I liked the book because I like baseball and Yankee gossip and personal tidbits. It also filled in some holes about why they let Pettitte leave; the process leading to casting off Bernie; and the steps leading to Torre's estrangement with Brian. I also remembered much of the things that Joe talked about. The book confirmed my judgment that management does play an essential role - and that Joe needs to be blamed for much of the perceived [they were in the playoffs each year and did have the winningest record in baseball] failures his last 6 years, just as he got credit for much of the successes his first six years. As a CPA consulting with clients on managing their businesses, I found gems in this book that could be applied to most any organization. Joe talks about the team's desperation to win in 1998. My most successful clients have that desperation - obsession - commitment - to succeed. It is manifested in everything they do and with every contact they have. That single minded focus - ferocious will to win - elevates the entire organization feeding more success upon each success. It is a feeling of entitlement to winning. Teammates so focused with the shared vision serve to compliment managers using peer analysis, advice and pressure to keep straying members in line. Age plays a role in sports and an aging Yankee team couldn't cut it. I advise on management succession planning. Throughout the book Joe talks about the ages of his players - some of the later teams lacked a succession plan to younger players with the older guys holding on longer than they should - with the one guy they should have kept being discarded in a disrespectable way. Business continuity depends on it as do professional organizations. The Yankees' lack of an effective pipeline from their farm system and the utter failure with their draft picks stunted the internal growth that would have applied the proper training and development into the organization's culture. The Moneyball technology and information systems brought new ways to assess players and assemble teams. The last to adopt these are usually the [previously] most successful of the group, feeling that they don't need to change their ways; and when they do it is with a catch up mentality with shortcuts and perceived arrogance that they are probably not as good as the old ways. That is the way it seemed with the Yankees and Cashman's use of the new systems. This is one part of the book where Joe blames others for the team's failures and I agree with him. Joe tried to apply a human element to the analysis and it was rejected. It seemed to me that Joe was right - and if he wouldn't have been right, it couldn't have been worse. An example is his analysis of why he wanted to keep Bernie while Cashman's "numbers" showed that a Mientkiewicz and Phelps combination would be far superior. Coincident to the IT systems is the application of new ideas and energy. This was illustrated with the story of how Boston signed Curt Schilling from under the Yankees. Also supporting this is the low days lost to players on the disabled list by the Cleveland Indians in 2007 versus the very high number of days lost by the Yankees. Aggressive new approaches. A favorite story I tell clients is The Emperor's New Clothes. That is a simple tale of perception and how people can be influenced by others. Joe's discussion of the myth of the benefits of free agency is a perception fallacy. The book tells of the system's inefficiency where a team overpays for a great payer slightly past his prime with talent guaranteed to decline over the life of the contract. Also the teams with overblown payrolls like the Yankees subsidize the lower rung teams who are better able to lock in younger lower paid players with long term contracts removing them from availability until they reach just past their prime. Joe places a high value on trust following set rules. Without them you can't have discipline and order and an effective organization. I have nothing to add to this - this is the way it is. When Joe wrote about Cashman's seizing control of the baseball operation he described the methods everyone should follow when they introduce new ideas. Prepare a clearly defined memo stating everything you want and why, and the benefits to the organization. Be thorough and complete. Address every item that might come up and give your considered analysis. Put it in a way where the only response is a "Yes" or a "No." Unless you are living in a dream world, you will get what you want. I personally have been very successful with this technique, and have also used it to help clients innumerably. Joe says that preparation and training are essential to winning. My successful clients work the hardest, prepare the most and practice to improve their weaknesses. A thought that comes to mind is when Chesley Sullenberger landed his plane safely in the Hudson River and he gave great credit to his training. Without the right amount of preparation, practice and training there cannot be consistent long term success. The management aspects of the book shouldn't be passed over. Joe Torre took over as manager of an unsuccessful franchise and under him they appeared in the playoffs every one of his twelve years at the helm, winning four World Series. He was given a team to manage that he didn't choose and had to use somewhat unfavorable resources to produce winning results. Management does matter and there is a lot in his book that can be applied to every type of business and organization.
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