Old-fashioned pitching duel at Udall Park

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball


It was an old-fashioned pitching duel at Udall Park on Monday in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball game.

Two hard-throwing right-handers -- Bob Daliege, 66, and Pigpen Price, 69, went the distance in a nip-and-tuck battle to the wire. After seven innings and two hours and fifteen minutes of play, Price and Team Blue wins it 5-4 over Daliege and Team White.

Jesse Ochoa, 62, led Team Blue with two hits in three trips to the plate and drove in two runs.

Photos: (top) Bob Daliege, (bottom) Pigpen Price

Pitchers hard to find on 60-and-over baseball club

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball


The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club plays at Udall Park three days a week and they play all 12 months of the year. That's a minimum of 144 games (minus a few rain outs, of course).

The baseball club, which has been around since 1968, is very seldom short of players. The TOTS have close to 60 members, including many members who spend their winters in the Old Pueblo. On an average, the TOTS will field two teams (Team Blue and Team White) with anywhere from 10 to 12 to a squad on a normal playing day.

The problem is: finding pitchers.

It's not easy to find an old timer who can take the mound and throw for seven innings. And you can pretty much forget the Major League Baseball rule of thumb of five days of rest between starts. Chances are if you throw for the TOTS you have a rubber arm. There's no pitch count with this 60-and-over baseball club.

A few of the young fellas (60 to 65) may even throw on Monday, on Wednesday and finish out the week tossing a few innings on a Friday. Or, maybe it'll be a Friday start, followed by a Monday start.

The 2015 TOTS are down to nine pitchers, the "Golden-armed 9" -- seven gutsy right-handers and two hard-throwing lefties.

Leading the TOTS pitching staff is 72-year-old right-hander Doc Thompson -- the only member of the TOTS with professional pitching credentials. Doc pitched two years of Class A ball in 1964 and 1965 as a member of the Minnesota Twins affiliate -- Bismarck-Manden Pards (1964) and Wisconsin Rapids (1965). Doc pitched 331 innings in his two-year minor league career, with a won-loss record of 16-22 and an ERA of 2.75. Doc is from Roland, Iowa.

DeLon "Doc" Thompson

Second in the TOTS rotation is 76-year-old right-hander Chico Bigham from Monroe, North Carolina.

The rest of the pitching staff includes:

Bob Daliege, a 66-year-old right-hander from Chicago, Illinois.

Lloyd "Baby Bull" Barzell, a 64-year-old right-hander from Bronx, New York.

Dennis Crowley, a 65-year-old left-hander from Boston, MA.

Pigpen Price, a 69-year-old right-hander from Little Rock, Arkansas.

Ron Petersen, a 70-year-old left-hander from Lamars, Iowa.

Danny Lundwall, a 69-year-old right-hander from Muskegon, Michigan.

and last, but not least, 85-year-old, 105 pounds of trouble, right-hander Billy Heiny, the true rubber arm on the club. "Give the ball to, Billy." Billy is from Terre Haute, Indiana.

Feller tosses no-hitter on opening day, April 16,1940

Games of the past

Opening day: April 16, 1940


The 2015 Major League Baseball season gets underway on the 6th of April.

Another season of baseball.

Can't wait!

On opening day, April 16, 1940, Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians tossed a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. Feller struck out eight batters and walked five. The only run was scored in the top of the fourth inning on a single by Jeff Heath and a run-scoring triple by Rollie Hemsley.

The game was played in Comiskey Park in front of 14,000 roaring fans.

Arizona wins 1 of 3 with Sun Devils

Arizona Wildcats Softball


The Arizona Wildcats win 11-1 today at Hillenbrand Stadium and salvage 1 of 3 with the Arizona State Sun Devils this weekend.

The Wildcats improve to 28-9 overall and 3-3 in Pac-12 play.

Hallie Wilson and Katiyana Mauga homered in the fifth and final inning. Chelsea Goodacre and Mandie Perez also homered in the second inning. Pitcher Michelle Floyd picked up the victory over the Sun Devils and improves to 16-5 on the season.

The Final Four: Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wisconsin

March Madness

NCAA Basketball


The Final Four:  Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Four very good teams went down in the Elite Eight as Duke beat Gonzaga; Kentucky knocked off Notre Dame; Michigan State edged Louisville; and Wisconsin got by the Arizona Wildcats.

Three one seeds make it through along with the Spartans, a seventh seed. Michigan State? Can't really consider Michigan State a Cinderella Team with Coach Tom Izzo at the helm.

Kentucky  38-0

Duke         33-4

Michigan State  27-11

Wisconsin  35-3

In THE Indianapolis, it'll be Michigan State vs. Duke and Wisconsin vs. Kentucky

Congrats, to all four.

Wildcats sweep Oregon

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The University of Arizona baseball team improved to 22-6 overall and 7-2 in Pac-12 play with a three-game sweep of Oregon at Hi Corbett Field this weekend -- including a 13-4 win today.

Bobby Dalbec led the Wildcats today with a two-run homer to right field during a seven-run second inning. Cody Moffett picked up the win in relief of starter Tyger Talley.

Some old-timers can still run

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball at Udall Park


Some of the old timers on the TOTS can still run. See below:

Runner Dennis Crowley rounds third...

Runner Ron Petersen closes in on home plate (top photo) and sets his sights on first base (bottom photo)...

Runner Brian Reilly heads home...

Runner Bobby Daliege cruises into second...

Pistol Pete Peters singles to left and is off and running...

Photos by Conrad Royksund

Pigpen II

It was just a matter of time.

A new Pigpen Price is off and running. Below is grandson, Jadon Price, now a freshman left fielder (and speedster) for the 2015 Tucson Ironwood Ridge High Freshmen baseball team.

Wisconsin sinks 12 3-pointers, beats Arizona, 85-78

March Madness

NCAA Basketball Tournament


The Arizona Wildcats shot 55 percent from the field, made 28 of 30 free throws and finish the game with five players in double figures --and lose.

That would make any Arizona Wildcat fan shake their head.

Wisconsin cans 12 of 18 from beyond the arc and knocks off the Wildcats 85-78 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to win the West Region in the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Final Four next week in Indianapolis.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley score 17 points apiece, T.J. McConnell contributes 14 points and five assists, while Gabe York and Kaleb Tarczewski chip in 11 points apiece -- but it just wasn't enough.

Why?

You have to look no further than the two top guns for the Badgers -- Frank "The Tank" Kaminsky and Sam Dekker. Kaminsky throws down 29 points and Dekker 27. Arizona led 33-30 at the end of the first half, but the second half belonged to Kaminsky and Dekker. The Badgers hit 10 of their 12 three-pointers in the second half. Game...Set...Match.

Great season, Arizona. Coach Sean Miller said in the press conference, following the game,  "I'm not going to apologize for a 34-4 season."

He shouldn't have to.

I still love my WILDCATS!

Hats off to the Arizona Wildcats basketball team

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

It's time for an "Atta Boy" to the Arizona Wildcats basketball team.


-- A Pac-12 Championship

-- 14 wins in a row

-- 20 wins in last 21 games

-- An outstanding 34-3 record

That would be plenty for a lot of college teams. Maybe, even a decade of work for some college teams. As for the Arizona Wildcats, the mission is not complete. Facing a familiar foe in the Elite Eight on Saturday -- a victory there, at Staples Center, on Saturday afternoon, against the Wisconsin Badgers, now that is a Must Win.

The Wildcats seek revenge from 2014 and the overtime loss in the Elite Eight to the same Wisconsin Badgers. They've waited a year for their chance to redeem themselves and reach the Final Four -- anything less is just not acceptable.

The second-seeded Wildcats MUST score, rebound and steal their way to a victory over the top-seeded Badgers. There will be no time for scoring lulls, no time for "bricks" banging off the rim, no time for loose balls going to their opponent and no time for a 50 percent day at the free throw line.

This Saturday belongs to the Wildcats, not the Badgers.

The 38th game of year is not the time to go backward in time. This is the time for the Wildcats to put it all together -- run, shoot, and dominate at both ends. This is our time!

Go, Wildcats!

Arizona advances to the Elite Eight

March Madness

NCAA  Basketball Tournament


The Arizona Wildcats (34-3) advance to the West Region Final with a 68-60 win tonight over Xavier and will meet a familiar foe, the Wisconsin Badgers (34-3) on Saturday at 3:09 p.m. at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Wildcats may need to find a spa in Los Angeles tomorrow and rest up after their bruising Sweet Sixteen victory over the underdog Musketeers (23-14). It wasn't easy as the Wildcats out rebounded Xavier by two, 33-31 and found themselves tied at the end of the first half, 28-28.

In the second half, it was point guard T.J. McConnell to the rescue, along with big man Kaleb Tarczewski. Both players struggled in the first half, but in the final 20 minutes they went to work -- McConnell finished the night with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Tarczewski contributed a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The Arizona defense finally wore down the Musketeers, allowing Xavier to score one field goal during a nine-minute stretch, while the Wildcats went on a 19-7 run to close it out.

Freshman Stanley Johnson scored 12 points -- 10 in the first half, while grabbing six rebounds and Gabe York hit three 3-pointers as Arizona shot a shade under 41 percent (22 of 54) from the field. Arizona did well at the charity stripe, canning 17 of 19 attempts.

And now it's on to the Elite Eight, one win away from the Final Four.

Go get 'em, Wildcats!

Old Pueblo Club edges Aces, 6-3

Southwestern Senior Baseball League

60-and-over baseball

The 60-and-over Aces played host at Udall Park this morning to the Old Pueblo Club.

In recent games with the south Tucson team, the Aces have fared well, scoring runs in bunches, but not today. The Old Pueblo Club scored four runs in the first inning off Aces' right-hander Arnie White and then held on for a 6-3 victory.

Ron Petersen led the Aces offensively with two hits, Pigpen Price singled and drove in two runs and Jerry Hamelin singled and drove in a run. The Aces had nine hits in the game -- including an opposite-field double by Brian Reilly.

Old Pueblo turned two double plays during the game -- one in the fourth inning and another in the sixth -- the double play in the sixth resulted in a line shot to third by Dennis Crowley. Unfortunately for the Aces, the Old Pueblo third baseman made the catch and stepped on third to double up the runner, Pigpen Price.

"If the ball had gotten through maybe the outcome would have been different," said Hamelin, the Aces manager. "Those things happen. The ball was hit hard."

Hamelin added: "It wasn't our day at the plate. I think we had five strike outs. Their pitcher (Jose Almador) pitched well. He had a good curve ball and a slider working."

The two teams will square off again next month.

Photos: 1) Brian Reilly hit an opposite-field double today. 2) Pigpen Price singled and drove in two runs. 3) Jerry Hamelin singled and drove in a run. (4) Ron Petersen had two of the Aces nine hits today.

Petersen hits and pitches Team Blue to a win

Tucson Old Timers

60-and-over baseball

Ron Petersen top photo) pitched six innings and banged out a couple of hits to lead Team Blue to a 18-6 win over Team White in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game today at Udall Park.

Petersen, 70, had a powerful lineup today -- including 62-year-old Tim Tolson (bottom photo), a strong left-handed hitter who led the club in homers in 2014 with 12. Tim has one round-tripper to his credit in 2015.

66-year-old Bob Daliege (bottom photos) pitched all seven innings for Team White and banged out a couple of hits in a losing cause..

On the field today, there were a couple of fly balls that gotta away...

Top photo: Denny Leonard (upright) and Brian Reilly (on the ground) chase down a line shot to left-center field, while Danny Lundwall (bottom photo) tracks down a gapper.

Photos by Conrad Royksund

Arizona softball improves to 27-7

Arizona Wildcats Softball

Arizona added two non-conference wins on Saturday, beating New Mexico State, 14-2 and 11-6, to improve to 27-7 on the season. The Wildcats are 2-1 in Pac-12 play and return to conference action at Hillenbrand Stadium with a three-game series against rival Arizona State, beginning on Friday at 5 p.m.

Chelsea Goodacre hit three home runs in the first game at New Mexico State and drove in seven runs during the doubleheader. Goodacre has 205 RBI for her career, 10th most in school history and she has 59 homers during her career at Arizona, tied for sixth all time.

Talley tosses 3-hit shutout

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Tyger Talley (3-0) tossed a three-hit shutout today in Palo Alto as the Arizona Wildcats won 6-0 and swept the three-game series with Stanford. Arizona improves to 19-6 overall and 4-2 in Pac-12 play.

Utah and UCLA reach Sweet 16

March Madness

NCAA Basketball Tournament



Utah and UCLA join Arizona in the Sweet 16 as the Pac-12 is 7-1 in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Utah beat Georgetown 75-64 and UCLA knocked off UAB 92-75 on Saturday to reach the Sweet 16, while the Oregon Ducks lost to Wisconsin 72-65 on Sunday and were eliminated from the tourney.

Next up:

Arizona (33-3) vs. Xavier in Los Angeles, Thursday, 7:17 p.m.

Utah (26-8) vs. Duke (31-4) in Houston, Friday, 6:45 p.m.

UCLA (22-13) vs. Gonzaga (34-2) in Houston, Friday, 4:15 p.m.

*Times are in Mountain Standard Time

Sweet 16...here we come!

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

NCAA Basketball Tourney


T.J. McConnell scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists and came away with five steals to lead the Arizona Wildcats to a 73-58 win over Ohio State in the third round of the NCAA Tournament today in Portland, Oregon.

The Wildcats (33-3) move on to the Sweet 16 and will take on Xavier on Thursday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Arizona shook off a cold shooting first half with the help of Gabe York off the bench. York poured in five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, despite a 3 for 12 performance from the field, ended up with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Arizona out rebounded the Buckeyes, 43-26.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Pac 12 Conference a perfect 4-0 in NCAA Tourney

March Madness

NCAA Basketball Tournament


With Arizona leading the way, the Pac-12 is a perfect 4-0 in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Arizona, UCLA, Oregon and Utah are all second-round winners and are among the 32 remaining teams as play gets underway today.

So much for the East Coast bias. For all you Easterners, listen to Charles Barkley on ESPN, he'll set you straight.

Today:

UCLA and UAB

Arizona and Ohio State

Utah and Georgetown

Sunday:

Oregon and Wisconsin

Arizona to face Ohio State in 3rd round of NCAA Tourney

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Ohio State (24-10) upset VCU 75-72 in the second round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament today and will now face the second-seeded Arizona Wildcats (32-3) in a third-round matchup on Saturday at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

The Buckeyes, a 10th seed, win it in overtime over VCU, the seventh-seeded team in the West Region behind a 28-point effort from freshman D'Angelo Russell.

The media is already having a field day promoting the game on Saturday as the battle between the two freshmen stars, Russell and Arizona's Stanley Johnson.

Stanley, my money is on you. Go get 'em, Stanley... and go get 'em, Wildcats!

Arizona rolls in NCAA opener

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

NCAA Tournament


The Arizona Wildcats had an easy time of it in their NCAA Tournament opener today in Portland.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson poured in 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Stanley Johnson added 22 points as the Wildcats cruised to a 93-72 win over Texas Southern. Five players scored in double figures for Arizona with Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski and T.J. McConnell scoring 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Arizona (32-3) led at the end of the first half 54-33 and held a 27-point lead at one point in the second half. The Wildcats out rebounded Texas Southern, 35-19.

There was room for improvement as the Wildcats weren't at their best defensively and coach Sean Miller expects that will change as Arizona moves on to the round of 32. The Wildcats will take on the winner of the VCU-Ohio State matchup (slated for later today) on Saturday in Portland with the winner advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Bookemdanosports: "I really didn't want to bring this up"

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

The time has come for our Arizona Wildcats to take the court in Portland, Oregon.

In less than 11 hours (yes, I'm already up and at 'em), Arizona will take on Texas Southern University, coached by Mike Davis, in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

I hate to bring up 1993, but I am a true Wildcat fan and I must let all my fears out of the box and get them out in the open. Some guy named Steve Nash led Santa Clara to a victory over Arizona and squashed the Wildcats and their dream for a national title.

It was Arizona's opening round game. The Arizona fans would watch (and some probably didn't bother) the rest of the '93 tourney -- shell shocked. There would be no third round for the Wildcats, no Sweet Sixteen, just a memory of a poor shooting night and the exuberance of Nash and Company at the conclusion of what seemed like the WORST LOSS EVER by an Arizona Wildcat team.

But that little man in my head, the one with whiskers and a big Arizona hat on, is telling me to cool my jets. This is 2015 and our Arizona Wildcats are 31-3 and they are peaking at the right time. This team plays DEFENSE, one of the top defensive teams in the country. This Arizona team has T.J. McConnell, Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski--and that's just for starters.

The Wildcats have a bench, which, less than two weeks ago, scored 41 of 90 points. The Wildcats have Gabe York and Elliott Pitts, two fantastic shooters off the bench. They have a gritty reserve point guard in Parker Jackson-Cartwright and a big man named Dusan Ristic to contribute a few minutes of muscle.

And if they get far enough ahead, Matt Korcheck and Company will take the court for a couple of minutes as the Wildcat starters remain on the bench, celebrating another victory.

The little Arizona Wildcat in my head (he must be getting close to 65 years old!) has been a part of me since I was knee high to a grasshopper. He says to me, "relax, we've got this!"

"But, Mr. Wildcat, this Texas Southern team beat Michigan State at Michigan State and they beat Kansas State by two and they have a pretty good coach in Davis."

"Yes, but we have Sean Miller. We are playing out West and we have the best fans who travel to away games as if they're going down the street to the market to pick up some bread and milk."

"Okay, Mr. Wildcat. Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Go get 'em, Wildcats!

TOTS at play

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball



Old-time action at Udall Park

This one a little out of reach of Pete Peters...

Jerry "The Rocket" Smarik uses the ole belly to make a stop...

Dave Rhoades makes the catch...

Chico Bigham cruises into second...

Jerry "The Yankee Clipper" Hamelin fouls off a pitch...

Archie Burke gets in to position...

Pigpen Price forces out runner Dick Ducklow at third...


Photos by Conrad Royksund

Wildcats take 2 of 3 at Berkeley

Arizona Wildcats Softball


The Arizona Wildcats softball team split the first two games last weekend at Berkeley, but captured the three-game Pac-12 series on Sunday with a 4-3 win, thanks to a three-run homer  by Katiyana Mauga in the sixth inning.

Arizona improves to 23-7 and 2-1 in Pac-12 play.

Wildcats falter down the strech at Hi Corbett

Arizona Wildcats Baseball

Arizona lost 2 of 3 to the Utah Utes over the weekend, winning the opener of the series 10-5 on Friday, but lose 7-4 on Saturday and 9-8 today. The loss today was a shocker as Arizona led 7-0 early, but couldn't hold off the visiting Utes.

The Wildcats fall to 16-6 on the season and 1-2 in Pac-12 play.

Arizona Wildcats grab 2nd seed in West Region

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats grabbed the second seed in the West Region and will take on Texas Southern in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Portland, Oregon.

Go get 'em, Wildcats!

Arizona wins Pac-12 Tournament

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats are playing with a purpose. Their goal is to win it all and they certainly didn't let up on the gas pedal in Las Vegas tonight.

The fifth-ranked Wildcats came out banging from the start, shot 48 percent from the field in the first half, went on a 32-11 run to close out the first 20 minutes and kept the pedal to the metal in the second half en route to a lopsided 80-52 win over Oregon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to win the Pac-12 Tournament, the first ever for coach Sean Miller.

Arizona (31-3) limited the Ducks to just 28 percent shooting in the first half and out rebounded Oregon 25-13. Joseph Young, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, finished 2 for 10 from the field in the first half and scored seven points. while Brandon Ashley and Gabe York led the Wildcats with eight points apiece. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson grabbed eight rebounds in the half, scored five points and dished out three assists.

The Wildcats led 78-47 with three minutes remaining and the Arizona fans started their celebration. Ashley finished with 20 points, Johnson 14 and point guard T.J. McConnell 12. Kaleb Tarczewski finished with nine points and Hollis-Jefferson grabbed nine rebounds and scored seven points.

Congrats, Wildcats!

Oregon reaches final on Young's jumper

Pac-12 Basketball Tournament

Semifinal: Oregon vs. Utah


Oregon's Joseph Young drills a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining on the clock as the Ducks edge Utah 67-64 to advance to the final of the Pac-12 Tournament and will face our Arizona Wildcats at 8 p.m. Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

TOTS play...even on Friday the 13th

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball


The Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) closed out another week at Udall Park. It was Friday the 13th and some members of the senior baseball club had luck on their side and some didn't.

Team Blue prevailed 11-8 over Team White and the game had its moments. See below:

A clean sweep...

Arnie White tracks down fly ball...

Arnie bobbles...

Jesse Ochoa's tag is late...Floyd Lance safe at second...

Doc Thompson makes the play at third base...

and then bobbles his next try...

Joe Dinich makes one of his three catches in left field...

home plate is that a way...

a snow-cone catch...

A hamstring pull...

Bobby Katz and Tim Tolson talking strategy...

The man in the middle is Art Radtke, the team's Communicator...

the field's overseer...

Photos by Conrad Royksund