The Final Four

2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament


University of Connecticut, Florida, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

Not exactly what I had envisioned.

The Huskies (30-8), the Gators (36-2), Wisconsin (30-7) and Kentucky (27-10)

A 7-seed, a 1-seed, a 2-seed and an 8-seed.

No Arizona, no Virginia and certainly not Wichita State.

What a fantastic tournament so far, despite the fact my Arizona Wildcats are gone.

Which team will win it all?  I'll go with the Kentucky Wildcats. But don't follow me. I missed 21 games so far. Warren Buffett said I didn't win a thing, but he said thanks for trying.

2014 Diamondbacks set for home opener

Arizona Diamondbacks

When Arizona Wildcats guard Nick Johnson missed his jumper at the buzzer in overtime, the season ended for the Arizona basketball team. Sent home by the Wisconsin Badgers. Another Elite Eight finish for our beloved Wildcats.

So, it's time to take a deep breath and focus on baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks. There is just 160 regular-season games left for the D'backs as they start the season in the United States Monday night at Chase Field against the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Arizona starts the season 0-2 after losses over a week ago in Australia to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

So, Paul Goldschmidt and Company get it on at 6:40 p.m. tomorrow night -- already without the likes of Patrick Corbin, out for the year after elbow surgery last Tuesday.

Mark Trumbo, A.J. Pollack and Gerardo Parra will roam the outfield this season, while Goldy will be at first base, Aaron Hill at second, Chris Owings at short and Martin Prado will share duties at third base with Eric Chavez. Miguel Montero will once again by the starting catcher, as for pitching, well let's just wait at see what happens there.

We know for sure right-hander Brandon McCarthy will get the start for Arizona Monday night. After that, well let's just wait and see.

Good luck, D'backs!

Photo: Another season begins for Kirk Gibson and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Great Season, Wildcats!

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Great season, Wildcats.

33-5

Pac-12 Champs

Reached the Elite Eight

I had a dream late last night that the entire starting five will return next season. In this day and age could that really happen? With the incoming players for 2014-15 everyone would be fighting for a starting position!

Sean Miller's practice sessions would be out of this world.

Can't wait until next year!

Note: I had a similar dream back in January. I dreamt Ka'Deem Carey was coming back!

Time runs out on the Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Time ran out on my Arizona Wildcats.

Wisconsin prevails in overtime 64-63 tonight in Anaheim in the NCAA West Region finale over the Wildcats. The Badgers move on to the Final Four, while the Wildcats head back to Tucson -- their season over at 33-5.

Arizona couldn't contain the Wisconsin big man, 7-footer Frank Kaminsky. To say he was a FORCE is an understatement. He scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and out dueled our big fella, Kaleb Tarczewski. The Zeus scored 12 points and hauled down four boards and our other big guy, Aaron Gordon, was a force on the boards as well with 18, but scored just eight points.

Nick Johnson led the Wildcats with 16 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson once again came off the bench to score 10 points. T. J. McConnell added nine points, but hit just 2 of 10 attempts from the field.

Still, Arizona had a chance to win the game and reach the Final Four. Kaminsky was the No.1 reason Arizona isn't going to the Final Four. The second reason: The Wildcats shooting. The Wildcats were 23 of 59 from the field and 12 of 17 from the foul line.

Still, Arizona's defense kept the Wildcats in the game. It seemed like Wisconsin shot better from the field, but they really didn't. The Badgers were 24-61 and Arizona had the edge in rebounds, 39-38. Arizona blocked five shots. Wisconsin none. Arizona had eight turnovers, Wisconsin had nine.

On paper, Arizona should have won the game. In my heart Arizona should have won the game.

In reality, Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers are going to the Final Four.

Photo below: Our cat, Max, is depressed over Arizona's loss to Wisconsin.

Wildcats will their way to the Elite 8

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


It was San Diego State's game to win.

The Aztecs 69-year-old coach Steve Fisher had it all figured out. Fisher had a plan in place to knock off the top seed in the NCAA West Region -- and he got a big boost when Arizona's best player fails to make a bucket for 37 minutes.

What Fisher hadn't counted on was the final two minutes and 45 seconds as Nick Johnson, who had been 0 for 10 from the field, scores 15 of Arizona's final 16 points and the Wildcats hung on for a 70-64 win in Anaheim tonight to advance to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament and a showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday in the West Region Final in Anaheim.

On a night when UCLA falls to Florida and Stanford falls to Dayton, Arizona and its coach, Sean Miller, survives to play another day -- now one win away from the Final Four! The Bruins are gone and the Stanford Cardinal can pack it up and head home, but not the WILDCATS!

The Wisconsin Badgers and the Arizona Wildcats. It should be a dandy, but could the game be as good as tonight's game which saw the aggressive Aztecs come out firing on all cylinders -- rebounding, hustling and making key baskets en route to a 32-28 halftime lead.

In the second half, Arizona fought back with an outstanding defensive effort to go along with Johnson's offensive spurt which included a lay-in, a three-pointer and 10 free throws! The Wildcats outscored the Aztecs 42-32 in the final 20 minutes as Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 15 points apiece, while point guard  T.J. McConnell, pressured all night by the Aztecs, finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Arizona (33-4) found a way to take down the fourth-seeded Aztecs (31-5), a team that played like a No. 1 seed for 37 minutes and 15 seconds. Unfortunately, for the Aztecs, the buzzer didn't sound until 40 minutes were exhausted on the clock.

Speaking of being exhausted. It's time for bed.

Way to go, Wildcats!
 

    

Wildcats fall to ASU

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Things continue to go downhill for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team.

Arizona stopped off in Tempe today and lost to Arizona State 14-6 and fall to 11-16 on the season. The game didn't count in the Pac-12 standings, so the Wildcats still sit at 1-5 in the conference.

Arizona made a game out of it, except for the bottom of the sixth inning when the Sun Devils plated 10 runs.

TOTS schedule night game for April 11

TOTS Senior Baseball Network

60-and-over baseball


The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) will schedule a night game at Udall Park on April 11. The TOTS held its first ever night game last November and 118 fans showed up to cheer on the old-timers.

Pregame warmups start at 6 p.m. and the game will get underway at 7 p.m. on the middle field, which is situated south of the Udall Senior Center. Little League games on the east and west fields are also scheduled and the concession stand will be open to the public.

The TOTS have been around since 1968 and are currently in their 46th season. Each TOTS' season last 12 months and the 60-and-over baseball club normally schedule its games every morning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

According to TOTS co-manager Jeff Rein the night game is a real crowd pleaser. "Everyone had a good time back in November, so we thought we'd try it again."

So, for all you baseball fans out there, come on down and enjoy an old-timers game.

"The Man with the Arc"

TOTS Senior Baseball Network

60-and-over baseball

Archie Burke will turn 82 in September.

A member of the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club since 1991, Archie will take the mound on occasion. The heavy hitters on the TOTS usually cringe when they find out the "ole right-hander from Wisconsin" will be toeing the rubber.

The reason the players hate to bat off him is due to the fact he doesn't throw a fastball. In fact his offerings are just the opposite as Burke unleashes a high arc and the ball seems to hang in thin air before it comes to rest just inches behind home plate.

Similar to the way the slow-pitch pitchers throw these days, only Archie lets go of the ball overhand!

Archie will turn a .500 hitter on the TOTS into a .189 hitter in a matter of just five at bats.

Some of the older TOTS have been known to fall asleep before one of Archie's pitches makes it to home plate. (Just kiddin' -- but you get the idea).

Just maybe Mr. Burke deserves a little credit and there may be a little "psychology" used as he hurls his way through a seven-inning game.

After all, Archie is a retired school teacher. He spent more than 30 years in the Tucson School District sizing up the kids every year in his classroom. Trying to maneuver the baseball around a bunch of old-timers may, in fact, be a piece of cake.

Case in point: Burke started today's TOTS game at Udall Park and was the winning pitcher as Team Blue edged Team White, 9-6. Right-hander Robert Royer, who will turn 77 in October, pitched a complete game for Team White but was saddled with the loss as Burke worked his "magic."

Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Archie grew up a Milwaukee Brewers fan and his love for the game of baseball has never wavered. With 23 years in the books, Archie figures he'll frustrate his TOTS' teammates for years to come with the "arc ball."

After all, it's no coincidence the first three letters in Archie's name spell, A-R-C!

Struggling Wildcats baseball team to battle ASU

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Not much to write about this week when it comes to the Arizona Wildcats baseball team.

To say the Wildcats are struggling is an understatement.

After three losses over the weekend to the Washington Huskies in Seattle, the Wildcats (11-15, 1-5) return to Arizona today but make a stop in Tempe for a 3 p.m. non-conference (it doesn't count in the Pac 12 standings) game against instate rival Arizona State University.

Feel sorry my 'Cats, but they have gone from an NCAA championship to a cellar dweller. It'll be a long season but hang in there, Wildcats!

Aces pound out 21 hits in win over Old Pueblo

Southwest Old Timers Baseball League

60-and-over baseball

Dennis Crowley, Tim Tolson, Ron Petersen and Pigpen Price combined for 12 of 21 hits as the Aces slammed the Old Pueblo Club, 16-6, today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Southwest Old Timers League game.

The Aces improved their record in the three-team Tucson senior league -- which includes the Aces, the Old Pueblo Club and the Arizona Rattlers -- to 2-2.

The Aces received solid pitching efforts from  Bob Daliege and Petersen. Daliege (top photo) pitched the first three innings and Petersen the final four frames. The Aces led 6-4 after three innings of play and Petersen (bottom photo), a lefty, allowed just two runs in his stint on the mound.

The Old Pueblo Club sent four pitchers to the mound, but it was right-handed starter Frank Castillo who was saddled with the loss as the Aces collected five runs in the second inning and five more in the fifth off reliever Mike Morales.

"It was kind of a payback," said Aces manager Jerry Hamelin. "We had a big lead against them at their place last month, but made some errors down the stretch and lost the lead and the game. Today, we almost played a perfect game."

Hamelin added that the Aces made just three infield errors, none of which proved costly. Offensively, the Aces had it going with double digit runs and hits, while coming up with key defensive plays.

The Aces outfielders, consisting of Brian Reilly in left, Jim Sears in left center, Dennis Crowley in right center and Petersen in right field, used their speed to run down a dozen fly balls, while the infield, comprised of Tolson at first, Dick Ducklow at second, Lloyd Barzell at short and Pigpen Price at third base, snuffed out a couple of Old Pueblo rallies with some defensive gems of their own.

Pete Peters once again handled the catching duties behind the plate. "It was a good game," said Peters. "Bob did well early on and Ron was fantastic in his four innings of work."

It's just the end of March and the Aces are off and running as most of the players on the Aces are in training mode for the next six months as they prepare for the 2014 MSBL World Series, scheduled for mid-October in Phoenix.

Good job, Aces! Keep it up!



 

Bracket busted!

March Madness


Like millions of others, my NCAA selections are out the window. How can anyone miss just one, or two...or three? I guess there are a few bracket punchers still in the running for some kind of prize, but certainly not the billion dollars that Warren Buffett has dangled in front of our faces.

I'll still be getting mortgage info from Quicken Loans for the next five years, reminding me of how stupid I was in my selections. I'm like 34 of 48 for goodness sake -- and I thought I knew my stuff!

My Final Four is still alive as we head to the Sweet Sixteen. Florida, Arizona, Michigan State and Louisville. Chances are one of those will go down this week and end what little bragging rights I have left.

To my credit, most of my losses were buzzer beaters. Ohio State in the second round, Syracuse in the third, Cincinnati falls to Harvard in Round 2, Stanford follows with a win over Kansas, Duke loses to Mercer, North Dakota State wins its opener...well, I could go on and on.

Still, there is nothing like March Madness. I'm on the edge of my seat as Ohio State's Aaron Craft misses a last-second layup...or Bryce Cotton, the former Tucson Palo Verde star, hit shot after shot, only to see his Providence team fall to Iowa State...or look on in awe as 14th-seeded Mercer surprises Duke, a third seed.

I even felt sorry (just for a moment) as Arizona State bows out of the tourney, losing a heart-breaker to Texas, 87-85 and you gotta love 12th-seeded Stephen F Austin, a surprise winner over VCU, and, of course what a great story line -- it is "Miller Time" as Archie Miller coaches his Dayton team to the Sweet Sixteen, while his "older brother" Sean, leads the Arizona Wildcats to the Sweet Sixteen with back-to-back wins over Weber State and Gonzaga.

The thing about it...we are just heating up. My goodness, this week we have Florida vs UCLA, Dayton vs Stanford, Virginia vs Michigan State, Iowa State vs UConn, Baylor vs Wisconsin, Tennessee vs Michigan, Arizona vs San Diego State and the one ESPN and the other networks can't stop talking about, Louisville and Kentucky.

Maybe, after Arizona stuffs the Aztecs and follows up with a win over Wisconsin (I'm guessing, it could very well be Baylor) to reach the Final Four...just maybe, the networks will start to give Arizona some LOVE!

Until then, all the TALK will continue to focus on the team east of the Rio Grande.

All I can say for now, is take a look at three of the Sweet Sixteen -- Arizona, UCLA and Stanford. Three teams from the Pac-12 Conference still standing and if all three are victorious this week, then those fans from the East Coast will have to stay up late to find out what is going on out WEST!

As for my Arizona Wildcats, I can't wait until Thursday morning. Go get 'em 'Cats!

Arizona zigs, zags and steals its way to Sweet Sixteen

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats stole the show in San Diego tonight as they zigged and zagged their way to the Sweet Sixteen with a 84 -61 third-round NCAA Tournament win over Gonzaga.

The 'Cats stole the ball from the Zags 15 times, blocked eight shots and flustered a very good Gonzaga basketball team into committing 21 turnovers. Arizona led by 28 with two minutes to go in the game when the Wildcats coach Sean Miller called timeout and made wholesale substitutions.

Five Arizona players scored in double figures with Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson leading the way with 18 points apiece. Nick Johnson scored 17, T.J. McConnell pumped in 12 and Gabe York added 11 as Arizona shot 49 percent from the field, hitting 32 of 65 attempts.

Arizona dished out 24 assists with Gordon and McConnell tying for honors in that department with six apiece.

Arizona (32-4) move on to the Sweet Sixteen and a meeting next Thursday in Anaheim against a familiar foe, San Diego State (31-4).

Way to go, Wildcats! Congrats also to Stanford (23-12) and UCLA (28-8) for making the Sweet Sixteen as well.

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

It comes down to a battle on Sunday in the third round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament between the Arizona Wildcats and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Top-seeded Arizona upended pesky 16th-seeded Weber State in San Diego today 68-59, while the 8th-seeded Bulldogs clawed their way to an 85-77 win over the 9th-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys. The winner on Sunday advances to the Sweet Sixteen and the loser will call it a season.

The Bulldogs and the Wildcats are a lot alike. Gonzaga has a couple of big fellas in 7-1 Przemek  Karnowski and 6-9 Sam Dower -- both players handle things under the bucket, while Arizona will counter with 7-0 Kaleb Tarczewski and the athletic 6-9 forward Aaron Gordon.

Out front Arizona will have Nick Johnson, T.J. McConnell and Gabe York, while the Bulldogs have their own trio of guards in David Stockton, son of former NBA star John Stockton, Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr.

Today, Arizona held off Weber State as four players scored in double figures with Johnson and Gordon leading the way with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Tarczewski chipped in 10 points, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson came off the bench and pumped home 13 points. York was a factor as well with nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

Arizona shot 55 percent (26 for 47) from the field, while limiting Weber State to just 30 percent (16 for 53). Arizona did let up on the gas pedal in the second half. The Wildcats led by 21 at one point.

They will need to find cruise control against the Bulldogs.

Wildcats head for Seattle with an under .500 record

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats will head for Seattle this week for a three-game series with the Washington Huskies. Sporting a 11-12 record after losing two of three to Washington State earlier in the week and a single game 3-1 loss yesterday to Grand Canyon.

The Wildcats, 1-2 in Pac-12 play,  simply aren't hitting the ball. Maybe a week away from Hi Corbett Field will do them good.

Scott Kingery leads the Wildcats in hitting after 23 games with a .434 batting average.

My Final Four!

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


My Final Four picks for the 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament -- Arizona, Florida, Michigan State and Louisville.

I heard on the news this morning that President Obama selected the same four teams.

I must be on the right track.

My first-round, make that second-round winners, for March Madness

March Madness

I'm not going to go crazy and enter numerous pools this year.

I'll enter the Warren Buffett/Quicken Loans Billion Dollar extravaganza and my local paper, the Arizona Daily Star, has its annual "fill in the blanks for fun" -- better known "March Fever" $1,000,000  Challenge.

And to make it simple, I'll pencil in the same picks for both. No reason to get a headache over all this.

First of all, I want my Arizona Wildcats to win it all. That alone drops my chances of winning the "big bucks."

The chances of getting every pick right and having Arizona win it all would be like getting hit by lightning four times on a Sunday afternoon or batting a THOUSAND on my 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers baseball team for 12 straight months.

I don't know about the lightning, but it's a safe bet on the latter, since I haven't strung together four hits in a row in months.

So, here goes. The following are my first-round, make that second-round picks (don't forget those play-in games are now called the first-round games).

In the South and East: I pick Florida over Albany/St. Mary's, Pittsburgh over Colorado, VCU over Stephen F. Austin, UCLA over Tulsa, Ohio State over Dayton, Syracuse over Western Michigan, New Mexico over Stanford, Kansas over Eastern Kentucky, Virginia over Coastal Carolina, Memphis over George Washington, Cincinnati over Harvard, Michigan State over Delaware, Providence over North Carolina, Iowa State over N.C.Central, UConn over St. Joseph's and Villanova over Milwaukee.

In the West and Midwest: I pick Arizona over Weber State, Oklahoma State over Gonzaga, Oklahoma over North Dakota State, San Diego State over New Mexico State, Baylor over Nebraska, Creighton over La-Lafayette, Oregon over BYU, Wisconsin over American, Wichita State over Cal Poly/Texas Southern, Kentucky over Kansas State, Saint Louis over NC State/Xavier, Louisville over Manhattan,  Massachusetts over Iowa/Tennessee, Duke over Mercer, Texas over Arizona State and Michigan over Wofford.

There you have it. Chances are I'll be lucky if I'm right on 26 of 32 of the above picks.

Trust me, this year there will be plenty of upsets and I've pretty much latched on to the FAVORITES in the first round. If I would happen to be lucky enough to go 32 out of 32, then chances are I'll be glued to my Vizio for the third-round.

My heart is with my Arizona Wildcats to run the table. The minute they go down,  I'll hide my head in my pillow and try to get over the LOSS!

But as of today, 68 teams are alive and well...and can live the dream.

Nothing like March Madness!

Future TOT watches Grandpa wallop homer

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

There is always a player named Tolson on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club roster.

Brad Tolson, an outstanding pitcher for the University of Arizona in the early 1950s, has been a member of the TOTS organization since 1991. He just recently retired from active duty, so to speak, handing over the reins to his son Tim Tolson, 61, who is now the top home run hitter on the TOTS.

Tim, a hard-hitting lefty, has been an official member of the TOTS since he turned 60, and just about every month since he joined the organization, he's clobbered a home run or two, three...sometimes four.

Most of Tim's homers sail over the right field fence at Udall Park, and many keep rolling for another 20 or 30 feet. The Udall fence is 300 feet from home plate, but the 61-year-old can pound 'em into the trees and has been known to break a branch or two.

Today, Tim hit another one. This time, his two-year-old grandson, Tim (see above photo), was in the stands and witnessed his grandpa's power swing.

Young Timothy is just 58 years away from becoming a TOT!

Arizona gets No. 1 seed out West

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The fourth-ranked Arizona Wildcats gain the No. 1 seed out West!

The Wildcats head for San Diego for the first-round of the 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament and will take on 16th-seed Weber State on Friday.

Two teams named the WILDCATS!

Arizona just may be the headliner in the softest of the four regions. The top four seeds: Arizona, Florida (South), Wichita State (Midwest) and Virginia (East).

Go get 'em, Wildcats. Arizona Wildcats...that is!



Other Pac-12 team in the Big Dance: (first-round games)

UCLA vs Tulsa

Colorado vs Pittsburgh

Stanford vs New Mexico

Arizona State vs  Texas

Oregon vs  BYU

The free throw that went nowhere

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


I woke up in the middle of the night haunted by Aaron Gordon's free throw in the first half...the one which didn't bounce off the backboard or the rim.

Now, I've seen the ball halt game action many a time by a field goal attempt that somehow sticks to the backboard and rim, but I can't recall a free throw attempt doing the same.

The Wildcats clang 10 of 16 free throws last night in the Pac-12 title game against UCLA -- some of the attempts spun out...or bounced off the front of the rim...or, you name it, 10 misses all failed in some way to find the netting.

But, the one which STUCK! Now that is priceless.

After the selection show this afternoon, maybe I'll take a nap. Hopefully, the Wildcats will be implanted as the No. 1 Seed with a first-round matchup in San Diego and all will be forgotten.

Please, no more CLANGS or THUDS the rest of the way!

Bruins upset 4th-ranked Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


UCLA beat the 4th-ranked Arizona Wildcats 75-71 in Las Vegas today to capture the Pac-12 Tournament Championship.

After allowing just 39 points to Utah in the quarterfinals and 43 points to Colorado in the semifinals, Arizona gives up 43 precious points to UCLA in the first half and ends up losing the tourney title and, more than likely, will lose the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Hopefully, Arizona's body of work this season which includes 30 wins and just four losses will be good enough to get them one of the four No. 1 seeds at the Big Dance.

The Wildcats will know by late tomorrow afternoon where they stand.

UCLA had a lot to do with the final score.  Kyle Anderson, who scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, led the Bruins offensively as UCLA had just enough in the tank to outscore the Wildcats in the second half, 32-31.

Still, Arizona had its chances to win the game and the Pac-12 tournament title, but the Wildcats shoot just 35 percent from the foul line.  Arizona makes just six of 16 attempts!

Nick Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, while Kaleb Tarczewski added 12 points to go along with his seven rebounds. Aaron Gordon and Gabe York added 11 points apiece. Gordon led the Wildcats in rebounding with eight, but his 2 for 8 performance from the foul line was costly.

Coach Sean Miller said his team learned a few things tonight and will be ready to go come NCAA Tournament time next week.

The Wildcats will start fresh. A new six-game winning streak would be nice.

Wildcats roll into Pac-12 Conference title game

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


An Aaron Gordon highlight reel BLOCK!

A one-handed dunk by Nick Johnson!

A stuff by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

A spinning baseline layup by Jordin Mayes!


Should I go on!

What happened on the basketball court tonight in Las Vegas at the Pac-12 semifinal between the Arizona Wildcats and the Colorado Buffaloes, isn't something you keep quiet about -- especially if you're an Arizona fan.

So, let's tell the world that what happens in Las Vegas, doesn't necessarily stay in Vegas as the Wildcats blow by Colorado 63-43 to advance to the tournament final, set for Saturday at 3 p.m. against UCLA.

The Buffaloes stayed with the Wildcats in the first half and went to the locker room trailing the defensive-minding Wildcats by a score of 27-24.

In the second half, it was all ARIZONA!

The Wildcats (30-3) shoot 60 percent  in the second half and allow the Buffaloes (23-11) to make just five shots in 22 attempts. Arizona connected on 23 of 49 field goal attempts on the night -- including 6 of 17 from three-point range, while limiting Colorado to 29 percent from the field (15 for 51).

Johnson led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points, while T.J. McConnell and Hollis-Jefferson chipped in 12 points apiece.  Gordon shined as well with nine points, nine rebounds, a hand full of blocks and three assists.

Oh, yes! Mr. Mayes comes off the bench to score six points, grabs two rebounds and adds an assist. After all, it's March Madness and that's when Mayes is at his best.

Got to love it!

1st-half perfection as Arizona Wildcats crush Utah

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats showed why they are ranked No. 4 in the nation today in Las Vegas as they crushed Utah 71-39 in a quarterfinal matchup at the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament.

Arizona allowed the Utes to score just 13 points in the first half -- a Pac 12 Tournament record and then went out to win by 32 points to tie another record.

It was a picture-perfect first half as the defensive-minded Wildcats put on a clinic, allowing the Utes to score just five field goals while storming to a 34-13 advantage by halftime.

ESPN should have a field day sorting out which dunk, fast break and defensive gem to show on Sports Center tonight. Nick Johnson (14 points, three rebounds, three assists), T.J McConnell (13 points, four assists), Aaron Gordon (11 points, seven rebounds), Kaleb Tarczewski (nine points, five rebounds) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (seven points and eight rebounds) gave all the sports networks plenty of highlights to choose from.

The Wildcats looked more like the No. 1 team in the nation by the end of the game -- not No. 4. They were that good. Arizona (29-3) will take on Colorado in the semifinals tomorrow night at 6 p.m. with a chance to win No. 30 and instill in the minds of the powers-to-be for an overall No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA Tournament.

Villanova (28-4), ranked third in the country, went down today to Seton Hall, 64-63. Top-ranked Florida (29-2) battles Missouri tomorrow and, of course, second-ranked Wichita State (34-0) has run the table and now await a first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 1 overall seed may still be up in the air, but the Wildcats' will certainly be the No. 1 seed out west. So, start packing, Arizona fans. It's time for the Big Dance.

Newman now Wildcats' leader in RBI

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats will take a 10-9 non-conference record into their first Pac-12 Conference matchup this weekend with Washington State.

Arizona walloped Air Force 14-2 on Tuesday and 10-2 on Wednesday to edge back over the .500 mark for the season.

Kevin Newman is the Wildcats RBI leader with 20 as the shortstop knocked in three runs during the two-game series with Air Force.

Eddie Leon, George Arias to be co-speakers at TOTS luncheon

TOTS Senior Baseball Network 

60-and-over baseball

Eddie Leon (top photo) and George Arias (bottom photo), two former local baseball stars and former major league players, will be the guest speakers at the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) annual luncheon, set for April 26, 2014 at Vivace Restaurant.

Vivace will be moving in mid March from its present location  at 4310 North Campbell to 6440 North Campbell, taking over the building which once housed Anthony's in the Catalinas, another well-known Tucson restaurant which closed its doors in September of 2013.

The luncheon gets underway at noon.

Over the years, the TOTS have been honored with well-known guest speakers, most of them professional baseball players, former Tucson sports stars and local coaches. In recent years, the TOTS, a 60-and-over baseball club in its 46th year, has had the honor of having the likes of Jerry Stitt (2013), Ted Fowler (2012), Jeano Savard (2011), Tom Waddell (2010), Ed Vosberg (2009), Jack Howell (2007), Chip Hale (2005) and Leon, way back in 1996.

Back in 1985, the TOTS were honored with the great Bob Feller as guest speaker. Other notable speakers included Mike Feder (1994), Jerry Kindall (1995), Mike Candrea (1998), Dick Tomey (1999) and Arizona Daily Star sports reporter Abe Chanin (2000).

As for Mr. Leon, he was a star at Tucson High School and at the University of Arizona before embarking on an eight-year major league career with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees.

Mr. Arias, was a baseball star at Pueblo High School and the University of Arizona. He went on to play in the Major Leagues between 1996 and 1999 -- first, with the California Angels and then ended his career in the MLB with the San Diego Padres.

George went on to play in Japan. He played in 639 games in Japan and finished his career there with a .259 batting average, while hitting 169 home runs and knocking in 436 runs.

It'll be a pleasure to have Eddie and George at the 2014 TOTS luncheon.

Air Force up next for Arizona's baseball team

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Arizona won two, lost two over the weekend and drop to 8-9 on the season. The Wildcats split with 12th-ranked Mississippi State (12-3, 2-10) and Santa Barbara (10-5, 4-6).

Scott Kingery and Trent Gilbert are 1 and 2, respectively, in batting average after 17 games. Kingery is batting .419 (26 for 62), while Gilbert is hitting .406 (28 for 69).

The Wildcats host Air Force on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hi Corbett Field. Tuesday night's game gets underway at 6 p.m. while Wednesday's game is set for 1 p.m.

Arizona drops to 4th in AP Poll, but remain in 1st in RPI rankings

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Arizona split with the Oregon schools last week and dropped a notch in the Associated Press poll, but the Wildcats remain first in the RPI rankings.

Still in line for a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats play Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. The Wildcats will take on the winner of Wednesday's first-round matchup between Utah and Washington.

The top-10:

1. Florida 2. Wichita State 3. Villanova 4. Arizona 5. Louisville 6. Virginia 7. Duke 8. Michigan 9. San Diego State 10. Kansas.

Arizona owns wins over three of the top 10 -- Duke, Michigan and San Diego State.

TOTS pitcher tosses a shutout

TOTS Senior Baseball Network

60-and-over baseball

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS), the oldest organized baseball team in the country, play in the neighborhood of 144 games a year. Three games a week for 52 weeks (subtract for a few rainouts, but not many).

Very seldom is a shutout thrown. I mean, let's face it the guys range in age from 60 to 88 and there's bound to be a "bundle of errors" during a seven-inning, two-hour game.

But not today.

Lefty Dennis Crowley, 64, found the groove at Udall Park this morning as he went the distance, hurling a nine-hit shutout, while striking out five and walking just three batters.

The final score: Team Blue 10 Team White  0.

Of course Crowley had a lot of help from his teammates. First of all 61-year-old Tim Tolson singled, doubled and tripled and drove in three runs, giving the lefty all the runs he would need. Team Blue tacked on another seven for good measure.

Secondly, the Team Blue infield --comprised of 88-year-old Floyd Lance at first base, Bob Stofft, 75, at second, Jim Sears, 67,  at shortstop and Pigpen Price, 68, at third -- kept the Team White hitters from plating runs.

The Team Blue outfield led by left fielder Carl Brutovsky, 77, center fielder Danny Boxberger, 63,  and right fielder Jesse Ochoa , 63, kept the Team White hitters from taking the extra base. Team White loaded the bases three times, but failed to get a run home.

Shutout! It doesn't happen very often, but today was the day.

Congrats, Mr. Crowley on a job well done.

The Amazin' Race

TOTS Senior Baseball Network

60-and-over baseball

The Tucson Old Timers play at Udall Park three times a week and it doesn't take the players long to find out who's the fastest 60-and-over old timer. There are a few players -- closer to the age of 60 -- who can flat out run. The 70-and-over and the 80-and-over players, well let's just say the old legs aren't what they used to be.

On the other end of the spectrum are the "few good men" considered the slowest of the slowest. So this morning after the TOTS' game a race was held to determine the most fleet footed of the slow guys.

The four runners (using the word runners lightly) were 82-year-old Jerry Smarik, 87-year-old Jack Glickman, 76-year-old Bobby Katz and the youngest of the four speedsters (again, using the word lightly),  65-year-old Chuck Sabalos.

Sabalos, a retired Superior Court Judge for the State of Arizona, recently returned to the TOTS after undergoing extensive foot surgery. He has a couple of screws in his right foot and will never be able to "run" like he once did as a catcher on his Tucson Rincon High School baseball team.

"I just kinda wobble to first base," Sabalos said, after today's race. "It's going to be practically impossible to beat out a ball hit to an infielder. But, I can hit and I can handle things behind the plate. So, I guess I'm back."

Runner #2: Smarik, a retired Navy man and a retired postal inspector (one of those double-dippers) has a couple of nicknames on the TOTS. He's referred to as the "rocket" because he once said he needed one up his butt to get to first base. He's also affectionately called "the turbo turtle."

Runner #3: Katz, nicknamed "Gunner" is a former Marine and he knows full well that he is not blessed with a lot of speed, so he's developed a keen eye at the plate and leads the TOTS every year in walks.

Runner #4 Then there's Mr. Glickman. He's affectionately known as "Jack the Ripper." Every time he steps to the plate, Glickman carries with him the heaviest and longest bat available. Still, he pulls the ball down the third baseline on just about every swing. His problem, like the above players, is getting to first base before being thrown out.

So there you have it. Now, let's get on with the race.

In above photo, Sabalos (on the far left) got off to a good start, as did Glickman (2nd from the left), while Smarik (2nd from the right) stumbled out of the gate. On the far right, Katz took off slowly, but gained momentum as they headed from the third baseline to the finish line, which was predetermined to be the edge of the grass infield between first and second base.

The "Amazin' Race" took about eight seconds, maybe nine. Oh heck, let's make it an even 10 seconds.

The winner: Bobby Katz by a nose.

Smarik finished runner-up, Glickman held on for third with Sabalos finishing fourth.

There were no trophies issued -- just bragging rights for Mr. Katz.

The four speedsters will rest up and be back at it on Wednesday, the next scheduled TOTS' game.

Hats off to all four for a job well done.

Arizona finishes regular season 28-3

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats lose in Eugene today to the Oregon Ducks, 64-57.

Some will say the Ducks wanted it more, but I've watched my Wildcats all season long and they never give up…the 'Cats wanted to win their final regular-season game of the year just as much as Oregon did.

Oregon made the three-pointers and Arizona didn't, simple as that. Tough court, physical game and just maybe Arizona ran out of gas in the second half and lost to a very good team on THEIR home court.

Despite the loss, Arizona, ranked third in the nation, finishes 28-3 and own the Pac-12 Conference title. I like their position and they earned it. Three losses. All of them away from home and in all three games against  California, Arizona State and now the Ducks -- the home team had to fight tooth and nail to beat the Wildcats.

Despite the loss, Arizona should receive a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face a 16th seed in the first round. Yes, I like their position.

Would I like to see the Wildcats win next week's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas? Sure I would. But if they fall in the quarterfinals or in the semifinals, I still like their position.

I love my Wildcats and I'm ready for March Madness.

Baby Bull out duels Pigpen in TOTS thriller

TOTS Senior Baseball Network

60-and-over baseball

The Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball game came down to the wire this morning at Udall Park.

Team Blue had taken a 5-3 lead into the top of the seventh inning,  thanks to run-scoring singles by 61-year-old Tim Tolson and 88-year-old Floyd Lance, giving their starting pitcher, Pigpen Price, 68, a cushion.

It had been a long game for Price who was nursing a sore pitching arm from the get go, but yet here he was in the bottom of the seventh with a chance to pick up a win. "I was hurting every time I tried to throw a fastball, so I started the batters off with some slow curves and every now and then -- if I was lucky enough to get two strikes on them, then I'd rare back and throw a hard one."

The strategy had worked for 6 2/3 innings, but the problem was Price needed to reach back and fire a couple of hard ones to get the final out. With two runners on and the score Team Blue 5, Team White 4, Price faced hard-hitting Dick "Double D" Ducklow.

Price had kept the ball away from Ducklow in the previous at bats by using the off-speed pitches, but this time the "sore armed" right-hander tried to get the fastball by him. "Whack!" The 73-year-old Ducklow got just enough of the pitch to pound it over the head of the shortstop, two runs scored and Team White wins it 6-5.

"It was one of the best games of the year," said "Baby Bull" Barzell, the winning pitcher. Barzell, 64, who went the distance for Team White, added,  "It was a real pitching duel." Barzell, winner of three games in February, evened the score with Price, who won the last outing between the two.

This time Baby Bull gest the win over Pigpen.

Price added, "I guess the next time we go at it, we'll have to call it the rubber game."

The fact that it is or isn't a "rubber game" is up for interpretation. The baseball term has been around for a long time and usually means the third game of a three-game series, after both teams had split the first two games.

Some say the term came from England in the 1500s and had to do with lawn bowling.

Wherever the origin, it matters very little to Baby Bull and Pigpen. But one things is for sure, the next time they take the mound against each other, they'll toe the rubber.

Photos: (Top) Baby Bull Barzell, (Bottom) Pigpen Price

Struggling Wildcats to face 12th-ranked Mississippi State

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


To say the University of Arizona's baseball team is struggling may be an understatement.

The Wildcats, after series' losses to Seton Hall and Long Beach State, find themselves up against 12th-ranked Mississippi State tonight at Hi Corbett Field. Game time 7 p.m.

Arizona, loser of five straight and sporting a 6-7 record, will have its hands full against the Bulldogs. The Wildcats will play a two-game affair with Mississippi State and then close out the weekend with a two-game set with Santa Barbara, a team with a 7-1 record.

The Wildcats could right the ship by upsetting the Bulldogs, but they need to find their hitting shoes and shore up their defensive play.

Good luck, Wildcats. Let's turn it around.

Johnson scores 25 as Wildcats edge OSU

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


It is always a good day when the Arizona Wildcats win and the Duke Blue Devils lose.

The third-ranked Wildcats fought off the Beavers last night in Corvallis, Oregon and improved their overall record to 28-2 and their Pac-12 Conference record to 15-2 with a 74-69 win over Oregon State, while 3,000 miles away in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, it is an upset win for Wake Forest as they take down the fourth-ranked Blue Devils, 82-72.

Duke falls to 23-7 overall and 12-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Please tell me Duke will not be ranked fourth when the AP Poll comes out on Monday.

So much for the soap box, let's get back to Corvallis.

With the Pac-12 title in hand and two games left on the regular schedule, Arizona had trouble putting the Beavers away. The Wildcats led at the half 36-33 and didn't pull away from the Beavers until the final minute of play, thanks to three key free throws from Nick Johnson, who ended the night with 25 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.

Arizona made it a little more interesting by missing 11 of 30 free throws, while being out rebounded, 43-34. To the Wildcats credit, they turned the ball over just eight times, while the Beavers fell victim to Arizona's tough defense and turned the ball over 17 times.

Once again Arizona received balanced scoring as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson chipped in 13 points, while Kaleb Tarczewski and Gabe York added 12 points apiece. T.J. McConnell scored four points and dished out eight assists, while Aaron Gordon tallied eight points.

And now it's on to Eugene for the final game of the regular season on Saturday against the Oregon Ducks.

Go get 'em, Wildcats!

Pistol Pete Peters firing on all cylinders for the Tucson Old Timers

TOTS Senior Baseball Network

60-and-over baseball

Pistol Pete Peters turns 65 on March 24 and is one of the top hitters on the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club. Peters, from Fairfield, Iowa, is always among the leaders when it comes to at bats, runs, hits and runs batted in.

During the month of February, Peters stepped it up a notch. The batting statistics for the month show the hard-hitting right-hander finished the 28-day period with a .754 average. He led the club in at bats with 46 and hits with 31. In the 12 games he played in, Peters scored 21 runs and knocked in 15 runs. He also recorded five doubles, a triple and one inside-the-park home run.

Peters even tried his luck on the mound, winning two games and losing one.

But it was at the plate where he made the most noise.

Peters joined the TOTS in 2011 and it took him a while to get in "the groove." After many, many years of fast pitch softball, it took him a good number of at bats to find that elusive baseball swing.

"It's a different ball game all right," says Peters. "But I love baseball and enjoy my time with the TOTS.

As for the TOTS' pitching staff, they're used to Pistol Pete pounding the ball.

In his first full season in 2012, Peters played in 71 games and batted a hefty .512 and he followed that up in 2013 with a .518 batting average for 119 games.

He is certainly off to a great start in 2014 with 53 hits in 89 at bats -- a .595 average!

Way to go, Pete…and, Happy Birthday!

Rattlers edge Aces

TOTS Senior Baseball Network

60-and-over baseball


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

The Aces led 6-0 after two innings of play, but tacked on just one run the rest of the way, falling to the visiting Arizona Rattlers, 9-7.

Chuy Rodriquez and Jerry Wessels singled in runs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 7-7 tie to give the Rattlers the two-run lead and then reliever George Gafner, who came on in the fifth inning in place of Wessels survived the bottom of the seventh inning after giving up a one-out double to deep center field to the Aces Jim Sears.

Unfortunately for the Aces, Sears ended up stranded at second as Dennis Crowley grounded out to third for the second out and Dick Ducklow flied to left field to end the game.

"We let another one get get away from us," said the Aces manager Jerry Hamelin. "That's two games in a row we've held big leads but couldn't finish it off."

Arnie White went the distance for the Aces and was saddled with the loss, while Gafner, a hard throwing right-hander, picked up the win for the Rattlers.

It looked early on like the Aces (1-2) would pick up their second win of the young season as they loaded the bases in the first two innings thanks to timely hitting from Tim Tolson, Pigpen Price, Lloyd Barzell, Bob Daliege, Dohrman Sinclair, Pete Peters, Sears, Crowley and Ducklow.

The Aces tangle with two south-side 60-and-over teams during the year. The Aces won the season opener with a convincing 11-3 win over the Rattlers back in January and dropped an encounter in February to the Old Pueblo Club, 15-14.

The Aces will be out to right the ship when they take on the Old Pueblo Club on Tuesday, March 25.  

Arizona's baseball team struggling at 6-5

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Not a very good start to the 2014 college baseball season for our Arizona Wildcats.

The 'Cats enter the week with a 6-5 record after losing three games over the weekend to visiting Seton Hall.

Scott Kingery and Zach Gibbons are the top two hitters for the Wildcats after 11 games. Kingery is batting .439 and Gibbons .419. Both players are tied in hits with 18. Arizona is batting .327 as a team, but seem to have issues on the mound. Arizona's pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.41 with Jim Farris and Cody Hamlin tied for the best won-loss record at 2-1.

Long Beach State will be in town Tuesday and Wednesday for two games. Tuesday's game gets underway at Hi Corbett Field at 6 p.m. and Wednesday's start time will be at noon.

Does Duke deserve a No. 4 ranking?

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Duke has a great college basketball program. So does Arizona.

No doubt about it.

But if Arizona had six losses at this point of the season, would the Wildcats still be ranked in the top 10?  I doubt it. Duke is ranked fourth this week in the AP Poll, behind No.1 Florida, No. 2 Wichita State and No. 3 Arizona.

Duke will continue to get the respect -- that East Coast bias raises its ugly head time and time again. Arizona will get the respect it deserves only after the Wildcats reach the Final Four and win the darn thing.

And tbe Oscar goes to the Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


And the Oscar goes to the Arizona Wildcats.

Oops! A confusing night on the tube.

With the Academy Awards running parallel to the Arizona-Stanford basketball game at McKale tonight, it turns out to be our Wildcats who take home the big prize as they roll past the Cardinal 79-66 to capture the Pac-12 Conference title and the top seed for the upcoming conference tournament to be held in Las Vegas March 12-15.

Aaron Gordon led the way tonight with 19 points and 15 rebounds as the Wildcats improve their overall record to 27-2 and their conference slate to 14-2. Just two games remain on the regular schedule for Arizona with games at Oregon and Oregon State  next week.

If Arizona can continue its winning ways, there's a good chance the Wildcats could end up with a No.1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats are certainly clicking on all cylinders with blowout wins over Colorado, California and now, Stanford. Arizona coach Sean Miller said after the game, "the season is far from being over. Let's hope this is the beginning of a long, long run."

March Madness is here!