Ned Hanlon, opportunist: the 1899 Brooklyn Superbas -- A great off-season: the 1915 Philadelphia Phillies -- Turmoil and determination: the 1917 Chicago White Sox -- Clark Griffith, patience: the 1924 Washington Senators -- Rags to riches: a history of the relief pitcher -- The height of folly: the 1930s Boston Red Sox -- Following the recipe: the 1948 Boston Braves -- What happened? The vagaries of history: the postwar Boston Red Sox -- An unexpected drop-off: the 1960s Minnesota Twins -- Player growth and decline: patterns in aging -- Plans gone awry: the 1971 California Angles -- Brilliance and bombast: the 1970s Oakland Athletics -- The new specialist: the fireman vs. the closer -- Unfulfilled promise: the early 1980s Montreal Expos -- A change of plans: the 1997 Florida Marlins -- Translating minor league ability: an outside view -- Unheralded dynasty: the 1990s Atlanta Braves -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1: Player valuation methodology -- Appendix 2: Measuring park effects -- Appendix 3: Defensive efficiency record -- Appendix 4: S-curve methodology -- Appendix 5: Win probability added -- Appendix 6: Offenisve winning percentage -- Appendix 7: Minor league translation methodology.