Built piece by piece by a maverick owner over a ten-year period, the Oakland Athletics rose from the very bottom of the American League to become the dominant baseball team of the 1970's. Rise and Fall chronicles their amazing roller coaster ride to the top of their sport followed by their sudden fall from glory. A perfect blend of bonus babies and veterans, superstars and role players, home grown talent and hired help, the Athletics were the last baseball dynasty to be built from the ground up without the benefits of the free agency system that ultimately resulted in their downfall.