It's no coincidence that the Chattanooga Crush dynasty
coincided with the prime years of the best player in the
TABL's short history. Dan Seelbinder won 11 consecutive
East Pitcher of the Year Awards from 1970 to 1980. The
Crush won seven of their eight East Pennants and four of
their five TABL Championships during that same period.
During this amazing 11 season run the Crush led the East
in runs allowed per game each season with a low of 3.2
runs per game in 1976 to a high of 4.4 runs per game in
1981, Seelbinder's first as the Crush closer.
During his remarkable career Seelbinder, affectionately
known as Fuzzy to his teammates, won four Pitching Triple
Crowns, threw three No-Hitters, and was named to 14 All-Star
games. After winning the Triple Crown in 1979 (17-4, 1.50, 271)
Seelbinder had a rough game five in the TABL Championship
Series gibing up five runs in six innings to Topeka. The game
scared Crush management into thinking the 35 year old was
losing his stuff even though he had given up four runs in a fame
just once during the season. Immediately following the seven
game victory it was announced that he would take his 10 Pitcher
of the Year Awards to the Chattanooga bullpen. Seelbinder didn't
like the move but he took it like a pro and won the closer job out
of spring training. He would add his eleventh Pitcher of the Year
Award and his first Reliver of the Year Award the following season
sporting a 0.54 ERA and 38 saves as the Crush lost to Fargo in
the Series. The next season Seelbinder would set the single
season record for saves at 43 despite and inflated(for him) 3.53
ERA as the Crush lost to the Frenzy in the Series for the second
consecutive season. He would spend two more seasons in the
Chattanooga pen in a set up role before leaving via free agency
for one ugly year in Shreveport before he ultimately retired in 1984.
While Seelbinder did dominate the TABL for a decade he could not have won four championships by himself. Matt Ward was overshadowed
by the Ace most of his career. Ward won the East Pitcher of the Year in 1982, the year following Seelbinder's run.
During the three consecutive championship seasons Seelbinder went 49-15 while Ward was 43-16. Ward posted a 5-0 playoff
record during that span while Fuzzy was 4-1. Ward was also named to six all star teams.
Kevin Bates was the one constant force on offense during the dynasty. A rookie on the first championship team in '74 he won the first of his five
East Batting Titles as well as the East Rookie of the Year. Bates capped the season off by being named the MVP of the Championship Series. He
was named to seven all star teams and led the East in steals his first seven seasons in the TABL.