The docile, friendly Mr. Met--the last link to the club's original 1962 expansion days--fits the bill.

FORBES

Perhaps even more important, the expansion of the energy sector is galvanizing manufacturing, hitherto the weakest link in the material boy economy.

FORBES: The Real Winners Of The Global Economy: The Material Boys

And TD Ameritrade, formed in 2006 after the bank acquired the stake, is an important link in Toronto-Dominion's U.S. expansion strategy, together with the expansion of a Portland, Maine-based commercial bank, TD Banknorth.

FORBES: Magazine Article

And TD Ameritrade, formed in 2006 after the bank acquired the stake, is an important link in Toronto-Dominion's U.S. expansion strategy, together with the expansion of a Portland, Maine-based commercial bank, TD Banknorth (nyse: BNK - news - people ).

FORBES: Hedge Funds Fight For Ameritrade Deal

But where the implosion of the NASL in the 80s was caused by a rapid expansion of teams that had only served to exaggerate the deadly concept of the weakest link, Major League Soccer decided that the route to success was more likely to be found through contraction.

FORBES: MLS - A Shrink To Success Formula

The authors link Blackstone's history to the larger story of private equity's expansion and its relationship to corporate America.

ECONOMIST: The rise of private equity