Legal Commentary

The Rays' Houston connection

By Tom Kirkendall

In 2005, Forbes named the Tampa Bay Rays as the "most horrific" sports franchise of the modern era and the "worst-managed organization" in Major League Baseball.

A little over three years later, the Rays are in the World Series, which begins tonight in Tampa. This Tim Marchman article explains how the Rays did it, including how several Houstonians made key contributions to turning the club into a winner.

Your Rays General Manager Andrew Friedman, who orchestrated the turnaround over the past several seasons, is a native Houstonian and the son of long-time Houston attorney Kent Friedman. Rays' P Scott Kazmir and LF Carl Crawford played their high school baseball in Houston, while P Dan Wheeler was a stalwart reliever on the Stros playoff teams in 2004-05. Finally, a couple of years ago, Friedman had the good sense to hire as an assistant GM Gerry Hunsicker, who was the best general manager that the Stros have ever had.

What are the Rays chances in the World Series against the Phillies?

Well, the Rays' pitching staff had a salty runs-saved-against-average ("RSAA") of 89 for the 2008 season, which was 3rd in the American League, but behind the Red Sox RSAA of 92. Similarly, the Rays' decent runs-created-against-average ("RCAA") of 37 for the season paled in comparison to the Red Sox 103 RCAA. So, how did the Rays beat the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series?

Answer: A red hot pitching staff. Remember, in a relatively small series of games, hot pitching is often enough for a club to win a series over an opponent that likely would be superior over a larger segment of games. Thus, don't be surprised if the Rays ride that hot pitching staff to what would be the most improbable World Series championship of this generation.

Full post as published by Houston's Clear Thinkers on October 22, 2008 (boomark / email).