To combat the wealthy behemoths in the American League East, Billy Beane defied decades of player development strategies and the wisdom of seasoned scouts by allowing an assistant general manager with a Harvard degree in economics to enter into the inner sanctum of the draft room of the Oakland Athletics with a laptop.
Before and after most games, when media is allowed to enter the Yankees' clubhouse, Rodriguez spends little time at his locker in the back left of the oval room, not too far from the entrance to the inner sanctum that contains the players' lounge, steam room, sauna, rubdown room, weight room, trainer's room and swimming pool.