An account of the 2004 winning season of the Red Sox debunks popular myths and provides statistics and commentary on players and teams to explain how baseball games are won.

Baseball analysts often criticize pitcher win-loss records as a poor measure of pitcher performance, as wins are the product of team performance. Fans criticize WAR (Wins Above Replacement) because it takes in theoretical rather than actual wins. Player won-lost records bridge the gap between these two schools of thought, giving credit to all players for what they do--without credit or blame for teammates' performance--and measuring contributions to actual team wins and losses. The result is a statistic of player value that quantifies all aspects of individual performance, allowing for robust comparisons between players across different positions and different seasons. Using play-by-play data, this book examines players' won-lost records in Major League Baseball from 1930 through 2015.

The biggest challenge facing many game programmers is completing their game. Most game projects fizzle out, overwhelmed by the complexity of their own code. Game Programming Patterns tackles that exact problem. Based on years of experience in shipped AAA titles, this book collects proven patterns to untangle and optimize your game, organized as independent recipes so you can pick just the patterns you need. You will learn how to write a robust game loop, how to organize your entities using components, and take advantage of the CPUs cache to improve your performance. You'll dive deep into how scripting engines encode behavior, how quadtrees and other spatial partitions optimize your engine, and how other classic design patterns can be used in games.

How to succeed in an era of ecosystem-based disruption: strategies and tools for offense, defense, timing, and leadership in a changing competitive landscape. The basis of competition is changing. Are you prepared? Rivalry is shifting from well-defined industries to broader ecosystems: automobiles to mobility platforms; banking to fintech; television broadcasting to video streaming. Your competitors are coming from new directions and pursuing different goals from those of your familiar rivals. In this world, succeeding with the old rules can mean losing the new game. Winning the Right Game introduces the concepts, tools, and frameworks necessary to confront the threat of ecosystem disruption and to develop the strategies that will let your organization play ecosystem offense. To succeed in this world, you need to change your perspective on competition, growth, and leadership. In this book, strategy expert Ron Adner offers a new way of thinking, illustrating breakthrough ideas with compelling cases. How did a strategy of ecosystem defense save Wayfair and Spotify from being crushed by giants Amazon and Apple? How did Oprah Winfrey redraw industry boundaries to transition from television host to multimedia mogul? How did a shift to an alignment mindset enable Microsoft's cloud-based revival? Each was rooted in a new approach to competitors, partners, and timing that you can apply to your own organization. For today's leaders the difference between success and failure is no longer simply winning, but rather being sure that you are winning the right game.

One of the best managers in the early years of professional baseball, Frank Selee (1859-1909) built two great teams. The Boston Beaneaters of the 1890s won five National League pennants during his tenure. The Chicago Cubs won four National League pennants and two World Series immediately after his period as manager--mostly with players he assembled. Selee's teams earned reputations for sportsmanship during an era known for dirty play, and Selee himself was known as a congenial man at a time when many managers and players had were considered loutish or combative. This biography tells the story of one of baseball's notable nice guys, who honed his craft to succeed in a ruthlessly competitive business.

When Los Angeles Dodgers pinch-hitter Kirk Gibson limped to the plate during Game One of the 1988 World Series, one thing was certain: victory depended upon him. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Gibson was in an impossible situation. His two injured legs had kept him out of the starting lineup, forcing him to soak in ice as the game slipped out of reach. Now, here he was facing one of the greatest pitchers ever, cold to the touch and barely able to swing. After six minutes of dueling with Oakland flame thrower Dennis Eckersley, Gibson received the pitch he wanted. Unable to stride forward off his back foot or land on his front foot without pain, he muscled a drive over the right-field fence for the game-winning home run, sending fans into pandemonium. With one swing, the Dodgers won Game One, 5-4, and eventually the World Series, due largely to Gibson's inspirational blast. As he limped around the bases, one thing was clear: Gibson would not play again. Game Won is the story of Game One, a thriller that set the tone for a five-game series that saw the weak-hitting Dodgers nearly sweep the powerful Oakland A's. Featuring interviews with players, managers, coaches, fans, a broadcaster, and the man standing on second base when Gibson homered, Game Won captures the spirit of the Series, one of the great come-from-behind World Series games ever played-and the greatest home run ever hit.