TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)
60-and-over baseball
TOTS right-hander Doc Thompson has been chomping at the bit awaiting his return to the ball field at Udall Park and rejoin his teammates on the Tucson Old Timers baseball club.
Thompson, 71, arguably the hardest thrower on the 60-and-over baseball club, had knee surgery in August and wasn't expected to return to action until after the holidays. But Thompson said the heck with that and breezed through three months of rehab and took the mound today in what he refers to as "a rehab assignment."
His rehab assignment included five innings of work today as he struck out six and didn't walk a batter in a six inning game that saw Team Blue edge Team White, 2-1. Thompson pitched for Team White and was saddled with the loss, but in his first stint on the mound since the early part of July, was -- as they refer to it in the major leagues -- a quality start.
Thompson (photo above) allowed just three hits and mixed in a hand full of pitches -- including a fastball and a couple of breaking pitches, all of which had the majority of the Team Blue batters off balance.
"I wasn't to worried about the score," Thompson said. "I just wanted to go out there and get some work in." Thompson has been showing up at the ball field for the past couple of months and has put himself through a strenuous array of exercises in hopes of helping the process along so he could get back to what he likes to do best -- play baseball.
Of course, after exercising, Thompson would sit in the dugout and observe each game, wishing and waiting for the day he could return to the mound and terrorize his TOTS teammates.
Today, he did just that.
Almost overlooked today was the pitching of 63-year-old lefty Dennis Crowley. Crowley, who recently returned from the 2013 MSBL World Series, allowed just three hits as well. He walked one and struck out two batters.
Both pitchers did not allow an earned run. Tim Tolson, 61, broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning when he singled in a run with a hard hit ball, which found its way through the hole between first and second base.
Fourteen of the TOTS, playing under the name Tucson Aces, recently returned from the senior World Series in Phoenix, and they could have used the offerings of Mr. Thompson at the week-long tournament, which included six games in four days.
What they lacked was a deep pitching staff as they failed to make the playoffs this past weekend.
Doc is back. It's too bad the Aces didn't have the luxury of having the hard-throwing right-hander on their pitching staff at the senior World Series. They certainly could have used him.
Way to go, Doc. Welcome back!
Photos: Top photo, Doc Thompson; bottom photo, Thompson unleashes a fastball (in his rehab assignment) to the plate to batter Pigpen Price. The catcher is Pete Peters.
Photo credit: Top photo, by Bookemdanosports, Bottom photo, by Conrad Royksund.
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