Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:
Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Counting up M's Strengths

"Jack has a relentless pursuit of being right," Allison said. "He understands the whole aspect of a player, and that there are many different lenses through which to view a player.

"One of his first hires [in Milwaukee] was bringing in Tony Blengino, a complete Bill James disciple. Jack brought him into the office not only to educate all the staff, but himself. To him, it's just part of the different brushes that complete a player."

Blengino, 44, had caught Zduriencik's attention as an author of a series of books on minor-league prospects, a project that required him to scout and evaluate young players. But Blengino says he learned far more from Zduriencik than the other way around.

"When it comes to evaluation, no one's better," Blengino said. "Just the fact he took a chance on a guy like me with an unconventional background shows he's always trying to learn more. ... Jack has never surrounded himself with one-size-fits-all people."

Added Blengino: "Jack's the best at what he does. To me, he's been deserving to have this opportunity as a GM for a long time. He's a great teacher and has incredible passion. His burning passion for the game is readily apparent to everyone who knows Jack."