History of The Granite State Baseball League

ANY information/update/Logos can be emailed to GSBLBaseball@yahoo.com

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

1992 In March, Jeff Czarnec and Bernie Hirth chair the league inaugural meeting. At this meeting, an adult baseball league in New Hampshire is formed. The
new league is set to begin with four teams playing as part of the MSBL. MSBL president Steve Ziegler attends the meeting but the group from New Hampshire
decides to be part of Roy Hobbs with the support of Roy Hobb’s Kevin McBernie. The four teams are Concord Capitals, Manchester Yankees, Manchester Red Sox
and the Nashua A’s. The new league did not have a name for the inaugural season but started play in June on Sunday mornings. Throughout the first summer
the league experienced significant growth as word spread. Teams were added throughout the summer and when the dust settled by Labor Day there were
seven teams to end the season with the Nashua Cubs crowned the first Champion.Back to Top

1993 News coverage of the GSBL spreads quickly and the number of teams double for a total of 14 teams to start the season. The league organizes itself by
selecting a committee to lead the league. Dan Cosgrove becomes the first ‘official’ league president, Steve Krammes leads media relations, Jeff Czarnec builds a
database of all public media access and sends out information about the league. ‘Baseball’ Bob Blundell is the operations lead for baseball. Dave Discordia officially
names the league Granite State Baseball League (GSBL). The league splits into two divisions with the increased participation and the
Merrimack Brewers win the championship. Dan Cosgrove organizes a team to participate in the Roy Hobbs tournament in Newport and places second.Back to Top

1994 The GSBL grows again adding two additional teams bringing the total number of teams to 16. The league drops association with Roy Hobbs and becomes
independent where it stands to this day. The committee decides to stop dividing the league into separate divisions because there is no way to determine how to
split the league into two equally competitive divisions. Many discussions start to arise as to what the direction of the league should be…a recreational
baseball league or a more competitive amateur league. There really is no doubt that the league is headed to a competitive amateur league. The Methuen
Mudhens led by Jim Cayer become league champions.Back to Top

1995 The number of teams remains at 16 and Gary Fisher takes over as President. Monthly meetings become more intense as the competition in the league
increases. There are many ‘discussions’ on direction of the league, players changing teams, and playing rules. There are unofficial rules that are determined
throughout the year and competition remains at a high level. The Merrimack Brewers become the first repeat champions of the GSBL.Back to Top

1996 The league experiences its first contraction as the Nashua Cardinals disband and those players join the Nashua White Sox and Hudson Bison. There is still
plenty of interest for the league publicity increases with coverage by local newspapers and even Nashua Park & Rec’s facilitator, June Caron is calling local
teams to play at Holman Stadium. The Laconia Blue Sox led by brothers Bill & Kurt Colby take the championship.Back to Top

1997 Contraction did not last long as two new teams enter the league bringing the number of teams to 17 for the season. Ray Stephensen enters the Nashua
Indians and Dana Mosher brings in the Bow Falconers. The schedule runs 16 games (each team plays everyone once) and playoffs are set as a best of 3 series
but finals are best of 5. All playoff games must be 9 innings. Baseball Bob Blundell’s Concord Capitals win the championship.Back to Top

1998 Michael Reed becomes the new president of the GSBL and makes some organizational improvements. League by-laws are updated in an attempt to
settle disputes, Bill Jones & Tim Fisher establish the first league website. Bill also creates the first team logos and the GSBL logo which is still used today.
The league maintains 17 teams. Playoffs consist of 12 teams to promote MORE baseball. The Concord Senators led by Bill Butterfield start an incredible run
of 14 straight league championships.Back to Top

1999 The GSBL remains an established league in the state as team locations range from Ashland to Concord, Salem/Lawrence to Nashua. The league institutes
an annual all-star game to be played on a week night to avoid screwing up pitchers for the weekends. The first All-Star game is played at Leominster's (MA)
Doyle Field against the now defunct Central Mass Over30 All Stars. The GSBL All Stars win by a score of 9-6. Regular season scores are displayed on WMUR
thanks to Nashua Yankees Jamie Staton. Fields become increasingly more difficult to obtain which leads the league to attempt to end the season around
Labor Day weekend. Senators win championship.Back to Top

2000 Kevin Beals enters the Hudson Broncos into the GSBL to mark the most teams that the league will have in its 20 year history at 18 teams. The large
amount of teams extends the schedule to the most weeks and (without knowing it) establishes amount of games to be played during the regular season.
Bronc Noel becomes the ‘unofficial’ umpire assignor for all umpires. The league continues to pay for all umpires during the playoffs to allow all teams access to
post season. Senators win championship.Back to Top

2001 Art Herbert becomes league president, Steve Knowlton becomes the Vice President and Chris Countie is league treasurer. The league remains at 18 teams
for the 2001 season. The competition remains at a high level with still many teams playing and a membership of over 250 players. The Concord Senators
establish their long standing legacy as the team to beat by winning their 4th consecutive championship. The GSBL starts a slow contraction with one of the
league's original teams, the Manchester Pirates led by Jim Kelly disbands at the end of the season.Back to Top

2002 The Methuen Outlaws led by Joe Piccarillo are thrown out of the league for fighting and only last two seasons. The annual all star game is played at
Gill Stadium in Manchester against the OTB League out of Lowell, MA. The GSBL wins the game by a score of 13-11. Concord Senators win #5.Back to Top

2003 Many team changes occur. George Gatizmos (Manchester Knights, later become Merrimack Dodgers), Jeff O’Hare (Salem Phillies), John Pica
(Lawrence Venom) all enter new teams however, Gary Wildfever (Laconia Blue Socks), Steve Knowlton (Lowell Mudhens) both original GSBL teams along with
Rick Manberg (Bow Falconers) all fold. When the smoke clears there are 16 teams and Senators win the championship. Steve Knowlton and Art Herbert will leave
the GSBL to start the NHBL40 the following year.Back to Top

2004 Steve Krammes becomes new president. The league moves to wood bats. After many managerial changes, the Hollis Reds (Chris Countie)
and Lawrence Venom fold bringing the number of teams to 14. The league brings back the annual all star game and plays in July at Bedford’s Riley Field. A new
website is used to track schedules, umpires and standings by using the League Lineup template and new URL of www.GSBL.net. Senators win championship.
Back to Top

2005 John Saraceno becomes league president. The league decides that there will be an 18-game regular season schedule regardless of number of teams
and playoffs will be cut down to 8 teams. The league will continue pay for all umpires during the playoffs. The Salem Phillies only last two seasons and fold,
Eric Salvador starts a new team in the Derry Astros and keeps the number of teams at 14. John institutes the Free Agent list as a way to eliminate forfeits.
Concord Senators win championship.Back to Top

2006 John institutes proof of age to play in league. The Nashua Cubs (Jerry Jorgensen) merges with the Nashua Nationals (Yankees) and another original team,
the Litchfield Bisons (Bob Leary) fold. Art Herbert and Steve Knowlton re-enter the league in the form of the Manchester Eagles. The league institutes its first
community fundraiser and joins with the Nashua Center for the Multiply Handicapped for a golf tournament led by Eric Salvador. The tourney also substitutes
for the league Award Presentation and is a success. The first tourney is played at Stonebridge CC and raises over $2100 for the Nashua Center. The league
recognizes their best players with end of year awards and the Senators are champions.Back to Top

2007 The league again contracts as another original team, Nashua Nationals (Bob Landry) fold. The Manchester Eagles do not return for a second season. The
golf tourney moves to a fall event and up to the Laconia CC. Bellavance Beverages agrees to continue their much appreciated
sponsorship for the league. The league attempts to start a new team using the Free Agent list as over 100 names are submitted to the league via the league
website. The Queen City Indians are formed by Jason patch. The endeavor would prove to be unsuccessful as the Indians fold midway through the 2008 season.
John applies for and receives 501(c)4 status for the league. Don Zizzi puts the League by-laws into its current format and updates. The Concord Senators are
named champions for the 11th consecutive season.Back to Top

2008 After several seasons of experiencing umpires missing games and a growing division between umpires and players, the league makes a HUGE change and
votes by a margin of 12-1 to use Gary Noyes as the new umpire assignor. The move proves to be a huge success as umpire coverage for 2008 is at 100%.
The Nashua Storm (Joe Dunne) fold after 12 seasons. Eric Salvador continues to run a successful golf tourney and the league raises $2500 for the Nashua
Center. Senators claim their 12th consecutive championship.Back to Top

2009 The season is scheduling bliss with 10 teams, each team plays one another twice for the only balanced schedule since each team played each other
once to determine number of games in a season. The league institutes the GSBL Budweiser Player of the Week award given to one player each week of the season.
The golf tourney continues to be a success when a total of 88 golfers travel to the Laconia CC to play in the annual event. The Senators win number thirteen.
Back to Top

2010 In a second attempt to form a team out of the many free agents submitted to the league, Mike Graves forms the Manchester Sea Dogs for their inaugural
(and only) season. The Sea Dogs merge with the struggling Merrimack Brewers in 2011. Ruben Rodriguez takes over the Nashua Pirates and moves them to
Lawrence Massachusetts forming the Lawrence Pirates. The league votes each playoff series will be 3 games long beginning in 2011. Senators win championship
for their 14th consecutive season.Back to Top

2011 Two established teams enter the GSBL from other league bringing the number of teams to 12. Scott Bleakley moves the 'elder' players of the Kingston
Nightowls from the North Shore League to form the Brentwood Braves. Eric Niccoli takes his Dodgers from the Central Mass MSBL league to form the Nashua Expos.
The Expos make the playoffs in their first season of play in the GSBL. The Pirates unseat the Senators after an unprecedented 14 consecutive league
championships. The Pirates are the first new champions since Scott Marshall’s Cardinals (Capitals) in 1998.Back to Top

2012 The season starts off with a major surprise as the Concord Senators close up shop due to lack of interest among their team members.  The Senators
entered the GSBL in 1993 as Fox Pond Tavern and was started by Bill Butterfield.  They changed their name to the Concord Senators in 1995.  Anchored by
dominate pitching over the years (Steve Destefano, Steve Hueston, Jamie Arsenault, John Roper, Aric Leclair), the Senators were able to roll off 13 consecutive
championships from 1998 through 2010.  Time finally ended the club as their median age was 48 years at the end of 2011.  Only Jay Hoyt’s Red Sox have a core
group close in age.  The GSBL board decided to play a 16 game schedule for 2012.  Scott Bleakley’s Seacoast Braves settled into their second season
in the league by winning the regular season.  They were runner up in the playoffs losing to the high octane offence and repeat champions, Lawrence Pirates led by
Ruben Rodriguez. Back to Top

2013 Back to Top

* - Original 4 Teams
† - League Champions

^@ - GSBL38 Division