[Jeff Waegelin]

I agree. Negotiating ball-handling with your alliance will be critical this year. With only two balls for three robots - and the possibility that your opponents may try to play keep-away with your ball, too - there will certainly be some heated discussion between alliance members.

It reminds me a bit of the situation in 2001, where there was only one bridge to balance for four teams. Most teams had some kind of bridge-balancing capability, and every team always wants to show off what they can do. Unless one team had a clear advantage (for example, Beatty), everyone would have to negotiate who got to be the one to balance the bridge. Teams who had a coach with a strong personality often had the advantage, because they would present the strongest argument for their team to be the one to balance.

I have a feeling that strategy discussions this year will sort out the same way. Coaches and drivers will have to make their case to their alliance why they need the ball, or come up with a strategy to share it during the match. Effectively sharing the two balls to maximize scoring will likely be the best way to do it, and those that can pull it off will have an advantage, I think.