Last night and tonight, the Astros are starting rookie pitchers against the Brewers. The Brewers and Cubs are tied in the NL Central. The Cubs claim the Astros are acting inappropriately by starting the rookies against their division rivals.
Here's why the Astros are doing it. Roy Oswalt was scheduled to start last night. His wife had a baby. He couldn't make the start. A rookie started in his place.
Woody Williams' turn in the rotation was tonight. He's 40. He told management he didn't want to start. He wanted to give the young guys a chance and he wanted to move to the bullpen.
The Astros were courteous enough to make a phone call to the Cubs and explain the reasons. The Cubs return courtesy with sniping.
Orel Hershiser and Steve Phillips (of ESPN) say a team has to start its best players in the games that affect the standings, and play the rookies in the other games. This, they say, is "maintaining the integrity of the game."
I disagree. I believe maintaining the integrity of the game means doing what you would do normally, without regard to who you are playing. If, as the Astros maintain, these two rookies would have started even if they were playing a non-contending team, then I believe they are acting with integrity.
I don't understand how it is more above-board for a team to stack its best players against the contending teams. Is that what happened all year, or did the stars sometimes sit against the best teams because it happened to be their scheduled day off?
The Reds say they'll play Griffey against the good teams, and sit him against the bad teams. How is that integrity? That, in fact, is gaming the system. Griffey should sit on his regularly scheduled days off, regardless of opponent.
