No 100-game winners in MLB this season

There will be no 100-game winners in Major League Baseball this season.

The Washington Nationals lost in St. Louis today and now sport a 96-63 record with three games remaining on their regular season schedule. Cincinnati with its 4-3 win over Pittsburgh today own the same record as the Nationals. Houston owns the worst record in baseball with just 53 wins and 106 losses. As for our Arizona Diamondbacks (80-79), they need to win the three-game series with Colorado, which begins tomorrow night at Chase Field, in order to finish over the .500 mark -- a mark they have toyed with all season long. Wade Miley (16-11) will get his final shot at winning number 17 in the opener of the Rockies' series.

And the Ryder Cup goes to...

Steve Stricker is one of my favorite professional golfers.  Jim Furyk gets my vote too, probably because he's a University of Arizona alum. So as both golfers headed for 17 and 18 today at the Ryder Cup, it got my attention. And then the wheels came off!

Both golfers faltered and the Europeans make a monstrous comeback to win the Ryder Cup, 14 1/2 to 13 1/2. The hometown crowd at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill. backed the Americans from Day 1 of the 2012 Ryder Cup, but in the end there was nothing to cheer about for the USA golf fans as the putts by Stricker and Furyk rolled by the holes and with the missed putts went the hopes of bringing THE CUP back to the United States.

Way to go, Cardinals!

Jay Feeley boots a 46-yard field goal in overtime just moments ago as the Arizona Cardinals edge Miami 24-21 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale to move to 4-0 on the season. Way to go, Cardinals! Quarterback Kevin Kolb out duels the Dolphins' quarterback Ryan Tannehill as he throws for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Tannehill was brilliant as well, throwing for 431 yards and one touchdown.

Emotionally-charged Wildcats fall to 18th-ranked Beavers

The effort was there, the emotions were high and it looked like the Arizona Wildcats had the pieces of the puzzle in place in order to come back from a 49-0 blanking last week at Oregon to pull out a victory tonight at home against 18th-ranked Oregon State.

But the Beavers prevailed 38-35 at Arizona Stadium and leave town unbeaten at 2-0 in the Pac-12 and 3-0 overall. With wins over Wisconsin and UCLA under their belt, Oregon State jumped out to a 17-7 lead over the Wildcats in the first half and then held off an emotionally-charged Arizona team the rest of the way. The Wildcats outscored the Beavers 28-21 in the second half thanks to an outstanding effort from quarterback Matt Scott, who threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns despite being battered and bruised in the process. Scott had a lot of help from his teammates, especially from running back Ka'Deem Carey, who rushed for 115 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns to go along with four catches for 68 yards. Receivers Dan Buckner and Austin Hill combined for 14 catches, 193 yards and three touchdowns.

Bottom line: Arizona loses and falls to 0-2 in the Pac-12 and 3-2 overall.

Iglecias top stats leader for Tucson MSBL Blackbirds

Hector Iglecias pretty much ran the table in the statistical categories for the 38-and-over Tucson MSBL Blackbirds this season.

The Blackbirds, who were eliminated from post season play last Thursday at Reid Park after a 7-5 loss to the Beantown Bombers, received an outstanding effort all season long from Iglecias. Hector finished the year with a .500 batting average as he collected the most plate appearances (79), the most at-bats (74), the most hits (37), the most runs scored (28) and hit the Blackbirds only home run. When the crafty righthander went to the mound, he also produced impressive numbers. Iglecias (5-8) led the team in innings pitched with 88 and led the team, and the league, in strikeouts with 66.

Tom Bolen, the Blackbirds' first baseman, tied for the team lead in RBI at 13 with catcher, and manager, Robin Badart. Sean Rollins and Sean Flynn led the team in doubles -- Rollins with eight and Flynn with seven, while Rich Richon led the squad in triples with three. Other top hitters with less than 50 plate appearances include Chris Abrahamson (a .578 average with 11 for 19) and Rollins ( a .522 average  with 23 hits in 44 at bats). Jaime Cuesta finished the year as the top reliever for the Blackbirds, sporting a 2-1 record with 31 strikeouts and just five walks. All in all, a great season for the first-year Blackbirds, who finished the year with a team batting average of .362 and qualified for the  playoffs.

The 2012 Mountain Division Blackbirds' roster: Chris Abrahamson, Robin Badart (Manager), Stephen Badart, Tom Bolen, Jaime Cuesta, David Delk, Sean Flynn, Allen Gillespie, Hector Iglecias, Alex Oropeza, Carlos Pargas, Dan Price, Michael Price, Rick Rochon, Sean Rollins and Paul Smith.

My final 38-and-over Tucson MSBL curtain call

My final at-bat last night in the Tucson MSBL 38-and-over playoff game between my team, the Blackbirds, and the Beantown Bombers wasn't pretty. About the only good thing that came out of last night was the fact I saw 17 pitches from hard-throwing pitchers who were 20 years younger than this old ballplayer.

The Bombers' closer threw nothing but strikes the final five innings of our 7-5 loss at Reid Park, which eliminated us from the playoffs. As I stepped to the plate, I heard my granddaughter call out, "Come on, Grandpa Dan!" I heard some flack, coming out of one of the dugouts, "Just throw strikes. This guy is 70 years old." Actually, I'm 67 going on 68 and the oldest player in the Tucson MSBL.

The Bombers' righthander unleashed six pitches my way. The final offering, I estimate at 85 miles per hour and the 45-year-old hurler blistered the outside corner for STRIKE THREE! So, I go 0 for 4 with a fly out, a ground out, and two strikeouts as my season batting average dipped to a not too respectable .192. Just one hit and I could have improved on my .227 average, which I had posted prior to my foot injury over four months ago. But I must admit it was great to be back out their with my teammates and last night's experience should help me in the long run as I prepare for the MSBL Senior World Series to be held in Phoenix, Oct 15-21.

At least, I get to face pitchers closer to my age. I doubt I'll see an 85 mph fastball again this year...maybe 70, but not 85!  I should face some crafty veterans at the Senior World Series, but nothing like I saw last night. It was great playing in the Tucson MSBL this year and especially getting the chance to play with my 47-year-old son, Michael. That's 114 years between us, the oldest father-son combination in the Tucson MSBL this season. A special thanks to Blackbirds' manager Robin Badart for giving me the opportunity.

Photo: Dan Price and Michael Price, father and son, members of Tucson MSBL 38-and-over Blackbirds.

Season ends for Tucson MSBL Blackbirds

The 38-and-over Tucson MSBL Blackbirds lost in the first round of the playoffs tonight at Reid Park as the Beantown Bombers held on for a 7-5 win. The Blackbirds jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Bombers answered back in the fourth inning with four runs and added another three-spot in the seventh to dismantle the Blackbirds. The Bombers brought in their ace right-hander Dan Desgagne in the fifth inning and he proceeded to mow down the Blackbirds the rest of the way. Desgagne showed an occasional curve ball, but relied mostly on a blazing fastball and consistently painted the outside corner as he rolled through the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth inning. The Beantown Bombers move on to the semifinals next week, while the Blackbirds will put away their gear until next season.

Price Watch: My son, Michael, went 1 for 3 tonight, while I made my return to the Blackbirds after being off four months due to a foot injury. It wasn't a good night for the old man as I went 0 for 4 and was caught looking in the ninth inning as Desgagne sizzled a 3-2 pitch by me.

The MSBL World Series schedule for the Arizona Scorpions

We're just two and half weeks away from the MSBL World Series.

As I said in a previous post, I have recovered enough from my foot surgery to play for the Arizona Scorpions, a 70-and-over team which will battle teams from all over the country in hopes of winning the division title at the MSBL World Series, to be held in Phoenix, Oct 15-21. It'll be the 25th anniversary of the MSBL, which stands for Men's Senior Baseball League.

In pool play, the Arizona Scorpions will open the series against a team from Southern California called Dodgertown West, take on the Ohio Classics on Day 2, play a double header on Day 3 against two teams from San Diego (the Mudcats and the Padres) and finish up with a game against a team from Sacramento. Nine teams are in the division -- the other three include the New England Red Sox, the South Dakota Rushmores and a team from the Bay Area, called Tri Valley. The top two teams will square off for the division title on Sunday, Oct. 21 at the Maryvale Stadium, the spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Scorpions' opener will be held at Tempe Diablo Stadium, the spring training site for the LA Angels at 9 AM on Monday, Oct. 15. Listed below is the pool play schedule for the Arizona Scorpions.

1

Mon, Oct. 15

9:00 AM

Tempe Diablo Std.

Arizona Scorpions

Dodgertown West

-

2

Tue, Oct. 16

10:00 AM

Salt River R#3

Arizona Scorpions

Classics

-

3

Wed, Oct. 17

9:00 AM

Maryvale #6

Arizona Scorpions

San Diego Mudcats

-

4

Wed, Oct. 17

1:00 PM

Maryvale #6

San Diego Padres

Arizona Scorpions

-

5

Fri, Oct. 19

12:30 PM

Fitch Park #4

Sacramento Solons

Arizona Scorpions

-

Diamondbacks return home for final six games

The Arizona Diamondbacks are heading home for their final six games of the season.

 The San Francisco Giants win two of three from the D'backs, including a 7-3 win today. The loss today pushes the D'backs back to .500 on the regular season at 78-78. Three games remain with the Chicago Cubs and then the final three will also be at Chase Field as the Colorado Rockies limp into town for a season-ending series. Arizona finishes its road games at 40-41 but will have a shot at finishing the season over the .500 mark at home. The Giants' Barry Zito (14-8) picks up the win for San Francisco (91-65) today, while Patrick Corbin (6-8) is saddled with the loss.

NFL referees' lockout over

Finally! An agreement between the NFL and the referees' union has been reached.

Hopefully, things will return to normal starting tonight in Baltimore when the Ravens take on the Cleveland Browns. The men in the black and white stripes will no longer be the focal point and we can finally focus on the players on the field instead of the dudes running up and down the sidelines. It was getting to the point where the television commentators would eventually be obligated to show the profiles of the referees at the start of an NFL game instead of photos and profiles of the team's starting lineups. I guess the Green Bay-Seattle fiasco was the final straw which brought everyone to their senses.

For a moment there, I was fantasizing the TV announcer profiling the following: "The head linesman for today's game will be Bill Smith, of Waterloo, Iowa, father of six, a high school science teacher with three years of high school refereeing experience under his belt will get the starting nod." Smith will then jog to the center of the field, tip his hat as 50,000 football fans roar their approval. The ticker tape at the bottom of the TV screen will give out Smith's age, first names of his wife and children and a short synopsis on his favorite penalty call -- albeit defensive holding, pass interference or maybe a phantom reception call in the end zone.

Starting tonight, it looks like we can avoid the above scenario.

Wilson JHS 36 Marana 6

Grandson Jadon Price threw a 14-yard touchdown pass and intercepted two passes as he led the Wilson Junior High School Wranglers to a 36-6 win over Marana today at the Wilson Field. It was the Wranglers' fifth victory of the season and they remain unbeaten with one game remaining next Wednesday at home against Coronado Middle School. Jadon and the Wranglers jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead thanks to a 50-yard TD run by James Garrett, a 30-yard TD run by Brayden Smith and 2-yard run by Ben Katsel. The Wranglers added two more touchdowns in the second half -- the first coming on a flare pass from Price to Katsel and another on a 60-yard pass reception by Smith. Both of Jadon's interceptions came in the fourth quarter as Wilson JHS is now just one game away from an unbeaten season and the league title. Way to go,  Jadon and the Wranglers.

Photos #1) Jadon (7) on an end run during the first half of the Wranglers win over the Falcons today. Photo #2) Jadon hands off to his teammate, James Garrett (#20), in the third quarter of the Wranglers' game against  the Marana Falcons.

Nut Rub, Mega Powers 3-0 in UPC Hood Fantasy Football League

Calls by the replacement referees caused some fantasy owners to cringe right along with the NFL coaches in Week 3 of professional football. The fantasy owners probably retreated to the local taverns to down a few cold ones and drown their sorrows. The professional gamblers in Las Vegas more than likely checked themselves into their local hospital emergency rooms to get their hearts checked -- especially the ones who had a bundle riding on the point-spread of the Green Bay-Baltimore game. As far as my UPC Hood Fantasy Football team, Team Priceless, well I have now lost two games in a row by a total of three points. A couple of missed calls or maybe an over reaction or two by the replacement referees caused my team to fall from second place to seventh in my 10-team fantasy league. Two teams in my fantasy league, Nut Rub and Mega Powers, survived Week 3 and own 3-0 records as we head into Week 4 and more chaos on all the NFL fields around the country. Another week of instance replays, soaring yellow flags and photo shots of red-faced coaches and owners are upon us. One thing is for sure, whether we hate or dislike the replacement refs, chances are we, the football fan, will be glued to our television sets on Thursday night to watch the next NFL installment -- the game between Cleveland and Baltimore.  Let the flags fall where they may!

How about those Arizona Cardinals?

How about those Arizona Cardinals?  Quarterback Kevin Kolb throws for 222 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals blow by Philadelphia 27-6 today in Glendale. With the win, Arizona moves to 3-0 on the season for the first time in 38 years!

Way to go, Cardinals!

By the slimmest of margins

The Ravens kicked a field goal tonight in Baltimore (at least I think it was a field goal) as the final seconds ticked away and beat New England, 31-30.

The football sailed high over the goal post and you'd need to be the pilot in a blimp with night vision glasses to ascertain if the kick was inside the right post or not. I certainly couldn't make the call from the replays and I don't see how the referee's were able to sort it out.

But there was no review of the kick and supposedly you can't review a boot that sails higher than the goal post! The referees skedaddled off the field much to the chagrin of New England's coach Bill Belichick. I don't think the refs left because of the game-winning kick, but because they were all so tired of throwing yellow flags.

Wow, what a game! As for me, I was already frustrated as I discovered I'm the worst ever fantasy football owner. I had a choice of using Tony Romo this week, or sitting him and plugging in my reserve quarterback, Joe Flacco. Of course Joe goes bananas and produces 42 fantasy points and in real life leads his Ravens to victory, while Tony, on the other hand, struggles, scoring only six (I'll say it again, just six!) fantasy points in the Cowboys 16-10 win over Tampa Bay today.

By the way, my big fantasy blunder led to an 84-83 loss to suh-nami tonight as my Team Priceless falls to 1-2 in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League.

Hill does it again!

Aaron Hill hit a 3-run homer in the eighth inning tonight in Denver as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Rockies for the third day in row. Hill went 3 for 5 for the night and scored twice as Arizona prevailed 10-7 to move to  77-75 and remained in the race for a wild card spot.

The Diamondbacks banged out 16 hits, including four by reserve catcher Wil Nieves, who subbed for Miguel Montero tonight. Trevor Cahill takes the mound for the D'backs tomorrow as they seek a sweep of the four-games series with the Rockies.

Way to go, Diamondbacks.

Hill drives in four runs in D'backs 8-7 win over the Rockies

Arizona second baseman Aaron Hill hits a triple and drives in four runs tonight in Denver as the Diamondbacks beat the Rockies, 8-7. The D'backs keep their slim hopes alive for post season play as they move to 76-75 and remain 4 1/2 back of St. Louis for the second wild card. Ian Kennedy gets the nod tomorrow as the four-games series with the Rockies continues. Kennedy is in search of his 15th win of the season.

A nightmare in Eugene

It was a nightmare in Eugene, Oregon, tonight for the Arizona Wildcats. The Ducks, ranked No. 3 in the country, lived up to their ranking as they blanked the Wildcats, 49-0.

Arizona reached the red zone six times and came away empty each time, giving the ball back to the Ducks who in turn scored...and scored...and scored. A note to the Wildcats from a diehard fan: Forget it...forget the loss and concentrate on next week. Remember you own a 3-1 record and there are plenty of games left.

 Enough said.

Prep quarterback watch

Two of my Tucson MSBL teammates, Rick Rochon and Tom Bolen, were in the stands cheering on their sons as prep football under the "Friday Night" lights continued last night in the Old Pueblo.

Rick's son, Cody, engineered an upset win as Mountain View beat Cienega, 21-19. Cody scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter as the Lions held on to beat the Bobcats. Rochon completed four passes for 51 yards and the Lions improved to 4-1 on the season. Thomas Bolen scored the only touchdown on a 15-yard pass play in the fourth quarter as the Amphitheater Panthers lost to Gilbert Williams Field, 56-6. Bolen went 7 for 14 for 55 yards as Amphi falls to 1-4. As for my grandson, Jadon, who engineered his Wilson Junior High Wranglers to their fourth win last week over Tortolita, he'll get his shot at leading his team to their fifth win and keep their unbeaten streak alive against Marana JHS on Wednesday.

Good job, guys!

Get out your calculator

Get out your calculator.

Arizona at Oregon. It should be a real barn burner. Can't wait for the Wildcats and the Ducks to get it on. An offensive explosion to say the least. It's No. 3 against No. 22 tonight in Eugene. I'll find a spot on the sofa, sit back and watch both teams run up and down the field at Autzen Stadium. Some say the Ducks can't be stopped. But can they be outscored?

Go get 'em, Wildcats!

Diamondbacks take out their frustrations on Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks took out their frustrations of a long, so-so season by smacking the Colorado Rockies 15-5 in Denver last night.

Wade Miley gets his 16th win thanks to a 19-hit attack by his teammates. Chris Johnson homers, scores twice and drives in three runs to lead Arizona to its 75th win of the season. Of course, they have also lost 75 and remain 12 1/2 games behind the NL West Division leader, the San Francisco Giants. Miley (16-10) pitched six inning and allowed five earned runs and 10 hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out four. The runs scored and the 19 hits were both season highs for the Diamondbacks.

Arizona continues the series today and will send Patrick Corbin to the mound to face the Rockies, who have fallen to a dismal 58-92 on the season.

The lights were out!

38-and-over Tucson MSBL

The lights were out. The 38-and-over Blackbirds were all set to take on the Beantown Bombers last night at Reid Park in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, the powers-to-be who run the park didn't know that, or for some unknown reason turned off the switch, and in doing so forced four playoff teams to go home. I was all set for my return to the Blackbirds, after a four-month absence.

Oh well, maybe next week.

A Giant pickup

With a couple of players out with injuries in Week 3 of the my fantasy football league, I was forced to pick up a running back off of waivers. I selected New York Giants running back Andre Brown and he came through with flying colors last night as he rushed for two touchdowns and gained career-high 113 yards. Brown's production was worth 24 fantasy points. Team Priceless is off to a good start this week. Eli Manning, Brown and the Giants cruised to an easy win over Carolina last night, 36-7.

D'backs lose another close one

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost another close one.

The San Diego Padres take Game 3 of the three-game series 6-5 at Chase Field last night. The D'backs head for Colorado for a four-game series with the Rockies. With the loss, the Diamondbacks fall back to one game below the .500 mark at 74-75.

Nationals, Reds reach the 90-win mark

It remains to be seen if there will be a 100-game winner in the majors this year.

The Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds are certainly knocking on the door. Washington goes into play today with a 90-58 record with 14 games remaining in the regular season, while the Reds are at 90-59 and have just 13 games left. As for our Arizona Diamondbacks, well they did get back to the .500 mark last night after their 6-2 win over the Padres. The D'backs (74-74) have a slim chance at the second NL  wild card spot and need to pretty much run the table (that would be 14 straight wins to finish at 88-74) to get there.

Wilson JHS 14 Tortolita 0

Junior High Football

Wilson Junior High School quarterback Jadon Price threw a 23-yard touchdown pass at the start of the fourth quarter and scored on a 1-yard plunge later in the quarter to lead the unbeaten Wranglers to a 14-0 win over Totolita this afternoon at the Cougars' field. It was the fourth win of the season for the Wranglers and puts them in the driver's seat to win the league title, while the Cougars (3-1), last year's champions, suffered their first loss. Price found Cory Buechler down the right sideline for the first score of the game and then connected with Brayden Smith on 50-yard pass play to set up the Wranglers' second touchdown of the game. Jadon and the Wranglers take on Marana next Wednesday and close out the season the following Wednesday against Coronado. Way to go, Wranglers!

Photos: 1) Jadon, not in picture, has three options in the Wranglers' backfield. The big fella is his top option. 2) One of the Cougars' biggest plays from scrimmage. 3) One of two pages of Jadon's playbook, worn on his right arm.

Being a fantasy football owner can be downright frustrating

My Fantasy Football League

Being a fantasy football owner can be downright frustrating.

Case in point: My Team Priceless (1-1) lost 105-103 this week in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League to Nut Rub (2-0). I had picked up all my 103 fantasy points on Sunday and was left with no players for Monday Night Football. On the other hand, my opponent had three -- Peyton Manning (DEN QB), Julio Jones (ATL WR) and Tony Gonzalez (ATL TE). To make things interesting, I had a 24-point lead when MNF got underway. So what happens? Manning throws three interceptions in the first quarter and all of a sudden my 24 points just might turn out to be good enough.

But no! Jones helps my cause as he produces just one fantasy point, while Gonzalez, on the other hand,  is all over the field for Atlanta and picks up 13 fantasy points. Manning and the Broncos struggle through the first quarter, the second quarter and the third, but the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback completes just enough passes in the final quarter to finish with a dismal 12 fantasy points and just enough to give Nut Rub a two-point win.

Go figure! The Team Priceless-Nut Rub matchup wasn't the only close one. One of Manning's fourth-quarter passes fell into the hands of Demaryius Thomas for an 11-yard gain, giving Mega Powers (2-0) a  96-95 win over the Assassins (0-2). Other winners in the UPC Hood League this week include Blitz (2-0) over Three Feet Right, 107-100, suh-nami over the A-Team, 124-70, and trojan girl over Team Arps, 142-113. Three Feet Right, trojan girl and suh-nami are now 1-1 on the season, while the A-Team and Team Arps fall to  0-2.

Wow! Let's see what happens in Week 3!

Doc gives me the "OK"

I got the "OK" from the foot doctor today. He says I'm free of him. He says I'm free to play baseball again, but warns I still won't quite be myself until the early part of next year. The Doc says I'm healing nicely, so I'll gradually add some more minutes and some more exercises to my workout routine.

I've got a month before the MSBL World Series opener at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Oct. 15 -- four weeks to work on my mobility. It was certainly good news today. Let's play ball!

Final visit to the Doc scheduled for this morning

It's time for my final visit to the foot doctor this morning. I hate to tell him I've been playing baseball for the last 10 days. I'm sure he'll shake his head and give me a scolding. It'll be interesting to see what he says and to see a final set of x-rays. It's been a long haul since May 25.

The doctor whittled away at the back of my right heel on that day and scraped away some nasty, fractured bone spurs. Since then I've gone through a walker, crutches, completed a month of rehab and moved from a stationary bike to walking three to four miles a day. It's time to start running. I hope the Doc doesn't advise me to run home and stay there.

AP has 'Cats at No. 22

The good news this Monday morning is the fact our Arizona Wildcats are now ranked No. 22 in the nation by the Associated Press. The bad news: Oregon, USC, Stanford and UCLA -- all foes down the road for our beloved Wildcats, are ranked in the top 20. The Oregon Ducks are sitting pretty with a  No. 3  ranking. The Wildcats need to knock them off their perch. It'll certainly be a tough assignment in Eugene for Arizona this Saturday.

My fantasy baseball team ousted

My fantasy baseball team took a big hit earlier in the season with the loss of Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki. I never recovered from the loss of those key players and my Blackbirds team will be lucky to hold on to 9th place in the 12-team Weekend Baseball League (WBL).

Needless to say, my Blackbirds team failed to make the league's playoffs, which is now down to four teams -- Batter Up, Mongo and Son, Braats and Wicked Bats.

Good luck to the four remaining teams.

Diamondbacks on the verge of being swept by Giants

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the verge of being swept by the San Francisco Giants. The D'backs have lost the first two games of the three-game series at Chase Field, 6-2 and 3-2. Patrick Corbin will take the mound for the D'backs this afternoon in Game 3 in hopes of ending another losing streak. As for the Giants, they just continue to reign at the top of the NL West, 21 games over .500 at  83-62. And the D'backs, well another loss or two and the streaking San Diego Padres, 8-2 in their last 10 games, will  replace the Diamondbacks for third-place in the division. Today is the Diamondbacks' 72nd game at Chase Field. They need a win to get back to .500 at home this season. Not what the Arizona powers-to-be had envisioned back in early April. The D'backs, at 71-74, have just 17 games remaining to their season.

D'backs Update: The Arizona Diamondbacks (72-74) salvage the third game of the series with San Francisco this afternoon as Corbin goes eight innings in the 10-2 win. Corbin helped his own cause with a three-run triple and an RBI-single.

Great Scott! Arizona Wins!

Arizona quarterback Matt Scott played three quarters and head coach Rich Rodriguez had seen enough.  Scott threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another as the Wildcats cruised to a 56-0 win over South Carolina State tonight at Arizona Stadium.

The talented Arizona quarterback amassed 288 yards through the air and rushed for 61 yards. Scott, who completed 30 of 36 passes to 10 different receivers, took of his helmet and replaced it with headphones and handed over the offense to lefty B.J. Denker.  The junior college transfer continued the onslaught over the Bulldogs as the third-quarter score of 42-0 ballooned another 14 points. The Arizona fans needed to check their programs the final 15 minutes of the game to keep track of who was doing what on the field of play.

My goodness, here we are three games into the 2012 season and the Wildcats are  3-0. Gotta love it. And now the going gets a little tougher. Arizona opens up Pac-12 Conference play next Saturday as they travel to Oregon to face the 4th-ranked Ducks. As for the Pac-12 race, suddenly we have a wide-open affair as the mighty USC Trojans go down today 21-14 to Stanford.

Quarterback watch

As I said in a recent post, I have two teammates on my 38-and-over Tucson MSBL Blackbirds team who have sons starting as high school quarterbacks this year.

 It was a tough night for Mountain View quarterback Cody Rochon, son of Rick Rochon, who had his hands full leading the Lions against the Salpointe Lancers last night. The Lancers prevailed 40-10 as Rochon and the Lions lost their first game of the season, but Rochon played hard, going 6 for 16 passing and 53 yards. He also kicked a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter, engineered a TD-drive in the fourth quarter, and kicked the point-after.

Tom Bolen, son of T-Bone Bolen, led Amphitheater to its first win of the season as the Panthers scored in every quarter last night and knocked off the visiting Hawks from Rio Rico, 31-6. Bolen connected on 15 of 30 passes for 173 yards, while rushing for 25 yards on five carries.  Wednesday it'll be my grandson's turn. Jadon Price will quarterback the Wilson Junior High Wranglers as they travel to Tortolita.

Both teams are 3-0 on the season. Good luck, Jadon, and thumbs up to Cody and Tom for their efforts last night.

Wildcats primed to go 3-0

We still have to play the game.

To be more specific the Arizona Wildcats still has to play the game. But the Wildcats should prevail over South Carolina State tonight at Arizona Stadium and move to an impressive 3-0 start to the season. Of course, the real season begins after tonight with nine Pac-12 Conference games looming on the horizon. Ten weeks from now the Wildcats will close out the 2012 regular season at home against rival Arizona State. By then we should know if the Arizona Wildcats are BOWL material or not.

But for now,  let's enjoy the beginning of the Rich Rodriguez era. The temperature  should be in the 70s by game time, a good crowd should be on hand and my prediction is the Wildcats will keep their No. 24 ranking and roll to an easy 55-14 win. And that's if Rodriquez decides to clear the bench in the fourth quarter. Go, CATS!

38-and-over Blackbirds qualify for Tucson MSBL playoffs

Tucson MSBL

The 38-and-over Blackbirds qualified for the Tucson Men's Senior Baseball League playoffs Thursday with a 14-6 win over the Phillies and will take on the third-seeded Beantown Bombers in the first round next Thursday, Sept. 20, at Reid Park. Game time is set for 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the semi finals. The Blackbirds garnered the sixth and final seed for the playoffs, while the A's and the Yankees, the top two teams in the division, received first round byes.

Price watch: I hope to suit up for the playoffs. I have played sparingly the last week with the Tucson Old Timers, going 6 for 14 and I have one practice under my belt with our MSBL World Series team, the 70-and-over Arizona Scorpions. It's been 114 days since my foot surgery and I'm still hobbling to first base, but at least I've been able to take the field. It'll be great to rejoin my Blackbirds' teammates, which roster also includes my son, Michael.

MSBL World Series (Phoenix, Arizona)

The Arizona Scorpions completed their first fall practice on Thursday at Udall Park and will have its second practice in Surprise, Arizona on Sept. 20. The schedule is out for the 25th MSBL World Series and the Scorpions will play its opener at Tempe Diablo Stadium against Dodgertown West at 9 a.m on Oct. 15. I've got exactly four weeks left to get rid of the stiffness in my foot.. and a few pounds I have around the middle of which I picked up with the long layoff.

Diamondbacks take two from Dodgers

The Arizona Diamondbacks at least have the LA Dodgers number.

Arizona (71-72) knocks off the Dodgers 1-0 on Tuesday night and 3-2 tonight to sweep the two-game series at Chase Field. Ian Kennedy tosses 7.1 innings of shutout ball, strikes out six batters and allows just four hits on Tuesday, while Trevor Cahill matches Kennedy as he allows just two runs in seven innings tonight, striking out seven in the process and giving up just four hits.

The Diamondbacks won 12 of the 18 games against the Dodgers this season. The San Francisco Giants come to town on Friday for a three-game series. It's a must-win series for the Diamondbacks.

Wilson JHS 50 La Cima JHS 6

Junior High Football

My grandson Jadon Price is a smart quarterback. He knows when to hand the ball off and to whom. Jadon handed off to his fullback Brayden Smith three times today at La Cima Junior High and Smith responded with touchdown runs of 90, 50 and 35 yards as the Wranglers rolled to a 50-6 win over the Cardinals. Smith took the rest of the day off and Jadon continued to hand the ball off to his teammates as the Wranglers rushed for six touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a seventh TD as they improved to 3-0 on the season. The win sets up a showdown next Wednesday at Tortolita Junior High between two unbeaten teams with the winner gaining the inside track to the league title.

Way to go, Jadon and the Wranglers!

Week 1 Fantasy results are in

My Fantasy Football League

Team Priceless wins in a blow out over trojan girl 119-73 in Week 1 of the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. Four teams joined Team Priceless at 1-0 as Nut Rub rolled over A-Team 127-92, while the other matchups were a bit closer. Blitz edged Team Arps 101-95, Three Feet Right won a close battle 123-109 over the Assassins and Mega Powers picked up a 20-point win, 126-106, over suh-nami. Nut Rub received 24 fantasy points from Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, while Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick was the top-point producer for Mega Powers with 23 points. Three Feet Right enjoyed a 29-point fantasy effort from New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, while Blitz received 19 points from Houston running back Arian Foster. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo amassed 30 points for my team, Team Priceless. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan led all the fantasy players with 37 points. However, Ryan is the quarterback for Team Arps, which lost its matchup to Blitz. And now it's on to Week 2.

Remembering 9/11

I find myself glued to the television set today much like I did 11 years ago when I sat on my sofa, along with millions of other Americans, and watched the events of September 11, 2001 unfold before my eyes. Fully engrossed in today's television coverage, every now and then I look out the living room window and I listen as I hear the fading sound of an aircraft making its descent in to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and for a fleeting moment I'm 56 years old, not 67. It is still shocking to relive the event which took place 11 years ago today. We must never forget.

Team Priceless wins opener

My Fantasy Football League


My Team Priceless came through with a win today in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. My team scores 119 fantasy points to knock off the trojan gurl 119-73  and at least for the next seven days anyway, I'll be in a tie for first place. I received 30 fantasy points from Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and also received double-figure scoring from Jeremy Maclin (PHL WR), Percy Harvin (MIN WR), Rob Gronkowski (NE TE) and DeMarco Murray (DAL RB). All in all, not a bad result for the first week. Trojan gurl had trouble tallying the points in Week 1 as her top point producers turned out to be her kicker Matt Bryant (ATL) with 17 points,  Eli Manning (NYG QB) with 14 points and Reggie Bush (MIA RB) with 10 fantasy points. A 46-point winning margin is good in our fantasy league. I hope I can do as well in Week 2. The complete results of the UPC Hood League will be available on Tuesday. I can relax during MNF. All the players on the Team Priceless roster and the trojan gurl roster have completed play for the week.

Quite a weekend for football in the State of Arizona

It was quite a weekend for football in the State of Arizona. The NAU Lumberjacks win! The ASU Sun Devils win! The Arizona Cardinals win! And yes, our Arizona Wildcats upset Oklahoma State 59-38.

Now that doesn't happen very often.

My son, Captain Mike Price, climbs 110 stories in honor of 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001

My son, Rural Metro fire captain Mike Price (far left in photo), participated in the 911 Memorial Stair climb this morning at 5151 E. Broadway. The tall white building, a skyscraper of sorts, was the site of the climb for the local Tucson, and surrounding area firefighters, who climbed 110 stories (that's seven times up and down the steps of the building) in honor of 911, the event that rocked the world on September 11th --  11 years ago this Tuesday. Three-hundred forty three local firefighters wore photos around their neck honoring the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on that fateful day. My son was emotionally spent midway through the climb. In a Channel 9 interview, following the climb, he told the news reporter how grateful he was to know that he would soon be with his family, hug his wife and his children, and head home. For the 343 firefighters on September 11, 2001, that was not to be. Mike wore the photo of Stephen Siller around his neck. He was very proud to do so.

Hats off to all the firefighters and first responders around the world. The following is an excerpt from Stephen Siller's Twin Towers Tunnel Foundation website. 


Stephen Siller had just gotten off the late shift at Squad 1, Park Slope, Brooklyn. He was on his way to play golf when his scanner told of the first plane hitting the Twin Towers. When he heard the news he called his wife, Sally, and told her he would be late because he had to help those in need. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear, then took his final steps toward the Trade Center. When Stephen drove his truck to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it was already closed to traffic. With 60 pounds of gear strapped to his back, he ran to the Tunnel, hoping to meet up with his own Company, Squad 1. 

Stephen was a loving husband and the father of five.


Photo below: Proud Papa shaking hands with Captain Mike Price

Wildcats' next opponent 1-1

Up next for the Arizona Wildcats will be the Bulldogs from South Carolina State. The Wildcats (2-0) will host SC State on Saturday and should be favored to win their third game of the season against a team that lost their first game of the season Saturday 27-14 to Bethune-Cookman. The Bulldogs did win their season opener over Georgia State 33-6.

Can't wait for the Wildcats to put on another show.

Wildcats shock Cowboys!

The Wildcats are not Savannah State.

Arizona shocked 18th-ranked Oklahoma State 59-38 at Arizona Stadium tonight as quarterback Matt Scott engineered the upset over the Cowboys, who just one week ago had crushed hapless Savannah State 84-0. Scott was brilliant, connecting on 28 of 41 passes for 320 yards while tossing two touchdown passes and adding another score with an 8-yard run. Scott rushed for 55 yards on 19 carries.

He got a lot of help from his friends, too. Running back Ka'Deem Carey caught a 13-yard TD pass from Scott, scored on two 1-yard plunges and ran another one in from 25 yards out.  Carey rushed for 125 yards on 26 carries. A couple of fourth-quarter interceptions helped seal the deal for the Wildcats -- including one by Jonathan McKnight, who intercepted Cowboys' quarterback Wes Lunt at the Oklahoma State 48-yard line and scampered to the end zone.

It was a day of  Pac-12 upsets as Oregon State shocks Wisconsin and UCLA edges Nebraska. The Pac-12 shines! And so did our WILDCATS! Congrats, to Rich Rodriguez and the 2-0 Wildcats.

Edging closer to Senior World Series

I'm a week away from the four-month mark since my foot operation. The summer is about over and it's six weeks away from the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in Phoenix. I'm still battling some stiffness and occasional swelling, but hope to be ready for practice next week when our 70-and-over team gets together for a workout next Thursday at Tucson Udall Park.

I'll be one of three players on the Arizona Scorpions' roster this year under the age of 70 who has received waivers to play in the World Series. The 70-and-over division begins play on October 15. The Scorpions will play five qualifying games during the week and the best overall won-loss records among the teams will advance to the championship game on Sunday, October 21, at Maryvale Park in Phoenix.

The home-base for the World Series event will be at Tempe Diablo Stadium and more than 300 teams and 3,000 players are expected to compete in the month long extravaganza, which will include age groups from 18-and-over all the way to the 70-and-over division -- including a week-long father-son competition.

This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the MSBL. Five players from the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) team, who plays three-days a week at Udall Park, will play for the Scorpions. They include: yours truly (of course), Jerry Hamelin, Chico Bigham, DeLon "Doc" Thompson and Arnie White. White and Thompson are both 70 years of age, Bigham is 74, Hamelin 72 and I'm the young whipper snapper at 67 years of age. The Arizona Scorpions will be coached by Dohrman Sinclair, a businessman from Surprise, Arizona. Sinclair, in a statement earlier this summer, said, "we're in it to win it." I hope he is right. In all the years I've played in the MSBL World Series, I have yet to return home with a world series ring.

Win or lose, the MSBL World Series is a fun event for baseball players who still play the sport for the love of the game. The participants share a common bond and for one month out of the year the players rekindle friendships and play the game of baseball. You get teams from all over the country, including teams from Canada and the Virgin Islands, as they all lay it on the line no matter what the players ages are. Congrats, to the founders of the MSBL for the past 25 years.

D'backs save face, take 2 of 3 from Giants

The Arizona Diamondbacks take 2 of 3 from the Giants in San Francisco, including the getaway game tonight as the D'backs come up with 13 hits en route to a 6-2 win. Trevor Cahill gets the win to move to 10-11 on the season, while Chris Johnson goes 2 for 4, drives in two runs, along with a walk and a run scored. Arizona moves to 68-70 on the season, 9 1/2 back of the NL West league-leading Giants (77-60).

Romo gets my Fantasy team off and running

My Fantasy Football League


Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes Wednesday night and gained 307 yards through the air as he amasses 30 fantasy points for my Team Priceless and gets my fantasy team off to a good start. We'll have to wait and see how the rest of the week goes, but all in all not a bad opener for me and Team Priceless who also received 13 fantasy points from Dallas running back  DeMarco Murray who rushes for 131 yards and picks up nine receiving yards. As for tonight's NFL opener, a pretty slow start in the first half, but Romo gets it going in the second half and out duels  the Giants' quarterback Eli Manning as the Cowboys win it 24-17.

Wilson JHS 46 Amphi JHS 0

Junior High Football


Running back Brayden Smith ran for three touchdowns and quarterback Jadon Price threw a  touchdown pass to Jarod Peck from 20 yards out as the Wilson Junior High School Wranglers rolled to their second win of the season with a 46-0 win over the Amphitheater Junior High Pirates today at the Amphitheater Field. Fresh off a season-opening win over Cross Junior High last week, Wilson made it two a row for the Wranglers as they jumped out to a 22-0 halftime lead thanks to two long touchdown runs by Smith, who now has four rushing touchdowns in two games. Price's TD toss to Peck was the second of the season for the 7th-grade quarterback who connected with Smith last week for the game-winning TD in the Wranglers 13-6 win over Cross Junior High.

Diamondbacks lose back-to-back games to LA

Well, they got the first two. The Arizona Diamondbacks took it to the Dodgers in the first two games of the four-game series, but LA wins Game 3 on Saturday by a score of 2-1 and today the D'backs bullpen couldn't hold off the Dodgers in the bottom of ninth. The result: The Dodgers take Game 4 by a score of 5-4 and the Diamondbacks head for San Francisco with a 66-69 record, 10 1/2 games behind the Giants (76-58) in the NL West. To say the least, manager Kirk Gibson is not a happy camper.

So it wasn't pretty, but a win is a win

It wasn't pretty but a win is a win.

The Arizona Wildcats had to go to overtime to dispose of Toledo last night at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats win it  24-17 and pretty much dominate the stat sheet. Turnovers, penalties and missed field goals kept the game close, but it's hard to fault quarterback Matt Scott or running back Ka'Deem Carey. They did their job. Scott completes 30 of  46 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns, while Carey rushes for 147 yards on 20 carries -- including a 73-yard touchdown run.

Next up: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys won their opener 84-0 over Savannah State. Wow!

That's two!

The Arizona Diamondbacks get a home run in the top of the 11th inning last night from Jason Kubel and beat the Dodgers 4-3 in Los Angeles for the second night in a row.

Way to go, D'backs. Keep it up. We need a gem from rookie Tyler Skaggs today in Game 3 of the four-game series. One game at a time. There's still hope.