That's minor league ball.   The fact that this kind of thing happened in what people call "major league" ball in the 19th century is the central reason that it isn't actually major league baseball.   

 I'd have to recreate the rankings all the way back.   I don't know.  Not only Millwood, but also Denny Neagle was at one time (a) fourth on the Braves, and (b) probably in the top 20 in baseball.  The 1954 Indians, as I have noted several times, had a staff ERA of 2.78 in a year in which the league leader had an ERA of 2.64.  Art Houtteman (15-7, 3.35 ERA) was their fourth starter, and Bob Feller (13-3, 3.09) was their fifth starter.  

 Thank you.   My mother-in-law, back in the 1970s, bought a Warren Spahn Hartland statue for 75 cents.   I don't know what it is worth now.   Quite a bit more than 75 cents.  

 Thank you. 

 

 

There is a new book about him; that's probably a better source on Finley than just my memory.  

I think he learned from his mistakes, albeit not easily.  When Finley bought the A's, I think in the winter of 1959-1960, the farm system had a few guys but was very thin.   Finley tried to rush the process by trading for veterans, expecting that they would do for him what they had done in other places.  It didn't work.  He churned through several General Managers, bringing in guys who had had the job before--including the infamous Frank Lane, who followed his dramatic success in Chicago with dramatic failures in several other towns.   Eventually he found the right GM, Hank Peters, who was able to convince him that you just have to develop your own players; you can bring in other players to help, but if you're not producing, then you're working with used material.   In '63 '64 '65 he spent a lot of money and signed a tremendous number of young players, who came together starting in '68.  Well, really, in '66.  

 Exactly the same, I think.  

 It would be a pretty serious problem for me.  We don't need less baseball; we need less standing around and wasting time.  

 It is a common flaw of analysts to deny the reality of complex interactions which are not yet fully understood.  

 It's too radical.  I am expecting that it will be such a farce that they'll have to abandon it after two weeks and admit that they made a mistake. 

 

 

The big issue is that your breaking pitch is going to break at the wrong time.   Every breaking pitch is GOING to be in the dirt, I think.   You train your whole life to make your slider break at 45 feet; you can't just move it to 47.   I think it just won't work.  

 I'm a guest exhibit.  They're going to ask me about CEO salaries.  

 I think Kaline was faster, but let me go check speed scores.  

 

I have Kaline as a "9" when he first came up, an "8" for several years after that, and with a career speed score of 6.1.    Yaz, I have with a Speed Score of "7" when he first came up and for several years at the start of his career, with a career figure of 4.3.  This is potentially misleading because he was around for a LONG time after his 67-70 peak, but anyway. ...yeah, Kaline was pretty clearly faster.  

 I've moderated my view a little bit.   I used to argue that there was literally no situation in which an intentional walk was a beneficial strategy.   I don't run simulations anymore and I'm not as tuned in to some of the fine points, but just intuitively I am a little more inclined to think that there are some situations. . .

 

But also, years ago, managers would use the intentional walk in situations where it isn't really done anymore.   So I've changed, and they've changed, and I haven't really studied it recently enough to know how we line up now.  

 Thanks.  I have never been irascible, because I don't know how. 

 I'm not really seeing whatever the problem is that you're worrying about there.  

 No idea. I know that players had to help maintain the field, in the low minors, into the 1950s.