The Extra 2% - How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First First

For six extraordinary years around the turn of the millennium, the Yankees were baseball's unstoppable force, with players such as Paul O'Neill, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera. But for the players and the coaches, baseball Yankees-style was also an almost unbearable pressure cooker of anxiety, expectation, and infighting. With owner George Steinbrenner at the controls, the Yankees money machine spun out of control.

In this new edition of The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty, Buster Olney tracks the Yankees through these exciting and tumultuous seasons, updating his insightful portrait with a new introduction that walks readers through Steinbrenner's departure from power, Joe Torre's departure from the team, the continued failure of the Yankees to succeed in the postseason, and the rise of Hank Steinbrenner. With an insider's familiarity with the game, Olney reveals what may have been an inevitable fall that last night of the Yankee dynasty, and its powerful aftermath.

After six years in the minors, pitcher Dirk Hayhurst hopes 2008 is the year he breaks into the big leagues. But every time Dirk looks up, the bases are loaded with challenges--a wedding balancing on a blind hope, a family in chaos, and paychecks that beg Dirk to answer, "How long can I afford to keep doing this?"

Then it finally happens--Dirk gets called up to the Majors, to play for the San Diego Padres. A dream comes true when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants, kicking off forty insane days and nights in the Bigs.

Like the classic games of baseball's history, Out of My League entertains from the first pitch to the last out, capturing the gritty realities of playing on the big stage, the comedy and camaraderie in the dugouts and locker rooms, and the hard-fought, personal journeys that drive our love of America's favorite pastime.

"A rare gem of a baseball book." --Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated

"A fun read. . .This book shows why baseball is so often used as a metaphor for life." --Keith Olbermann

"Entertaining and engaging. . .reminiscent of Jim Bouton's Ball Four." --Booklist

With almost four decades in professional baseball -- as a player, manager, coach, and scout -- Cal Ripken, Sr., has motivated players in all leagues to reach their best, and has mentored two major leaguers of his own, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Bill Ripken. Now culling wisdom from his unpublished classic, The Cal Ripken Baseball Manual for Players -- a veritable instructional bible utilized throughout the Oriole organization for years -- Cal Sr. brings his view from the field to an inspiring guide to the game of life.

Cal Ripken, Sr., has worked and played alongside baseball's all-time greats. But his advice is as down to earth as the dirt in the infield....

BASEBALL IS A WALK OF LIFE: The lessons you learn playing baseball can be applied to everyday life.

MASTER THE FUNDAMENTALS: All good ballplayers start with the basics, and stick with them to keep their standard of performance high.

PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: If you form good habits on the sidelines, they'll be automatic when gametime comes. Good play is habit-forming.

USE YOUR HEAD: In baseball, as in life, there is something new to be learned every day. Keep your head up.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF: The tried-and-true, old-fashioned American value is as important as ever.

No matter your position in life, you'll learn from Cal Sr.'s principles of batting ("strength, determination, vision, and style") and pitching ("have command of yourself, not just your pitches"). Parents will relate to the four D's -- discipline, determination, dedication, and desire -- that Cal Sr. and his wife, Vi, relied on to raise their children. And everyone will enjoy his wise and witty Ripkenisms -- simple, wholesome truths for combating life's inevitable curve balls.

Improve your chances of winning and learn how to avoid mistakes the field and off -- with the lessons from a seasoned pro in The Ripken Way.