Playing for the TOTS keeps an old-timer fit

TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)


60-and-over baseball


I had an extra cup of coffee this morning, and I got to thinking. I know that usually means trouble, and the words that follow could be a bunch of meaningless jabber, or maybe a word or two of wisdom will follow, which will transcend from my laptop keys to my computer screen. At any rate, here goes.

The Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club members play all 12 months of the year at Udall Park. Each member's annual dues are $60.00. That's five bucks a month. Compare that to a gym membership that runs 1,000 dollars or more. Or, compare that to the sport of cycling. A thousand bucks wouldn't even buy you a good racing bike.

Where I'm I going with this?

Well, the other day, I sat in the dugout and eyed each ball player -- the players on the field and the players preparing for their next at bat. Twenty-four had showed up for the game -- one of three games played each week at Udall -- maybe four games if you consider some of them also play for the Aces, a team consisting of TOTS members closer to the age of 60 than 70! There wasn't one player overweight. In fact, with their baseball caps on, some of them looked 20 years younger. The youngest player on the field was 60, and the oldest was 87!

How do they stay so fit? Well, let's calculate the following.

Last month, the players took advantage of the beautiful Arizona weather, playing 15 games (including games with the Aces). The weather will continue through December as another 13 TOTS games are scheduled. That's 28 games in eight weeks. So, let's look at the numbers. A player who bats 1 through 5 in the lineup, if he played all 12 months and didn't miss an at-bat, would bat on an average of four or five times a game and saunter up to the plate over 700 times a year.

Compare that to New York Yankee great Derek Jeter, who batted 683 times in 2012!

For an old timer on the TOTS, you must run the ball out once you hit it. If you're fielding the ball, you must run it down and make the play. If you're a runner, you may need to put on the after-burners and go first to third or first to home. To top that, you get to the ballpark an hour before game time, warm up, stretch and take batting practice off a pitching machine. Follow that up with a two-hour game.

You do this three days a week for 52 weeks. I don't know what will if that doesn't keep an old ball player young. One of the TOTS' regulars is 85-year-old Jack Glickman -- the second oldest in the club. Jack gets the minimum at-bats every game. He bats low in the lineup, but he's there every game, week after week. He's certainly not a speedster, but he runs out every ball he hits. "I don't know what I'd do for exercise if I didn't play for the TOTS. I love every minute of it."

Glickman (see photo) rarely misses a game. He pulls into the parking lot, opens up the trunk of his car, and pulls out a four-legged stool. He sits down and proceeds to put on his baseball shoes. He gets to the field, warms up, and gets his usual seven cuts during batting practice. Jack bats typically last in the lineup, but when he does step the plate, he uses the biggest piece of lumber he can find.

And to top it off, Jack pulls the ball. We affectionately call him "Jack the Ripper."

Bottom line:  Jack says, "Forget the gym. I'd rather play baseball."

Note: As far as the TOTS' at-bat calculations go, most old-timers on the team deal with sick days, injuries, family happenings away from the ballpark, vacations...you name it, so 400-plus at bats for a lead-off batter is more of an actual number -- if he played every game. Still, that's a lot of swings for an old-timer.