The Extra 2% (37 page)

The vagaries of small playoff samples, bats slumping at the wrong time, and the greatness of Cliff Lee all played a big role in the Rays’ falling short in their quest. But the Burrell debacle’s far-reaching effects also showed that a single mistake could set a team up for failure—and much more so when that team lacked the resources to wipe away mistakes the way the penthouse-dwelling Yankees and Red Sox could. Disappointing attendance, a lack of corporate support, and a regionwide backlash against spending for everything from a new ballpark to public transit for St. Pete—these setbacks overshadowed another fairy-tale Rays season, at least in some people’s eyes.

But the biggest hand-wringing was happening in New England, not in Florida. The Red Sox, they wailed in Boston and Providence and Manchester and Augusta, were now an old, boring team, unable to beat the hated Yankees or even the poorhouse-dwelling Rays. Those cries would die down quickly. When the Red Sox traded for elite slugger Adrian Gonzalez, Boston fans rekindled some optimism, while Rays fans worried that Tampa Bay might struggle to stay in the wild-card race. When the Sox then snatched Carl Crawford out of Tampa Bay’s hands, paying an amazing $142
million to do it, the doubters came out in full force. When word hit just before press time that the Rays were about to lose another major piece by trading Matt Garza to the Cubs as part of a prospect-laden, eight-player deal, many fans just lost it. Forget making the playoffs, they howled. How much longer would the Rays go without contemplating a move out of town?

“AL East Back to Normal,” blared the
Boston Herald
’s headline. “Welcome to 2010 and the ramping up of the Red Sox–Yankees rivalry,” crowed the
Boston Globe
’s Dan Shaughnessy. The implication was obvious: those pesky little Rays had their fun. It was time for the big boys to take over again.

On the surface, Andrew Friedman appeared to adopt the same defeatist attitude. Revenue problems persisted. The Rays had bagged the fifth-best local TV ratings of any MLB team, an encouraging development that might have helped the team overcome its lousy attendance and weak corporate support. But having recently reupped their television deal, the Rays wouldn’t be able to capitalize on that surge in interest for several more years. Even if their finances improved dramatically, the Rays could never remotely approach the resources available to the perpetually flush Yankees and Red Sox. Still, the Rays had won the AL East twice in three years, pulling off one of the greatest feats in recent sports history given the bottomless list of factors working against them.

Asked about trying to compete in the AL East, Friedman lamented, “It was always nearly impossible, and it’s probably getting closer to impossible.”

Then he paused.

“But it’s doable.”

There are so many people who played a role in making this book happen, either directly or indirectly. I’m going to do my very best to acknowledge each and every one of you. If I miss anyone, please know that it was not intentional and that I will make up for it by springing for a tasty beverage of your choice.

Rob Neyer is the nicest guy in this business. He’s kind and encouraging to young writers and quick to credit anyone who does good work, regardless of their pedigree. Rob did first reads for the book, scrutinizing every word before chapters even made it to the publisher. He didn’t merely find a few typos. He helped me organize my thoughts and develop new ideas that never would have made it onto these pages if not for his help. I am a better writer now than I was when I started this project, and Rob’s the reason why.

This book’s editor, Paul Taunton, has the patience of a saint and the wisdom of years of successful projects behind him. He was understanding when deadlines had to be stretched, and he knew exactly which story lines to play up and which ones to toss. Steve Wulf of ESPN Books drew from a lifetime of writing and editing experience, helping me shape many of the seminal concepts that inform this book. Mark Tavani of Ballantine was another trusted and respected guide.

My literary agent Sydelle Kramer had been pushing me to write my first solo book for years before
The Extra 2%
came along. She’s
full of great ideas, has a keen sense of the publishing industry, and works hard to find the best projects for her clients. I’m lucky to have her on my side.

Twenty years ago, a writer starting a book about a team he had barely covered would’ve had a steep learning curve. Today sharp bloggers cover every major league team … and few teams boast a better collection than the Tampa Bay Rays. Tommy Rancel and Erik Hahmann met me on my first trip to St. Pete. Since then, we’ve had thousands of conversations about the Rays, their methods, and their history. As I write this, I’m already looking forward to seeing my next Rays game with them. Add up all the instant-messenger conversations I had with R. J. Anderson about the Rays—Joe Maddon’s managerial tactics, Andrew Friedman’s trades, and, of course, B. J. Upton—and you could fill five books. R. J. has become a respected colleague and a friend. Jason Collette and Steve Slowinski chimed in with valuable thoughts on the Rays and with support during the whole endeavor. Visit
DRaysBay.com
,
TheProcessReport.com
, and
DockoftheRays.com
if you’re a Rays fan, or just a fan of intelligent baseball commentary.

As I mentioned in the notes section, I conducted about 175 interviews for this book. Fortunately, I found a crew of diligent folks willing and able to help transcribe many of those interviews. Warren Margolies, Fred Katz, Andy Hutchins, Minda Haas, Sagiv Edelman, Kyle Dickinson, Cedric de Jager, Adam Gotts, Jamie Vann Struth, Forrest Carpenter, Alex Walsh, Peter Garavuso, Cal Lee, Jason Sykes, and Matt Swain formed an all-star team of transcribers. If you ever get a chance to hire any of my new e-migos, do it. They get my strongest recommendation.

When I first talked to Stuart Sternberg about this book, he was enthused. Sorry, did I say enthused? I meant not happy at all. The title of this book comes from a Sternberg quote: the Rays must do everything 2% better than the competition if they’re to succeed against long odds, and they do everything they can to protect that competitive edge. Throwing back the curtain and letting a writer learn all their trade secrets would’ve run counter to that philosophy,
and I fully understand and respect his point of view. The Rays could have easily shut me out entirely during my nearly two years of reporting, but they did no such thing. I spent several days with the team in spring training 2009 and acquired a wealth of material. Andrew Friedman and Matt Silverman sat down for a lengthy interview, then graciously answered follow-up queries. They were as cooperative as two people who needed to not be
too
cooperative could possibly be. Same goes for James Click and Chaim Bloom, two former
Baseball Prospectus
colleagues who have become key cogs in the Rays’ operation, even if few people outside the team’s offices know of their valuable contributions. I’m grateful to Josh Kalk, Shawn Hoffman, and Phil Wallace for sharing their thoughts, on the record and off. Another former (Devil) Ray, Chuck LaMar, discussed not only his success but also his failures during those tumultuous first eight years of team history. He did so with candor and grace.

Thanks to every player who took a few minutes to answer questions. Five players went well above and beyond the usual quick chat: Gabe Kapler, Fernando Perez, Joe Nelson, Dioner Navarro, and Ben Zobrist. Much of the material from my conversations with these five players, and many other key figures, never made it into the book. I’ll publish these and other Q&As at this book’s companion site,
TheExtra2Percent.com
.

I spent a delightful spring day in his hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, learning all about Joe Maddon. The people I met couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating. Thanks to the many members of the extended Maddon clan, with whom I had great chats at Third Base Luncheonette (try the hoagies, they’re amazing) and in their homes. Special thanks to Beanie Maddon, Joe’s sister Carmine, and the other two members of the Three Amigos, Jeff Jones and Willie Forte, for sharing many amazing stories.

Marc Topkin and Marc Lancaster helped frame much of the historical content about the Rays and their history in St. Pete. Rick Dodge and Rick Mussett played crucial roles in bringing Major League Baseball to Tampa Bay and bringing me up to speed on how
it all happened. The expertise of Neil deMause, Maury Brown, Noah Pransky, Bob Andelman, Vince Gennaro, and Rod Fort informed many of the business concepts discussed in this book, especially regarding stadium financing and the business of baseball.

My former
Baseball Prospectus
colleagues provided an incredible education in how to think and write about baseball. Thanks Nate Silver, Steven Goldman, Dave Pease, Gary Huckabay, Michael Wolverton, Keith Woolner, Christina Kahrl, Will Carroll, Dayn Perry, Clay Davenport, Jeff Bower, Ryan Wilkins, Mark McClusky, and John Erhardt. Rany Jazayerli and Joe Sheehan are the reasons I got into
BP
in the first place. Rany took pity on a downtrodden Expos fan, while Joe took a chance on an eager Canadian raised on Bill James books. Other colleagues past and present to acknowledge: Chris Gessel, Juan Arancibia, and David Chung at IBD; Bill Squadron, Bo Moon, and Jay B. Lee at Bloomberg Sports; Sam Walker, Geoff Foster, and Adam Thompson at
The Wall Street Journal
; and David Schoenfield at
ESPN.com
. I’ve already worked with my friend Greg Foster of IMAX on one project and hope to do so on another, very soon.

I’ve been fortunate to meet and befriend some of the brightest names in the industry. Dave Dameshek, John Manuel, Jeff Passan, Jorge Arangure, Bomani Jones, Amy Nelson, Kevin Kaduk, Dave Cameron, David Appelman, Derek Zumsteg, Keith Law, Craig Calcaterra, Bill Simmons, Kevin Goldstein, Bernie Miklasz, Tommy Bennett, Ben Kabak, Joe Pawlikowski, Derrick Goold, Bob Elliott, King Kaufman, Will Leitch, Henry Abbott, Tommy Craggs, Matt Meyers, and Mark Simon, thanks for your continued support. Thanks also to the people who aid and abet my blabbing on radio and other forums, including: Elliott Price, Shaun Starr, Denis Casavant, J. P. Peterson, Toby David, Shaun King, Justin Lewis, Dave Ortiz, Brian Drake, Bobby Curran, Alan Miya, Gene Winters, Bruce Drennan, Nate Ravitz, Jeff Erickson, Matthew Berry, Jay Soderberg, and my Vegas partner in crime, Chris Liss.

Two more luminaries played big roles in making this book better. I called Michael Lewis to ask him for advice, figuring he might have
a minute to sum up his experiences working on
Moneyball
. He gave a lot more than that, helping me lay the groundwork for the reporting in this book. Mark Cuban contributed a thoughtful and thought-provoking foreword. Cuban runs the Dallas Mavericks in much the same way Sternberg, Silverman, and Friedman run the Rays, making him a perfect fit to offer (more than) a few words.

While writing this book, I became the father of twins(!). I had to lean heavily on friends and family members to help care for the kids and generally keep me sane. Those friends are too numerous to mention, so I’ll extend a blanket thank-you to all of them and hope for plenty of road trips, pickup hoops, and good times to come. As for family, Dad, Roz, Mom, Drew, Dan, Stephanie, Katie, Theo, Quinn, Samantha, Lauren, Nicole, Bubby Gertie, Chaim, Bess, and everyone else, thanks for all you’ve done, and all you do. Also, a nod to Andrea Buccini, Catherine Phillips, et al. for enabling me to work many sixteen-hour days.

Finally, Angèle, Ellis, and Thalia, thanks for filling all my days with joy. You sacrificed a lot for me to write this book, and for that I’ll always be grateful. So excited to spend long hours in the park, or just lounging around the house, looking at your smiling faces. I will always love you.

The foundation of this book was laid in the approximately 175 interviews I conducted with various players, front-office executives, politicians, fans, media members, and other key parties.

In a few cases, I also drew from prior interviews from other publications, both print and online. Those publications included the
St. Petersburg Times
, the
Tampa Tribune, The New York Times
, DRaysBay, and
ESPN.com
.

Other valuable sources included The Process Report, Dock of the Rays, Rays Index,
Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus
, Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs,
SI.com
, Bill James Online, Baseball Think Factory, Baseball Musings,
The Hardball Times
, The Book Blog, Shadow of the Stadium,
MLB.com
, Bloomberg Sports,
Stadium for Rent
by Bob Andelman,
Moneyball
by Michael Lewis, and
The Numbers Game
by Alan Schwarz.

J
ONAH
K
ERI
is the co-author/editor of
Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong
and has written for
ESPN.com
,
SI.com
,
Baseball Prospectus, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal
, and other publications. He has covered the stock market for
Investor’s Business Daily
for more than a decade and is the lead baseball analyst for Bloomberg Sports. Follow him at
JonahKeri.com
and on Twitter @jonahkeri. Also, check out The Jonah Keri Podcast, at
JonahKeri.com
and on iTunes.