BBTF's Hall of Merit Discussion

Hall of Merit
— A Look at Baseball's All-Time Best

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Chuck Finley

Eligible in 2008.

John (You Can Call Me Grandma) Murphy Posted: November 11, 2007 at 10:15 PM | 29 comment(s)
Related News:

Reader Comments and Retorts

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

Page 1 of 1 pages

1. John (You Can Call Me Grandma) Murphy Posted: November 11, 2007 at 11:17 PM (#2611884)

Another "good, but not good enough" pitching candidate from his era.

2. 1k5v3L Posted: November 11, 2007 at 11:18 PM (#2611886)

Meh. Even his wife would beat him every fifth day.

3. AJM Misses Brodeur Posted: November 12, 2007 at 12:05 AM (#2611903)

Just with a quick glance I think he's about equal to Hershiser, who I had in the 30's.

4. DL from MN Posted: November 12, 2007 at 10:57 AM (#2612111)

I have him ahead of Koosman and in the same territory as John and Tanana. Better candidate than I would have guessed. On the wrong side of the PHoM right now but within spitting distance.

5. DavidFoss Posted: November 12, 2007 at 12:48 PM (#2612225)

My favorite Finley fact:

Chuck is one of 47 pitchers who struck out four batters in one inning. He's is the only one to have done it more than once... and he did it three times.

link

6. DavidFoss Posted: November 12, 2007 at 12:53 PM (#2612232)

Hmmm... the count may not be exactly correct as I did it by hand from the AL & NL lists. Bobby Mathews did it once in the AA and Orval Overall did it in the postseason. Always fun to see someone way out in front of an odd list like that, though.

7. DavidFoss Posted: November 12, 2007 at 12:56 PM (#2612235)

box1

box2

box3

8. Bleed the Freak Posted: November 12, 2007 at 01:20 PM (#2612263)

Here's a link to what (1k5v3L) was referring to in post two:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/04/03/kitean_finley_ap/

I wonder what went on behind the scenes with "Still of the Night" pen man David Coverdale?

9. The Grich Who Stole Christmas Posted: November 12, 2007 at 02:43 PM (#2612398)

Another "good but not good enough" candidate is right, though he's a better candidate than I think a lot of people would assume.

10. DiggerP Posted: November 13, 2007 at 07:00 PM (#2613873)

Why anyone would spend a second talking about Chuck Finley striking out 4 guys in an inning when he was doing the Whitesnake girl is stunning to me.

Some Whitesnake trivia. In the infamous "Here I go Again" song, featuring Mrs Finley "shaking her ass on the hood of Whitesnakes car" as the other song goes, the third line is "Like a drifter I was born to walk alone". Originally it was recorded as "like a hobo I was born to walk alone", changed soon thereafter because "Hobo" was not easily distinguishable from "Homo". I'm sure we all agree that the word drifter was better anyway.

As I recall, a visiting ballpark played Whitesnake while Finley was warming up, after the beating allegations, and someone lost their job. Anyone remember the details?

11. Los Angeles Waterloo of Black Hawk Posted: November 13, 2007 at 07:09 PM (#2613878)

Remember that after stabbing her heel into his foot while he was driving and before going into rehab herself, Tawny Kitaen accused Finley of PED use.

12. Los Angeles Waterloo of Black Hawk Posted: November 13, 2007 at 07:11 PM (#2613880)

At any rate, Finley is the greatest Angel pitcher ever (he was there longer than Ryan), so we have a lot of fond memories of him in the Halo world.

My favorite inning of his was the sixth inning of this game:

Bottom of the 6th, Dodgers Batting, Behind 1-3, Chuck Finley facing 2-3-4
 ---  5  T Zeile   Single to CF (Ground Ball thru SS-2B)
 1--  2  M Piazza  Single to RF (Line Drive to Short RF); Zeile to 2B
 12-  5  E Karros  Single to RF (Ground Ball thru 2B-1B); Zeile to 3B; Piazza to 2B
   O   123  5  R Mondesi Strikeout Swinging
   O   123  3  B Ashley  Strikeout Swinging
   O   123  4  G Gagne   Groundout: 3B-2B/Forceout at 2B (SS)
   0 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB. Angels 3, Dodgers 1.

13. JPWF13 Posted: November 14, 2007 at 08:23 PM (#2615151)

Why anyone would spend a second talking about Chuck Finley striking out 4 guys in an inning when he was doing the Whitesnake girl is stunning to me.

What's stunning to me is that no one (until 11) even refernce dthe fact that she beat teh dcrap out of him?

Of course I assume she was berserk and he refused to defend himself out of obviously misguided chivralty or something, but still the day after photos were a sight...

14. The District Attorney Posted: November 14, 2007 at 08:27 PM (#2615154)

What's stunning to me is that no one (until 11) even refernce dthe fact that she beat teh dcrap out of him?

15. The District Attorney Posted: November 14, 2007 at 08:28 PM (#2615156)

Oh, and #8. Heh.

16. The District Attorney Posted: November 14, 2007 at 08:28 PM (#2615158)

Oh, and #10. Please add the edit function to this forum...

17. OCF Posted: November 16, 2007 at 01:26 AM (#2617101)

Overall RA+ Pythpat record: 199-156. Five best years: 17-9, 15-8, 17-11, 15-10, 15-12. The career record is a hair better than Hershiser (191-157) but Hershiser's best years were better. I have both Hershiser and Finley a ways behind Saberhagen and Cone.

18. Chris Fluit Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:40 AM (#2617254)

Finley should be behind Gooden as well.

19. DL from MN Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:46 AM (#2617345)

Gooden didn't put up 13 above average seasons (and 3 average ones). From a career standpoint I like Finley better than Gooden or Hershiser. It's looking like 3000 IP now is what 4000 IP used to be.

20. OCF Posted: November 16, 2007 at 05:40 PM (#2617885)

It's looking like 3000 IP now is what 4000 IP used to be.

Clemens 4917 IP
Maddux 4814 IP
Glavine 4350 IP
Johnson 3855 IP

Mussine is over 3300, and there may be others. Remember that these guys are contemporaries of Finley; they just haven't retired yet.

21. Chris Fluit Posted: November 16, 2007 at 06:04 PM (#2617922)

It's not just the likely HoMers either. David Wells is at 3400. Jamie Moyer is at 3550. And they both started the same year or the year after Finley (who made the majors in '86).

22. DL from MN Posted: November 16, 2007 at 06:30 PM (#2617948)

Spahn 5243 IP
Niekro 5404 IP
Perry 5350 IP
Blyleven 4970 IP
Roberts 4689 IP
Ryan 5386 IP

Clemens and Maddux are better than any of these guys but they haven't pitched as many innings as Blyleven. Maybe 3000 now is what 3500 used to be and I exaggerated but Finley's IP totals are pretty good for his era.

23. zoperino,if youre not into the whole brevity thing Posted: November 16, 2007 at 06:38 PM (#2617955)

Gooden didn't put up 13 above average seasons (and 3 average ones). From a career standpoint I like Finley better than Gooden or Hershiser. It's looking like 3000 IP now is what 4000 IP used to be..

But Gooden was an average pitcher for a pretty long time, and was so much better than Finley in his good years that he blows him away on aggregate career value. Even a career voter should have Gooden above Finley.

24. David Concepcion de la Desviacion Estandar (Dan R) Posted: November 16, 2007 at 06:59 PM (#2617973)

Actually, I have them with identical career value, although YMMV. It's the absolute insanity of Gooden's peak year that gets him onto my ballot--I have it worth 2/3 more than it would be if its value had been chopped up into three All-Star seasons.

25. OCF Posted: November 16, 2007 at 07:31 PM (#2617985)

Gooden  Sabrhgn  Hershsr  Cone...  Finley
25- 6  | 21- 8  | 20-10  | 18-10  | 17- 9
15- 9  | 19-10  | 18-10  | 14- 5  | 15- 8
16-12  | 18- 9  | 17- 9  | 16- 9  | 17-11
12- 8  | 14- 6  | 17-12  | 15- 7  | 15-10
13-10  | 13- 8  | 13- 8  | 16- 9  | 15-12
09- 5  | 10- 4  | 11- 8  | 14- 9  | 14-10
11-10  | 11- 8  | 13-10  | 13- 8  | 14-12
14-14  | 15-14  |  7- 5  | 14-12  | 12- 9 
13-13  |  9- 6  | 11-11  | 13-10  | 13-11
08- 6  |  9- 6  | 10-10  |  6- 2  | 12-10
09-10  | 10- 8  | 12-12  | 12-12  | 12-11
11-12  |  9- 8  | 11-12  |  8- 7  | 11-10
06- 6  |  9- 8  | 12-14  |  6- 5  | 10-11
05- 6  |  6- 5  |  7- 8  |  1- 2  |  3- 2
05- 8  |  1- 1  | 10-13  |  1- 1  |  5- 6
01- 3  |  1- 2  |  1- 1  |  6-11  |  5- 8
-----  | -----  |  0- 1  | -----  | -----
-----  | -----  |  0- 3  | -----  | -----
174-137 174-111  191-157  190-132  199-156

26. rawagman Posted: November 16, 2007 at 08:08 PM (#2618015)

Is it just me, or does Chuck Finley remind anyone else of Bucky Walters? Totally different career shape, but similar accumulated value.

27. David Concepcion de la Desviacion Estandar (Dan R) Posted: November 16, 2007 at 08:23 PM (#2618038)

With war deductions, yes, similar career value, although Walters has all sorts of peak on Finley. Not that that's enough to make him a good HoM candidate.

28. Lefty, Monty, And The Moose (Walewander) Posted: November 19, 2007 at 01:57 PM (#2620101)

Finley was traded for Coco Crisp. Strange.

29. Devin McCullen has no value to Eastern Europe Posted: August 26, 2008 at 10:43 AM (#2916343)

If the Devil had a name, it would be Chuck Finley!

(You need to have seen last week's episode of Burn Notice to get that.)

I'm just posting here because when I was checking out something else, I was very surprised to see that Finley got a 4th place vote on the 2008 ballot. When I tracked the ballot down (PatrickW), it made a little more sense, because his is quite modern-pitcher-heavy. I don't feel that I really considered him that seriously (it was 9 months ago, so I could be wrong) - if anybody wants to make an argument, I'll listen.

Page 1 of 1 pages

You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.

<< Back to main

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Chuck Finley

Reader Comments and Retorts

Support BBTF

My Bookmarks

Hot Topics