Bill James returned to writing about his research this year. I just received in the mail, The Bill James Gold Mine 2008. I've been thumbing through it a bit, and it reminds me of the old Baseball Abstracts. The one article I've read through is on rating the most consistent players of all time. It's a typical James thought piece, and the formula he arrives at makes logical sense.

Many years ago at ESPN, a producer complained to me that Rickey Henderson was inconsistent. I asked why, and the producer explained that his batting average was up and down from year to year. I pointed out that his OBA was very consistent, and that's what really mattered. So when Bill published a list of players at the end of the article, I immediately looked up Rickey to find he received an A in consistency.

One of the nice things about the aughties versus the eighties is that we no longer need to wait for spring to read about Bill's research. Bill James Online is an inexpensive pay site where Bill published his latest research. The current article looks at unusual careers. Not surprisingly, Barry Bonds rates as having the most unusual career by a long shot, with Mark McGwire a distant second.

If, like me, you grew up reading Bill's work, you'll love the book and the web site. If you're new to the world of sabermetrics, there's no better writer on the subject. Enjoy the book and the site!