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!