Hotshot - I sort of disagree about no one going to see relievers. With their entry music, and big strikeout arms, I think a lot of the good closers are popular and have followings. Certainly Rivera was popular and his coming into a game to "Enter Sandman" got everyone up. It's not just him and Hoffman either. Even Papelbon when he was with the Sox and came in to "Shipping up to Boston" was huge. I think we pretty much have dreaded our closers, at least between The Chief and Doo, but folks get up for the drama of the 9th.
As for relievers being "attractions," we're talking about the handful of closer elites. I was fine when CGs started to be a thing of the past and the game went to the 8th inning set up man and 9th inning closer. Now, though, it seems acceptable if most starters can give you a decent 5 innings, even your #2's and #3's.
As we all know, middle relief is a killer. My view is if you supposedly have a staff with three quality starters (which the Nats now have), I'd be telling Stras and Corbin, "were looking for 7 from you, every start."
Whitey Ford, pitching with stuff that was not overpowering in an undiluted-by-expansion eight team league, threw 156 CGs. Jim Palmer threw 211. What's so hard about being able to regularly go 7? I mean, today's pitchers are bigger, stronger, have personal trainers, benefit from defensive shifts, etc.
