Pinella Officially Just Sets The Season On Fire

It's now pretty much settled: Devil Rays manager Lou Pinella has lost his mind. According to the St. Petersberg Times, Pinella is going to start the rest of the D-Rays games with a reliever, with a starter to take over in the third inning. He's not kidding.

"I've made up my mind, and that's what we're going to do," Piniella said. "People are going to think I'm crazy, but we're just going to try it. Starting (tonight). I'll bring in whatever reliever I feel like starting the game with, and I'll bring my starter in in the third inning and we'll play nine innings of baseball that way. I'm serious."

The ramifications of this are wide-ranging. Vegas oddsmakers, firstly, are going to be really confused. Will Pinella not tell the opposing team who's going to come in for the third? What will this do to won-loss records? And, most important, are the guys at Baseball Prospectus scurrying to their abacuses (abacaii?) to figure out the strategy in x and y format? Pinella's nuts, but God bless him.

Lou Resorts To Starting Backward [SP Times]