What a dilemma! Lakeside Blue Ridge vs. Tucson Desert Christian

What a dilemma! Lakeside Blue Ridge vs Tucson Desert Christian at Udall Park tomorrow afternoon at 6 p.m. A very interesting soccer matchup against two teams I'm very familiar with.

Why the dilemma? Well, I'll tell you. My better half, Sue Crain, is the mother of Bryon Crain, the head soccer coach for the Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets. One of my buddies, Mike Steele, who is a teammate of mine on my Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball team, is the assistant coach for Desert Christian...and to top that, his son, Caleb, is one of the Eagles top players. Caleb, a senior, is one of the main reasons Desert Christian is sporting an 8-2 record, its latest win coming recently over Willcox, 1-0. And you guessed it...it was the younger Steele, of course, who scored the lone goal. And then there's Bryon's team. Wow! Sue and I, along with a couple of her grandchildren, drove up to Pinetop two weeks ago and watched the Yellow Jackets tangle with a team from Round Valley.

Well, I saw more goals in one half of play than I've seen over the last 10 years. Blue Ridge could have broken the single game scoring record for the school on that particular Saturday morning, but Coach Crain pulled the starting lineup early in the second half and I believe the score ended up 10-0. Blue Ridge is the defending state champions and they look like they're ready to knock on the door and go for a repeat!

Back in the mid-90s, I covered high school sports as a reporter for a local paper in Phoenix, and I can't tell you how many times I witnessed a 1-0 affair, or, for that matter, how many matches I watched were the outcome came down to penalty kicks. Boy, has times changed. Blue Ridge is 9-0 and the Yellow Jackets have scored 63 goals this season. As for Desert Christian, they can find the netting as well. The Eagles have pushed through 38 goals. That's 101 goals between the two schools.

What a kick Friday afternoon's matchup should be!

As an added note: If you go to the soccer match, check out Blue Ridge's top players: #8 Trey Cavanaugh (12 goals this season), #9 Salvador Ramirez (5 goals, 8 assists) and #11 Jake Washburn (7 goals). As for Desert Christian, take a gander at #2 Scott Waller, who works in tandem with #3, Mr. Steele.

MSBL schedule will keep the Tucson Golden Aces busy...

The Tucson Golden Aces and yours truly will be off to the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in less than three weeks. Manager Mike Morales has been fine tuning the Aces at the Tucson Electric Park (TEP) annex fields the past six weeks, working with both the 60-and-over and the 65-and-over participants, all of whom will represent Tucson during the two-week affair in Phoenix -- which will get underway on October 18 at all the Major League (spring training) ball parks through out the "Valley of the Sun".

It would be nice if those Phoenix temperatures would take a giant dive and say move from the high 90s to the low 80s by the middle of October. Last year the early afternoon games were still a "scorcher"...and needless to say, we have a lot of games to play again this year. During the first week, our 60-and-over team will play six games in four days, including two doubleheaders --the first of which will open up our MSBL play on Monday in Surprise, Arizona. We'll tangle with a California team called the Tri-Valley Hawks at 10 a.m. and follow up with a 2 p.m. encounter with a team out of Seattle, appropriately named the "Mariners". After a 2 p.m. encounter on Tuesday with a St. Paul, Minnesota team inside Goodyear Stadium, we once again will hook up with another doubleheader on Wednesday at Tempe Diablo's annex field #6, as we take on a squad out of Wisconsin called Team America (at 9 a.m.) and finish up with a 12:30 p.m. tilt with the San Antonio Red Sox. And boy do I remember those fellows from last year, especially one player in particular -- a big old boy who decided to take me out at third base.

His decision to take me down caused me to miss the majority of the second week of the World Series. As for the big old boy, he was thrown out of of game...and the World Series. I played injured for three more games and then gave it up and spent the rest of the time in the dugout...watching! I returned home to Tucson with some nerve damage and spent the next two months on the disabled list.

We end our regular MSBL World Series' schedule on Thursday (Oct. 21) with a contest at Fitch Park in Mesa as we go up against a team out of Canada, called the Red Deer Snowbirds. And that's just the beginning. If we qualify for the playoffs, we'll play on Friday with hopes of reaching the championship game for the 60-and-over division on Saturday. Wish us luck! And remember, that's just our first week!

In Week 2, I'll join my age group (where I actually belong) as the 65-and-over Tucson Golden Aces open up on Monday, Oct, 25, against a team from Indiana, called the Terre Haute Volkers. The MSBL opener for that week will get underway at 2 p.m. in Peoria at Field 5. Luckily, the powers-to-be for the Phoenix MSBL World Series did not schedule any doubleheaders for us old timers, ranging in age from 65 to 84. Tuesday we take on the New England Red Sox, Wednesday the Red Deer Snowbirds, Thursday we battle the fun team of the series, St. Thomas (they're a real kick), and then we'll finish up our regular schedule with a game on Friday, Oct. 29, against the Canton, Ohio Classics. Monday's game will be in Peoria and will have a 2 p.m. start time. Tuesday's game is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in Maryvale, Wednesday's contest starts at 10:00 a.m. in Surprise. We'll return to Maryvale on Thursday and will have the honor of playing inside the Maryvale Stadium. Game time 2 p.m. The Canton, Ohio game on Friday at Fitch Park will commence at 9 a.m. If we qualify for the playoffs, they will be held on Saturday and the championship game for the 65-over-finalist is scheduled for Sunday, Oct 31.

Whew! If I survive all those games, I'll return home and check in with my Chiropractor!

Even Dinosaurs can't catch him!

Back in April, I wrote a short article on this forum about a little buddy of mine who just happens to be arguably the fastest sixth-grader "West of the Pecos" -- well, I shouldn't get carried away, so, let's say west of Houghton Road.

A preemie at birth, Trevor has blossomed into quite a young man. Now a seventh-grader, Trevor is still running. He pretty much beats everyone in his age group...and if he does lose, it's normally to an eighth-grader, a high school kid, or an adult -- who just happens to have the courage to take him on. Trevor will stretch his little legs, take a deep breath and take off across the desert on a two or three-mile run. At his school, he finishes no worse than second and usually crosses the finish line a winner -- minutes ahead of the rest of the competition. He recently took second in the middle school cross country championships at his school.

Now mind you, 17 and 18 year old high school runners will probably qualify for the prep championships in the state of Arizona if they can complete a mile, in say 4 minutes and 40 seconds (give or take a second or two). Well, little Trevor has broken six minutes numerous times this season and is nearing the 5:40 mark. If I was a local high school track or cross country coach, I'd certainly be keeping an eye on him. Just think what he'll be able to accomplish once a high-level, experienced high school or racing club running coach gets a hold of him. In a recent meet, Trevor gave his fellow teammates a pep talk. Just minutes before the race, he explains to them, "Go out there and run like Dinosaurs are chasing you." No wonder he's so fast. I wish I had taken his advice years ago, I can't even overtake a tortoise, going down hill!

Check out my previous blog post on Trevor, entitled "The Little Engine That Could" posted back on April 6, 2010.

Back Strain Part 2...

My lower back pain is improving. Took a few muscle relaxants, did some extra stretching, some cold packs, a handful of Tiger Balm heat patches and missed a total of four games in the last 10 days (that's what hurts the most), but I'm back at it.

I played yesterday with the boys at Udall Park. Moved a little slow -- no diving for balls, or chasing down pop ups. Twenty days until the first game of the Men's Senior Baseball World Series (MSBL) in Phoenix. Keep the Faith! I'm gonna be ready. Our first and only MSBL official practice day is set for October 17, from 1 to 3 in the afternoon, at a Tempe Diablo annex field. Come the morning of October 18, competition begins.

Can't wait!

Owner of Big Dawgs Survives Scare in Fantasy League

My Fantasy Football League Update: Big Dawgs (3-0) remained one of three undefeated teams in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League as Week 3 came to an end tonight. But, boy did the Fantasy owner have to sweat it out! With a 48-point lead in Fantasy points over the team, Grey Ghosts, things were looking pretty good for the owner of the Big Dawgs as the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears squared off on MNF, but by the fourth quarter chances are he probably headed for the frig and popped open an extra beer or two as he watched Aaron Rodgers, single-handily, put up enough Fantasy numbers (38 in all) to make things interesting. Add another six points from the Packers' defense and three points from the Grey Ghosts only other MNF participant -- Chicago running back Matt Forte...and there you have it -- 47 points.

Unfortunately, for the owner of the Grey Ghosts (0-3), he came up just one point shy. Those MNF games can be a killer for one Fantasy owner and a blessing for another. But what really hurts is having to sit back and wait for the results, especially when you do not have one player on your roster who could produce a counter move -- which was the big dilemma tonight for the owner of the Big Dawgs. Still, he prevailed and will go into Week 4 in a dead heat with Mega Powers (3-0) and yours truly, Team Priceless (3-0). Yep, I won again (see previous post), with a hard-fought 165-149 win over previously unbeaten, Team Smith (2-1). Mega Powers (3-0) remained undefeated as they survived a scare from the winless A-Team. The A-Team received 54 Fantasy points from Drew Brees, due to the New Orleans quarterback's performance on Sunday, unfortunately, Denver's Kyle Orton amassed 53 points to offset that total. But the big difference in that matchup came from the 34-point Fantasy performance from Minnesota's Adrian Peterson as the powerful Mega Powers team won, 180-170. The A-Team just didn't have an answer for that winning combination.

It's in the bag...

My Fantasy Football League Update: I'll get back to you all on Tuesday with the final stats and standings, but I'll go out on a limb and tell you right now that I'm on the verge of going 3-0 in my first try at this Fantasy Football stuff.

One of my two quarterbacks on Team Priceless, Mark Sanchez, came through tonight in the final NFL game of the day as he threw three touchdown passes as the New York Jets bested the Miami Dolphins, 31-23. He threw for 256 yards and picked up 27 Fantasy points for my cause.

Thanks, Mark! And if that wasn't enough my other QB, Eli Manning, threw for 356 yard (but no touchdowns...that's an odd stat)to accumulate 43 Fantasy points.Wow! I'm very happy with both of them, despite the fact Eli and the Giants lost their game to the Titans. At any rate, I head into Monday Night Football once again with no players involved in the contest. But I do hold a 165-138 lead over my opponent, Team Smith, and luckily the owner of Team Smith has just one player participating -- a tight end for Green Bay named Jermichael Finley. I seriously doubt the Packers' Aaron Rodgers will throw enough passes his way to close the gap and keep me away from capturing my third win of the young season.

There is one interesting matchup in my UPC Hood Fantasy League for Monday night and that will involve the Big Dawgs and Grey Ghosts. Now, Big Dawgs, one of the unbeaten teams in the league, has a 48-point lead going into MNF over the Grey Ghost (0-2), but they also will be void of any players in the contest. On the other hand, the Grey Ghost will have Mr. Rogers at the helm, along with the Green Bay defense, and to add to the mix a running back for Chicago in the name of Matt Forte. Quite a predicament for the owner of the Big Dawgs. It'll be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Isn't Fantasy Football a kick?

How do you explain this one?

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: The Arizona Wildcats are 4-0, but for the life of me I doubt I can explain in this forum why they still have an unblemished record and are now sitting at the top of the Pac-10 standings. How in the heck did the Wildcats win tonight at Arizona Stadium? For 58 minutes, the Wildcats offense was downright ugly...for the final two minutes, they were downright awesome!

No touchdowns by California's high-powered offense and no touchdowns by the high-scoring Arizona offense for what seemed like an eternity. And then, a slight breeze hovered over the stadium and a dust devil swirled at midfield (not really...but something or someone must have unleashed a spirit or two that could cause such a chaotic ending). As I said, I can't explain it. But when the dust settled, when the smoke cleared, when the fans headed for the exits, the scoreboard read: Arizona Wildcats 10, California Golden Bears  9.

I had predicted, in one of my previous blog post, that Arizona would dismantle the Golden Bears, 31-14. Boy, was I wrong. I went to bed tonight, crawled under the covers...and I felt like I had been dismantled or dismembered. What a crazy Pac-10 opener! Was it a typical California-Arizona matchup? Sure it was. On a college football Saturday that saw one Pac-10 team, UCLA, upset 7th-ranked Texas, and another, Stanford, crush the great Notre Dame, you'd think we'd be in for something special with 14th-ranked Arizona hosting 24th-ranked California (ranked in Week 2, that is). Instead, we end up with a baseball score, much like you'd see with say: the New York Yankees, down 9-6 in the 9th inning, getting a grand slam, walk-off, tape measure job from A-Rod to escape with a crowd-pleasing win, after committing, say seven errors in the first eight innings.

I'm tired and I'm eyeing the clock on my nightstand. How can any diehard Wildcat fan go to sleep tonight? I can still see the Bears' field goal kicker miss a 40-yard boot to the right. A successful kick would have surly given the Golden Bears a 12-3 victory. Then, Nick Foles engineers a 77-yard drive, capped off by a 3-yard TD pass to Juron Criner for the go-ahead score. Game over! Nope, Arizona kicks off with just a minute left in the excruciating affair and the Bears mount a final drive that edges them close to field-goal range. But wait! Along comes Wildcats' free safety Joseph Perkins who grabs an interception, runs the ball back 10 yards, then fumbles! Follow that up with a big pile up and out of the mountain of humanity comes Arizona corner-back Robert Golden with the ball.

Finally, game over! Mike Stoops must have been beside himself. I know I am. Good night all! Sleep tight. Take two weeks off...and then we'll do it all over again with Oregon State.

Back Strain!

Here I am. Twenty three days away from the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in Phoenix. Just slightly over three weeks left to go. I've battled my arthritis in my hands, a weak left wrist and now: a back strain. Any ideas for a quick remedy for this 65-year-old body of mine? I've tried stretching, Tiger Balm patches...some Valium pills...and what hurts the most, I've missed three baseball games this week and may have to forego a workout with the World Series team tomorrow morning at Tucson Electric Park.

I think I can throw from third to first, maybe even take a swing or two, but keep the running to a minimum and get by tomorrow with a short workout. Better yet, I'd better stay away until next week. It's like a curse with me and this MSBL World Series. Last year, I battled through many of the same aches and pains...and I was ready to roll by the time the first week of action got underway in Phoenix. I was batting .400, made some nice plays by midweek and then it happened: Some big dude from San Antonio decided to take me out at third base, just because I was going to tag him out. Can you believe it? Well, he came in with his hands held high, thrust his 250-pound body against mine, and took me down. I landed on my head, but I managed to play in three more games before the nerve damage settled in.

Well, I missed the rest of the tournament, hobbled home, and spent the next two months recovering. This time, I want to be injury free, and survive, be competitive, help out my teammates and actually make a difference. Pain, pain go away. I need to get back out there!

I miss all those Eddie's of the 1950s...

Back in the 1950s, it seemed liked one Eddie or another was always in the news.

On of the most popular from that era -- my era, I must admit -- was Eddie Fisher. This guy was the man about town back in those days. Nowadays, he'd be all over Entertainment Tonight and the Inside Edition. His daily activities would be thrown out there on national television for the whole world to see. His conversations would be taped, his home bugged, you name it, the man wouldn't be able to make a move with out everyone knowing about it. It's a good thing, Mr. Fisher grew up in the James Dean-era and there wasn't a lot of photographers on the prowl.

This guy was married to Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds and Connie Stevens -- just to name a few. He spawned a few children, including Carrie Fisher (remember the Blues Brothers...and the beautiful woman chasing Jake and Elwood). And the man could sing, boy could he sing. Eddie Fisher, 82, died Wednesday due to complications from hip surgery. Another American Idol from the 1950s...gone.

Eddie was certainly a popular name back in my teenage days. Along with Mr. Fisher, well, there was Eddie Haskell (Leave it to Beaver), Fast Eddie Felson (actually, 1961...could you ever forget Minnesota Fats duking it out at the pool table with Fast Eddie in the great Paul Newman-Jackie Gleason flick), rock-in-roller Eddie Cochran...and, of course Eddie and The Cruisers. Must I go on.

Probably not, I better slow down and pour another cup of coffee. It's just you don't see a lot of Eddie's in the news anymore. It's Brittney this, and Lindsay that... Kim...Ashton...Mel. No Eddie's! I'll take my Eddie's from the 1950s, anytime. It was time in my life I'll never forget.

Team Priceless to lock horns with Team Smith...

My Fantasy Football League Update: Something has gotta give this week in my Fantasy Football League as my team, Team Priceless (2-0), tangles with Team Smith (2-0). One team will go into Week 4 with its first loss, while the other will be sitting pretty at the top of the heap at 3-0.

So, it's no wonder that I've selected this contest as the "Game of the Week" in my UPC HOOD Fantasy League. Team Smith certainly has the edge in this one -- at least as far as the quarterback situation goes. Team Smith, owned by a buddy of mine who lives up in Phoenix, is all smiles this week as he once again unleashes his QB combo of Tom Brady and Tony Romo. I, on the other hand, have Eli Manning, Mark Sanchez, Kevin Kolb and (would you believe it) rookie Max Hall to choose from.

Well, the whole world knows about the Kolb situation and as far as Mr. Hall goes, he could be called into action at any time for the Cardinals. But once again Kolb and Hall will remain on my bench as I continue to go with Mark and Eli. It has worked so far. The defenses could play a big part in this one. I have Pittsburgh and Baltimore. My buddy has New England and New Orleans. What a matchup! Of course, the difference in this one may come from a wide receiver, a tight end or a running back. You just never know.

That's the fun of Fantasy Football!

My grandson is on his way to becoming the next author in the family. Check the skinny on this story!

My 10-year-old grandson, Jadon Price, is on his way to becoming the next author in the family. Check out the skinny on this story:

HOW THE FOOTBALL WAS MADE

Once upon a time, two boys were born at a California hospital. It took ten days for both of them to be born. It wasn’t easy to have a baby in the 1800s. Most babies would die and nobody knew why? Matt and J.T. Pucker were very unordinary twins. They were both ten feet tall. The doctor had a hard time with the delivery. Susan, Matt and J.T. mother was by herself while having the babies. Her husband was fixing there house to make it fit for 10 feet tall babies.

A few years later they started to walk. If you haven’t experienced an earthquake before well, you couldn’t say that again. Hawaii was getting tsunamis like crazy. They kept falling which cracked the earth. That’s how the San Andres fault was created. On their third birthday they both got shotguns. A few days later they went hunting. They came upon a heard of pigs. J.T. shot the the first pig right in the heart. Matt jumped out and also shot a pig in the neck. They both gave each other a high seven. They threw the pigs over their shoulders and headed home. With two five foot pigs.

Later, when they got home they skinned the pigs and started to grill the bacon. They wondered what to do with the skins. They had no idea what to do with them. They thought of playing a game with the skins. J.T. picked up the skin and cut a quarter of it off. Then he threw the skin in the air. It turned “ovalish” in the air. They were amazed! Matt went to go get some string, and tied it to the pig skin in its “ovalish” shape. Nobody had seen such thing before. Matt threw the skin up again. The pig skin hit J.T. foot and popped back up in his hands. They decided to call it a football. First of all it hit J.T.s foot. Second, “well he kind of just made the ball part up”.


By Jadon Price

California Dreamin'...

It's California Dreamin if the Golden Bears think they're going to waltz into Arizona Stadium Saturday night and run over the University of Arizona's defensive front. The Wildcats took one giant step forward to what should be a season of all seasons in Arizona football last week in its everyone-stand up-and take notice-victory over ninth-ranked Iowa.

The Bears should find out early in the first quarter this week just what's up with the 2010 Wildcats. UC Davis and Colorado were "road kill" as far as the Bears were concerned in Week 1 and Week 2 as the team from Berkeley went up 2-0. Then came Nevada in Week 3, can't explain that one. So, the 2-1 Golden Bears, averaging 204 yards on the ground and 253 through the air, hope to get back on the right track this week and at the same time... tame the Wildcats.

Not this year! There will be no stopping the Wildcats at home. My prediction: Arizona 31, Golden Bears 14.

Big Dawgs, Mega Powers, Team Priceless and Team Smith sit atop Fantasy League Standings...

My Fantasy Football League Update: After two weeks of NFL action, four teams -- The Big Dawgs, Mega Powers, Team Priceless and Team Smith -- sit atop the UPC Hood Fantasy Football standings with identical 2-0 records. New Orleans capped a crazy second week with a last-second win at San Francisco tonight on Monday Night Football. The surprising 25-22 nailbiter by the Saints, sent the Fantasy owners scurrying to their respective computers to add up their scores and set up their rosters for Week 3. As for me, I'm happy to report that I'm still among the leaders as Team Priceless outscored the A-Team, 172-150, this week. And I owe it all to the 49ers and Detroit's rookie running back Javid Best. My 54-point lead going into Monday Night Football could have dwindled away very easily tonight as my opponent had Drew Brees at quarterback and running back Pierre Thomas on his A-Team roster. Thank you 49ers! As for Mr. Best, well he went wild for the second week in a row and amassed 45 fantasy points! Best rushed for 78 yards and collected 154 receiving yards to go along with three touchdowns!

Still, it's going to be tough staying with the likes of the Big Dawgs and Mega Powers, the two teams in the league which are racking up the points. And it's no wonder. Mega Powers amassed 202 points this week with an easy win over the Grey Ghosts (0-2), getting high-point total from Denver's Kyle Orton and San Francisco's Frank Gore. Big Dawgs collected its 142 points this week behind two quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers, but needed the six fantasy points from New Orleans' wide-receiver Marques Colston tonight to eke out a three-point win over Team Army (0-2). It was a heart-breaking loss for Team Army, which scored 139 points for the week, but didn't have a player involved in Monday Night Football . As for Team Smith, they remained unbeaten by handing the Meat Eaters its first loss of the season, 130-115. Team Smith received 46 fantasy points from Tony Romo.In a battle between two winless UPC Hood teams this week, Team Arps rolled to its first win with a 191-87 win over Big Red. Team Arps received 60 fantasy points from Matt Schaub.

Congrats to 14th-ranked Wildcats...

The Arizona Wildcats are on the move! This week, the University of Arizona football team moved to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the USA Today poll.

Their electrifying win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday at least made the powers-to-be stand up and take notice. But I'm sure Mike Stoops will have a thing or two to say about it when the Wildcats hit the practice field today. The rankings will mean little when the California Golden Bears come to town on Saturday. The Bears and their running back Shane Vereen will invade Arizona Stadium just a bit upset after their disheartening loss to Nevada last week. Arizona went up in the rankings, while the Bears fell out of the top-25 in both polls. Vereen gained 198 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Bears' loss to Nevada.

Hello Hawkeyes!

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: It didn't take long last night for the ninth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes to get acquainted with the Arizona Wildcats' version of a "Desert Storm".

A desert storm or a desert swarm -- what ever you want to call it -- the Hawkeyes discovered in the trenches last night just what the 2010 Wildcats are all about. Defense! Six sacks, 29 yards allowed rushing, a blocked kick, an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 101-yard kickoff return. And the Hawkeyes discovered that there wasn't a cloud in the sky beyond the confines of Arizona Stadium last night. No rain. No thundershowers. Instead, it was Mr. Reed, Mr. Elmore and Mr. Washington laying down the law, creating their own bolt of lightning as they, and their teammates, dismantled the Hawkeyes' rushing game enroute to a 34-27 victory.

Finally, on ESPN (at least for 3 1/2 quarters) the collegiate football world got to see Arizona at its best. In primetime, despite the fact the previous game of the day, the Clemson-Auburn game had gone into overtime, which took precious minutes away from the goings-on at Arizona Stadium. By the time ESPN conducted their postgame interviews and switched to the battle in the desert, it was 14-0 Wildcats!

It's now Sunday morning. The morning paper just landed in the driveway. I'm going to go out, pick it up, find a comfortable spot on the sofa...and enjoy the reading. Every single word! Congrats, Arizona! It wasn't perfect and I'm sure Mike Stoops will say that there's a lot of work to be done, but the fact remains: Arizona is 3-0, nationally ranked ,and ready for Pac-10 play.

Heart problems can't keep TOTS' trio away from the game..

Boys at Udall Update: Carl Brutovsky,74, has been battling heart problems for years. Brutovsky, an outfielder for the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club, is in his 11th year with the club and his problems with his "old ticker" has forced him to change his approach to the game. Now saddled with a pacemaker just below the left shoulder, Carl (pictured in photo at the top of this story) has pulled a switch and is batting left handed in order to protect the added instrument in his body. "I also wear a chest protector just in case, it makes me feel a little safer," says Brutovsky, who can still scamper around the bases and is one of the hardest players to double up. He's still that fast.

As for Art Radtke,72, he's the latest on the club to join the "zipper club" and his cardiologist makes sure he has enough stents in his body to keep him on the ball field. Radtke, had a heart attack last spring and is already back in action. In fact, Art was my battery mate just a week ago -- he caught the entire game and if I remember correctly added a couple hits to the cause, offensively. Radtke joined the TOTS in 2003 and has no intention of backing away from the game because of heart problems. "I love the game too much to quit. I take my medicine and the doc gave me the OK to play."

As for the third member of the current "ticker club", well, that's yours truly. My goodness, it's been two years and eight months since my quadruple bypass in January of 2008. The heart attack kept me off the ball field for four months. Four very, very long months! A few months for rehab, a little extra batting practice, and presto, I was back in action. If there's a moral to this story, or if there are some ball players out there who are just turning sixty and in a similar situation, I guess it's the fact that you're never to old to play baseball, no matter if you're a member of the "zipper club" or not.

Stay active...get out there. Stay in shape, take your medicine, eat right and...play ball!

Forget all the hype...it's crunch time at Arizona Stadium

Forget all the hype. Forget all the talk about Iowa being bigger and better. Forget the fact that the gamblers are pickin' the Hawkeyes (slightly, by 1 1/2). If you believe all the talk you'd think the bus carrying the larger, bigger than life Hawkeyes to Arizona Stadium on Saturday will spring a flat tire or two due to the added pressure forced upon it by those over-sized linemen from the Hawkeye state.

The big fellas on both sides of the ball will not be thinking about newspaper clippings when they reach down in their three-point stance, wait for their quarterback's signal and collide with their competitor from the other side of the scrimmage line. Saturday night's Arizona-Iowa game may very well be won in the trenches. The 58,000-plus fans will see the results on the scoreboard, but they will not hear or feel the impact of those behemoths after every snap. By the time the first quarter ends the players in the trenches will know the real story and they won't need a Sunday morning paper to get the real scoop of what happened at Arizona Stadium on September 18th.

Go Arizona! My prediction: Arizona 24, Iowa 21.

How about a little Arizona JC football?

As usual you won't find much in the local paper when it comes to junior college football. So, I'll try to steer you in the right direction.

Currently, there are three running backs lighting up the Western States Football League (WSFL). Two of the three are just a short drive away, over in Thatcher. At EAJC, two backs to keep an eye on are Rashon Evans and Billy McPhaul. A slightly longer drive and you have Reggie Bullock over at Arizona Western College (AWC) in Yuma. These three aren't playing in Division 1 for one reason or another, but for what ever reason, I'm sure Eastern Arizona Coach John O'Mera and Arizona Western coach Tom Minnick are happy to have the talented backs on their rosters.

Bullock, the WSFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, is back to his same old tricks this season. Bullock is averaging 163 yards a game and has scored five touchdowns in the two games the Matadors have played in 2010. On the other hand, Evans and McPhaul have shared duties in the backfield for the Gila Monsters. McPhaul averages 102 yards a game and Evans is at 97 yards per game. McPhaul and Evans average 10 yards a carry.

By the way. the Matadors are 2-0 this season and the Gila Monsters are 1-1, including a win over Pima College, 42-14. Evans is from Irvington, New Jersey, Bullock played high school ball in Las Vegas and McPhaul is from south Florida. The top quarterback in the WSFL thus far looks to be David Vega from Goddard, New Mexico. Vega has passed for 836 yards and six touchdowns this season in his three games for New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI).

And there you have it, a junior college update.

Are the Yankees losing their edge?

As of September 16, the New Yankees have relinquished their claim as the best team in baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays, at least for the next 24 hours, own the best record in baseball at 88-57 for a .607 winning percentage.

The Yankees are now on the heels of the Rays at 88-58, just four percentage points behind at .603.

Don't you wish the Arizona Diamondbacks could produce those stats? Don't look, I'll give you the bad news there: the D'backs are 30 games under .500 at a dismal .397 percentage. Closing in on the Yankees is the NL East-leading Phillies, winner of four in a row, at 86-61 and better yet, look at Minnesota in the AL Central Division, also winner of four in a row. The Twins stand at 87-58 for a winning-percentage of an even .600. A win over the White Sox tonight could move the Twins closer to the best record in the Majors. Oh, those teams from American League, they know how to win.

Team Smith, Team Meat Eaters collide in my Fantasy League Game of the Week...

My Fantasy Football League Update: Of the five teams sitting atop the league standings this week, two will square off Sunday in my pick as the "Game of the Week". Team Smith (1-0) with quarterbacks Tom Brady and Tony Romo at the helm battle the team, Meat Eaters (1-0), which will display two top QBs of their own in Brett Favre and Jay Cutler.

Of the four, it was Cutler who scored big in Fantasy Football points last week with 51. And if that's not enough the Meat Eaters will unleash the running back from Houston, Arin Foster, (or will the owner do so, currently Foster is on the bench!), who tallied 59 markers last week. I've got to give the Meat Eaters the edge in this one with or without Foster. The owner of Meat Eaters must figure Ray Rice and Michael Turner will get the job done on Sunday. Meat Eaters certainly has plenty of options. Team Smith will rely heavily on Indy wide receiver Austin Collie and the New England defense for Fantasy points. Both Collie and the New England defense made the Who's Hot List last week.

As for me, I'll have my hands full with the A-Team and quarterback Drew Brees. As for my favorite game this week, can't wait til Sunday evening when Eli and Peyton hook up. Eli Manning, is my Fantasy QB,so I'm hoping he outshines his brother. Let's play ball!

Come on Bug! Get it done!

Come on Bug! Get it done! I've been waiting for Bug Wright to shine. Well, it might as well be Saturday night.

William Wright, the talented receiver and punt return specialist for Arizona, has teased me with six catches for 64 yards and he's returned six punts in the Wildcats' two games for a measly 55 yards. I want a big return and I want it against the Iowa Hawkeyes and I want it, in say, 96 hours. Come Saturday night, somewhere in the first quarter, when the Hawkeyes think they have the "Bug" bottled up, I want him to break one, in front of 58,000 screaming fans (less the Iowa contingent, of course). I want the "Bug Run" to ignite the Wildcats to a convincing win over the ninth-ranked Hawkeyes.

There, I said it. Come on, Bug! Make my day!

Wildcats' defense needs to do a number on Mr. Robinson

Ninth-ranked Iowa is heading this way. Come Saturday night the Hawkeyes will invade Arizona Stadium and they have one thing on their mind: light up the Wildcats!

But it's time for the Arizona Wildcats to turn the tables and do a number on the visiting Hawkeyes, a team that will show up with 10,000 fans of their own -- and every single one of them, expect to leave town on Sunday morning as happy campers. They fully expect their team to be 3-0 and ranked in the top five in the nation by the time the rankings hit the papers on Monday.

This is it! The buck stops here. It is time for the Wildcats to cash in. It is time for the Wildcats' defense to do its thing. A top priority is to stop number 32, Mr. Robinson. Adam Robinson, that is. Robinson is averaging 132 yards a game and has scored four touchdowns for the Hawkeyes. So Arizona, let's think of a number between 1 and 32 -- and that's all he gets. Shut him down early and often. Come out aggressive. Act like we're the ninth best team in the nation, not them! The Wildcats will walk down Cherry Avenue with their heads held high prior to kickoff, well they might as well walk out of Arizona Stadium the same way -- with a victory over the Hawkeyes.

My goodness, this is only Tuesday night! Beardown Arizona!

My Fantasy Football League...Week 1

My Fantasy Football League Update: Five out of the 10 teams in my Fantasy Football League survived the opening week with a win, but it was Big Dawgs and Mega Powers , emerging as the two top point-getters. The Big Dawgs scored 171 points, behind their quarterback Peyton Manning (59 points alone) and Mega Powers distributed their wealth with quarterback Kyle Orten and receivers Chad Ochocinco and Hakeem Nicks to score 169 points. My team, Team Priceless, is among the five unbeatens with 117 points. Team Smith, at 143 points, and the Meat Eaters, at 125 points, round out the unbeatens. Team Smith received major points from quarterbacks Tom Brady and Tony Roma, while the Meat Eaters were led by Jay Cutler, who amassed 51 points! Bringing up the rear this week were the A-Team (117 points),Grey Ghost (112 points), Team Arps (111 points), Big Red (102 points) and Team Army (99 points).

Team Priceless and the Grey Ghosts battle to the wire...

My Fantasy Football League Update: Wow! What a nailbiter. Did my first game in my first season of Fantasy Football have to be so hard?

Tonight, on Monday Night Football, Team Priceless hooked up with a worthy opponent, the Grey Ghosts, which is owned and managed by an old friend of mine of more than forty years. Now, mind you, I had close to a 50-point lead over the Grey Ghosts when the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets got underway. I had to sweat through that one as I had only one player active for the night -- Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery. The Jets' passing game was downright dismal, to say the least, and Cotchery caught one pass the whole night as the Ravens edged New York, 10-9. Needless to say, I had zilch --not one player on either roster in the nightcap, which pitted the Kansas City Chiefs up against the visiting San Diego Chargers. But by pure luck I was able to hang on and Team Priceless escaped with a 117-112 win as the Chiefs held off the Chargers, 21-14.

The majority of my points in my first try as an owner of a Fantasy Football team came on Sunday, as Eli Manning (NY Giants), Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh), Jahvid Best (Detroit) and Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona) combined for 68 of my 117 points. Hats off to those four players for providing the spark that led to my first-ever Fantasy Football win!

I'm starting to see how this Fantasy Football works...

My Fantasy Football League Update: I see how this works. I have to sweat out Monday Night Football. I'm holding my own as Team Priceless has an edge over its opponent, the Grey Ghosts, heading into tomorrow's NFL action.

I did pretty good today, the first Sunday of the 2010 NFL season, despite losing one quarterback with a first-quarter concussion and a wide receiver who went down with an injury in the first half of his contest. But, I'm holding on to a 40-plus point lead with just two games remaining on the Week 1 schedule. I have one wide receiver working tomorrow night and one team defense, the Baltimore Ravens, that I can count on for points. On the other hand, my opponent has a quarterback and four skilled position players to work with. I'll let you know how it all pans out on Tuesday.

Arizona Wildcats Movin' Up...

The University of Arizona football team showed little, but scored at will in its lopsided 52-6 win last night over The Citadel.

There was enough scoring to keep the 54,818 Wildcat fans happy, and yet, the Arizona coaching staff was able to keep a lot of its tricks in the bag, hidden away from the watchful eye of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Why give them any inclination of what's to come? So, what Iowa got to see last night was a little bit of Nick Foles, a little bit of Juron Criner, a little bit of Nicolas Grigsby...and then some third-teamers!. For instance: Quarterback Bryson Beirne to tight end Jack Baucus for a 6 yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. Jack, who? Baucus a redshirt freshman out of Mundelein, Illinois is on the scoreboard for the U of A. But, the TD by the 6-foot-6, 19-year-old just might have been the clincher to move the Wildcats into the top 25 in both the AP and the USA Today polls. Arizona is ranked No. 24 this week in the AP and No. 18 in the USA Today. That should be in all the papers in the morning.

Low scoring game at NFL opener makes for a wide-open Fantasy week

My Fantasy Football League Update: The low-scoring affair in the NFL opener last night should make for a wide-open week for the teams in my Fantasy Football league.

My buddy, the one who talked me into joining the league this season, picked up Drew Brees and Pierre Thomas in the draft, so he gained a head start in points last night thanks to the passing of Brees and the running of Thomas. But Brees threw just one TD pass and Thomas recorded the other score in the Saints' 14-9 win over Brett Favre and the Vikings. Two surprises last night: Brees didn't connect with his receivers for four or five TDs and Minnesota's QB, Mr. Favre, played all four quarters without receiving a big blow to that 40-year-old body of his. Advantage to my buddy's squad, The A Team, at least for the moment, but Monday night is a long way off and there's bound to be some big-point totals. Anxious to see how it all pans out.

By the way, my team, Team Priceless, is still stuck on zero. Sunday, my boys will be in action.

Hats off to Trevor Hoffman...

Hats off to Trevor Hoffman for recording his 600th save in the Major Leagues.

Talk about I guy who can handle the pressure when the game is on the line. Hoffman is the closer of all closers. The last man standing on the mound! He must hear the cheers of the crowd when he plops his head on the pillow and goes to sleep at night. A real crowd-pleaser. The man deserves a standing ovation every time he leaves the mound. And he gets it! Arguably, the best pitcher to come out of the University of Arizona. Back in the mid-1980s he was a young Wildcat destined for greatness.

Now at 42, he's a Hall of Famer with 1,086 innings under his belt. He's pocketed over $80 million in his 18 years. What a career!

My Fantasy Football League gets underway Thursday...

It's time for the NFL and Fantasy Football! My 10-team league includes some pretty tough competition. I'm the new guy on the block and I get the feeling I will get pushed around a lot. This is my initial season and these guys are gonna be tough to beat. Let's take a glance at what I'm up against.

The Big Dawgs will be at the top of the pack in my book. They have Peyton Manning and one of their keys players is T.J. Houshmandzadeh (my goodness his name is as long as a football field). Team Army looks like a hand full with quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Donovan McNabb...and Mr. Randy Moss to boot. And then there's the team Mega Powers, led by two signal-callers, Alex Smith and Kyle Orton. If that's not enough they have Mr. Adrian Peterson as well. Oh yes, the A Team has quarterback Drew Brees and running back Pierre Thomas, and I like the team, Grey Ghost with Aaron Rodgers at the helm and wide receiver Anquan Boldin as their key player. And then there's Team Smith with a roster that includes RB Beanie Wells and two outstanding quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Tony Romo.

Add to that a team called Big Red with a key player in Chris Johnson. The QB is Ben Roethlisberger, so the owner may need to do some shuffling for a few weeks. But look for that team to be tough down the stretch. Not to be overlooked is Team Arps with quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Carson Palmer, along with key player DeSean Jackson. The sleeper of the bunch could be a team called the Meat Eaters. They got the old guy, Brett Favre, and one of their key players is Michael Turner. That leaves Team Priceless. Can Team Priceless hang in there with quarterback Eli Manning and a handful of talented receivers such as Larry Fitzgerald,Terrell Owens and Jerricho Cotchery, along with a hard-running back in Rashard Mendenhall? Let's hope! Let's tee it up!

Learning how to pitch at 65 part 2...

I'm still a work in progress when it comes to pitching a baseball.

I lost my first game this summer, losing 4-3 at Udall Park today in a Tucson Old Timers Club (TOTS) game and fell to 6-1 on the year. I lost my control in the first inning. I probably threw 25 pitches in the initial inning, but was able to regroup and post a string of shutout innings. But in the final inning I pulled a muscle in my back and proceeded to walk a couple of batters and then allowed a base hit to left, which led to my demise.

I probably threw 90 pitches and I'd have been better off if I'd stopped at 80. I've learned to mix up my pitches -- sometimes it's fastball, sometimes it's a roundhouse curve and sometimes it's a changeup. But it's my delivery that's off. Can't seem to release the ball in the same spot with any consistency.

Maybe I'll have all the mechanics down by the time I turn 66, next July. In the meantime, I better move back to third base and concentrate on that position until I get back from the Mens Senior Baseball League (MSBL), which gets underway October 18 in Phoenix. Right now I could use a whirlpool. This pitching thing leads to a lot of aches and pains.

You never know what you're going to find in the rough...

I'm not the best golfer in the world. Far from it.

I spend more time in the rough than in the center of the fairway. Recently, a Phoenix man was finishing his round of golf and one of his shots took a detour and landed in the rough. He found his ball alongside a motorcycle. Well, like any golfer, he finished his round, and then proceeded to alert the authorities. The officer arrived at the scene and began the search for the serial number. The officer then heard a rumbling in the bushes, investigated, and found a man, hiding.

Turns out the individual was on drugs and was actually transporting meth to and from on the cycle. So, you never know what you're going to find in the rough. I've never found a motorcycle in the rough, but I've found money, beer cans...and plenty of animals: javelinas, deer...and snakes. See, I told you I was pretty experienced when it comes to playing in and out of the rough.

Brett Favre, are you ready?

If Brett Favre plays on Thursday -- and that's a big if with his ankle problems -- he could edge closer to the 500 mark in career touchdowns. He needs just three more.

Mind boggling! Of course, every time he steps on the field, he's bound to break a record. He needs maybe three to four games under his belt to surpass the 70,000 yard mark in passing yards. It could happen sooner than later, if his ankle holds up... the Minnesota defense can protect him... and if he doesn't decide to hold a press conference and retire. Those are some big ifs! But I for one, can't wait til Thursday to see how it all pans out. What a start to the NFL season. The Vikings and the Saints.

Dodgers trying their best to keep Padres atop the NL West...

After 10 straight losses, the San Diego Padres got a break last night. They got to play at home against the Dodgers. The LA Dodgers are trying their best to keep the Padres in first place in the NL West. The Dodgers lost 4-2 to the Padres, allowing San Diego to stay atop the NL West by one game.

One game! Just the other day the Padres were up six. The Arizona Diamondbacks helped the Giants last night as they were shutout, 2-0, by the team that just might capture the NL West. The Giants and the Padres are tied with 77 wins. The only thing keeping the Padres up there is the fact that their losses this season total two less than the Giants! What a colossal fall by the Padres. As for the Dodgers, they fall to 69-69 on the season.

Which team will capture the NL West? Remarkably, with 20 or so games left, it's up for grabs.

TOTS' bats sizzle during the month of August...

The month of August in Tucson was a hot one. You could certainly fry an egg on the surface of any parking lot, anywhere in town.

Over at Udall Park, amongst the tall trees behind the senior center, the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) play the game of baseball and they too, had their bats sizzling, during the month of August. In the Major Leagues a batting average of .300 or better will probably get you in the Hall of Fame, but over at Udall Park, if you're 60-and-over and you play for the TOTS, chances are you need to stay above the .600 mark to remain among the club leaders.

Okay, so you won't see a 100mph fastball at Udall...maybe 60 to 65...okay how about 55 mph? But, you get the picture. Still, hitting a baseball isn't easy and when you're in your "golden years" -- well, it becomes even harder. Take Ron Petersen for example, age 65, and one of the youngest members on the club. Ron batted .900 during the month of August, but some of us will give him a hard time because his missed six games. He went  9 for 10 with 11 RBIs, to tie for the club lead, while playing in just three games.

The other heavy hitters included Chico Bigham with a batting average of .800 (six games; 16 for 20), Art Ratdke (six games; 10 for 16), Dave Rhoades (six games; 12 for 20), Sam Johnson (3 games; 6 for 9), and yours truly (8 games; 19 for 30). On a good month, with no rain outs, the TOTS can get in 12 to 13 games. A player could get in 50 plate appearances. That's 600 at-bats a year!

And our wives wonder where we are!

The "Golden Boys" are amazin'...

At 65 years of age and into my third year as a member of the Tucson Old Timers Baseball Club (TOTS), I tend to overlook the difference in ages from say our young studs, who range in age from sixty to seventy and our "Golden Boys", who have reached that eighty-plus plateau.

The TOTS have close to 50 members and more are being added every few months as baseball players who are just turning sixty in 2010 and 2011 are signing up to play ball with "The Boys at Udall Park".

 When you play with these guys three times a week, you tend to worry more about the out at first base or that fly out to center field. How old the guy is with the glove on, just doesn't seem to matter at that particular moment in time. But the TOTS have five eighty-plus players who play regularly and they amaze their teammates and the onlookers in the stands, every time they take the field.

Take Floyd Lance, for example, a member of the TOTS since 1999. Floyd turns 85 today. He batted .556 the month of August and can still get the job done at first base. Floyd platoons at first base with 81-year old Brad Tolson. Brad, who pitched for the University of Arizona, back in the early 1950s, batted a cool .583 in the month of August. He drove in four runs and even added a couple of deep sacrifice flies to the mix. The other "Golden Boys" are 81-year-old Billy Heiny, 83-year-old Jack Glickman and 90-year-old (yes 90!) Clarence Fieber. Now, these fellows are what the TOTS are all about. All three belong on a poster somewhere, advertising our club, The TOTS, the world's oldest baseball team.

Doc Heiny, as we like to call him (he's a retired dentist), catches, pitches, plays infield and the outfield. He never misses a game. Sometimes we call him "Wheels" because he can certainly scamper around the bases. He batted .143 for the month of August and walked five times. Jack, on the other hand, played every game last month. He batted 20 times, got one hit, walked four times and knocked in a run. Sure, he's no speedster on the base paths, but that's not the point, he's there, participating in every game. He loves it. And then there's Clarence. The oldest ball player I know. At 90, Clarence is the oldest player to ever don a TOTS uniform. Sure, he's not a stats leader on the club. But, once again, that's not the point. The man is fit, and I for one, just hate to throw him out at first base. Clarence went 2 for 22 in August. He walked three times, knocked in a run and scored twice. He still hates to have someone run for him.

And now you know why I'm a member of the "best" baseball club in the world.

My Fantasy Football Update...

My Fantasy Football Update: Lost a couple of wide receivers over the weekend, so I went out and picked up a couple of guys who are are familiar names to me: Mike Thomas and Mark Clayton.

Those two will start the season on the bench for Team Priceless, considering the fact I got Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Owens as my starters. Nice to have a former Wildcat on Team Priceless in Mr. Thomas and of course Clayton was a stud at Oklahoma a few year back. And I got a young one in Early Doucet in my starting lineup. I guess I love receivers, now if the QB's can get 'em the ball, I guess I'll be okay.

Pac-10 goes 6-4 in 1st week...

The Pac-10 won six and lost four in the first week of college football for 2010.

 The winners: Arizona, California, Oregon, Stanford, USC and Arizona State. The big six averaged 53.3 points a game this week. Defensively, all six looked pretty good with the exception of USC, which allowed 36 points in its win over Hawaii. Four of the teams -- Arizona, Cal, Oregon and ASU -- did not allow a touchdown. But to keep things in perspective, the top six took on some patsies, with the Sun Devils leading the way as they took on that pressure-cooker of a team, Portland State.

The four loser had their hands full. Washington State was jarred by Oklahoma State, BYU upended Washington, Kansas State slipped by UCLA, and in the toughest battle of all, No. 6 TCU edged Oregon State. The Beavers and the Rodgers brother must be fuming. They'll be taking it out on Louisville and Boise State in the coming weeks. Boise State! What a non-conference schedule for the Beavers!

1st weekend in September keeps the avid sports fan happy...

If you're a sports nut, then you're probably a happy camper this weekend.

There's always plenty to read about when you open up the sports pages this time of year. College football is in full swing, the NFL is primed for action, and the pennant races in baseball are winding down (although I must admit there is very few of those to read about).

Of course, you have Tiger Woods and the PGA, the U.S Open in tennis, and if you're a car racing fan, you have the Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup. All in all, the first Sunday morning in September should be worth an extra cup of coffee or two as you grab the paper, find a comfortable seat in your patio and enjoy yourself...with the birds chirping in the background, of course...and maybe, if you're lucky, a cool breeze, signaling the fact that fall is not too far away.

If you're an Arizona football fan, well you're on the final countdown to the Wildcats' home opener on Saturday against The Citidel. By the way, The Citidel scored 56 points in its win over Chowan yesterday. Now, Chowan, which managed to score 14 points, is not from a suburb of Taiwan, but they do hail from somewhere in North Carolina. It was the second loss of the season for Chowan. They lost to Lenior-Rhyne University, 59-10, back on August 28th.

As for the Bulldogs from South Carolina, they used a triple option to gather up their 56 points. I'm going to go out on a limp and say the Bulldogs will be lucky to pick up 100 yards of total offense on our Wildcats' defense on Saturday. All kidding aside, our two patsies, Toledo and The Citidel, will be a distant blur when the Wildcats suit up for the Iowa Hawkeyes in two weeks. Iowa cruised in its opener yesterday as they manhandled Eastern Illinois, 37-7.

Now on to the NFL as action begins on Thursday as Minnesota plays host to New Orleans. The Saints are favored by 4 1/2 points. It should be a Brees for the Super Bowl champs. As for me, I can rest easy as far as Fantasy Football goes. I do not have one player on my roster involved in Thursday's game. How did that happen? The luck of the draw, I guess, but come Sunday it should be fun. Playing in a Fantasy Football league has spurred my interest.

Now, about those San Diego Padres. It looks like the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Padres have decided to make a switch -- the Padres lost their ninth in a row yesterday, while the Diamondbacks, even though they lost yesterday to the Astros, 6-5, are winners of 7 of their last 10 games. The Padres lead in the NL West has dwindled to just two games. As for the Yankees, they keep on rolling. The Yankees have won eight in a row with the best record in baseball at 86-50.

Now, about Tiger. Nah, let's leave the poor guy alone. It' time for another cup of coffee.

Fantasy draft left me on the outside looking in...

My first Fantasy Draft was pretty easy.

In our league it was an automatic draft, so I didn't do much, but sit back and await the final results. I didn't get Mr. Brees, or Mr. Peyton Manning, nor did I end up with Aaron Rodgers. The QB I did get was Eli Manning and I did manage to haul in some pretty good receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Jerricho Cotchery and Terrell Owens. I quickly took a waiver, following the draft, and added Arizona's Early Doucet to my roster, although he's not a starter I like the way he plays...and his name , of course. Luckily, I have running back Rashard Mendenhall at one of my spots and I went with newcomer Jahvid Best ( a former Pac-10 bolt of lightning)at the other spot.

My fellow Fantasy League owners will probably shake their heads at that one due to the fact he's not a starter for the Detroit Lions. I remember that fellow from a couple of years back, boy did he give every secondary in the Pac-10 fits. It's Miller time as far as tight ends go as I own the contracts of Zach Miller and Heath Miller. I also have two more QB's on my roster -- Kevin Kolb and Mark Sanchez, kickers Stephen Gostkowski and Nick Folk, running back Marion Barber, tight end Marcedes Lewis and wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias.

We're allowed two defenses to round out our rosters. I ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. So that's it, my first Fantasy Football roster and I'll have my hands full on the first week as I go up against a team that has Mr. Rodgers. Still, it could be worse. I'm sure there will be some jockeying around after Week 1, but all in all, I'm ready to get it on. I'll keep you posted, win or lose.

Foles does 360 at Glass Bowl...

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: Arizona's Nick Foles threw for 360 yards at the Glass Bowl tonight as he shattered the Toledo secondary, completing 32 of 37 passes, en route to a 41-2 Wildcats' victory over the Rockets.

Despite a brief lull midway through the first half when the Rockets picked up their two points on a holding call in the end zone, it was all Arizona as the visiting team from Tucson cruised in its season opener. Mission accomplished. The Wildcats will leave the state of Ohio tonight in a good mood.

Next up: The Citidel on Sept 11 at Arizona Stadium. As for Mr. Foles, he had plenty of receivers to choose from tonight, but his favorite target turned out to be Juron Criner. The speedy wide-receiver hauled in 11 passes for 187 and a touchdown. It's nice to have that first one under our belts.

Go Wildcats!

Learning how to pitch at age 65...

Playing with the "boys of summer" at Tucson Udall Park is certainly a kick, even though there are times when the old body takes a little punishment. Our 60-and-over baseball league, the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS), gets together three times a week in the early-morning hours and normally we put in a good three hours on the ball field.

This time of year some of us add a fourth and fifth day with added games against the likes of two southside teams, the Arizona Rattlers and the Old Pueblo Club. And add to that a Saturday practice at Tucson Electric Park (TEP) with our MSBL World Series team, the Tucson Golden Aces, who gather for a two to three hour practice to fine tune for the annual MSBL event, scheduled for mid October in Phoenix. That's a lot of baseball for a few of us oldtimers who range in age from 60 to 85. And now yours truly is trying something else -- pitching.

We have one gentleman on our team who, at the age of 72, still answers the call and takes to the mound when called upon. His name is Chico and he's a kind of a legend around Tucson, a competitor who still puts everything he's got into it when he toes the rubber. Last year at the MSBL World Series, Chico got locked into a pitching duel with a hard-throwing hurler from St. Thomas. Chico pitched a complete game that day and came out the winner. It was a big win for us. So, I got to thinking this summer, if I could give pitching a try.

I normally take a beating at third base. They call third base the "hot corner" for a reason! But, I like it. It's become my favorite position. Any any rate, Chico can still make pitching look easy. Nice easy motion on his release and his fastball and breaking ball will curl into the strike zone on a regular basis.

I can do that, right! So, it's been a work in progress this summer. Somehow, I've managed to go 5-0 in our league this summer and I've gone the distance in three of the five games. There are times I think I should head back over to third and forget this pitching thing. It is just not as easy as it looks. My control leaves me rather quickly. Finding that catcher's mitt consistently is the key, but I guess I'm wild enough at times to be affective. Chico makes it look easy. Those major leaguers make it look easy. I, on the other hand, look a little erratic out there. But I'm trying. Why did I wait until 65 to take to the mound.

My former teammates from yesteryear could probably tell you why.

The pop heard around the world...

A blazing fastball clocked at 102. A legend at 22 years of age. A Cuban defector with a golden arm. Aroldis Chapman made his first appearance last night as the Reds knocked off the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 8-4.

They, the holders of the radar gun, say he can pop the ball into the catcher's mitt at 105 mph. Boy, the Reds are really sizzling now! Can't wait to get a glimpse of Aroldis. Good thing he's a reliever. He should last longer that Mr. Strasburg. Chapman pitched a scoreless inning last night. Can the major league hitters catch up to the blazin' fastball of the Reds' newcomer?

Probably, in time. I've got an idea. Start your swing when you leave the dugout.