What will 2011 bring?

Happy new year, everyone!

What will 2011 bring to the table? Will my body hang in there and allow me to play another year of baseball? I start my fourth season as a member of the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) Baseball Club and probably my 60th season overall. I was six years old when I first started playing organized baseball. I'll be 66 in July, but my new year resolution is to play smart. Less diving...less running and more importantly, I'll try to remember I'm an old guy. That's hard to do, sometimes.

Once you take the field, step over the white line, and head for your position, us oldtimers forget about age and have one common purpose: make the play. Yes, it is more of an adventure now. Those high fly balls off an aluminium bat become harder and harder to camp under. Getting in front of a sizzling one-hopper becomes a 50-50 proposition. Throwing to a target more than sixty feet away seems futile at times. But, there we are week after week, month after month, doing our best to make the play.

Hats off to the TOTS, the MSBL (Men's Senior Baseball League) and to all the organizations that promote baseball for guys and gals in their senior years. Let's play ball!

Wildcats say goodbye to Mac Court

Playing away from home is one thing, but playing college basketball in Eugene, Oregon,  at Mac Court is an entirely different ball game.

Well, the Arizona Wildcats will not have to worry about that anymore as they visited the Duck's rustic arena for the final time last night and walked away with a 76-57 win over Oregon in front of 6,498 onlookers. From McKale Center to Mac Court, that alone must have been a bit bothersome to the young Wildcats' team from the opening tip to the final buzzer. But, they got through it and now head for Corvallis for a Sunday night game against the Oregon State Beavers.

A sweep of the Oregon schools would give the Wildcats a good start to the Pac-10 season and they can return home to the spacious, friendly confines of McKale for a three-game home stand against California, Stanford and Arizona State.

Washington gives the Pac-10 a boost

The Washington Huskies get it done as they knock off Nebraska, 19-7, at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego last night.

The Pac-10 can still send a message to the other conferences around the country with a Stanford victory over Virginia Tech at the Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 3 and a victory by Oregon on Jan. 10 at Glendale in the BCS title matchup with Auburn.

Bug opens up a keg of worms at Alamo Bowl

When the Wildcats' Bug Wright fumbled away a first-quarter punt return, he pretty much set the tone for what was to come as Arizona fell to Oklahoma State, 36-10, at the Valero Alamo Bowl tonight in Austin.

Arizona coach Mike Stoops watched from the sidelines, in agony once again, as the Wildcats turned the ball over four times and collected their share of annoying penalties enroute to their fifth straight loss of the season. The agony for Stoops and the Arizona football fans is finally over for 2010. Two months without a win, after accumulating seven wins during the months of September and October, the Wildcats finish a disappointing 7-6, but they went down kicking.

If the end of the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry game wasn't enough, Stoops continued to make the decision to have Alex Zendejas attempt field goals, instead of relying on the arm of Nick Foles. The result: Zendejas, mired in a late-season slump, misses two of three attempts. The two misses looked like they were heading in the direction of Tucson, instead of the goal posts. Frustrating! As for dropped passes, why even go there? Oh well, better luck next year.

I hope Jeff Bridges will make my day, again!

I


t's about time. Another good old Western movie lands in theaters across the country today. Although, its a remake of the 1969 flick, True Grit, I can't wait to buy my ticket, order some popcorn and settle in for 110 minutes of Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn.

For years, I made it a point to see every movie release that had Jack Nicholson as the main character, now ole Jack is content with his sideline seat at the LA Lakers' games and he isn't logging a lot of minutes on the silver screen, so I've replaced him - put him on the bench, so to speak, and inserted Mr. Bridges on my "must-see this actor perform" list.

Arguably, Bridges' Oscar-winning performance last year in Crazy Heart was his all-time best, but chances are he will put on an eye patch and take the Cogburn character to new heights. Although, he'd be the first one to tell you that he's in no way replacing silver screen icon John Wayne. But I personally believe there's plenty of room, as far as my movie-watching goes for both icons.

As for Wayne, I'll stick with my memories of "The Shootist" as John Wayne goes down for the last time in a saloon gun battle with the likes of villains Richard Boone and Hugh O'Brian. As for Bridges, he's not done yet. If I'm around 20 years from now, chances are I can still tune in the old movie channel and catch both men in action.

Well-rested Wildcats ready for Pac-10 play

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: The trip to the state of Oregon awaits.

The Arizona Wildcats should be well rested. Case in point: The Wildcats thump visiting Robert Morris last night at McKale 82-56 and the most minutes logged by an Arizona starter was 24 minutes. Coach Sean Miller sent in 14 players. The only player not inserted -- injured backup center Alex Jacobson. The Arizona bench players log in 89 minutes collectively against the Colonials and score 28 points. The Wildcats enter Pac-10 play next Thursday at Oregon in great shape. How many times has the Wildcats entered Pac-10 play a little short on personnel? Plenty. But not this year as Miller has the luxury of going 10 deep with not a lot of drop off in talent and ability. It must be fun for Miller. It is like playing with blocks as a kid -- sitting on the living room floor, looking for the right fit and solving the puzzle.

Come Thursday, the Arizona Wildcats (11-2) will begin a new season. Let's hope Miller can solve the puzzle and keep the Wildcats competitive and in the running for a Pac-10 title.

Let's talk the number's game...

Forgive me, but let's talk the number's game.

The Arizona Wildcats moved to 10-2 with a 72-62 victory over North Carolina State in Raleigh on Sunday. A special thanks goes out to the Wolfpack for staying with their man-to-man defense. Arizona has struggled against the zone defense of late, so go figure that one. At any rate, Derrick Williams scored from everywhere imaginable, netting 22 points to lead the Wildcats. A final non-conference win on Wednesday at McKale over visiting Robert Morris would give the Wildcats 11 wins. Would 14 more wins get the Wildcats to the Big Dance? How about 12 or 13? Like a lot of Arizona fans, I don't expect an NCAA title this year, but what I personally hope for is the Wildcats to return, once again, to the NCAA tournament.

Centerfield Royals off to a good start

Centerfield Royals 11-Under Update: The Centerfield Royals, coached by former major leaguer George Arias, finished second this weekend in the United States Travel Sports Association (USTSA) Toys for Tots Baseball Tournament at Tucson Sports Park.

My grandson, Jadon Price, is the starting center fielder for the Royals, which were playing in their first-ever club tournament. The Royals reached the championship game Sunday afternoon with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Rio Rico Baseball Club. Georgie Arias Jr.  doubled off the left field fence with two runners on -- and with two outs and a 3-2 count -- in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the title game the AZ Toros jumped out to an 8-2 lead and held on to defeat the Royals, 8-7, to win the title and take home the championship rings. The Royals reached the semi finals with wins on Saturday over the Tucson Stealth, 11-4, and the Sierra Vista Stallions, 11-1. The Centerfield Royals scored 33 runs in four games, the most by any team in the tourney.

Wildcats' players, fans sluggish in win...

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: I went to the Arizona/Cal-State Fullerton game last night. I sat in section 9, row 24, seat 11. I found the Arizona players...and the fans sluggish. A crowd of 12,000, give or take a few, watched the Wildcats move to 8-1 with a 73-62 win over the Titans. The Arizona band members weren't exactly rocking and the fans sat back in their seats -- especially a hand full of onlookers behind me who discussed their 8 to 5 job, taking a deep breath every now and then to watch a play, or two.

Maybe the Wildcats and their fans were just looking ahead to Saturday's game in Salt Lake City against the unbeaten 9-0 BYU Cougars. Not the best performance by everyone involved. Wildcats' coach Sean Miller wasn't happy with the 40 minutes of action -- on the court- by his players, but luckily a 22-point performance from Derrick Williams and an off-the-bench, 18 minutes from Kevin Parrom (12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) helped the Wildcats escape with an 11-point victory. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. A basketball game at McKale Center center is a happening. It's just sometimes we take things for granted. So, come on fans get with it...it's time for a little attitude. I suspect Miller will be looking for that as well when his players hit the practice court today.

Wildcats Update: BYU was too much for the Wildcats Saturday as the Cougars man-handled Arizona, 87-65. Arizona missed too many shots for the second game in a row and lost for the second time this season to a top-20 team. Time to regroup.

Need big night from Sanchez

My Fantasy Football League: I need a big night from New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez tonight on MNF. Otherwise, my first year as a participant in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League will be over.

I do have Jets' field goal kicker Nick Folk and New England tight end Rob Gronkowski on my roster as well. So, a little help from the two former University of Arizona Wildcats could help seal the deal. Twenty eight fantasy points will get my Team Priceless (currently 7-5) into the first round of the UPC Hood playoffs. It should be a great game tonight between the Patriots and Jets...and a sad one as well with the announcement, earlier today, of the passing of Dandy Don Merideth.

Fantasy Update: Turn out the lights the party's over! Sanchez and Jets bomb on MNF. Team Priceless fails in bid to make playoffs. Oh well, I'll try it again next year.

The Palace Bar

Stopped in at the Palace Bar on Whiskey Row on Saturday afternoon. It's been a while since I've visited the rustic watering hole in Prescott, Arizona. We were in town to enjoy the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremonies at the courthouse and see the parade.

Thirty five years ago, I spent my share of weekends playing fast-pitch softball in Prescott and on one or two occasions (probably more) I'd find myself, along with my teammates, of course, visiting the Palace Bar. So, it was understandable, that I'd wander into the famous bar yesterday at high noon.

What I didn't expect, was to run into a former teammate from Tucson, who I hadn't seen in fifteen years. In walks Tucson MSBL Hall of Famer Bud Warnke. Bud and I played in the National Senior Olympics back in 1995 when our local baseball team, Desert Diamond, knocked off Delaware, Maryland for the title and the gold medal at Hi Corbett Field. Needless to say, it was a fun afternoon.

Bud, this Bud is for you!

Alamo Bowl, here we come!

It's official. The Arizona Wildcats are heading for the Alamo Bowl.

The Wildcats (7-5) were selected today to play in San Antonio against the 16th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) on December 29. Mike Stoops, you'd better get the boys ready for this one! The Cowboys have lost to Nebraska (51-41) and Oklahoma (47-41) this season.

Clear the bench! Arizona wins!

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: The Arizona Wildcats cleared the bench as all 15 players saw action in a 83-60 non conference win over Oklahoma at McKale Center this afternoon.

Once again it was Derrick Williams leading the way with 16 points, while Solomon Hill scored 10. Seven Arizona players scored eight or more points as the Wildcats improved to 7-1. At this rate, the Wildcats should be fresh and ready for action when the Pac-10 season rolls around in a couple of weeks. Next up: Cal-State Fullerton, Wednesday at McKale.

Got 'Cats!

Wildcats kick themselves in the foot!

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: There was enough blame to go around at Arizona Stadium tonight.

The choices by the Arizona coaching staff left a lot to be desired. But in the end, no matter what excuse the Wildcats want to use, the final score remains the same as Arizona falls in double overtime to the Arizona State Sun Devils, 30-29. The players left the field exhausted and so did the Arizona fans.

Arizona fumbled the ball away twice (one was overturned) and had two extra points blocked. Nick Foles was Nick Foles as he passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns, but Arizona's offensive coordinator, Seth Littrell, went to the running game time and time again when the game was on the line -- in regulation and in the two overtimes.

The idea was to establish the run and run over the Sun Devils' linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The Wildcats never did. In a post game interview, Arizona's head coach Mike Stoops took his share of the blame. Stoops said his choice not to go for a two-point conversion and the win in the second overtime was his. Instead, he went for the tie and Alex Zendejas had his kicked blocked for the second time on the night.

Arizona finishes 7-5 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-10, while the Sun Devils (6-6 overall, 4-5 Pac-10) take home the Territorial Cup.

Let the insanity begin...

Let the insanity begin. Arizona State vs. Arizona. It is almost noon...six hours from kickoff at Arizona Stadium, and yet another meeting with the Sun Devils. Parking will be hard to find, the tail gates will be in full swing, the roar of the crowd will commence an hour earlier than normal, and a few minutes before the clock in the stadium strikes six o'clock, the players will hit the field.

And here I sit...at home. I've decided to stay planted, put my feet up on the coffee table and catch every minute on my Vizio. I must be getting old. I still will be on the edge of my seat as I cheer on my Wildcats. This one could turn out to be a dandy. The Wildcats are averaging 450 yards a game and the Sun Devils not too far behind at 429 yards a contest. There's a lot more on the line for the Wildcats in this one: an 8-4 overall record, third place in the Pac-10...and a bid to the Alamo Bowl. Let's forget the field goals in this one. Arizona wins it 35-14.

Wildcats Update: Wrong again! Kicking game turns out to be the big story. Wildcats lose fourth in a row. A frustrating end to the regular season. ASU 30, Arizona 29.

Wildcats' win over Rice Owls a real hoot

Arizona's win over the Rice Owls was a real hoot tonight as the Wildcats rolled in downtown Houston tonight, 84-57.

Derrick Williams fouled out for the second straight game, but still canned 18 points and 10 boards to lead Arizona to its sixth win of the young season. A 27-point win away from home! Looking good for the Wildcats, who return home on Sunday to take on Oklahoma.