D'backs up six games, capture 8th straight win!

Mark Grace is not the best announcer in the world, certainly no match if you compare him to the great Vin Scully. But, he can be funny at times and he did ask the key question on the air last night when he said, "Is this really happening?"

The question came in the middle innings of the D'backs' win over the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. Yes, Mark, it is really happening! The Diamondbacks beat the Rockies, 9-4, and the Giants lost another, losing 5-2 to the Cubbies as Arizona increased its lead in the NL West to six games. That's eight straight wins! The D'backs are 77-59 on the season. Heck, Arizona might as well go 23-3 the rest of the way and win 100 games! That would be asking too much, but one thing is for sure, all those Arizona bobblehead dolls are shaking their heads this morning right along with Gracie.

D'backs Update: Let's make in nine in a row! Arizona beats the Rockies 4-2 Thursday night and cashes in on another sweep. And now it is on to San Francisco. Go D'backs!

Everyone contributes on D'backs roster

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson has everyone on the 25-man roster contributing. From 40-year-old, back-up catcher Henry Blanco to the kids on the staff, namely Justin Upton, Geraldo Parra and Paul Goldschmidt (all three born in 1987).

Last night, the Diamondbacks increased their lead in the NL West to five games as the youngest starter on Arizona's staff, Daniel Hudson (also born in 1987), picked up the victory as the D'backs cruised to a 5-1 win. By the way, the San Francisco Giants lost to the Chicago Cubs, 7-0!

I'm on the right foot!

This old ball player got fitted for Orthotics about five days ago...and today they came in. It may be my imagination but the heel of my right foot does feel better. Unfortunately, the rest of my right foot now hurts. Tomorrow I see an orthopedic surgeon. Let's hope he can get to the bottom of my foot pain, so I can get back to playing third base the way I'm used to playing it!

This all started about six weeks ago when I went for a pop up behind third base. Heel spur, bone spur or spur of the moment, whatever it is, I'd like to get rid of the problem so I can at least run to first base without cringing in pain!

Diamondbacks sweep Padres

Get out the broom!

 he Arizona Diamondbacks rolled by San Diego 6-1 today at Chase Field and made it a three-game sweep of the Padres, and in doing so increased their lead in the NL West to four games. Can you believe it?

The Giants lost again this afternoon, falling to the Houston Astros, 4-3, in San Francisco. Mind boggling! The Diamondbacks are 16 games over .500 with a 75-59 season record. Come on down Colorado Rockies. The Diamondbacks will keep the broom in the dugout, just in case there's another three-game sweep.

The A Team and the Big Dawgs are the teams to beat in my Fantasy Football League

My Fantasy Football League: The A Team and the Big Dawgs should battle for the number one spot in the UPC Hood League, my 10-team, Yahoo Fantasy Football League. The A Team (owner: Don Hockenbury) owns rights to quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. What a combo! As for the Big Dawgs (owner: Kevin Murray), its roster includes two of the top running backs in Houston's Arian Foster and Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy. The sleeper and an outside shot to win it all is the team called El diablo blanco (owner: Richard Hockenbury). El diablo blanco has the rights to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and one of my favorite receivers, Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald. In the fantasy football leagues, anything can happen.

We'll know shortly...the NFL season is just around the corner.

My Fantasy Football League roster

As I said in two previous posts, it looks like my UPC Hood Fantasy Football team will have its work cut out for them in the coming weeks. This is what my entire roster looks like, following the automatic draft and a couple of key moves I made in hopes of improving on my "luck of the draw", so to speak.

At quarterback, I'm saddled with Buffalo's signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick, Denver's Kyle Orton and Carolina's rookie Cam Newton (off the bench). At running backs, I have Kansas City's Jamaal Charles and Pittsburgh's Richard Mendenhall, along with subs Cedric Benson (Cincinnati) and Mike Tolbert (San Diego). I'm a little stronger at wideouts and receivers with the likes of Buffalo's Stevie Johnson, Baltimore's Anguan Boldin, San Diego's Vincent Jackson, San Francisco's Frank Gore and the Pittsburgh veteran, Hines Ward. I'm a little slim at tight-ends with just Green Bay's Jermichael Finley to pencil into my lineup. I've got one kicker, New Orleans' Garrett Hartley. My two defensive teams, which complete my roster include New England and Atlanta.

So there you have it. The cards have been dealt. The question is: How many hands can Team Priceless win?

This is what I'm up against in my Fantasy Football League

My Fantasy Football League: Check this out. In my previous post, I mention my quarterback woes for my Team Priceless. My opponents in the UPC Hood League and their respective quarterbacks: The A Team (Drew Brees and Philip Rivers), El Diablo Blanco (Aaron Rodgers and Matt Cassel), Its On Like Ndamukong (Peyton Manning and Tony Romo), Assassians (Tom Brady and Eli Manning), Sticky Bandits: (Ben Roethlisberger and Colt McCoy), Big Dawgs (Matt Schaub and Jay Cutler), Murrays Murrauders (Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb), Team Arps (Matt Ryan and Sam Bradford) and Honey Bee (Josh Freeman and Joe Flacco).

You can see what I'm up against. In my next post, I'll clue all of you in on the balance of my Fantasy Football League roster.

Automatic draft in my Fantasy Football League didn't do me any favors

I certainly got the short end of the stick in the automatic draft of my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. My team, Team Priceless, ended up with not one high-valued quarterback. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers...and the list goes on, were penciled in on the remaining nine teams in my two-QB Fantasy League, leaving me to search for a pro signal-caller with some fantasy-points value. Currently, I have picked up Kyle Orton in a trade, picked up Ryan Fitzpatrick off of waivers and even did a no-no, as far as fantasy aficionados are concerned, adding a rookie quarterback, Cam Newton, to my roster. As you can see, my chances of winning the league this year are dismal. Enough complaining, let's hope the balance of my roster can provide me with some weekly fantasy points!

Diamondbacks return home still up 3 games in NL West

The Giants lost again to Houston in San Francisco last night and the D'backs beat the Nationals in Washington to capture the four-game series. The first-place D'backs return home still clinging to a 3-game lead over the Giants in the NL West. Gotta love it! Arizona goes 4-6 on the road trip, while San Francisco goes 3-7. The D'backs dodged a bullet this past week thanks to some good pitching by both the starters and the relievers, coupled with some key home runs from Sean Burroughs, Chris Young and the powerful-hitting rookie Paul Goldschmidt. Arizona moves to 72-59 on the year, while the Giants head into play today with a 69-62 record. Colorado remains nine games back, LA sits at 11 games off the pace and the San Diego Padres are 12 games back of the front-running Diamondbacks. By the way, the Arizona Diamondbacks have scored 580 runs this season and have allowed 564 runs. The D'backs need to up their runs-scored total this week and widen the runs-scored to runs-allowed gap.

TOTS a hit at Kino Stadium

Members of the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club took the field at Kino Stadium last night, prior to the Triple-A contest between the Tucson Padres and the visiting Reno Aces. It turned out to be a pleasant experience for the TOTS' players, a group of old-time ball players, ranging in age from 60 to 82. The TOTS' Blue team scored three runs in their final at bat of the night and knocked off the TOTS' White team, 3-0, in the rain-shortened exhibition game. A desert storm eventually delayed the start of the Padres-Aces game by 40 minutes, but the rain shower didn't dampen the spirits of the TOTS and their fans in attendance for the senior-citizen exhibition game. The TOTS received a good 15 minutes of infield practice, prior to the start of the game, as they moved the ball around the diamond, displaying to the fans their ability to still play America's favorite pastime. Right-hander De Lon "Doc" Thompson,69, pitched for both teams, while his battery mate, 60-year-old Chuck Sabalos, a former Pima County Superior Court judge,did the catching. Thompson,who pitched in the minor leagues back in the 1960s, struck out six players and didn't walk a batter as he displayed his control on the mound, offering mostly fastballs to the hitters, while mixing in an occasional slider and a "roundhouse" curve ball. The TOTS' White team had a chance to score in the second inning, but 82-year-old Billy Heiny, a retired Tucson dentist, was thrown out at the plate on a double-relay play from 72-year-old shortstop Chico Bigham to 66-year-old third baseman Danny Price to Sabalos. In the final inning, the TOTS' blue team scored three times thanks to singles by Bigham, 69-year-old first baseman John Petrick and a two-run double by Price. Key defensive plays in the game included a nice bare-handed play at third by 63-year-old Mike Steele and a couple of excellent defensive gems by 61-year-old shortstop Dennis Crowley as both players kept the TOTS' blue team from scoring in the early innings. By the way, the rain stopped and eventually 2,001 fans streamed into Kino Stadium to watch the Padres beat the Reno Aces, 9-5. Former Diamondbacks starter Barry Enright gave up eight runs and 11 hits in five innings for Reno as the Padres improved their Pacific Coast League record to 58-73. Thompson, during an interview after the exhibition game remarked that he was pleased with the overall event and happy with the efforts of the TOTS players. "We didn't get as many hits as I thought we'd get, but overall it was a good time and a fun time for everyone involved," he said. "We hope to return next year and do it again."

TOTS to feel the heat at Kino Stadium

Today is the day the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball team gets a shot at stardom.

The TOTS will take the field at Kino Stadium this afternoon for an exhibition game prior to the Tucson Padres/Reno Aces Pacific Coast League contest. And wouldn't you know it? It is gonna be hot! The weather forecast: a steamy 108 degrees! Chances are the playing surface at Kino (I can't get used to calling it Kino, to me it is still Tucson Electric Park) will feel more like 115 degrees! I hope my toes, and my teammates' toes, don't catch fire as we blaze around the bases. Our game is set for 5:20 P.M. and the Triple-A game will follow at 7 p.m.

Mike Feder and the Padres' organization has granted us the ok to bring in our own water bottles. That's cool! Feder has even agreed to a 10-minute infield, so we should hit the playing surface at 5:10 p.m. After our game, we can sit back in our box seats behind the third base line, eat a bunch of one-dollar hot dogs and enjoy a cold beer, or two.

Hey, by the time the Tucson Padres take the field, it should be a pleasant 101!

Dealing with Arthritis...

How does a 66-year-old baseball player continue to play ball with arthritis in both thumb joints?

Combine the above with pain in the heel of the right foot, and, after reading this, your advice would be: retire! Well, I can't do that, or I won't for the next two months anyway. This Wednesday, our old timers team, the TOTS, play in an exhibition game at Kino Stadium, prior to the Triple-A contest between the Tucson Padres and the Reno Aces.

Add to that, the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in Phoenix is scheduled for late October. I'm already on the roster to play for the Tucson Golden Aces, a 65-and-over team, which will take on teams from as far south as St. Thomas and as far north as Canada. My answer is to battle through the pain, play third base, give it my all and then see a doctor in November.

Let's play ball!

Oh well, at least the Giants are losing, too...

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants are the best in the NL West, but the two teams are proving that they're nothing more than "roadkill" as they navigate through their current eastern swing, taking on two "powerhouses" in the NL East, Philadelphia and Atlanta. The only saving grace for the Diamondbacks is the fact that the Giants have lost 16 of their last 22 games, while the D'backs somehow won a game in Philly, before dropping their next four -- two in Philly and two in Atlanta. It's amazing, but the D'backs could win today in their finale at Atlanta and the Giants could drop another to lowly Houston (San Francisco is coming off back-to-back losses to the Astros) and Arizona could actually head for Washington and a four-game series with the Nationals, up 3 1/2 games over the Giants in the NL West. Still, it's a disastrous road trip so far for the D'backs. Come on D'backs, pull the plug and get it going. Let's beat the Braves today and sweep the Nationals. Who knows, the D'backs could return home up 5 1/2 in the NL West!

Diamondbacks beat Halladay and Phillies

Manager Kirk Gibson made all the right moves and Lyle Overbay knocked in all three runs as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2, tonight to increase their lead in the NL West to 3 1/2 games. Gibson went with the veteran first baseman Overbay instead of rookie Paul Goldschmidt. The move paid off as did Gibson's insertion in the ninth inning of pinch-runner Collin Cowgill, who scored all the way from first base on Overbay's two-run double to right-center field. The San Francisco Giants lost to the Braves in Atlanta, 2-1, in 11 innings. Can you believe it? The D'backs are now 69-53, they've won seven in a row and they just beat the best pitcher in the National League in Halladay, who fell to 15-5 on the season.

My Fantasy Football League

My Fantasy Football League will kick off another season in just a few weeks. My team will again be called Team Priceless and I hope for a better showing this year. Last season, I started off with four straight wins, but folded down the stretch. It is once again a two-quarterback league. I had Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez last season. The league, called UPC Hood, will have an automatic draft in a few days. It's the luck of the draw, it's free -- just bragging rights with your fellow competitors if you happen to win it.

D'backs enjoy a 2 1/2 game lead!

The Atlanta Braves came from behind and beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4, last night in Atlanta. The idle Arizona Diamondbacks picked up a half game and will take the field in Philadelphia tonight with a 2 1/2 game cushion in the NL West. Tough road trip ahead with the Phillies, Braves and Nationals. Go D'backs!

TOTS players a week away from their 50 minutes of fame

Twenty members of the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball team are a week away from their 50 minutes of fame. At 5 p.m. next Wednesday, Aug. 24, the TOTS will take the field at Kino Stadium and put on an exhibition game prior to the Tucson Padres-Reno Aces triple-A contest. The group of seniors, ranging in ages from 60 to 82, will get their shot at fielding, throwing and hitting the baseball at Kino Stadium, just like the pros do.

The TOT players:

Billy Heiny, Lloyd Barzell, Dennis Crowley, John Misiaszek, Ted Davis, Chico Bigham, Danny Price, Mike Steele, Jack Graef, Jeff Helzel, John Petrick, Ed Seelbinder, Leon Glasshoffer,Dan Hughes, Archie Burke, Sam Johnson, Arnie White, Chuck Sabalos, Doc Thompson, and managers Jerry Hamelin and Jim Pagels

I can only imagine...

I can only imagine what it would be like to walk out of a major league dugout, stroll to the plate and crush a baseball over 400 feet. What does it feel like to be Mr. Jim Thome? The man hit two homers last night -- No. 599 and 600! Thome is now the eighth major league ball player to whack 600 career home runs. Amazing! Bonds...Aaron...Ruth...Mays...Griffey...Rodriquez...Sosa and now Thome. Another historic night in baseball. The 40-year-old Thome has spent 20 years in the major leagues. That averages out at 30 round-trippers a year. Congrats, Mr. Thome.

Goldschmidt's 9th-inning blast lifts D'backs

Rookie Paul Goldschmidt blasted a 9th-inning, two-run homer to deep left field to bring Arizona even with Houston tonight at Chase Field and veteran Chris Young belted a three-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Diamondbacks extending their lead in the National League West to a full game with an 8-5 dramatic win over the Astros. San Francisco had the day off, and more than likely the Giants' players were fast asleep, getting some rest in preparation for their next series, while the Diamondbacks were hard at work, finishing off the Astros this evening.

The Diamondbacks take three of four from the Astros. Next up: the Mets. Go D'backs!

Diamondbacks take over first place in National League West

The Arizona Diamondbacks have finally done it! Arizona moved to 11 games over .500 and into first place in the National League Western Division with a 6-3 win tonight over the Houston Astros at Chase Field. San Francisco (64-54) lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates,9-2, earlier in the day and relinquishes the top spot in the NL West to the Diamondbacks (64-53) by a half a game.

Way to go D'backs! Keep it going.

Oldtimers game at Kino Stadium

Delon "Doc" Thompson, 69, will be the starting pitcher when a local group of "oldtimers" -- ranging in ages from 60 to 85 -- tangle in an exhibition baseball game on Aug. 24 at Kino Stadium. The game will be held at 5:20 p.m., prior to the Tucson Padres - Reno Aces game.

Thompson, who logged 331 innings back in 1964-65 in Class A ball, will be one of 20 local senior ball players who will participate in the event. Thompson started 44 games in the minors, posting a career 16-22 won-loss record. I will also participate in the exhibition game, which will be part of "wiener night (one dollar hot dogs) at the ball park". You gotta love minor league baseball!

It has been a while since I've played in such an event. Back in the 1970s, at Hi-Corbett Field, I played against the King and his Court, in an exhibition softball game prior to a Tucson Toros' game. It was a real kick. I got to witness, up close and personal, the 100-mile-an-hour offerings from the great Eddie Feigner. I got a hit! Of course, the ball landed just out of reach of the infielder and came to a stop, somewhere short of the outfield grass. After all, you have to put the hit into perspective. We were playing against four guys!

Did the Diamondbacks strike GOLD?

Did the Arizona Diamondbacks strike gold, as in Paul Goldschmidt? My goodness, the rookie first baseman looks like he belongs in a D'backs' uniform and he looks like he'll be a fixture at first base for a long time to come. Goldschmidt, at 6-3 and 245 pounds, homered deep to left field yesterday and led the Diamondbacks to their second consecutive win over the San Francisco Giants...in San Francisco! The Giants and their fans are stunned. Arizona, behind Goldschmidt's blast and another round tripper by Justin Upton, are now in a first-place tie with the Giants in the NL West. In my previous post, I constructed the following scenario: Beat the LA Dodgers in the rubber game of the D'backs previous three-game series, follow that up with a sweep of the Giants in San Francisco, and presto, Arizona would take over the league lead by a game. Well, folks, we are about eight hours away from the Diamondbacks validating my wish! Heck, the Diamondbacks could get a strong performance from newly-acquired Jason Marquis this afternoon, string together some key hits, walk away with a victory, and head back to Phoenix with the league lead. Stunning!

D'backs update: The Diamondbacks lost the finale of the three-game series, 8-1, today in San Francisco. Arizona finishes a successful nine-game road trip, winning six and losing three. Not too shabby.