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Rays' astute moves take them from cellar to summit

By Jerry Crasnick
ESPN.com

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- In June 1999, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected outfielder Carl Crawford in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft. That same summer, a young Tulane University graduate named Andrew Friedman went to work as an analyst for the investment banking firm Bear Stearns in New York. Nine years later, the principals are trending upward. The Rays, minus the "Devil," are preparing for their World Series debut. Crawford, a two-time All-Star, is the starting left fielde ...

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