Golden Aces molding into a unit...

The Golden Aces, Tucson's representative for the 2009 Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series to be held in Phoenix (Oct.19 - Nov. 3), completed its first month of practice at Tucson Electric Park and have just five Saturday practices remaining before they head north to tangle with many of the 330 teams that have signed up for the annual hardball extravaganza.

Mike Morales, the head coach of the Golden Aces, along with business manager, Joe Banner, spent the month of August molding the two teams into a unit. According to Banner,the 60-and-over squad has been trimmed to 14 players, while the 65-and-over team will carry a roster of 20.

"Some of the guys are playing in both tournaments. The 60-and-over division will play the first week and the 65-and-over will follow the second week," Banner said, following last Saturday's practice. "You need to carry a bigger roster for that second week, just in case of injuries. They are inevitable."

Banner says he enjoys his behind-the-scenes duties and he leaves all the on-the-field decisions to Morales. "Mike knows what he's doing out there and I'm busy enough with the financial end of things." Banner takes care of everything from the team and player fees to the hotel arrangements..and he plays right field, too. It goes without saying, that Joe expects a "Banner" year from the Golden Aces.