The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
The Extra 2% is the history of St. Petersburg and Tampa trying to get a major league baseball team. However, when they finally got the Tampa Bay Devil Rays it quickly became a scenario of becareful of what you wish for, with over demanding owner Vince Naimoli and overwhelmed general manager Chuck LaMar in control. From the start the Devil Rays were doomed with these two men in control because they would create a plan to improve the team and then become impatient and come up with a new plan before completely following through on the previous plan. Jonah Keri dives into how changing directions of the team strategy every other year and bad public relations created a team of perennial losers and an unentertaining atmosphere that became one of the most laughed at sports team in the nation.
In 2005 the team took a dramatic change with new ownership Stuart Sternberg and upper management leaders Matt Silverman and Andrew Friedman. The book also changes tone as it starts to dig into the history of these three men on Wall Street and their background of using analysis and results research and transferring it over to the baseball field instead of using the traditional scouting reports. By using new unconventional trainings methods and unknown sabermetrics the team was able to improve their scouting, drafting, and trading that led to a trip to the 2008 World Series. At the same time the team improved fan relations by creating a fun atmosphere at the ballpark with their popular concert series and other events.
The book was not over loaded with hard to understand sabermetrics or Wall Street theories which made it easy to understand for the common baseball fan. If you are looking for some in depth analysis of the specific sabermetrics used by the Rays you will only find an over view in this book. This is an entertaining book that is a quick read.
In 2005 the team took a dramatic change with new ownership Stuart Sternberg and upper management leaders Matt Silverman and Andrew Friedman. The book also changes tone as it starts to dig into the history of these three men on Wall Street and their background of using analysis and results research and transferring it over to the baseball field instead of using the traditional scouting reports. By using new unconventional trainings methods and unknown sabermetrics the team was able to improve their scouting, drafting, and trading that led to a trip to the 2008 World Series. At the same time the team improved fan relations by creating a fun atmosphere at the ballpark with their popular concert series and other events.
The book was not over loaded with hard to understand sabermetrics or Wall Street theories which made it easy to understand for the common baseball fan. If you are looking for some in depth analysis of the specific sabermetrics used by the Rays you will only find an over view in this book. This is an entertaining book that is a quick read.
