Remembering TOTS' guest speakers of the past

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The Tucson Old Timers are just weeks away from their 2016 luncheon and awards ceremony. April 21, to be exact, to be held in the Copper Room at the Randolph Park Golf Course.

Greg Hansen, the Arizona Daily Star Columnist, will be our guest speaker.

Remembering our guest speakers from the past, one comes to mind...one who should be very familiar to all Arizona baseball fans. In 2005, the TOTS guest speaker was Chip Hale, who at the time was manager of the Tucson Sidewinders.

Fast forward ten years to the year 2015, and you find Mr. Hale as the new manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hale is just a week and half away from his second season as manager of the D'backs and he'll have a whole new pitching staff to manage, led by newly acquired Zack Greinke.

"It was a joy to have Chip as our guest speaker in 2005," said TOTS' manager, at the time, Jack Graef. Jack is no longer an active player on the TOTS, but was listed as an Associate member until 2015. Jack lives in Saddlebrooke. In 2005, Mr. Graef, who was born in Brooklyn in 1933, was 72 when he managed the TOTS. Jack will turn 83 the 9th of September.

As for Mr. Hale, his first year as a professional manager was in the year 2000. Hale led Rookie-level Missoula to a second-half championship, and he was named the Pioneer League's Manager of the Year the following season.

In 2006, Hale led the Tucson Sidewinders to the Pacific Coast League title, winning 91 games and losing just 53 games. He had a .540 winning percentage in three seasons with the Sidewinders.

Of course, Hale was already well known to University of Arizona fans. He started every game for the Wildcats from 1984 to 1987. In 1986, he batted .345, the year the UofA won the College World Series.

Photo: Diamondbacks' manager Chip Hale