Meanwhile, Baseball America revealed its Top 10 baseball books of 2011. Picks include The Art of Fielding, Flip Flop Fly Ball…and The Extra 2%.

Jonah Keri’s The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League baseball Team from Worst to First (ESPN) was fascinating to me as a follower of the Red Sox. I’d wondered about Tampa Bay’s strategy of spending a fifth of the Red Sox and Yankees, yet competing with them evenly … and this book was revelatory in explaining it.

The Rays valued defense more than most teams. They began talking with Evan Longoria about a half-a-lifetime contract when he was still in the minor leagues, and what resulted was a nine-year deal worth up to $48 million, which today looks like an incredible bargain. Could it have backfired? Certainly, if Longoria stunk the place up. But if the Rays did nothing, Longoria surely would be gone when he could first test free agency.

Very smart book, and well set up with history about how incompetent the franchise was for years. I’m not smart enough to see how it translates to other businesses, but there have to be some allegories about how Alamo competes with Hertz, etc.

Details here

Come join Michael Axisa and Benjamin Kabak of River Avenue Blues, and me, for an informal discussion on American League East baseball. We’ll host a talk at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Foley’s. Unfortunately, we have to limit that part of the evening to 30 attendees so only ticket-holders will be able to attend. After the talk, we’ll stick around to watch the Yanks take on the Tigers. Everyone is welcome to join us at Foley’s for the game.

Foley’s is located at 18 W 33rd St (between 5th and 6th Aves), across the street from the Empire State Building.

To get your ticket, head here. (Edited to Add: Tickets sold out)

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 7:30 PM (doors open at 7), BERGINO BASEBALL CLUBHOUSE:

I’ll be reading from The Extra 2% at Gelf’s Varsity Letters event, along with authors Harvey Frommer and Lang Whitaker. Doors open at 7, readings start at 7:30.

The event is located at Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, 67 E. 11th St. (between Broadway and University Pl.) — a few blocks from L/N/Q/R/4/5/6 trains. For more details, head here.

Here’s the interview I did with Gelf in advance of the event.