HISTORY 2008
The Rebels entered 2008 on the edge of contention, but still hovering between rebuilding and contention. They made it clear early on that they were out of rebuilding and playing to win.
When the 2007 season ended, the Rebel Softball Club were in a better position than many of us thought they would be in. They finished the one game out from the semi-final spot, and were in the running until the second to last game of the regular season. It signaled that the Rebels were ready to compete. However, many questions still remained entering the 2008 season. Was the performance put up by the 2007 team a fluke? Did a lot of players just get hot and make a run? Could the Rebels put up another performance like this?
The Rebels started things off slowly in the off-season. They made their usual lower key moves to end 2007, signing several players to contracts and a few to good ones. The biggest moves entering the year were the signing of Phil Sims and Carlos Carrillo to contracts. The opportunity was there for a team to make a big move, and the Rebels decided to take that chance.
Organization announced that third basemen Ross Jensen is leaving his position. Then an agreement was signed and accepted with management to pull out of the both the Tuesday and Thursday Nights, and participate on Monday Nights.
The Rebels’ started out at 4-0 in May and tied for first place. Outfielder Rick Garza win’s the Player of the Month Award going (12 for 15) .800 average / 15 RBIs / 11 Runs.
In June the Rebels started to out play their opponents, with pitcher Dennis Wuorenma making his return. The Rebels went onto a 7-1 record in June by sweeping three opponents in a row. With a record of 11 - 1, the Rebels were still tied for first place with Axel’s Auto club.
Though not known at this time, 2007 Rookie of the Year Andrew Stein played in his last game against Mad Max club going (4 for 5 / 5 Runs / 5 RBIs). Rookie third basemen Phil Sims win’s the Player of the Month Award going (18 for 33) .842 average / 19 RBIs / 16 Runs.
July came faster than expected for the organization. Battling for first place, both the Rebels and Axel's Auto Club started out the month of July with a split and tied for First. But it did not end there? With injuries to Rick Garza (shoulder), Phil Sims (hand) and Ralph Lozano (knee) were all headed to the disabled list for the remaining 2008 season.
Despite all of these injuries, July was a strong month for the team. On July 28th the Rebels’ clinch first place and won the Monday Night League, by defeating Spittin Game club (15 - 0). Second Basemen Nate Alden won the Player of the Month Award going (15 for 26) .577 average / 12 RBIs / 11 Runs.
With the Monday Night League title the Rebels’ was given the number 3# seed in the All City Playoff Tournament. The Rebels opens the playoffs with a first round win against Service Master club scoring 6 Runs in the last two innings for a come from behind victory, 7 - 6. The Rebels lost game two of the playoff’s by a score of 15-7. They won game three by defeating the LandScaper's club by a score of 11 - 1. Outfielders Josh Grey and Kevin Simmons both make their debut. Grey going (1 for 3), Simmons going (4 for 6). The Rebels’ then lost game four to the Diaz Family club by a score of 24-8.
What may get overlooked now after their disappointing production in the playoffs, the Rebel lineup was plenty potent in 2008. They led the Monday League in runs scored, marking the first time they've collected more runs than any other team since 2003. Most of the main parts from a Team that won a Monday League-best 18 games is under contract through at least the 2011 season. The main exceptions are Josh Grey and Phil Sims, and the Rebels have expressed a desire to bring both players back.
Fall League wasn’t so good, the Rebel Club went 6-12, and it wasn’t easy finding just two or three guys who were disappointing. Remember how we liked to say that playing “small ball” decided games in the low-scoring environment? Forget it. Trying to win a game without a home run was almost impossible.
Overall,
The season was a small step back for the Rebels, but they did hold onto a division title. They went 18-2 on Monday Night and actually tied with the Axel’s Auto club for first place, but won the head-to-head matchups. The summer was filled with small streaks, as the Rebels posted three two different eight-game winning streaks. The summer was a bit concerning of a season for the team, who was now dealing with some serious injuries and some ineffectiveness from their ball players. While they still won a division, it was all cause for concern as they headed into the off-season.