A 40-pitch reliever has value. How can teams resurrect this old-fashioned position?

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty ImagesThe Bears were playing a late regular season game. Cody Parkey missed a field goal. People assembled complained about NFL kickers, in general. I looked to my brother, and he was rolling his eyes. “NFL kickers are better than they’ve ever been.” I looked up a few numbers. It appears his assessment was spot-on. Kickers are normally “better than they used to be.” Which seems a curious segue to talking about relief pitchers. They’re better than they used to be. Upcoming rule changes could mildly curtail the effectiveness of some current relievers. How can teams resurrect the 40-pitch reliever?

Some of you who are particularly up to a challenge have likely looked…