TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)
60-and-over baseball
Sixty-one year old Jeff Rein joined the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball team in 2012.
Rein (above photo) started off slowly, as do most TOTS' rookies. The seasoned veterans on the club will make sure a "newbie" understands it is best to take it easy at first and let those "baseball muscles" get a wake up call.
It takes some time, especially for a ball player who is 60-and-over, to get into shape to withstand three games a week, month after month, year after year.
If you start too fast without proper warmup then chances are a hamstring injury is awaiting you. Rein found out right away what all the old-timers were talking about and spent at least part of his first year on the disabled list.
Rein showed early signs of speed, a factor lacking in most of the TOTS, who range in age from 60 to 87. When he was healthy, Rein showed his new teammates that he could flat out stretch a single into a double. Unfortunately, the hamstring pulls were a factor as he played in just 32 games in 2012. He batted 89 times, scored 21 runs, collected 37 hits, while maintaining a .417 batting average. Eight of his hits were doubles.
The signs were there for sure.
Rein, a former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer with Walgreens, has spent most of his life on the go. He retired from Walgreens in 2008, but keeps busy doing consulting work when he's not on the ball field. Rein is also a co-manager of the TOTS, a job he seems to enjoy and excel at.
But what he really enjoys...is running!
For the first two months of 2013, Rein concentrated on his duties as a TOTS' co-manager and helped out umpiring as he continued to nurse another injury, but he's back on the playing field and his statistics for the months of March, April, May and June are impressive.
His stats in March: 20 at bats, 7 runs scored, 10 hits for a .500 average.
In April: 28 at bats, 23 runs scored, 17 hits for a .607 average.
In May: 18 at bats, 10 runs scored, nine hits for a ..500 average
And in June: 30 at bats, 7 runs scored, 14 hits for a .467 average.
But what is even more telling, is his play in center field. Rein, who played for Tucson Sahuaro High School back in the late 60s, can out-run a ball hit to the gap in left-center or right-center. What looks like a sure hit, turns out more times than not into a long fly ball out.
Rein is settling in nicely for his "second season" as a TOT.
He can hit with power or bunt his way on base.
The opposing infielders know they must get rid of the ball quickly if they have any hope of throwing him out at first.
A speedy TOT at the age of 61, chances are Rein will be a thorn in the side of the opposing TOTS' infielders for years to come.
I don't think I've seen two better catches than Jeff made yesterday! It would not have been a"kiss your sister" ending if he had not made those two catches.
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