Picking this up from the "overrated athletes" thread:

The problem with deifying "closers" is the concept that the ninth inning is more important than all the others. It isn't always... That's why "relief aces" used to come in in the 6th, 7th, or 8th (the last of which still happens occasionally). A run is a run, just like a win is a win in April or September.

So by using the measure of Adjusted Runs Prevented, we find that Guillermo Mota has been just as vital to the Dodgers as Eric Gagne, that Octavio Dotel ranks HIGHER than Billy Wagner, etc. It's a more multidimensional analysis than 9th-inning monomania, if you look beyond ESPN highlight clips to the whole game...