When spring arrives at Equilar, we know that The New York Times’ annual CEO pay study is not far behind. While it’s a big challenge to help produce their analysis, it is also an honor and a privilege to work with one of the most respected and trusted names in media. Having just completed our third year working with the Times, it is an accomplishment that we’re very proud of.

Pulling together their annual CEO pay study is a significant undertaking for any organization, especially one of our size. As part of our proxy season preparations, we mark the first weekend of April on our calendars and work backwards to make sure that all boats are pointing in the right direction. The good news is that we get better at it each year and find ways to build on our success. For example, we’ve added a whole section on our website with additional analysis that we’ve prepared as part of the study.

Ironically, the inside front cover of the New York Times Sunday Business section included an interview with John Donahoe, the CEO of eBay. In his article, he talks about how you shouldn’t get hung up on trying to bat 0.900 in business (more on Daniel Murphy and opening day in a minute). As the founder and CEO of Equilar, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes along the way and agree with John 100%. I know this sounds cliché, but some of the best lessons come from the mistakes you make. These mistakes aren’t part of any MBA program—just plain old on-the-job training.

But when it comes to data quality and working with the Times and other media organizations, batting 0.900 won’t cut it. What does batting 0.900 translate into in our business? It means that out of the 200 CEOs in the pay study, 180 would be correct. Sounds like a good number, right? Well, not exactly. If you are looking down into the glass from the top, that would mean 20 CEOs are incorrect. Do you think the Times would be asking us each year to conduct this survey if we were batting 0.900?

Needless to say, when our data and research is used by the Times, countless other major media organizations, and in boardrooms across America, it takes a commitment to excellence to make sure that we deliver a finished product that is of the highest quality. Kudos to Alex, Andrew, Ed and the rest of the Research team for producing another successful study for the Times.

Mets Win! Mets Win! Mets Win!

Wow, can we order 161 more games like yesterday? Greenie, J.J., K-Rod— three and a third innings of no-hit ball. With our revamped bullpen, my life expectancy just went up by five years. And how about our phenom Daniel Murphy? OK, 1 for 5 won’t get you into the Hall, but two clutch RBIs is not a bad way to start the season. Let’s hope he stays on track to be the next Wade Boggs and not Bruce Boisclair. Let’s make sure that Murph eats only chicken!