with the fact that some teams simply cannot afford a high priced DH could keep NL style baseball alive in such a system. It would be interesting to see teams no longer described as AL or NL but on whether or not they are likely to use the DH which could come down to budget in many cases. This could be another interesting way for low budget teams to compete with the higher budget teams.

Idea #2: More Rockies Nicknames

As I was watching yesterday's double-header from hell, I found myself wanting to think about Rockies things not related to what I was witnessing on the tele' because I didn't want to start throwing things. I saw some of our members referring to Eric Young Jr. as Havoc which is a nickname I've really taken a liking to. This got me thinking about another common debate I've seen here about Josh Rutledge. Some have taken to calling him J-Rut, which seems to anger many. Others have become attached to Rutledgend, which is clever but seems hardly earned. A great nickname should be clever, catchy, and appropriate to what you bring as a player. The Rockies also have a few nickname themes. There are the ones that end in "O" like Cargo, Tulo, and I've even seen Nodo and Nado for imminent prospect Nolan Arenado. There are animal nicknames like "Little Pony" and "The Baby Bull" and I started thinking of Havoc in terms of references to off-the-beaten-path X-Men or superheroes in general. So with all that in mind, let's look into some potential Rockies nicknames.

Josh Rutledge: Roto, the Fox, or Iceman:

I probably wouldn't like to be called "Roto" but it's the closest comparison to the Tulo/Cargo dynamic that I could think of. It's funny to think of him as (like Roto Rooter) someone you don't necessarily want to rely on, but you are glad he is there when you need him. Looking at the animal theme, I kinda like "the Fox" for Rutledge. They are cagey, smart, and deceptively quick animals all which seems appropriate. And who are we kidding? Josh is a fox with that winning smile and hair that stays perfect through all 9 innings. Or you could go with Iceman, another of the early era X-Men, that also invokes the confidence and afore mentioned beauty of the famous Top Gun character with the same moniker. Iceman was certainly not one of the leaders of the X-Men but still a valuable member of the team.

A Few Others I like:

I like EE but prefer "Edge" for Edgmer Escalona. I enjoy calling Jorge de la Rosa "George of the Rose." I toyed with calling Cuddyer "Corleone" playing off of the Toddfather angle, but that's a bit of a stretch. Nice that they are both Michaels though. I like "Gambit" or "the Gambit" for Jon Garland, a cagey veteran who gets by with cleverness and playing the odds to his favor. Finally, I like calling Tulo "Tulosauraus Rex" when he gets in an offensive grove or hits a big home run (this is also the name of my PR fantasy team.) Rex Brothers needs a good nickname but I couldn't come up with one.

Normally there will be a third idea in this spot that is either OTish or a submission from community members. It will have to be a brief one this week, so if you want more in the future get in touch with me.

OTish Idea #3: Re-seed every round of all the playoffs in all the sports. Please and thank you.

OK, maybe all these ideas are terrible. If so, or even if not, let us know.