Arnie White's double life

TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)

60-and-over baseball

Arnie White, 71, plays the infield, the outfield and is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher on the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS).

White and his wife, Michele, live somewhat of a double life. Half of the year, the Whites are in Tucson as Arnie is a Professor of Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona. The rest of the year, the Whites are in the North Country, on their ranch near Red Lodge, Montana.

"We've got 85 acres," Arnie says. "Not too big, but big enough."

Big enough, is right!

Big as in a  BIG change as the Whites travel back and forth. From the hot and dusty desert to the wide-open spaces of Montana.

It must be like opening a gate into Heaven, every time they cross the Montana border and witness the Beartooth Mountains to the North.

Arnie (photo above) is fit as a fiddle and it's no wonder.

Hard workdays on a ranch will do that to you, but Arnie looks 10 to 15 years younger when he takes his position on the field. Arnie is one of many TOTS who have dual residences, but one of the good things about being a member of the TOTS, you can play when you're in town. As long as you pay your yearly dues, there's always a place for you at Udall Park on game days.

Take for instance the month of March. Arnie played in seven games. He went 12 for 21 and batted a hefty .571. He also took the mound three times during those seven games. Arnie recorded two pitching victories. The third outing ended up in a tie.

Arnie will continue to live the double life, although there will be a slight change for the Whites. Arnie is retiring and will no longer take his position at the podium in the classroom, instead he'll more than likely spend the summer months in Montana and the winters in Arizona.

And yes, you can bet Arnie will find his way to Udall Park to play baseball with the TOTS.

"I love to play ball and I enjoy being around the guys," Arnie says.

But, he does enjoy those wide-open spaces in Montana.

Who wouldn't?