60-and-over Aces open MSBL World Series with a doubleheader

The 60-and-over Tucson Aces, a team comprised of members of the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club, will open the 2013 MSBL/MALB World Series on October 28 with a doubleheader at Papago Park in Phoenix.

The Aces will face a team called Team America in the first game. Team America plays in the Northeast  Wisconsin MSBL Leagues and has fielded a team in the Phoenix event for more than 17 years. This will be the first all TOTS team to compete in the senior world series.

The Aces will end the day with a game against the SLC/KC Dodgers, a team comprised of players from the Salt Lake City and Kansas City area. The Dodgers have also played many years in the prestigious tournament, which is in its 26th year. Over 3,000 players and 330 teams will compete in Phoenix this year -- including teams from Canada and Australia.

The game against Team America will get underway at 10 AM. The Aces will take on the Dodgers at  2 PM.

The finalized roster for the Aces: Arnie White, Bob Daliege, Danny Price, Dennis Crowley, Ted Davis, Pete Peters, Tim Tolson, Dave Rhoades, Lloyd Barzell, Ron Petersen, Jeff Rein, Mike Taylor, Jerry Wessels and Billy Heiny.

The youngest member of the Aces is 61-year-old Tim Tolson and the oldest member is 84-year-old Billy Heiny. The balance of the roster includes players who range in age from 62 to 69. Arnie White is the second oldest of the group at 71 years of age. White plays for the TOTS during the winter months and spends his summers at his ranch in Montana.

The TOTS play three days a week at Tucson Udall Park. The Aces currently workout on Saturday mornings at Udall in preparation for the MSBL World Series.

The Aces remaining round-robin schedule at the MSBL World Series will include a 10 AM game against Seattle on Tuesday, Oct. 29, a doubleheader on Wednesday, Oct. 30, against the Sacramento Solons at 10AM and Team Palidin at 2 PM. The Aces final game of the round-robin will be against the Arizona Scorpions on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 9 AM.

The Seattle game will be played inside the confines of Goodyear Stadium (spring training home of the Cleveland Indians), while the doubleheader on Wednesday will be played at the annex fields at  Maryvale Park. The Aces-Arizona Scorpions game will be held at one of the annex fields, just west of Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe.

The Aces will have their hands full playing in their first-ever senior world series. The Aces goal is to win enough round-robin games to qualify for the playoffs on Friday, November 1. Of course, the ultimate goal is to win it all and capture the title on Saturday, November  2, at Tempe Diablo Stadium.