Scott Miller of CBS.sportsline.com has an excellent article on how Bill James' ideas are spreading thoughout baseball, especially on the Red Sox:

Maybe the game has changed very little in 100 years, but the way we view it is changing every day. Survey today's baseball landscape and it is abundantly clear James' fingerprints appear in front offices throughout the game in the way clubs now analyze players, identify trends and view specific situations.

In Oakland, general manager Billy Beane inherited an office filled with volumes of James' books when he took over from Sandy Alderson in the 1997.

In Atlanta, Braves' president Stan Kasten once inquired as to what James could do in the NBA world with the Hawks.

In Colorado, Dan O'Dowd blew away the Rockies' management when he interviewed for their GM job after the 1999 season, offering detailed evidence on-base percentage was one of the keys to winning in Coors Field (so far, that hasn't gone too well).

In Chicago, White Sox GM Kenny Williams created a systems and analysis department when he replaced Ron Schueler after the 2000 season.

In Toronto, GM J.P. Ricciardi -- a Beane acolyte who came to Canada from Oakland -- is spreading the gospel of OPS (statistical evaluations of players taking into account on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) while rebuilding the Blue Jays.

Throughout the industry, a growing number of baseball executives have been turning to the pages of Bill James both for new ideas and for backup of their own ideas.

So if the office shelves are lined with Bill James' books, why not actually bring in the man himself?

"I'm actually surprised it took someone that long to hire a Bill James," Beane said during a conversation in his office at Oakland's spring complex in Phoenix. "Obviously, I've read a lot of his stuff and respect him. Someone with his ideas either has or will ultimately revolutionize how teams are put together."