Not a fake pic and this "mad dog" isn't being held by the woman; the dog is staked to a pole or tree off-camera.  

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=== Peak Value, Continued ===

Here, let's multiply the BxH and get a rectangle.  The base is IP; the height is ERA.  Inside the rectangle, the area is going to be the value to your ballclub.

Here are these three aces' best 7-year streaks for WAR -- each WAR being approximately +10 runs saved, or +1 win to their teams' totals:

Maddux (1992-1998)

• 8.4
• 6.2
• 7.8
• 8.8
• 6.3
• 7.3
• 6.1
• Total:  52.8 = 7.5 wins per season, seven years in a row

Halladay (2003-2009)

• 7.5
• 2.8
• 5.5
• 5.4
• 3.5
• 6.5
• 6.8
• Total = 39.0 = 5.6 wins per season

Lee

• We can't even go here.  Lee has one (1) season with more than 5.0 WAR

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Take a .500 team, and put the Halladay of the '00's on it, and it goes from 81-81 to ... 86-87 wins.  Take the same team, and give it Maddux, and it goes to 88-89 wins -- with that one addition.  Every year.

And if Halladay's peak can't be compared to Maddux' peak, what do you think you're going to find when you compare anybody to Maddux' 23-year value?  Does Halladay already get credit for ten more healthy, All-Star seasons, or should he pitch those first?

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=== HOF Dept. ===

Maddux' HOF Monitor score gives him 254 points, where 100 is likely Hall of Famer.   He's also got 2x the Gray Ink points needed, and 2x the Black Ink points needed.

Cut Mad Dog's career into even and odd years, and elect him to the HOF twice.  It's only fair.

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=== Glavine ===

Had a six, not seven-year stretch in which he averaged 4.6 wins per season.  Not as good as Halladay, at 5.6 ... though Glavine's a lot closer to Halladay than Halladay is to Maddux.

Lemme just give you the index card for Glavine, who was not quite as good as Lee or Halladay are at the moment ... but who pitched very well for 17 consecutive seasons.

• Performed at borderline All-Star level, 130-140 ERA+ ...
• ... For 13 consecutive seasons
• And for 19 consecutive seasons, averaged 32 starts
• Career WAR:  67  (Cliff Lee = 22) (Roy Halladay = 54)
• Career wins:  305 (Lee plus Halladay = 243; Lee is 32, Halladay 34)
• Glavine does have Lee-type seasons on the resume:  20-6, 2.47 with 168 ERA+, stuff like that

Lee and Halladay are pitching, right now, a little better than Glavine at his peak.  But Lee has to back it off 5%, 10%, and then run off 10-15 seasons to match up.

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Like we sez, you've got Maddux at 7.5, Halladay at 5.5, Glavine at 4.5 and Lee doesn't get a number yet.  Probably 4.5.

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Next

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