77-minute game a dandy

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Most baseball games these days last three to four hours.

Today at Udall, the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers completed a seven-inning game at Udall Park in 77 minutes. It was a pitching duel from the get go as Team White's Lloyd Barzell and Team Blue's Pete Maldonado breezed through 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball.

In the end, a bobble at second base in the bottom of the seventh inning led to a 1-0 victory for Team White. With the bases loaded, Tim Boyd scored from third on a hard hit ball off the bat of Jesse Ochoa when the ball bounced away from 86-year-old second baseman Billy Heiny.

Heiny, the oldest player on the field, tried his best to glove the ball and start a double play, but the ball  trickled away from the "ole second-sacker" and the fleet-footed Boyd scampered home with the only run of the game.

Both teams played well defensively and it was a tough loss for Maldonado and Team Blue. As for Heiny, he shook his head and commented, "I blew it."

Heiny's teammates tried to console Heiny in the dugout after the game, many of them patted him on the back. After all, Heiny had just given his best effort on the field of play at the age of 86. Heiny is a trooper. He seldom misses a game.

And you can bet Billy will be back at Udall on Wednesday and try it again. Because that's what all the players on the TOTS do. They show up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and play the game of baseball. It makes no difference what the final score happens to be or which player boots the ball and makes an error.

The TOTS vary in age from 60 to 91. Chances are the players will lose track in the next 48 hours of which team won the game, much less remember who knocked in the winning run or made the error.

What they'll remember, though, is the fact there's an 86-year-old teammate on the field doing his level best to make the play.

Way to go, Billy! We'll see you on Wednesday.

Photo: Billy Heiny