![[BraMBLe 2000]](images/bramble2000icon.gif)
The earth has a gravitational pull. Our nation's capital has some horribly muggy weather in the summer. The Old School has a potent offense. We take certain things in life for granted, but, every one once in a while, something comes along to surprise us. The Old School is in first place in BraMBLe 2000 - because of its pitching? While that may seem impossible, it is true, assuming certain things are taken into consideration. The Old School offense is still carrying this team and will likely be counted on heavily for any future success, but the pitching turnaround has been highly instrumental in the Old School's recent surge.
Pitching has been a problem for the Old School during both of its years of existence, but, considering their owner's draft emphasis, this is not surprising. Echo has consistently exhibited a tendency to eschew "name" pitchers in favor of consistent run producers. The theory is that offensive weapons are typically more stable from year to year than all but the top ten pitchers. Therefore, it makes little sense to waste high draft picks on starting pitchers, since serviceable starters can be claimed off of the waiver wire each year. This strategy backfired last year, for while the Old School dominated almost all hitting categories, its dearth of pitching eventually was the team's undoing.
All of that has changed in 2000, though the cause can be disputed. Did the Old School really change its philosophy, or was Echo merely more successful in selecting his pitchers this year? The Old School generally looks for pitchers in the mold of Chan Ho Park, the talented Dodger hurler who currently leads the team with seven wins. Though Park's ERA (4.33) and WHIP (1.468) are somewhat high, he produces wins and delivers the strikeouts. In the bullpen, Antonio Alfonseca is the epitome of the Old School's beliefs - high ERA (5.47), high WHIP (1.689), but loads of saves (18). Though Echo recently imported ace Kevin Brown, the strategy seems to be to focus on the money categories - wins, saves, and strikeouts - and let the offense counteract the woeful ERA and WHIP.
Interesting game plan, but will it work? If the offense continues to be this good, who's to say that it cannot work? This strategy is effective up to a point, but it has some obvious limitations. One cannot predict wins and saves as easily as, say, homeruns. As a whole, ERA is well within the pitcher's control, while wins and saves depend on offensive production and game situations, respectively. That being said, considering the Old School's offensive dominance, a team would have to post similarly impressive pitching numbers to really have a shot at the Old School. Fortunately for the rest of the league, a couple of teams have exhibited this potential. With the league nearing its halfway point, though, the time to make a move is fast approaching.