CBS News: 60 Minutes: The Red Sox’ Stat Man And The Numbers Game

And click on the Morley Safer clip for some ultra-mannered saber-funzzzzzies!

Baseball has always been a game about statistics, something the Boston Red Sox took to a new level when they hired baseball statistics guru Bill James in 2002. His “sabermetrics” analysis of players’ stats is a system Red Sox owners believe is an integral part of a winning formula that has brought two World Series trophies to Boston since he arrived. However, more teams are getting into the act, say Sox owners, who now worry that their dreaded enemy the New York Yankees will get into the same game with their always-bigger wallet.

“[James’] reputation had preceded him,” says Larry Lucchino, a partner in the Red Sox. “So we knew we were getting a guy who was unusual and I thought it was a giant step forward,” he says. His partner in the Sox, Tom Werner, believes James’ brand of analysis is crucial now. “The truth is, Morley, this is a very sophisticated business these days….When Larry and I first came into the business, the general manager relied fairly much on gut instincts…we’ve taken a much more systematic approach, which really comes from Bill,” he tells Safer.

But everybody’s getting into this act, says Lucchino, especially the New York Yankees, known in Boston as the “Evil Empire.” “[The Yankees] are [utilizing an intense scrutiny of statistics] but there are several teams in baseball that are doing it,” Lucchino says. “But the Yankees always tend to spend a little more money at whatever it is they’re doing. So, we’re concerned about our competition,” he tells Safer.

Thanks to Was Watching.