How Earl Weaver won with common sense at a time before people knew it was common sense.
How Earl Weaver indirectly helped shape Baseball Prospectus and (more directly) gave one of its founders her best day in baseball.
Dan shares his recollections of a memorable conversation with the late Hall of Fame manager early in his own career.
To wrap up our series on the merits of the four-man rotation, let’s look at some of the ancillary benefits of making the switch:
The four-man rotation simplifies a starter’s between-start schedule. Most teams have their starters throw on the side once between starts, but no one really knows whether it’s better to throw on the second day after a start, or the third. It’s not even clear whether starters should throw only once. In Atlanta, Leo Mazzone has had continued success doing things his way: he has his starters throw twice on the side between starts instead of once. (He does this because he feels it gives the starter the same increased sharpness that comes from working on three days’ rest.)