![[BraMBLe 2000]](images/bramble2000icon.gif)
Six months ago, who would have predicted that the Old School would capture the BraMBLe 2000 title? Some owners may have doubted Echo's squad, but one man had faith in this power-packed team. In his annual preview issue, Harpoon predicted that the Old School would come out on top, and that is precisely what happened. Echo's fantasy team added some pitching dominance to their imposing collection of offensive might, and this proved to be more than enough to propel the Old School to an 8.5-point victory over the Solstice at Avalon. This marked the third different champion in BraMBLe's three years of existence.
The Old School was uniformly dismissed last year as being a one-dimensional team, lacking any semblance of a competitive pitching staff. So what happened in the off-season? Strangely enough, the Old School protected seven offensive players and only one pitcher, hard-throwing reliever Bill Wagner, who did not even survive the season. The Old School quickly added OF Vladamir Guerrero and 3B Scott Rolen to the club, with nary a starting pitcher in sight. Prognosticators were willing to concede a great many offensive categories to this club, but could they really expect to compete for the title with only a skeleton pitching staff?
Adopting a strategy similar to 1999, although with decidedly better results, the Old School concentrated on unearthing pitching gems in the later rounds of the draft. Foremost among these acquisitions was P Chan Ho Park, the much-maligned Dodgers hurler. Park finally delivered on his enormous potential, notching eighteen wins and posting an impressive 3.27 ERA. His teammate, P Kevin Brown, arrived in a key midseason trade, and went on to rack up eleven wins and a 2.55 ERA while with the Old School. Unexpected success was not limited to the rotation, however. Marlins RP Antonio Alfonseca contributed forty-five saves, while RPs Roberto Hernandez (31) and Jason Isringhausen (33) helped form a more-than-capable bullpen.
Did the Old School write a new chapter in the annals of fantasy success? Not likely, though there is something to be said for shrewd selection of middle-of-the-road pitchers. Echo did not change his fundamental fantasy belief, that hitters are significantly more reliable and dependable than pitchers. This credo formed the foundation of his protection and drafting strategies, and it allowed him to construct the championship club that rolled through BraMBLe 2000. Will this way of thinking change the beliefs of the other BraMBLe owners? Maybe not, but every owner should take a long look at this title-winning team. A dynamic offense and a solid pitching staff may not be the winning combination for everyone, but it sure paved the way to success in BraMBLe 2000.