The one and only Joe Posnanski asks these two questions:

In sports, there is winning … and there is losing … and there are the intense emotions tied to each. The term “moral victory” is used more often in mockery than in celebration. The idea of winning ugly trumps the concept of losing with honor. Ask yourself the question: If your favorite team can win the Super Bowl on a bad call or lose on the correct one, which would you choose? Is it even a choice?

You play to win the game. Ask yourself the question: If your favorite team can have a .01% better chance of winning World Series Game 7 by intentionally walking Josh Hamilton or Ryan Braun, well, what would you do? Would you challenge him? Would you try to win the hard away, by beating the other team’s best hitter? Or would you choose the tiniest statistical advantage no matter how boring and apathetic it might be [he’s talking about the intentional walk, of course]? What would you choose?

Is it even a choice?

For me, those two questions are miles apart. I actually would not want my team to win on a blown call. It diminishes the victory, taints the joy.

Intentionally walking the star hitter though? No problem. Why not? May be best team win, not the team with the best hitter. 🙂