Wildcats crush Golden Bears

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The third-ranked Arizona Wildcats are looking more like the Best team in the West…the North…the South…and the East as they roll over the visiting California Golden Bears 87-59 at McKale Center tonight.

For the second game in a row, Arizona unleashes a defensive gem and an offensive explosion. Arizona led 44-29 at halftime and enjoyed leads in the second half of 25 points, finishing the night shooting 50 percent from the field (32 of 63), while winning the war on the boards, 42-25.

Five players scored in double figures with Nick Johnson leading the way with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Kaleb Tarczewski continues to get it done down low with 16 points, while T.J. McConnell runs the show out front with 13 points, four rebounds and six assists. Aaron Gordon threw in 13 points and Rondae Hollis Jefferson came off the bench once again and delivered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The win improved Arizona's overall record to 26-2 and its Pac-12 Conference record to 13-2. Next up is Stanford on Sunday.

Way to go, Wildcats! Let's close it out with a win over the Cardinal and a sweep next week over the Oregon schools. Our 'Cats are on the verge of a Pac-12 title, a No. 1 seed out west for the NCAA tournament and just maybe, a Number One Overall Seed for March Madness!

Spring Training is back…in Phoenix, of course

Spring Training is back…in Phoenix, of course.

So sad! I sure miss the "good old days" of Spring Training in Tucson.

Boxberger's 2-run double highlights 7th inning comeback

TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)

60-and-over baseball

Rookie Danny Boxberger, 63, ripped a two-run double down the first base line to highlight a three-run seventh inning as Team White came from behind to edge Team Blue 9-7 in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers baseball game today at Udall Park.

Boxberger (top photo), the newest member of the Tucson Old Timers, scored the third run of the inning on a groundout by Pigpen Price as Team White returned to the field needing three outs to pick up the hard-fought win.

With one out and a runner on first, Ed Seelbinder drilled a one hopper to Price at second base. Price threw to second for the force out and Team White shortstop Lloyd Barzell completed the double play to  end the game.

Right-hander Pete Peters picked up the win, while Chico Bigham, a right-hander who relieved Team Blue's starter Dennis Crowley in the sixth inning, was saddled with the loss. Speedster Jim Sears (bottom photo) had put Team Blue ahead 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning when he belted a triple down the third baseline.

Another one of those nail-biters at Udall Park. Rarely does one team win it with a blowout as the organization makes sure the teams are evenly matched -- most of the time. The TOTS have been around for 45 years and the pregame activities start with batting practice and the selection of the game's two managers who are also the pitchers of record for the day.

Then, it's a coin toss to see which manager gets first pick and it's a pecking order from there until all players are selected. The process has worked well for 45 years.

The TOTS will be at it again on Friday.

Go, TOTS!

TOTS footnote:  The Tucson Old Timers are now into their 46th season and play baseball every  Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Udall Park. Game time during the summer months is 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM during the fall and winter. Of course, it's the rising temperatures in late April which will convince the powers-to-be in the organization to change the starting time. Except for a few rain outs every now and then, it's year-around play for the TOTS, the oldest organized senior baseball team in the country.

Wildcats take three from Alcorn State

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats improve to  6-2  with a three-game sweep of Alcorn State this weekend.

The Wildcats win 6-0, 20-1 and 11-1. Just about every one in the Arizona lineup upped their season batting stats as the Wildcats scored 37 runs and banged out 50 hits at Hi Corbett Field during the three-games series.

Next up: Seton Hall in a three-game series at Hi Corbett on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Arizona 3rd in latest AP Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The new top-10 in the AP Poll

1. Florida 2. Wichita State 3. Arizona 4. Syracuse 5. Kansas 6. Duke 7. Louisville 8. Villanova 9. Creighton 10. Saint Louis

Syracuse loses two games last week but doesn't fall too far down the tree. I'm surprised Duke didn't reach No. 4 this week!

All is well with our Wildcats. Two big games at home with Stanford and California. Go get 'em, 'Cats!

Day fights off Frenchman to win WGC-Accenture

2014 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship


Jason Day fought off Frenchman Victor Dubuisson today at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana to win the title on the 23rd hole.

It took a while, but the 26-year-old Day gets it done despite some unbelievable up and down shots down the stretch from  the 23-year-old Dubuisson.

Rickie Fowler holds on to beat Ernie Els for third place. The match went 19 holes.

Congrats, to Mr. Day. He earned it, playing six rounds of golf in five days -- but it was those last five holes which will be talked about by golf fans for some time -- especially the two up and down saves out of the cacti by Dubuisson on holes 19 and 20.

Hats off to the pros. They can flat out play!

Take that Xavier Johnson!

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Take that Xavier Johnson!

Johnson, the hot-shooting forward for the Colorado Buffaloes, said the Arizona Wildcats would be in real trouble when they come to Boulder. The prediction: a blowout win for Mr. Johnson and the Buffaloes.

Well, it didn't work out that way. In fact, it was a blowout alright. But it was all Wildcats tonight in Boulder as Arizona rolls to an 88-61 win as Aaron Gordon scores 21 second-half points and finishes the night with 23 points and eight rebounds.

Nick Johnson, no relation to Xavier, scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six of Arizona's 24 assists, while Kaleb Tarcewski added 13 points, six rebounds and two assists. T.J. McConnell was at his best again tonight with nine points, 10 assists and no turnovers.

And then there was the BENCH! Arizona gets 19 off the bench. Elloitt Pitts chipped in two three-pointers and Jacob Hazzard added five points, while Rondae Hollis Jefferson netted four points. Jordin Mayes and Matt Korchek added two points apiece as Arizona shot 60 percent from the field (35 for 58).

The 4th-ranked Arizona Wildcats improve to 25-2 overall and 12-2 in the Pac-12 and now own a two-game advantage over the second-place UCLA Bruins, who lost to Stanford tonight.

Arizona returns home next week for games against California and Stanford. A sweep at home would give our Wildcats the Pac-12 title.

Hey, Wildcats! The ball is now in your court!

3 young guns and the old guy advance to semis at Accenture

2014 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship


Three young guns -- Rickie Fowler (USA), Jason Day (Australia) and Victor Dubuisson (France) advance to the semi finals at the 2014 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship today at Dove Mountain.

The fourth semi finalist is the old guy, the Big Easy himself, Ernie Els from South Africa.

Fowler will take on Day tomorrow and Dubuisson will matchup with Els. The winners of tomorrow morning's matchups will battle for the tourney title in the afternoon in what will probably turn out to be the final go around for the Tucson tournament.

Tucson is on a losing streak. First, we lose Spring Training and now we lose our prestigious February golf tournament. Sad! What''s next the Gem Show? If the Rodeo decides to close up shop, things would get pretty boring around here.

Chances are the Rodeo is a safe bet to stick around. Losing the Tucson Rodeo would be like the Steelers leaving Pittsburgh!

Those golf pros make it look easy!

2014 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship

Thanks to my son, Michael, I had an up close and personal view of the third round of the 2014 WGC- Accenture Match Play Championship on Friday at Dove Mountain.

My son had the freebies!

We witnessed all eight matches as each duo sauntered up to the 13th hole. We had front row seats inside the infamous Walter Hagen Club. In they came. Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Hunter Mahan, Louis Oosthuizen,  George Coetzee, Webb Simpson, Jason Dufner and the Frenchman, Victor Dubuisson -- the 16 survivors from Day 2.

Boy! They all make it look so easy.

The 13th hole is a Par 5 and time and time again the pros above were reaching the green in just two shots. Amazing! Heck, I'd be out there wrestling with the cacti for the first five or six swings…and just maybe I could finish the hole with a scrambling 12!

As I sipped on a $7.50 glass of beer, I watched Bubba miss an eagle putt by inches. I sat quietly as the Big Easy stood over his putt and looked on in awe as the youngster Rickie Fowler rolled in a par-saving putt.

They are all so good!

It makes me want to hit the links. Maybe I'll go over to Fred Enke next week and see if I can knock a few holes into a tall Saguaro!

Photos: 1) Sergio Garcia on the practice range at the Accenture on Day 3. 2) Graeme McDowell unleashes one prior to his starting time on Day 3. 3) Our view of the 13th hole from inside the infamous Walter Hagen Club.

Arizona edges Utah in overtime

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Arizona clawed its way to a 67-63 overtime win in Salt Lake City tonight over the Utah Utes.

They won without Aaron Gordon in the second half and in the overtime period. Gordon fouled out and left the court with just under nine minutes left in regulation. It seemed like every time he stepped on the court in the first half and for those precious moments he graced the court during the first 11 minutes in the second half, the referee's whistle would blow, signaling the electronic scoreboard at the Jon H. Huntsman Center to tack on another foul on the Wildcats' No. 11.

Without Gordon, the Wildcats were out rebounded 37-31, but they still found a way to beat Utah -- a team which owned a 16-1 record at home this season. Make that 16-2!

Nick Johnson and Gabe York scored 15 points apiece, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson chipped in 13 points off the bench tonight as Arizona improves to 24-2 overall and 11-2 in the Pac-12 Conference. With the win, the Wildcats hold on to their one game lead in the conference over the UCLA Bruins, who beat California at Berkeley tonight.

York scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half as Arizona left the court at intermission with a 35-26 lead. Utah battled back. The Utes needed to outscore the Wildcats by nine in the second half and that's exactly what they did as the buzzer sounded, ending play in regulation with the score tied at 56-56.

In the overtime period, it was Johnson with four key free throws down the stretch to ice the win for the Wildcats, while Utah struggled from the line in the final moments.

Kaleb Tarczewski upped his game with Gordon on the bench, finishing with eight points and 10 rebounds, while T.J. McConnell chipped in 11 points and dished out six assists.

On a night when top-ranked Syracuse goes down, losing its first game of the year to Boston College, and a hand full of other top-20 teams struggle to win, the Wildcats come away with a hard-fought road win.

Way to go, Wildcats.  Now go get the Buffaloes!

Wildcats split two-game series with Utah Valley

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats split a two-game series with visiting Utah Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hi Corbett Field. Arizona won the first game 8-7 in 14 innings, but lost the second encounter 5-2 in 10 innings.

Arizona (3-2) takes on Alcorn State in a three-game series, beginning on Friday at Hi Corbett Field.

Zach Gibbons leads the Wildcat hitters after five games  with a .409 batting average. Gibbons has nine hits in 22 trips to the plate and has scored seven runs. Bobby Dalbec and Willie Calhoun share the team  lead in RBI with five. Dalbec owns the only round-tripper hit by the Wildcats so far this season.

Wildcats win 2 of 3 over Kent State

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The University of Arizona 2014 baseball season is off and running.

The Wildcats capture their first three-game series, winning 2 of 3 over Kent State at Hi Corbett Field this weekend. Arizona won the season opener 13-1, dropped the middle game 14-5 and won the rubber game, 7-1. It was all good except for Saturday's encounter which saw the Wildcats pitching staff give up 11 runs in the first inning. Pretty tough to recover from that one.

Cody Ramer, Trent Gilbert and Zach Gibbons combined for 18 of Arizona's 37 hits in the series.

Wildcats slip to 4th in AP Basketball Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats slipped to fourth in the country in the latest AP poll. The double-overtime loss to ASU last Friday caused the Wildcats to drop two spots, behind No. 1 ranked Syracuse, second-ranked Florida and third-ranked Wichita State.

Guess who found its way to No. 5? You guessed it. The Duke Blue Devils.

Surprisingly, Arizona is receiving a little bit of respect. I expected the Wildcats to pop up in eighth or ninth place this week. A bad showing at Utah and Colorado next week could see our 'Cats fall out of the top 10.

With UCLA just one game back of Arizona in the race for the title in the Pac-12 conference, it goes without saying that the Wildcats need to string some wins together -- like six in a row would do the trick. After the Utes and the Buffaloes, Arizona will return home for its final home stand against California and Stanford…and then, it's back on the road to Oregon and the final two games of the regular season against the Ducks and the Beavers.

All six are winnable games, but it is also possible the Wildcats could drop four, or five, or all six!

I don't expect double-overtime games the rest of the way, but I do expect each game to go down to the wire. A blowout win is out of the question. Don't look for the rim to be friendly to the Wildcats in Salt Lake City and in Boulder. And, of course, playing in Eugene and Corvallis is no picnic.

I'm a diehard Arizona fan, but I will be at the edge of my seat when the Wildcats come home to tangle with Stanford and California. Wow! What a tough finish for our Wildcats. It was just two weeks ago, the 'Cats were rolling along unbeaten and then trouble struck with the loss of Brandon Ashley.

Now, I'm sitting here, typing away, talking about Arizona possibly finishing the regular season with a 23-8 record and instead of having the Pac-12 title in hand and a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament, there's a chance both of those milestones could slip away.

As I said earlier, six in a row would be nice. Five of six could still get it done -- thanks to the Wildcats win over UCLA earlier in the season. Win four of six and the Wildcats will need some help (as in losses down the stretch by the Bruins, the Bears and the Sun Devils).

Nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Wildcats!

Arizona State 69 Arizona 66

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Another poor shooting night for the Arizona Wildcats.

Arizona shoots 35 percent from the field. That's bad enough, but to miss 14 of 30 free throws is just plain unacceptable as the Wildcats lose 69-66 in double overtime to the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe tonight.

The Wildcats out rebounded the Sun Devils 54-35 and received double figure scoring from  T.J. McConnell (17), Nick Johnson (14), Aaron Gordon (13) and Kaleb Tarczewski (13), but received zero points off the bench and fall to 23-2 overall and 10-2 in the Pac-12 Conference.

Tarczewski and Gordon record double-doubles with 13 and 10 rebounds, respectively, while the fifth starter Rondae Hollis-Jefferson chipped in nine points and grabbed eight boards.

Arizona didn't have an answer for Jermaine Marshall, who led the Sun Devils with 29 points -- eight of those coming in the second overtime.

The Wildcats shot poorly from the outset, but somehow managed to hold a 26-21 lead at the end of the first half. The score was deadlocked at 51-all at the end of regulation.

Sean Miller said after the game that the missed shots wear on you after a while. It was a tough loss for the Wildcats as their lead in the Pac-12 Conference drops to just one game over the UCLA Bruins.

Arizona will tumble in the rankings on Monday. The Wildcats hit the road next week with games in Salt Lake City on Wednesday against Utah and on Saturday in Boulder against Colorado.

Finally, a blowout win!

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Finally, a blowout win!

The second-ranked Arizona Wildcats had an easy time of it at McKale Center tonight as they roll over visiting Oregon State 76-54 and improve their overall record to 23-1 and their Pac-12 Conference slate to 10-1.

Aaron Gordon broke out of a shooting slump with 17 points to lead the Wildcats, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson continued his outstanding overall play with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. T.J. McConnell and Nick Johnson chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, as the Wildcats had six players score eight or more points in the game.

Kaleb Tarczewski scored eight points and had seven rebounds, while Jordin Mayes came off the bench to tally nine points.

Arizona led at the half 37-27 and outscored the Beavers 39-27 in the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field (29 for 58) and out rebounded Oregon State, 39-24. The Wildcats dished out 15 assists -- six by McConnell.

Next up: Arizona State in Tempe on Friday.

Jefferson, Wildcats get it done

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is no longer the sixth man for the second-ranked Arizona Wildcats.

He is the man!

Jefferson, the new starting forward for the Wildcats, scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked two shots as Arizona held on to beat Oregon 67-65 at McKale Center tonight.

Arizona fans, take a deep breath. It going to be like this for the next eight Pac-12 Conference games. Especially, when the 'Cats give away 16 points from the foul line like they did tonight. The Wildcats were a dismal 19 of 35 from the charity stripe and the Ducks were able to hang around and almost pulled off the upset.

Fortunately, Mr. Jefferson, the replacement for former starter Brandon Ashley, who is out for the remainder of the season with a foot injury, got the job done tonight with a little help down the stretch from guard Nick Johnson, who canned five of six free throws in the final minute of play to keep the Ducks at bay.

Johnson, despite going 5 for 16 from the field, was the top scorer for the Wildcats with 18 points -- eight of those points coming from the foul line.  Center Kaleb Tarczewski scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while forward Aaron Gordon netted six points and grabbed eight boards, but went 2 for 11 from the foul line.

The new sixth man for the Wildcats, Gabe York, chipped in eight points and added three assists. The new seventh man, Elliot Pitts, added a three pointer and grabbed three rebounds.

The Wildcats (22-1 overall, 9-1 in the Pac 12 Conference), are battered and bruised as T.J. McConnell, who contributed six points, three assists and three boards, left the court at the end of the game with a sore back and Gordon is gimpy as well.

Way to go, Wildcats. Way to hang in there. Now, let's all take a deep breath and prepare for the Oregon State Beavers.

Aces let one get away at Santa Rita

TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)

60-and-over baseball


The 60-and-over Tucson Aces let one slip away at Santa Rita Park this morning.

It was all Aces early on as they jumped out to an 8-1 lead by the fourth inning and owned a 10-4 advantage when they took the field in the bottom of the sixth inning.

But the Old Pueblo Club came roaring back and tacked on five runs in the bottom of the sixth and were within one run at 10-9 when the seventh and final inning began.

The Aces countered with four more runs in the top of the seventh inning and enjoyed a 14-9 advantage when Old Pueblo came to bat for the last time. And then the roof caved in on the Aces. Old Pueblo took advantage of a couple of infield errors by the Aces and ended up plating six runs to win the game 15-14.

Frank Castillo, who took over for starting pitcher Chris Carino in the fourth inning, picked up the win for Old Pueblo, while Lloyd Barzell, who took over for the Aces' starter Arnie White in the fifth inning,  was saddled with the loss.

Castillo, the assistant baseball coach at Pueblo High School, and Old Pueblo catcher Mike Morales picked up key hits in the bottom of seventh inning which eventually led to the Aces (1-1) first loss of the year.

"Too many mental errors in the last inning cost us the win," said Aces manager Jerry Hamelin. 'We had  a chance for two double plays in the last inning and couldn't get the job done."

The Aces certainly had their hitting shoes on today as they banged out 19 hits. Bob Daliege had four hits, while Tim Tolson, Jim Sears and Pete Peters collected three hits apiece.

Wildcats No.2 in the nation

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats fall to No. 2 in the nation this week in the Associated Press Basketball Poll. Arizona's loss to California on Saturday opened the door for unbeaten Syracuse to move into the top spot.

The Florida Gators are third, unbeaten Wichita State fourth and San Diego State is ranked fifth this week. Villanova is ranked sixth, Cincinnati moves into the seventh spot, Kansas is eighth, Michigan State is ninth and Michigan is 10th.

Arizona owns victories over San Diego State and Michigan.

Arizona (21-1 overall and 8-1 in the Pac-12 Conference) have nine regular-season games left -- four at home and five on the road. The Wildcats will finish the year without Brandon Ashley, who is out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.

It'll be a tough task at home and away for the Wildcats. We'll find out if the 'Cats are up for the challenge this week at McKale Center as they take on Oregon and Oregon State.

Look for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to step it up a notch. It's also time for senior Jordin Mayes to log some productive minutes and look for Elliot Pitts to come off the bench and give the Wildcats a lift offensively.

Go get 'em, Wildcats!

Super Bowl XLVIII not very super

Super Bowl XLVIII


The ads were terrible and Bruno Mars is no James Brown.

And, of course, there was a game won by the Seattle Seahawks over the Denver Broncos, 43-8.

No suspense from the get go as Seattle jumps ahead 2-0 on the first play from scrimmage and post 41 more points to demolish the Broncos by 35 points as John Elway, brother Eli and a full house of mostly New York football fans witness the lopsided affair at MetLife Stadium.

Somehow Eli's brother, Peyton, breaks a Super Bowl record with 34 completions for 280 yards, but it was the Seattle defense which came through tonight, limiting Manning and the Broncos to one touchdown and a two-point conversion.

There was a movie a few year back called, Sleepless in Seattle, but the Seahawks were wide awake in East Rutherford, New Jersey tonight. The Broncos were sound asleep.

Down and out for the Super Bowl

What is going on?

I swear I have been sick with one thing or another since Christmas Day! And now here we are on Super Bowl Sunday and I'm in bed again…sick! I can't get well.

No football party for me. No football pools. No nothing. Just lay around and mope. And to make matters worse, my Arizona Wildcats lost last night and on Tuesday morning I'll pick up a paper and read about how Syracuse is the top dog in the country in college basketball, not Arizona.

I've tried to beat this cold, this virus, this feeling of fatigue without going to the doctor, but I may finally have to give in and go. There's so many things going on in my body it may take an hour just to give the doctor a run down of my symptoms.

In 2013, I considered myself one of the "iron men" on the Tucson Old Timers baseball team. I played in 106 games for the TOTS and to top it off played another 20 games with the 60-and-over Tucson Aces, a team which battles the south side senior teams -- the Arizona Rattlers and the Old Pueblo Club, once or twice a month. Add to that the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series last October in Phoenix, where I played for two weeks and competed with my Tucson teammates, playing 12 games in 10 days.

That's 138 games for this 68-year-old. I survived it all, but I can't beat this cold, this virus, the ache in my back and now a tooth problem which keeps me awake at night.

I'm afraid the doctor is just going to shake his head and tell me I'm old!

If the doctor will stay in the room long enough, I may mention to him that my thumb joints are killing me and my right foot, of which I had an operation on in 2012 is bothering me…again. I have a nose which can't decide if I should be allowed to breathe at night.

My muscles in my legs hurt and a lot of my flexibility is gone (not that I ever had much of that).

Somehow, someway I make it to the ball field and take the field alongside my teammates -- all of whom have problems of their own.

So, it's a familiar problem for us old-time ball players who refuse to give up the game of baseball. The question is: Will I go to the doctor on Monday morning or will I go play baseball?

Who's kidding who! If I can crawl out of bed, breathe, and can shake off all my problems from head to toe, I'll probably play baseball!

Top-ranked Arizona falls to California

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The winning streak is over!

Justin Cobbs sank a jumper with one second left on the clock as the California Bears beat the top ranked and unbeaten Arizona Wildcats 60-58 at Berkeley tonight.

Arizona (21-1 overall, 8-1 Pac-12) had a horrible shooting first half once again and lost starter Brandon Ashley to an ankle injury three minutes into the game. It was just too much for the Wildcats to overcome as they shoot just 32 percent from the field, canning just 20 of 62 field goal attempts.

The Wildcats went 16 for 16 at the free throw line and out rebounded the Bears 41-32 and had a shot to win the game when Nick Johnson put up a jumper with 17 seconds left and the score tied at 58-58.

Johnson, who went 1 for 14 from the field, watched his final shot of the game bounce off the rim and into the hands of California's Tyrone Wallace. Cobbs followed with his game-winner and the Bears had their upset of the No. 1 team in the country.

Cobbs finished the night with 19 points to lead all scorers and Kaleb Tarczewski hit 12 of 12 free throws and went 3 for 8 from the field for 18 points to lead the Wildcats.

The Wildcats will start a new streak next week as they come home to face Oregon and Oregon State.

It was a great run, Wildcats. Now go win the Pac-12 Conference Championship and the NCAA title!