Replies

I was tipped off to Clearing the Bases when someone I know who had read it told me Barra had devoted a chapter to demonstrating Juan Marichal was a better pitcher than Bob Gibson. I figured that someone with that kind of audacity was worth reading, and I was very right about that. (P.S. Marichal was a better pitcher than Gibson; had it not been for the nearness of Koufax and a certain unfortunate incident on the field in 1965 - which has in fact been misinterpreted over the years - Marichal would probably have been recognised as the best pitcher of the 1960s. Frankly, I think Marichal and not Nolan Ryan should have been voted to the All-Century Team - Juan Marichal was twice the pitcher Nolan Ryan was.) Barra is a treasure among baseball analysts.