TOTS Blue 1, TOTS Gold 0…the date: April 6, 1984

TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)

60-and-over baseball


Shuffling through the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) archives, I ran across a box score, if you will, of a game played at Himmel Park on April 6, 1984 -- 29 years and seven months ago!

Back then, some of the players had their own "handle" or nickname, just like the current TOTS. For instance, the cleanup hitter for the Blue Squad was "One Hop" Charlie Catuna. Charlie followed Dick Barnes, Mat del Janovan and Bunny Bechtold in the lineup. The rest of the Blue Squad lineup included Ed Holden, Tommy Phillips, Terry Overgard, Yankee Figueroa, Walt Richmond, Andy Buchner, Bert Hough and Clarence Fieber.

The Gold Squad had Slim Elmer Fisher batting 10th in their lineup. The rest of the 12-player lineup included Joe Tappero, Larry Aguillar, Sam Steg, Bill Tapolscany, Arnie Quintera, J.J. Zeller, Jim Holmes, Jack Harrison, Mike Aicher, Eldon Pickett and Gene Oxholdt.

All the men ranged in age from 60 to 79. In fact, Jim Holmes, was celebrating his 71st birthday on the day of the game. As for Clearence Fieber, well he's a familiar name among the current TOTS. Fieber was 64 years old at the time and he went on to play 27 more years with the TOTS.

The game on April 6, 1984 was won by the Blue Squad by a score of 1-0. The only run scored that day   was on a ground out by Fieber in the top of the second inning. The game went five innings and Tommy Phillips was the winning pitcher. The Blue Squad could muster up just three hits in the game and the Gold Squad finished with just three hits as well.

The oldest player on the field that day was Mike Aicher. Mr. Aicher was the top pitcher for the TOTS back "in the day." A left-hander, Aicher once pitched for Princeton in the 1920s.

You gotta love it.

Nothing has changed with the Tucson Old Timers. Only the dates -- those special moments in time -- are different.