Maddon will also have to be creative again in his handling of the closer-less bullpen.

Closer Troy Percival recently had back surgery. The Rays hope Percival will be ready by opening day, but he is 39 and broke down during the second half last season. Percival did not have a save after Aug. 13 and was inactive throughout the playoffs.

"If we're going to get back to the postseason, we really have to make sure the 'pen is as strong or stronger than it was," Maddon said.

To do that, the Rays need depth in the bullpen.

Depth allows Maddon to follow his belief that the fifth and sixth innings can be as important as the eighth and ninth. Depth will allow the Rays to weather the inevitable downturn that at least one reliever will experience this season. The volatile nature of bullpens indicates that not every Rays reliever will perform as well as he did this season.

To help the depth, the Rays signed free-agent righthander Joe Nelson, who pitched well out of Florida's bullpen last season. Nelson can be effective, when healthy. He has had four major surgeries in the last decade.

The Rays obtained righthander Grant Balfour under similar circumstances before last season, and he became a pillar of the bullpen.

Balfour's success served as an example of Maddon Mojo, which may continue into 2009.

That mojo looks to extend even beyond his own team. Maddon is part of a small group: avid fans of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals last weekend won a playoff game for the first time since 1998. With two more wins, Arizona would reach the Super Bowl, to be played in Tampa.

Maddon is into Year Two of an enchanted ride. All the Yankees' money cannot beat that magic.

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