Dykstra: Winning Formula

Work the Count

The results of the World Series can be summed up in the immortal words of Jim Lovell: "Houston, we have a problem."

The problem was the Chicago White Sox, whose nearly flawless postseason performance proved to be insurmountable. To add injury to insult, the Astros' Rocket sustained a failed booster (injured hamstring), which greatly limited his effectiveness. Unfortunately, unlike their Apollo 13 predecessors, Roger Clemens and the Astros were unable to right their ship. But even if the Rocket was firing on all cylinders, the White Sox appeared destined to win it all this year.

Whatever the game dictated, the White Sox delivered. They played small ball at times, manufacturing runs with bunts, steals, sacrifices, and clutch hits. They played long ball with the expected -- Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye -- and the wholly unexpected Scott Podsednik and Geoff Blum. Combine that with stellar defense, particularly by Joe Crede and Juan Uribe, and it is easy to see why they are the champions.

Let's not forget their vaunted pitching staff, which although not as dominant in the World Series as in the ALCS, was still quite impressive. Lastly, the manager, Ozzie Guillen, with 25 players in his portfolio, continually selected the right players at the right times, which resulted in a magical postseason ride.

Unequivocally, many parallels can be drawn between successful investing and a championship baseball team. Settling on a portfolio requires knowledge about hundreds of stocks (players), determining which stocks (players) will be on your team, and tweaking your roster when necessary regardless of emotional ties, past history or ego. Borrowing a page from Guillen and the White Sox, I believe that you must be prepared for all eventualities. Therefore, you can play long ball with the big boppers such as General Electric (GE Quote) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ Quote) as well as play small ball with the Agriums and other diamonds in the rough. You never know when one of these stocks will be a Scott Podsednik or a Geoff Blum. However, a good manager has a knack of putting his players in situations where they can produce.