JOINING FORCES Three alums, Matthew Silverman ‘94, Barry Newell ‘05 and Brian Auld ‘94 (right) stand inside the Tampa Bay Rays’ indoor stadium after all coming together within the Rays’ front office in 2017. BREAKING TACKLES Barry Newell ‘05 (below) escapes the opposing tackle to run for the first down. After his time as a Lion, Newell played football at Princeton University.
Editor’s note: The original story was written prior to the Tampa Bay Rays advancing to the World Series. As of Oct. 25, the Rays trail the LA Dodgers 2-3 in the series.
C
‘08 12
Upcoming GAMES
Cowboys,” Newell said. “People have now started to run sports organizations like large corporations. They started thinking about numbers, analytics and culture, things that the big companies have always thought about. When Matt, Brian, Stu and Andrew [Cader] were with the Rays, they were at the forefront of that and thinking about doing things differently than a lot of people did before.” While Silverman and Auld have been with the franchise for over a decade, a younger Marksmen, Newell, joined the team three years ago. “After my freshman year in college, I worked in the development office filing papers, so I got to know [Headmaster] David Dini really well up on the second floor of Nearburg,” Newell said. “I was looking to get into sports,’ and he asked if I’d reached out to all these Marksmen. He said, ‘There are these two really smart guys at the Rays. I don’t know them very well, but you should reach out to them.’” Newell, alongside both Silverman and Auld, had a successful athletic career himself, playing football, basketball and baseball on campus, which inspired him to pursue a career in sports. Of his many achievements, he won three SPC championships, two in football and one in basketball. Not only was he a member of these historic squads, but he was also the football team MVP and went on to play at Princeton University. “I was a three-sport athlete my entire time at St. Mark’s and was able to play [football] in college,” Newell said. “I did investment banking for a while, and I was just like, ‘I’m not enjoying this.’ I had a friend sit me down at one point who said, ‘Why are you doing a job you hate? Why don’t you go work in sports?’ I was like, ‘That’s a pipe dream. Nobody actually gets to work into sports.’ They told me to look into it, so I went back to business school, and now I’m here.” For Newell, 10600 Preston Rd. was vital in making connections and setting himself up for success. “I tell people in no uncertain terms that going to St. Mark’s was the biggest pivot point and biggest benefit that I’ve ever had,” Newell said. “I went to a really good college, a really good business school and had some really good experiences after, but I think getting that trajectory and having the people here that care about you so much is unmatched.” Silverman hopes in this time of uncertainty baseball can bring us all together.
Football Oct. 30 vs. ESD (no spectators; stream available) Nov. 6 @ Greenhill (two parents allowed per athlete) Home games will be streamed at: https://events.locallive.tv/school/st-marks-tx Volleyball Nov. 3 vs. FWCD (no spectators; stream available) Nov. 5 vs. Greenhill (no spectators; stream available) Games are streamed on the St. Mark’s Athletics Youtube Page Cross country Oct. 31 @ Athletic Performance Ranch Nov. 7 @ Athletic Performance Ranch
“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamt about working in sports,” Silverman said. “I love how sports can bring together a community. There’s a bond and connection that unites fans. It’s one of the few things that cuts across the divisions we see in today’s society.” After placing first in the American League, Auld, Silverman, Newell and the Rays hope to pull together a deep playoff run. “We all want to win a World Series. I mean it’s half the reason you get into this,” Auld said. “I always remind everyone every staff meeting that it can’t just be about wins and losses. We’ve got to do a lot of great work in the community, or what’s the point of any of this. But when you win the World Series, and your players show up in hospitals, it’s a lot cooler for the sick kids than when your last place team does.” STORY Peter Orsak, SeMaj Musco PHOTOS Courtesy Barry Newell, Abe Echt FOR IT ALL Inside the brand new Globe Life Field in Arlington, center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (below) and the Tampa Bay Rays take on the LA Dodgers in the World Series.
29 The ReMarker
1
With the Tampa Bay Rays entering the World Series, a trio of alums takes on the Los Angeles Dodgers using their unprecedented strategies in the old-fashioned world of pro sports.
Sports
All coming out of 10600 Preston Road, the trio of Marksmen joined forces in the MLB with the Tampa Bay Rays. Spearheading this squad is Silverman ‘94, president of Baseball Operations, and Auld ‘95, team president. Teaming up with them is VP of Business Operations and Analytics Barry Newell ‘05 who joined the team in 2017. Although at the time Silverman and Auld were still getting their feet wet in the business world, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, also known as Stu, had the confidence to give them control over the franchise. “Our owner, Stu, was happy to turn the team over to, at the time, a couple of 27, 28-year-old kids who had zero experience, watch us lose 100 games two years in a row and trust us when we said we were about to turn the corner here,” Auld said. “Most people lose their jobs before that even happens.” Not only did Sternberg feel confident enough to hand over the keys to the franchise, but he allowed them to be creative By the pioneers in the game of baseball. numbers “Stu appreciated us in a way that gave us the confidence to try a bunch of stuff that other general managers would never even think Rays’ seed in about doing. So when we started the AL pitching with our relief pitchers to start the game in what is now called the ‘Opener’ strategy, everybody thought it was insane.” Last Rays’ As pioneers of an oldWorld Series fashioned industry, the Tampa Bay appearance Rays are the only team with two presidents, Silverman and Auld. “When Brian was coming Pitchers to out of business school, a lot of record a save sports teams were run like small this season family businesses like the [Dallas]
Pioneers of baseball
October 29, 2020
oming out of high school, Matthew Silverman and Brian Auld had no idea what was in store for them. After years of walking through these very halls, the two were ready to move on to bigger things. They went to college, went to business school, but just like anybody else, they could have never predicted what was soon to come. While working at Goldman Sachs with his bud Stu, Matt was offered an opportunity to run an entire Major League Baseball franchise with no real experience. Although this was daunting at the time, Matt knew exactly who to call: his good pal from high school, Brian. He knew if he was going to take on this challenge, there was no one better to accompany him than a fellow Marksman. Now, as they finish up their 15th year working together, Brian and Matt have the opportunity to return to the World Series and bring home their very first title.
ALUMS MAKING STRIDES
