Diamondbacks hit the road with 44-38 record

It could be worse. I have to list the Arizona Diamondbacks as a surprise team at the midway point of the MLB season. At 44-38, the Diamondbacks hit the road for a while and will be away from home clear through to the all-star break. It could be a disastrous road trip, or a good one.

I'd settle for a split in those 10 games -- 3 with the Oakland A's, 3 with the Milwaukee Brewers and four with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Diamondbacks are in second place, three games back in the lost column from the league-leading San Francisco Giants. Anything can happen. Heck, it is raining outside. Can you believe it? The first rain of the monsoon season. Maybe, the rain is a good sign and just maybe the Diamondbacks can "flood" the victory lane with a good showing before the all-star break.

Tigers blank D'backs

It wasn't even close.

Justin Verlander struck out 14 in eight innings and the Tigers blanked the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-0 in Detroit last night. The San Francisco Giants shutdown Cleveland 1-0 as well, leaving the Diamondbacks 1/2 game back in the National League West division.

Verlander allowed just four hits en route to his 10th win of the year. Arizona needs to regroup and win the series with Detroit. With Verlander out of the way, the D'backs still have a shot at getting it done. Could use a couple of dingers from Wily Mo today.

D'backs update: Didn't happen today. Diamondbacks lose 8-3 to Tigers, drop series and Mr. Alburquerque gets the win. Next up: The Cleveland Indians.

The summer of 1961...

It's hard to believe, but 50 years ago it was the summer of 1961 and I was a skinny, soon-to-be a junior at Tucson Catalina High School. I played baseball during the day and cruised Speedway at night in my 1954 Chevy. I hung out at Johnny's Drive-In and had dark, wavy, unruly hair. If I wasn't on a ball field, I was probably hanging out with my friends, listening to Elvis Presley tunes, while dancing the "jitterbug" -- a dance that actually included holding hands with your partner, shuffling your feet and wiggling your hips. JFK was the President of the United States and Pat Boone had a song out entitled "Moody River". The New York Yankees were just a few months away from another World Series title (this time it would be over the Cincinnati Reds) and, on my birthday, July 2, writer Ernest Hemingway committed suicide.

The "pages" of my life have turned quickly and boy have times changed. I'll turn 66 in just a few days, it is a Saturday morning, it is 110 degrees outside, and I'm sitting on the sofa, watching the Casey Anthony trial.

Way to go D'backs

T

he Arizona Diamondbacks are nine games over the .500 mark, after their 7-6 win in Detroit last night.

Way to go D'backs, it's been a long time coming. A four-game winning streak will be on the line tonight as Arizona (43-34) send Josh Collmenter (4-3) to the mound to face Detroit's ace Justin Verlander (9-3).

Did you know the Tigers have a right-handed reliever on their staff by the name of Al Alburquerque. He's not from New Mexico and there's an additional "r" in his name. It must stand for reliever. Alburquerque is from the Dominican Republic and is 4-1 with the Tigers.

Phillies have some breathing room

The Philadelphia Phillies are the only team, as of June 17, with some breathing room in the MLB standings. The Phillies, with an eight-game winning streak, improved to 44-26 after their 3-0 win over the Florida Marlins yesterday.

Philadelphia now holds a five-game lead over second place Atlanta in the National League Eastern Division.

Congrats to the Arizona Diamondbacks, after their 3-2 win over San Francisco yesterday. Arizona lost the three-game series, but are just 1 1/2 games out of first place as they prepare for tonight's opener with the Chicago White Sox. Thanks Justin Upton for providing the game-winning home run in the 10th inning last night.

The Houston Astros are still the worst team in the majors with a dismal 25-45 record. The Astros lost their third in a row yesterday, falling to Pittsburgh, 5-4.

Aces Rattle Rattlers

Super Senior Baseball

The Tucson Aces rattled the Arizona Rattlers this morning at Udall Park, banging out 20 hits en route to a 14-5 victory. Eleven players hit safely for the Aces in support of their 81-year-old starting pitcher, Billy Heiny. The Aces' right-hander kept the Rattlers off balance, mixing his off-speed pitches with an occasional fastball.

The Aces had little trouble with Rattlers' starter George Gafner, who gave up eight runs in the first three innings. Aces' third baseman Danny Price went 4 for 4 and center fielder Dave Rhoades collected three hits as the Aces turned the table on the Rattlers, a team which just a week ago had knocked off the Aces, 10-8, at Mission Manor Park.

Also banging out hits today were outfielders Pete Peters, Bob Daliege, Lloyd Barzell and Mike Steele; infielders Dennis Crowley, Chico Bigham, Brad Tolson; and catcher Chuck Sabalos. Aces' coach Floyd Lance was pleased with the outcome today. "The Rattlers have been a thorn in our side for quite a while," Lance said. "It's nice to pick up the win." The Aces will take on the Old Pueblo Club at Santa Rita Park, on Tuesday, June 28.

Phillies, Red Sox sit atop MLB standings

It has taken a little while, but the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox are now sporting the best won-loss records in Major League Baseball.

The Phillies are 40-26 and the Red Sox are 39-26. Philadelphia has a modest three-game winning streak going and Boston has won nine in a row. Which major league team has scored the most runs this season? It's the Red Sox with 350 runs scored. And the team that's allowed the least amount of runs to cross the plate: the Atlanta Braves at 214 runs.

Terry and the Mavericks grab NBA Championship

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks.

I wrote in an earlier post that the Miami Heat wanted to win the NBA title at home. I figured the Heat would take the final two games in front of their home crowd. Boy, was I wrong! Instead, the Mavs win Game 6 tonight, 105-95, behind 27 points from former Wildcat Jason Terry to capture the NBA crown. Terry goes 11 for 16 and out scores everyone.

It's back to the drawing board for Sir James and the Heat.

Royals' six-run rally in 4th-inning not quite good enough

USTA Baseball Championships

The 11-and-under Centerfield Royals' bid for a tourney title came to an end this morning at the Mike Jacobs Sports Park. The Royals, with just one hit in the first three innings off the Northside Titans pitching staff, sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning as they battled back from a 6-0 deficit to tie the game at 6-all. Jadon Price starting the inning off with a walk and Jimmy Riggin supplied the big blow with a two-run triple. Riggin was thrown out at the plate in what would have been the go-ahead run. The Northside Titans added a lone run in the fifth and two more in the sixth on a double to right field by Sammy Alberts to escape with a 9-6 win.

The Royals finished the tourney with a 1-1-1 record.

Club ball goes high-tech

Okay, you old guys. Remember the days back when...when we played sandlot ball and played until the sun went down. Or, if we had no one to play with, we'd find a tree, get some string, attach a tennis ball to the string and practice our hitting. Or, you guys from back in the eastern part of the country - say in St. Louis or New York City - would play the game of stick ball in the streets of your neighborhood. Boy, have times changed.

I went to the first day of my grandson's club ball tournament at Mike Jacobs Sports Park yesterday. A bunch of 11 and 12 year-old ball players were spread out across four annex fields playing the game of baseball and each one of them looked like a pint-sized major league Alex Rodriquez.

Take my grandson's team for example, they carry or roll in their own bat bags, and have in their possession, or at home, five sets of uniforms. One of the coaches, uses an iPad instead of a score book. With the tip of his finger, the coach can keep score, adjust batting averages...and more. Another coach has a radar gun on hand to record their 65+ fastballs. These kids are throwing from 50 feet to a catcher who will gun you down, more times than not - if you try to steal.

Some of the players I saw perform yesterday were 6-2, maybe 6-3, and could send an inside fastball across Ina Road. As for the parents, it is not like the old days when you pulled up in the 1954 Chevy, sat on the hood and watched your kid beat out a hit to first base. At Mike Jacobs Sports Park, you can go to the two snack bars, grab a Bud Light, go back to your seat and enjoy the game. Guys, we were simply born to early. But, you have to admit, even our old timers' league is improving. We have a pitching machine and a small college in Holland, Michigan is sending us a truck load of one-year old aluminium bats. We have two sets of uniforms and our players at Tucson Udall Park are getting younger. Our 70-year old players are playing like they're in their 50s and the 60-year-old players are playing like a bunch of 40-somethings. If you happen to be a pitcher in our old timers league, you better be ready, you're likely to get a shot or two up the middle.

It isn't like it used to be, or is it?

Centerfield Royals step it up a notch

United States Travel Association (USTA) AZ Super State Baseball Championships

The 11-and-under Centerfield Royals decided to step it up a notch this weekend at the Mike Jacobs Sports Park Complex. My grandson, Jadon Price, and his teammates opened pool play this morning with back-to-back games against two 12-and-under ball clubs,the Tucson Angels from Continental Ranch and an all star team from Sahuarita, called Fuego. The Royals held their own, tying the Angels in the opener, 7-7, and winning 7-6 in the second game on a walk-off single by Fabian Ferreira. Two hard throwers went at it in Game 2, left hander Cole Martin for Fuego and Jimmy Riggin for the Royals. Both pitchers were clocked at 60+ in the first inning, but both were gone after three innings. EJ Galvez Jr. picked up the win in relief for the Royals, while another hard-thrower, Juan Ponce, took the loss for Fuego. Jadon and his teammates will enter single-elimination play tomorrow morning. They'll need to win three more games to take the tourney title.

Jadon footnote: Jadon walked three times, stole two bases, scored twice and made a nice relay from center field, which turned into an out at the plate.

Bookemdanosports reaches 500 postings

On July 4, 2009, Bookemdanosports entered the blogging world. The first postings were introduced during a weekend stay, in a room, at a lodge in Greer, Arizona. Almost two years have flown by and this morning Bookemdanosports reached the 500 mark in postings, daily tidbits of information, focusing mainly on old-time ball players (locally in Tucson and nationwide), a little bit of personal info, sprinkled in with some national news and a few words of wisdom.

My old laptop is still blazing away. Unfortunately, so is the town of Greer as the Wallow Fire spreads across southeastern Arizona, making its way into New Mexico. There seems to be no end in sight as the Wallow Fire is just five percent contained as of this morning, June 10, 2011.

MLB has a new leader of the pack

There are 30 teams competing for their piece of the pie in Major League Baseball. On a typical day, 15 teams will lose an outing.

This year, every team is taking their share of losses. Look at the current American League West, not one team - Texas, Seattle, Oakland, nor the LA Angels, have a win streak going. For a while, the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central were leading the pack, so to speak, but they have fallen off the wagon, losing seven of their last 10 games.

The St. Louis Cardinals, with Tony La Russa at the helm, top the MLB standings with 38-26 record. And the Cards aren't exactly running wild, winning just six of their last 10 games. As for each divisional race, no more than a two-game differential in the loss column separate the first and second place teams. Talk about parity.

As for our Arizona Diamondbacks, they'll take on the Florida Marlins today, sporting a 34-29 record, five games above the .500 mark. At the end of the spectrum, the Houston Astros are a dismal 24-39, a .381 winning percentage.

Former Wildcat comes up big in Game 5 of NBA Finals

Jason Terry hit two big three-pointers down the stretch to ignite the Dallas Mavericks to a 112-103 win over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals tonight in Dallas.

The former University of Arizona guard netted 21 points and added six assists. Mavericks go on a 17-4 run in the final four minutes to knock off LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Grandson singles to right field at Colorado Senior All Star baseball game

(Denver, Colorado)... My grandson Daniel Price Jr., 18, picked out a curve ball and singled to right field in his first at bat at the Colorado 2A Senior All Star Game today at Machebeauf Field in Denver.

Price, started at third base for the East-West All Stars. Daniel didn't fare quite as well in his second at bat. "I was able to pick up the curve ball early the first time up," he said, following the game. "But, the second time up, I had two strikes on me and I swung and fouled the ball off, unfortunately, it was right into the catcher's mitt."

Daniel and the East-West All Stars cruised to an easy 11-0 win over the North-South All Stars. "It was a great experience," Daniel said. "I think there were a few scouts in the stands." All in all, not a bad way to end his high school career. Daniel, was all smiles as he headed back down Interstate-70, with his family, en route to his home in Parachute, Colorado -- a three hour drive, west of Denver.

It's Terry in Game 4

The former Arizona guards went at again in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs.

This time it was all Jason Terry. Terry scores 17 points as the Dallas Mavericks even the series at 2-2 with an 86-83 win. Mike Bibby puts up one 3-point attempt in his 16 minutes of play...and misses. As for the series, I get the feeling Miami wants to win it at home. They still have the edge in my book.

Wildcats head home

The Arizona Wildcats baseball season came to an end in the eighth inning today at College Station, Texas, when the Texas A and M Aggies broke up a scoreless game, plating three runs and went on to a 3-0 win, capturing the regional title.

The Aggies will head to Tallahassee, Florida and take on Florida State in the super regionals, while the Wildcats will head back to Tucson. The Wildcats finish the year with a 39-21 record.

Ratters edge Aces in Super Senior matchup

The Tucson Aces battled it out with the Arizona Rattlers at Mission Manor Park this morning. It was my first start of of the year. When I've been healthy enough to take the mound this year, it has always been in relief. In six innings as a reliever, I've pretty much held my own. But starting, especially away from home -- away from the friendly confines of Udall Park, is a lot harder to do.

I couldn't get comfortable toeing the rubber at Mission Manor. My catcher, Chuck Sabalos, did his best "framing" my pitches and I did get a call or two in our favor, but I walked six in my four innings of work. Still, we had our chances to beat the Rattlers. Down 8-6, we picked up a run in the top of the fifth and another in the sixth to even the score, and, that of course, got me off the hook. The Rattlers strung together three hits in the bottom of the sixth and escaped with a hard-fought 10-8 win. My buddy, left-hander Ron Petersen pitched two innings in relief and was saddled with the loss. We'll get another shot at the Rattlers next Tuesday when they come to our place.

Super Senior footnote: Chuck Sabalos, 60, recently retired. We call him the "Judge".  He retired in January and is a former Tucson Superior Court Judge and back in the mid '60s was a catcher at Tucson Rincon High School. One of Chuck's high school teammates and battery mates was Pat Darcy, the former Cincinnati Reds pitcher. Darcy, a Tucson resident, gave up the memorable, clear-the-foul pole home run hit by Boston's Carlton Fisk in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Darcy is a 1993 inductee into the Tucson Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.

Terry scores 15, but Bibby and the Heat win Game 3

In Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight, the former Arizona guard Jason Terry pumped in 15 points for the Mavs, while former Wildcat teammate Mike Bibby netted just three points for Miami.

But it was Bibby and the Heat with the 88-86 win over Dallas and a 2-1 advantage in the NBA Finals.

Wildcats knock off Aggies!

The University of Arizona baseball team beat the host Texas A and M Aggies 7-4 tonight in College Station, Texas, surviving the heat, the humidity, a couple of ninth-inning balks and the hometown crowd to advance to tomorrow's regional final.

The winner of the 6:30 p.m. matchup tomorrow between the Wildcats and Aggies will advance to next week's Super Regional. Arizona's Bryce Ortega went 3 for 3 to lead the Wildcats. Ortega has collected 11 hits in the four games. Reliever Nick Cunningham picked up the win in relief of Tyler Hale, who was hit by a come-backer in the third inning.

Wade Blanks Seton Hall

Konner Wade allows three hits in seven innings of work and the Wildcats bang out 12 hits as Arizona extends their stay at the regionals in College Station, Texas, with a 6-0 win over Seton Hall today.

Next up: Texas Aand M. The Wildcats will have to beat the Aggies tonight (6:35 p.m. Central Time) and again tomorrow to win the regional.

Go 'Cats!

The Wildcats get a another shot at Seton Hall

The Arizona Wildcats baseball team will get another shot at Seton Hall this morning at 10:35 (Arizona time) as they tangle with the Pirates in the losers' bracket at the regionals in College Station, Texas.

Name two alumni from Seton Hall?

Okay I will. The two who come to mind: Chuck Conners (The Rifleman) and Mo Vaughn, the former Boston Red Sox slugger.

Two grandsons in the swing of things on the baseball diamond

T


here's always a member of the Price family on the baseball diamond.

I have a couple of grandsons, Jadon and Daniel, who are both getting the job done on the field of play. My 11-year-old grandson, Jadon, is getting a lot of playing time as a center fielder for the Centerfield Royals, coached by former major leaguer George Arias.

The Royals, a member of the United States Travel Sports Association (USTSA), are currently ranked fifth in the state and are holding on to the seventh spot nationally. The Royals compete in the 11-and-under division and play a majority of their games at Tucson Sports Park. Jadon and the Royals are in a very competitive league and sport a 9-7 record this year.

Daniel, a .400 hitter for Grand Valley High School in Parachute, Colorado, was named to the 2A prep all star team last week and will play in Denver on June 9th. Daniel,18, is considering Eastern Arizona as his college of choice and may head for Thatcher in August. If he makes the team next spring, he'll play under the tutelage of former UofA Wildcat Jim Bagnell.

Indians, Phillies losing streaks close gap in MLB

There doesn't seem to be a Major League team willing to run away and hide as the baseball season heads into the hot days of summer.

The Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies were both rolling for a while with the best record in the majors, but the Indians have now lost three in a row and the Phillies have dropped four straight. Surprisingly, the Arizona Diamondback are inching closer to the best record in baseball as they now sit seven games over the .500 mark with a .559 winning percentage. The Indians are now at .589, while the Phillies sport a .586 won-loss ratio.

Which teams are in it to win it?

As for the Diamondbacks, if they can continue their winning ways and if the San Francisco Giants would decide to go south for a few games, it's very possible this group of D'backs could be embedded in first place with some breathing room by the All-Star break. The D'backs need to improve on their record away from home though, right now Arizona is 13-14 on the road and 20-12 at home. You got to hand it to Mr. Gibson, he's got 'em fired up.

Wildcats stay alive on 4-hitter by Simon

The Arizona Wildcats stayed alive in the regionals with a 13-0 shellacking of Wright State today at College Station, Texas. After being shutdown by Seton Hall, 4-0, yesterday, the Wildcats scattered 15 hits around Olsen Field, while pitcher Kyle Simon took care of things on the mound, allowing just four hits in nine innings.

The Wildcats will take on the loser of tonight's Texas AM/Seton Hall matchup tomorrow morning at 10:35 (Arizona time). Go Cats!

Tall men in the saddle

James Arness of Gunsmoke fame died June 3 of natural causes, in his sleep, at home in Los Angeles.

Arness was one of two big men I grew up watching on television, the other, Chuck Conners, The Rifleman. Arness was 88 years old, while Connors passed away in 1992. He was just 71 when he died of lung cancer. Arness, a towering 6-foot-7, played Sheriff Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, while Conners, a 6-foot-5 former baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, portrayed the likable Lucas McCain, the single parent of Mark McCain.

Johnny Crawford, who portrayed Mark, is my age now. It's hard to believe he's 65, and since 1992, Crawford has headed up the California-based Johnny Crawford Orchestra, which specializes in vintage dance music.

Two former 'Cats front and center at NBA Finals

Mike Bibby and Jason Terry, both at 33 years of age, are on the court, doing their thing in the NBA Finals. The former guards from the University of Arizona have poured in a total of 42 points in the first two games -- Terry with 28 points and Bibby, after going scoreless in the opener, netted 14 last night.

With the 2011 NBA Finals now knotted at 1-1, it'll be interesting to see how the two guards perform down the stretch. It was just 14 years ago when the the two guards were pumping in three-pointers at McKale Center as they led Lute Olson and the Wildcats to the NCAA title.

Heat feels the heat!

The Dallas Mavericks knocked off the Miami Heat tonight, 95-93. The Mavs, behind a 24-point, 11 rebound performance from Dirk Nowitzki, go on an incredible 22-5 run in the final minutes and walk away with Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Go figure that one!

Rudy Castro

Ran into a Tucson sports legend today. His name: Rudy Castro.

Rudy was one of many old timers who showed up this afternoon to pay their respects and say goodbye to a TOTS' teammate of mine, Clarence Fieber (see posting, May 31). Rudy, a 1993 Pima County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, played football, baseball and basketball at Tucson High School (1946-49) and also played second base for Frank Sancet at the University of Arizona (1956-59).

If you have been around the local sports scene for, let's say six decades or more, and are an avid Wildcat fan, then chances are you'd recognize Castro if you saw him in person. I certainly did. I shook hands with the man and talked quite a while with the Pima County Hall of Famer. Rudy gave me a hug and said to me, "It was a pleasure talking to you." I felt the same way about him.

Do you remember "The Comancheros?"

En route to my grandson's graduation last weekend in Colorado, we made a pit stop in Moab, Utah. I actually lived in Moab in 1967. I was sent there by the airline I worked for at the time, Frontier Airlines. My employer had a couple of flights a day in the quiet, sleepy town -- the gateway to Canyonlands National Park.

Boy, have things changed in Moab! It's now a resort town, a stomping ground for bikers and hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Restaurants and hotels are all over the place. Moab and the Canyonlands area has been the backdrop, so to speak, for many Hollywood movies, including plenty of John Wayne flicks (The Comancheros, released in 1961, comes to mind). In 1967, Paramount Pictures came to town and filmed a Western called Blue and a TV-movie called Fade In. The Western starred Terrance Stamp, Sally Kirkland, Ricardo Montalban, Joanna Pettet and Karl Malden, just to name a few. The TV-movie starred Burt Reynolds. At any rate, on the weekends, our local softball team would take on the Hollywood people. I even have a picture of me standing next to Malden and Montalban...and some of the others.

It was a fun time. I was just 21 at the time. It was an exciting time in my life. I haven't seen either movie in years. My white, Chevy pickup was in the airport scene in the Reynolds'  TV movie.

I know one thing for sure, the Hollywood people were a wild bunch, kinda like I was, back then.

Indians still on the warpath

Not since the movie "Major League" has the Cleveland Indians created such a stir. Here we are one-third of the way through the 2011 baseball season and the club sits on top of the American League standings with a 33-20 record. In fact, as of June 1, the Indians are sporting the best record in baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League, running a close second at 34-22.

The Indians are a remarkable 19-6 at home, but just a so-so 14-14 on the road. They even have a Tucsonan on their roster by the name of Shelley Duncan. Back in my sports writing days, I covered the high school state baseball championships. I believe it was in 1997 or 1998 and Duncan, pitched for Canyon Del Oro, while a kid named Shane Loux was the hurler for Gilbert Highland. Loux went on and had short career in the Majors, pitched for the California Angels, I do believe, just a couple of years ago.

Upton's broken bat single to right in 9th sparks Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks remain in first place in the National League West, after a 6-5 win over Florida tonight at Chase Field.

This time it was Justin Upton supplying the game-winner with a broken-bat, run-producing single to right field in the bottom of the 9th inning. Way to go, D'backs!

Tots' player recalls the day he signed with the Reds

Seventy-year-old Jeff Helzel, a first baseman for the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball team, was rummaging through his dresser drawer the other day and came across a newspaper article from 1963. Naturally, Helzel eyed the headline: Reds Sign Curry Senior. "Yep, that article came out in my hometown paper," said Jeff, a TOT since 2009. "I was a senior at Curry College in Minton, MA. I actually didn't see the article when it came out. But someone sent it to me."

The Cincinnati Reds sent the 22-year-old, 6-foot-2, 180-pounder to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to play "A" ball with the Red Raiders. Helzel spent one year with the Reds' minor-league affiliate. He went 8 for 52, including a double. The young left-handed first-sacker recorded 100 putouts and four assists and made just five errors.

Helzel played just one season for the Red Raiders. A knee injury ended his short stint in the minors, but as he puts it, "I had my shot." He also played a couple of years in the highly-competitive Cape Cod League. According to the newspaper clipping, during a  two-year span, he batted .404 and hit 17 homers.

As a TOT, Henzel has three round-trippers -- including a tape-measure job over the right field fence in his first at-bat back in the spring of 2009.

Many of the TOTS have a claim to fame. Jeff is at the top of the club's list in that regard...and the article he found sure brought back some memories.

Above photo: Jeff Helzel, now a home run hitter for the TOTS.