NBL - An Experiment in Real-Time Reporting - 2003 - Page 5

Matt from TN · 10-22-2003, 10:55 AM

New Jersey

at Tennessee

For the second straight game, the Jets pounded Tennessee's picthing. The Mockingbird staff is in a tail spin, it seems. Starter Tommy Henkgen allowed 5 runs in just 1 1/3 innings. The first two relievers to enter the game, Walter Pena and Jaime Graham, combined to allow another 4 runs (3 earned) over 3 innings. All together, New Jersey scored 10 runs through the first 6 innings. Ean Carlisle pitched a strong game for the Jets, but Tennessee's only consolation - once again - is the fact that they did manage to score off of him. Carlisle allowed 3 runs over 6 1/3 innings, the first time he has allowed more than 2 runs this postseason.

In Game 1, Tennessee allowed 4 homers to New Jersey's #2, #8 and #9 hitters. Furthering their frustration, they allowed another 2 homers to the #2 and #7 hitters today, plus another to the Jets' best hitter, Duane Cope. The #2 hitter, second baseman Ben Kesnick, has hit three of the team's home runs. In this game, he was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI. He is hitting .339 with 13 RBI in the postseason. Seven of those RBI have come in the first two games of the BTCS.

Final Score: New Jersey 10 - Tennessee 3, New Jersey Leads Series 2-0
BOX SCORE

Matt from TN · 10-27-2003, 11:56 AM

Tennessee

at New Jersey

With Tennessee realing from 2 embarassing losses, the Mockingbirds and Jets traveled to New Jesey for Game 3. The M'birds were hoping to get back in the series, while the Jets wanted to keep the momentum and go up 3-0. Tennessee came out with the better game plan, scoring a single run in each of the 1st, 4th and 6th innings off Jets' starter Manuel Despaigne. They then scored 2 more runs in the 7th, and Despaigne was taken out. Mockingbird starter Martin Evans salvaged some respect for the team's pitching staff by allowing 2 runs off just 5 hits and 3 walks in 8 1/3 innings as Tennessee claimed their first victory of the BTCS.

Final Score: Tennessee 5 - New Jersey 2, New Jersey Leads Series 2-1
BOX SCORE

Matt from TN · 10-27-2003, 12:11 PM

Tennessee

at New Jersey

Game 4 set up as a key matchup. A win by Tennessee would even the series at 2-2. A win by New Jersey would put them on the brink of a title with a 3-1 series lead. Tennessee threw out young starter Cedric Arriaga, and if the Jets won, they knew they would then face Tennessee's biggest weakness which is the two starters who blew up in Games 1 and 2. To try and put the nail in Tennessee's coffin, New Jersey started ace Ben Lestrick on just three days rest.

The game was scoreless through 4 innings until Tennessee scored a run in the 5th. In the bottom of that same inning, New Jersey posted 4 runs off 4 hits, a walk, a sac bunt and a key 2-run throwing error by Mockingbird second baseman Jorge Monarrez. Jets fans roared and the team must have been confident with Lestrick on the mound with a 3-run lead. However, in the top of the following inning, Mockingbird leftfielder Jeff Woods hit a 2-run homer with one out. The next batter reached base on an error, and after the following hitter flied out for the 2nd out of the inning, third baseman Matt Alford hit a 2-run shot of his own to help Tennessee take a 5-4 lead.

Arriaga did not return to the mound for Tennessee, but the team's bullpen pitched very well, and going into the bottom of the 9th inning, the Mockingbirds still led 5-4. In that inning, the Jets got a walk with 2 outs against Tennessee closer Mel Shazzon. The next batter, catcher Stan Nolan hit a single. Then first baseman Alan McCabe stroked an RBI single to tie the game. The next batter flied out, but the game went into extra innings. Only one batter reached base until the bottom of the 12th inning, when centerfielder Alex Porter hit a 2-out solo walkoff homer off of Eric Orellana, who had just entered the game one batter earlier in relief of Shazzon, who was lights-out in the 10th and 11th. But by then, it was too late.

Final Score: New Jersey 6 - Tennessee 5, New Jersey Leads Series 3-1
BOX SCORE

Matt from TN · 10-27-2003, 12:25 PM

Tennessee

at New Jersey

Facing elimination, Tennessee was forced to return to Game 1 starter Quinn Magee, who had allowed 7 runs in that loss and did not even make it out of the first inning. Hoping to win the BTCS at home, New Jersey started Ean Carlisle on 3-days rest. After a 36 minute rain delay in the 4th, the game was still scoreless. Jets' DH Mack Elliott hit a 2-run homer in the 5th, but the Mockingbirds stuck with Magee, who had pitched well up to that point. Both teams had tired bullpens thanks to the 12-inning affair the night before, but with today's rain delay, it was unlikely that either starter could finish the game. Carlisle allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks through 6 shutout innings, but he did not return to the mound in the 7th. Magee pitched well, but was lifted with one out in the 7th. Both bullpens stayed out of trouble until Matt Alford started off the top of the 8th by reaching on an error by Jets' second baseman Ben Kesnick. The Jets brought in reliever Oscar Gentry, and Tennessee countered with pinch hitter Carlos Chavez. Chavez promptly hit a 2-run homer to tie the game at 2-2. The next batter, Jorge Monarrez, hit a solo homer to give Tennessee the lead. New Jersey then brought in Earl Davidson, who had pitched exceptionally out of the bullpen for the Jets throughout the postseason. He finished off the game by throwing 2 hitless innings. By then it was too late, as Tennessee's bullpen shut down the Jets, earning them a victory and returning the series to Nashville for Game 6.

Final Score: New Jersey 6 - Tennessee 5, New Jersey Leads Series 3-2
BOX SCORE

Matt from TN · 10-31-2003, 10:59 AM

New Jersey

at Tennessee

With Tennessee once again on the brink of elimination, they threw out their best starter, Martin Evans, on three days rest. New Jersey countered with Manuel Despaigne, who was also on three days rest. The Mockingbirds got on the board first with a solo home run by first baseman Pete Wilkins in the 2nd inning. The very next batter, catcher Gene Patrick, was ejected for arguing a strike three call. The ejection infuriated Tennessee manager Alan Geoffrey and it seemed to fire up the team.

In the top of the 4th, the Jets' dynamic duo struck again. Leftfielder Duan Cope singled and catcher Stan Nolan hit a two-run dinger to give New Jersey the lead. Then, in the bottom of the 6th with runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs, the Jets elected to pitch to Patrick's replacement, backup catcher Jimmy Chianga, who hit a 3-run homer to left-center to give Tennessee an emotional lead. Despaigne walked the next batter on four pitches, and then he motioned for the manager to take him out of the game. According to Despaigne, his shoulder was aching and severely hindered his pitching. The Jets brought in Earl Davidson, who had not allowed a single run in the postseason, and he didn't disappoint, pitching 2 1/3 perfect innings.

With runners on first and second with 2 outs in the top of the 7th, Tennessee called upon hard-throwing reliever Walter Pena to face pinch-hitter Mack Elliott, who had hit a homer in each of his past 3 games. Pena got Elliott to fly out to deep right field, and he didn't allow a single baserunner the rest of the game, pitching 2 1/3 perfect innings of his own and earning the save.

Final Score: Tennessee 4 - New Jersey 3, Series Tied 3-3
BOX SCORE

Matt from TN · 11-03-2003, 03:23 PM

New Jersey

at Tennessee

As expected, this series came down to pitching: how Tennessee's tough offense could score upon New Jersey's great top pitchers and how Tennessee's battered pitchers could hold down the Jets. Games 1 and 2 saw the Jets offense pummel Tennessee starters. Game 3 saw Tennessee's pitching dominate. Game 4 was an extra-inning affair won by the Jets, while Game 5 was a great pitching matchup won late by the Mockingbirds. Game 6 was another incredibly close game won by Tennessee. With New Jersey opening up a tough 3-1 lead in the series, Tennessee made a valient comeback to tie the series at 3-3. Game 7, then, was anticlimactic.

Tennessee turned to Cedric Arriaga on three days rest, while New Jersey's Ben Lestrick started his third game of the series. The game was scoreless until the top of the 4th when New Jersey scored 3 runs off of 4 singles, a walk and 2 sac flies. They scored 4 more runs in the 5th inning, effectively removing both Arriaga and the Tennessee crowd from the game. The Jets never looked back, rolling to an 11-2 victory and the franchise's first BTCS title.

26-year-old third baseman Juan Massa was named BTCS MVP. He hit .542 in the series with 7 RBI and a home run, to go along with some incredible plays in the field.

Final Score: New Jersey 11 - Tennessee 2, New Jersey Wins BTCS 4-3 !!
BOX SCORE

Matt from TN · 11-06-2003, 09:56 PM

With the playoffs over, the National Baseball League set about the business of handing out postseason awards. And the winners are....

Southern League Batter of the Year

Brock Young, CF, Nevada Goldminers

Brock hit .301 with an NBL record 54 home runs, 131 RBI, 123 runs scored and a whopping .646 slugging percentage. This is the first BOTY Award in Young's career. The 30-year-old has become one of the league's premier sluggers after initially coming up through Nevada's farm system with little fanfare.

Northern League Batter of the Year

Randall Bethel, 3B, New York Knights

Bethel was New York's 1st Round draft pick (2nd overall) back in 1988, but he struggled in the minors for several seasons. He broke into the big leagues in 2001 at the age of 25 and accumulated 123 at-bats. He had a great season as the Knights' everyday third baseman in 2002, hitting .275 with 38 home runs and 109 RBI. This season, he exploded for 54 home runs and 163 RBI, both NBL records.

Southern League Pitcher of the Year

Ben Kanclen, Georgia Rangers

The 37-year-old Kanclen has been in the NBL since 1990, and he has played all of his 14 seasons for Georgia. This season he wins his first POTY Award with a 20-8 record and a 3.05 ERA. His performance is even more impressive because he did it for a last place team.

Northern League Pitcher of the Year

Paul Van Jander, Alaska Huskies

Paul had a truly dominant season in 2003, going 22-8 with a 2.32 ERA. He was a big reason why the Huskies made it to Game 7 of the NLCS. This is his second POTY Award. He won his first in 1997 while pitching for his first team - Iowa.

Southern League Rookie of the Year

Ryan Tregeagle, SP, Alabama Lariats

The 27-year-old Tregeagle won this season's SL ROTY Award amid a weak class of rookies. He pitched well, however, going 11-9 with a respectable 4.13 ERA. The most impressive stat was his 170 strikeouts in just 159 innings.

Northern League Rookie of the Year

Lamont Pitre, SP, New Jersey Jets

Pitre had a strong inaugural season, going 12-3 with 2 saves and a 3.83 ERA. He pitched in 38 games, including 20 as a starter. He played a key role in the Jets' championship season, including one postseason victory.

Southern League Manager of the Year

Kenny Vogle, Missouri Mustangs

After finishing the 2002 season tied for last place in the SL Central with a 65-97 record, Vogle directed the Mustangs to their first division title since 1995. After a 12 year team history, Missouri accumulated a franchise record 92 wins this season and the second best winning percentage since their 1992 championship season.

Northern League Manager of the Year

Sam Carmichael, Alaska Huskies

Carmichael helped piece together a team that was expected to fade throughout the season. They were not a preseason favorite, but they proved that great pitching and timely hitting could be enough to win. Alaska won their first division title since 2000, after being just two seasons removed from a franchise worst 102-loss season.

Southern League Reliever of the Year

Mel Shazzon, Tennessee Mockingbirds

Mel wins the second Fireman Award of his career. His first was in 1997. This season he was 9-5 with 38 saves and a 2.97 ERA. For Shazzon, this season was particularly gratifying since he was coming of two tough seasons in a row. It had gotten to the point where Tennessee was seriously considering replacing Shazzon as their closer, but he came through with a great effort, most likely saving his job.

Northern League Reliever of the Year

Kelvin Graff, New York Knights

Graff, at age 26, had one of the best seasons as a closer in league history. He finished the season 4-2 with 49 saves and a 1.45 ERA. He blew just 4 saves on the season, meaning he saved 92.5% of his opportunities which was the best percentage in the entire NBL for all pitchers with 10 or more save opportunities.

10-22-2003, 10:55 AM	#81 (permalink)
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2x in 2 posts	Byrns Trophy Championship Series - Game 2: Oct 21, 2003 New Jersey at Tennessee For the second straight game, the Jets pounded Tennessee's picthing. The Mockingbird staff is in a tail spin, it seems. Starter Tommy Henkgen allowed 5 runs in just 1 1/3 innings. The first two relievers to enter the game, Walter Pena and Jaime Graham, combined to allow another 4 runs (3 earned) over 3 innings. All together, New Jersey scored 10 runs through the first 6 innings. Ean Carlisle pitched a strong game for the Jets, but Tennessee's only consolation - once again - is the fact that they did manage to score off of him. Carlisle allowed 3 runs over 6 1/3 innings, the first time he has allowed more than 2 runs this postseason. In Game 1, Tennessee allowed 4 homers to New Jersey's #2, #8 and #9 hitters. Furthering their frustration, they allowed another 2 homers to the #2 and #7 hitters today, plus another to the Jets' best hitter, Duane Cope. The #2 hitter, second baseman Ben Kesnick, has hit three of the team's home runs. In this game, he was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI. He is hitting .339 with 13 RBI in the postseason. Seven of those RBI have come in the first two games of the BTCS. Final Score: New Jersey 10 - Tennessee 3, New Jersey Leads Series 2-0 BOX SCORE

10-27-2003, 11:56 AM	#82 (permalink)
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2x in 2 posts	Byrns Trophy Championship Series - Game 3: Oct 23, 2003 Tennessee at New Jersey With Tennessee realing from 2 embarassing losses, the Mockingbirds and Jets traveled to New Jesey for Game 3. The M'birds were hoping to get back in the series, while the Jets wanted to keep the momentum and go up 3-0. Tennessee came out with the better game plan, scoring a single run in each of the 1st, 4th and 6th innings off Jets' starter Manuel Despaigne. They then scored 2 more runs in the 7th, and Despaigne was taken out. Mockingbird starter Martin Evans salvaged some respect for the team's pitching staff by allowing 2 runs off just 5 hits and 3 walks in 8 1/3 innings as Tennessee claimed their first victory of the BTCS. Final Score: Tennessee 5 - New Jersey 2, New Jersey Leads Series 2-1 BOX SCORE

10-27-2003, 12:11 PM	#83 (permalink)
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2x in 2 posts	Byrns Trophy Championship Series - Game 4: Oct 24, 2003 Tennessee at New Jersey Game 4 set up as a key matchup. A win by Tennessee would even the series at 2-2. A win by New Jersey would put them on the brink of a title with a 3-1 series lead. Tennessee threw out young starter Cedric Arriaga, and if the Jets won, they knew they would then face Tennessee's biggest weakness which is the two starters who blew up in Games 1 and 2. To try and put the nail in Tennessee's coffin, New Jersey started ace Ben Lestrick on just three days rest. The game was scoreless through 4 innings until Tennessee scored a run in the 5th. In the bottom of that same inning, New Jersey posted 4 runs off 4 hits, a walk, a sac bunt and a key 2-run throwing error by Mockingbird second baseman Jorge Monarrez. Jets fans roared and the team must have been confident with Lestrick on the mound with a 3-run lead. However, in the top of the following inning, Mockingbird leftfielder Jeff Woods hit a 2-run homer with one out. The next batter reached base on an error, and after the following hitter flied out for the 2nd out of the inning, third baseman Matt Alford hit a 2-run shot of his own to help Tennessee take a 5-4 lead. Arriaga did not return to the mound for Tennessee, but the team's bullpen pitched very well, and going into the bottom of the 9th inning, the Mockingbirds still led 5-4. In that inning, the Jets got a walk with 2 outs against Tennessee closer Mel Shazzon. The next batter, catcher Stan Nolan hit a single. Then first baseman Alan McCabe stroked an RBI single to tie the game. The next batter flied out, but the game went into extra innings. Only one batter reached base until the bottom of the 12th inning, when centerfielder Alex Porter hit a 2-out solo walkoff homer off of Eric Orellana, who had just entered the game one batter earlier in relief of Shazzon, who was lights-out in the 10th and 11th. But by then, it was too late. Final Score: New Jersey 6 - Tennessee 5, New Jersey Leads Series 3-1 BOX SCORE

10-27-2003, 12:25 PM	#84 (permalink)
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2x in 2 posts	Byrns Trophy Championship Series - Game 5: Oct 25, 2003 Tennessee at New Jersey Facing elimination, Tennessee was forced to return to Game 1 starter Quinn Magee, who had allowed 7 runs in that loss and did not even make it out of the first inning. Hoping to win the BTCS at home, New Jersey started Ean Carlisle on 3-days rest. After a 36 minute rain delay in the 4th, the game was still scoreless. Jets' DH Mack Elliott hit a 2-run homer in the 5th, but the Mockingbirds stuck with Magee, who had pitched well up to that point. Both teams had tired bullpens thanks to the 12-inning affair the night before, but with today's rain delay, it was unlikely that either starter could finish the game. Carlisle allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks through 6 shutout innings, but he did not return to the mound in the 7th. Magee pitched well, but was lifted with one out in the 7th. Both bullpens stayed out of trouble until Matt Alford started off the top of the 8th by reaching on an error by Jets' second baseman Ben Kesnick. The Jets brought in reliever Oscar Gentry, and Tennessee countered with pinch hitter Carlos Chavez. Chavez promptly hit a 2-run homer to tie the game at 2-2. The next batter, Jorge Monarrez, hit a solo homer to give Tennessee the lead. New Jersey then brought in Earl Davidson, who had pitched exceptionally out of the bullpen for the Jets throughout the postseason. He finished off the game by throwing 2 hitless innings. By then it was too late, as Tennessee's bullpen shut down the Jets, earning them a victory and returning the series to Nashville for Game 6. Final Score: New Jersey 6 - Tennessee 5, New Jersey Leads Series 3-2 BOX SCORE

10-31-2003, 10:59 AM	#85 (permalink)
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2x in 2 posts	Byrns Trophy Championship Series - Game 6: Oct 27, 2003 New Jersey at Tennessee With Tennessee once again on the brink of elimination, they threw out their best starter, Martin Evans, on three days rest. New Jersey countered with Manuel Despaigne, who was also on three days rest. The Mockingbirds got on the board first with a solo home run by first baseman Pete Wilkins in the 2nd inning. The very next batter, catcher Gene Patrick, was ejected for arguing a strike three call. The ejection infuriated Tennessee manager Alan Geoffrey and it seemed to fire up the team. In the top of the 4th, the Jets' dynamic duo struck again. Leftfielder Duan Cope singled and catcher Stan Nolan hit a two-run dinger to give New Jersey the lead. Then, in the bottom of the 6th with runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs, the Jets elected to pitch to Patrick's replacement, backup catcher Jimmy Chianga, who hit a 3-run homer to left-center to give Tennessee an emotional lead. Despaigne walked the next batter on four pitches, and then he motioned for the manager to take him out of the game. According to Despaigne, his shoulder was aching and severely hindered his pitching. The Jets brought in Earl Davidson, who had not allowed a single run in the postseason, and he didn't disappoint, pitching 2 1/3 perfect innings. With runners on first and second with 2 outs in the top of the 7th, Tennessee called upon hard-throwing reliever Walter Pena to face pinch-hitter Mack Elliott, who had hit a homer in each of his past 3 games. Pena got Elliott to fly out to deep right field, and he didn't allow a single baserunner the rest of the game, pitching 2 1/3 perfect innings of his own and earning the save. Final Score: Tennessee 4 - New Jersey 3, Series Tied 3-3 BOX SCORE

11-03-2003, 03:23 PM	#86 (permalink)
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2x in 2 posts	Byrns Trophy Championship Series - Game 7: Oct 28, 2003 New Jersey at Tennessee As expected, this series came down to pitching: how Tennessee's tough offense could score upon New Jersey's great top pitchers and how Tennessee's battered pitchers could hold down the Jets. Games 1 and 2 saw the Jets offense pummel Tennessee starters. Game 3 saw Tennessee's pitching dominate. Game 4 was an extra-inning affair won by the Jets, while Game 5 was a great pitching matchup won late by the Mockingbirds. Game 6 was another incredibly close game won by Tennessee. With New Jersey opening up a tough 3-1 lead in the series, Tennessee made a valient comeback to tie the series at 3-3. Game 7, then, was anticlimactic. Tennessee turned to Cedric Arriaga on three days rest, while New Jersey's Ben Lestrick started his third game of the series. The game was scoreless until the top of the 4th when New Jersey scored 3 runs off of 4 singles, a walk and 2 sac flies. They scored 4 more runs in the 5th inning, effectively removing both Arriaga and the Tennessee crowd from the game. The Jets never looked back, rolling to an 11-2 victory and the franchise's first BTCS title. 26-year-old third baseman Juan Massa was named BTCS MVP. He hit .542 in the series with 7 RBI and a home run, to go along with some incredible plays in the field. Final Score: New Jersey 11 - Tennessee 2, New Jersey Wins BTCS 4-3 !! BOX SCORE Last edited by Matt from TN; 11-03-2003 at 03:26 PM.

11-06-2003, 09:56 PM	#87 (permalink)
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2x in 2 posts	With the playoffs over, the National Baseball League set about the business of handing out postseason awards. And the winners are.... Southern League Batter of the Year Brock Young, CF, Nevada Goldminers Brock hit .301 with an NBL record 54 home runs, 131 RBI, 123 runs scored and a whopping .646 slugging percentage. This is the first BOTY Award in Young's career. The 30-year-old has become one of the league's premier sluggers after initially coming up through Nevada's farm system with little fanfare. Northern League Batter of the Year Randall Bethel, 3B, New York Knights Bethel was New York's 1st Round draft pick (2nd overall) back in 1988, but he struggled in the minors for several seasons. He broke into the big leagues in 2001 at the age of 25 and accumulated 123 at-bats. He had a great season as the Knights' everyday third baseman in 2002, hitting .275 with 38 home runs and 109 RBI. This season, he exploded for 54 home runs and 163 RBI, both NBL records. Southern League Pitcher of the Year Ben Kanclen, Georgia Rangers The 37-year-old Kanclen has been in the NBL since 1990, and he has played all of his 14 seasons for Georgia. This season he wins his first POTY Award with a 20-8 record and a 3.05 ERA. His performance is even more impressive because he did it for a last place team. Northern League Pitcher of the Year Paul Van Jander, Alaska Huskies Paul had a truly dominant season in 2003, going 22-8 with a 2.32 ERA. He was a big reason why the Huskies made it to Game 7 of the NLCS. This is his second POTY Award. He won his first in 1997 while pitching for his first team - Iowa. Southern League Rookie of the Year Ryan Tregeagle, SP, Alabama Lariats The 27-year-old Tregeagle won this season's SL ROTY Award amid a weak class of rookies. He pitched well, however, going 11-9 with a respectable 4.13 ERA. The most impressive stat was his 170 strikeouts in just 159 innings. Northern League Rookie of the Year Lamont Pitre, SP, New Jersey Jets Pitre had a strong inaugural season, going 12-3 with 2 saves and a 3.83 ERA. He pitched in 38 games, including 20 as a starter. He played a key role in the Jets' championship season, including one postseason victory. Southern League Manager of the Year Kenny Vogle, Missouri Mustangs After finishing the 2002 season tied for last place in the SL Central with a 65-97 record, Vogle directed the Mustangs to their first division title since 1995. After a 12 year team history, Missouri accumulated a franchise record 92 wins this season and the second best winning percentage since their 1992 championship season. Northern League Manager of the Year Sam Carmichael, Alaska Huskies Carmichael helped piece together a team that was expected to fade throughout the season. They were not a preseason favorite, but they proved that great pitching and timely hitting could be enough to win. Alaska won their first division title since 2000, after being just two seasons removed from a franchise worst 102-loss season. Southern League Reliever of the Year Mel Shazzon, Tennessee Mockingbirds Mel wins the second Fireman Award of his career. His first was in 1997. This season he was 9-5 with 38 saves and a 2.97 ERA. For Shazzon, this season was particularly gratifying since he was coming of two tough seasons in a row. It had gotten to the point where Tennessee was seriously considering replacing Shazzon as their closer, but he came through with a great effort, most likely saving his job. Northern League Reliever of the Year Kelvin Graff, New York Knights Graff, at age 26, had one of the best seasons as a closer in league history. He finished the season 4-2 with 49 saves and a 1.45 ERA. He blew just 4 saves on the season, meaning he saved 92.5% of his opportunities which was the best percentage in the entire NBL for all pitchers with 10 or more save opportunities.

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