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The name
“Red Line softball” officially started play as such in the fall 1985. It was
a jointly conceived and managed venture by George Bettencourt and Steve
Monschau. The first season as Red Line was played at the newly opened Twin
Creeks sports complex in Sunnyvale, Ca. The team was mostly made up of friends
who attended Wilcox H.S. in Santa Clara, their friends and roommates. The first
season was very successful: 10-0, undefeated. We even made the front page
headlines in the first edition of the Twin Creeks newspaper, "Red Line
powers it's to an undefeated season".
The foundation of the team had started two years earlier with most of the us
playing together in 1983, in a San Jose city league fall season under the team
name of "Mattco Maddogs". We didn't do to bad for a bunch of twenty
year olds who thought they knew everything, we finished the league 3-3. We made
the playoffs and were pitted against Zanotto's market who we had played in a
intense game against during the regular season losing by one run. In the playoff
game we played the only way we knew how, with total reckless abandonment, no
skill, technique or poise. It was a in your face, I want to kill you if I can't
beat you mentality. Needless to say, we haven't changed much over the years,
we’ve just gained a couple of
pounds while polishing our game over the last 20 years!
In 1984 we once again wasted the summer away deciding at the last second to try
to get a team in a league. We found a league in East San Jose that still had
openings for their fall league, so we decided to give the softball thing another
shot. The league was run by some guy from his house, he rented the field from
the school district. It was an okay league but we really sucked, we finished
2-5!
It was in that league that we first started developing our identity. Our sponsor
was Art's Gardening, so Artie (Our own junior) went to find us uniforms. He came
back with these red pinstripe jerseys with no logo in front, but numbers on the
back. After the season over, Steve and I would often discuss the future of our
softball team and what changes would need to be made to make us a winner. During
a trip to Oakland to watch the A's play Steve came up with the name "Red
Line". It came from looking at his tachometer while he was
“enlightened”. (he will have you believe otherwise, but I was there) It fit
perfectly, we were high strung! Revving on the redline! Tacking out! Probable
the best fit of all was the fact that we already uniform’s with red lines!
Back to 1985, we played on Sunday nights in a fall novice league. We started
practicing in June, every weekend, every weekday we could. Some of us met two or
three time a week near my house Milpitas for hitting practice. Arnie Babb pitch
would into a bucket in our backyard almost every night, finely tuning his skills
that would leads us to that first Championship season.
We followed up that season by winning seven other league titles in four years,
numerous other second and third place finishes. Although the personnel changed
slightly from league to league, the intensity that had become our calling card
during the first season as Mattco, mixed with the desired, dedication,
determination that led to hours of practice and perfection created a formula
that would withstand changing faces and prove to be successful.
Over the next four years Red Line would play year round at least once a week.
Many of us were on other successful teams that included red liners. There was
Rob Brown’s Outlaws team from Santa Clara that included Mitch, Tom, Arnie,
Kevin, George, and Jim. Red Line ended up using Lee Henry from the Outlaws as
its pitcher when Arnie moved to Texas. There was also Orchard City Flooring who
Steve, Rick and George played for. Red Line also used O.C.F.'s pitcher, Jimbo
for a couple of games. Both of these teams also won numerous Championships while
Red Line members played for them.
In total between the years of 1985 and 1988 Red Line won 7 league crowns,
finished 2nd three times, and made the playoffs in every league but one that we
played in.
In 1990 Steve Monschau, one of the founding members moved to the Sacramento
area. Red Line played in C league that year and faired OK, making the playoffs
but losing in the first round. In 1991 the other founding member, George
Bettencourt moved to the Sacramento area, and Red Line has not been in a league
since.
A new tradition has developed from our moving to the Sierra foothills,
"Road trip Tourneys" In all we have played 7 times together with most
of the core making the trip. 3 times in the bay area at Twin Creeks including
our 10 year reunion in October of 1995. One each in the Sierra foothill towns of
Auburn and Placerville, and once each in the flatlands of Citrus Heights and
Roseville. We haven't won any of the tournaments that we have played in, but we
have a great time along the way. We share old stories of past, have a couple of
beers (usually a keg) and made fun of our diminished skills (none have of
course).
So this is the story of a bunch of guys who graduated from high school almost
twenty years ago, but found this common ground so that they may remain friends
forever.
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