Wildcats win Pac-12 opener

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The 18th-ranked Arizona Wildcats, down 32-26 at the half, outscored the Golden Bears by 11 in the second half and beat California  67-62 at Haas Pavillion in Berkeley tonight to pick up an important Pac-12 Conference road win.

The Wildcats win their Pac-12 opener thanks in part to Kobi Simmons, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, while three of his teammates also scored in double figures with Dusan Ristic leading the way with 16 points. Laura Markkanen netted 13 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double and Rawle Alkins chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds.

Arizona, down by as many as 13 points early in the first half, improved its field goal shooting in the second half and finished with a 44.4 field goal percentage. The Wildcats out rebounded the Golden Bears, 40-35.

Point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright returned to action for the Wildcats tonight. PJC dished out four assists, grabbed four rebounds and no turnovers in 20 minutes of action.

The Wildcats improve to 12-2 and now own a 1-0 slate in the Pac-12.

Way to go, Wildcats!

TOTS last game of the year goes to Team Blue, 10-7

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Tim Boyd went 3 for 3, scored three times and knocked in a run, while starter Doc Thompson was masterful for five innings as Team Blue beat Team White 10-7 in the final Tucson Old Timers game of the year today at Udall Park.

Thompson mixed in his fastball with some roundhouse curve balls to keep Team White guessing in the early innings, before giving way to reliever Dan Lundwall in the sixth and Boyd in the seventh. Pete Maldonado went the distance for Team White and was saddled with the loss.

Bob Daliege and Pigpen Price, batted 1-2 in the lineup for Team White and scored five of the seven runs. Daliege went 3 for 3 and scored three times for Team White, while Price had two hits and scored twice.

The Catch of the Day came from Team White's outfielder A.C. Edwards, who made a shoestring catch in the top of the seventh inning.

The TOTS will begin their 49th season on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Game time 10 a.m.

Photo: Doc Thompson, the winning pitcher for Team Blue today in the final game of 2016 for the Tucson Old Timers.

Mathews, Price lead Team White to 4-3 win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Pigpen Price reached base three times, scored twice and drove in the winning run as Team White edged Team Blue 4-3 today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning and the score tied at 3-3, Price reached base on a fieldier's choice play. Team Blue shortstop Pete Peters picked up Price's slow roller, threw to second for one out, but the throw to first was late and a run scored, giving Team White the 4-3 lead.

Team White's Arnie White mowed down Team Blue in the sixth and in the seventh inning to pick up the pitching victory. Team Blue's hard-throwing Reed Palmer, who stands 6-6, struck out five batters and when he released a pitch off the mound, the lanky right-hander looked more like a 7-foot giant.

John Mathews had two hits for Team White and knocked in three runs -- including a 2-run triple in the bottom of the first inning.

"Reed throws hard," Price said. "I reached base three times, but I never got the ball out of the infield. Sometimes a slow roller can be just as good as a hard shot to the outfield."

White struck out four as both pitchers showed plenty of control on the mound.

The TOTS will be back in action on Friday, weather permitting.

Comanche drops in a career-high 14 points in Arizona's easy win over the Lobos

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The 18th-ranked Arizona Wildcats received double-figure scoring from five players -- including a career-high 14 points from Chance Comanche en route to an easy 77-46 non-conference win tonight  over the visiting New Mexico Lobos at the McKale Center.

Rawle Alkins hauled down a career-best 11 rebounds and scored 13 points, while Lauri Markkanen finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Kobi Simmons chipped in 11 points, while Kadeem Allen had a great all around night with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Arizona held the Lobos to just 16 points in the first half and remained on cruise control through out the second half, out rebounding New Mexico, 49-30. The Wildcats had 14 assists on the night with Comanche on the receiving end of many of those.

The Wildcats improve to 11-2 and take a break, before beginning Pac-12 Conference action at California on Dec. 30.

2-run 6th lifts Team White to 4-2 win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Tim Boyd struck out two and out-dueled Doc Thompson today at Udall Park as Team White edged Team Blue, 4-2, in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

With the score deadlocked at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, three consecutive hits by Mike Steele, Pete Peters and Tim Tolson loaded the bases for Team White. The next two batters -- Boyd and Pigpen Price reached base on throwing errors and Steele and Peters scampered home with the go ahead run and an insurance run.

Boyd took care of matters in the top of the seventh inning and Team White escaped with a hard-fought win. Thompson pitched well, but was saddled with the hard-luck loss. Reed Palmer knocked in both runs for Team Blue and Price went 2 for 3 and knocked in two of the four runs for Team White.

The TOTS will be back in action on Wednesday.

Wildcats blow big lead, but still edge the Aggies

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

With a seven-man rotation it is very hard for the Arizona Wildcats to keep the engine running for a solid 40 minutes. Arizona, up by 22 points at the Toyota Center in Houston, found themselves with the foot off the pedal for nine minutes in the second half and survive a late rally by Texas A&M for a 67-63 win over the Aggies.

Arizona, ranked No. 19 in the nation by the AP Poll, led at the half 41-28, but were outscored by the Aggies 35-26 in the second half. The Wildcats did get double-figure scoring from Dusan Ristic with 18 points, Lauri Markkanen with 17, Kobi Simmons with 14 and Rawle Alkins with 12. The other Arizona starter, Kadeem Allen, scored only two points but he just may have been the main man on the court for the Wildcats with seven rebounds, four assists, five steals and just three turnovers in 36 minutes of court time.

Arizona improves to 10-2 and head home and get ready for a matchup at McKale on Tuesday night against New Mexico.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Arizona beats Grand Canyon, 64-54

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


It wasn't pretty. In fact it was down right ugly at times as 19th-ranked Arizona turns the ball over 19 times in a 64-54 win at McKale Center tonight over the visiting Antelopes from Grand Canyon University.

Kobi Simmons led the Wildcats with 13 points, while Lauri Markkanen, Dusan Ristic and Rawle Alkins added 11 points apiece. Kadeem Allen had eight points, but committed four fouls as the Wildcats struggled once again with a seven-man rotation.

The Wildcats out rebounded the Antelopes 42-29, but the 19 turnovers was an eye opener for coach Sean Miller, along with the fact the Wildcats dished out only nine assists.

Arizona improves to 9-2. The Wildcats head for Houston on Saturday and a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at the Toyota Center.

Wildcats move up to No. 19 in AP Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball



Congrats to Arizona Wildcats!

Arizona moves up to No. 19 in AP Men's Basketball Poll.

The Wildcats (8-2) take on Grand Canyon at McKale Wednesday night at 9 p.m.

Another late one for the Wildcats!

Note: Villanova remains at No. 1 with UCLA at No. 2. Gonzaga and Butler, the two teams with wins over the Wildcats, are 8th and 18th, respectively.

Old Pueblo Club edges Tucson Aces with come-from-behind win

Tucson Aces

60-and-over baseball


Old Pueblo Club  9   Tucson Aces  7

The Tucson Aces traveled to Santa Rita Park this morning and took on the Old Pueblo Club in a 60-and-over baseball game. Final score:  Old Pueblo Club  9  Tucson Aces  7.

The Aces put together a five-run inning in the top of the fifth -- capped off by a two-run single up the middle by Pigpen Price to take a 6-3 lead, but Old Pueblo battled back with a five-run inning of their own and added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and enjoyed a 9-6 advantage as the game moved on to the seventh and final inning.

The Aces picked up a run on a double by Thunder Tim Tolson and with two outs had runners at the corners in the top of the seventh. To top it off the Aces had the meat of the order up -- John Mathews at the plate and hard-hitting lefty Reed Palmer on deck.

Mathews, who had doubled back in the fifth with a blast over the head of Old Pueblo's left fielder Bobby Long, hit a high hopper in front of the plate and was called out on a questionable call by the umpire, who said Mathews was hit by the ball in fair territory.

Still, a very competitive game. The Aces' starting pitcher Pete Maldonado was saddled with the loss, while Chris Carino, who relieved Old Pueblo's starter Joe Jimenez in the fifth inning, picked up the win.

The Aces hit the ball well through out the game with hard hit balls from Ron Petersen, Palmer, Price, Tolson and Mathews, but the five-run fifth by Old Pueblo turned the tide.

Another year in the books for Bookemdanosports

Time marches on and so does bookemdanosports.

My sports blog has been around since 2009 and here we are heading into 2017 with my total posts nearing the 3,000 mark.

Merry Christmas and a happy 2017 to all my readers!

Photo: Dan Price -- Bookemdanosports

Wildcats pound Mizzou's zone with 13 long-range three-pointers

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Arizona pounded Mizzou's zone, making 13 of 24 from beyond the arc today in Columbia, and went on to a 79-60 win over the Tigers. Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons combined for 38 points, hitting 7 of 13 three-point attempts.

Arizona improves to 8-2, despite committing 22 fouls. Lauri Markkanen, Arizona's top scorer, could never get untracked in this one, as once again, the whistle seemed to blow every time he got the ball. Markkanen fouled out late in the second half with eight points and six rebounds.

Alkins and Simmons finished with 19 points apiece, while Kadeem Allen added 14 points and Dusan Ristic chipped in 12. Keanu Pinder and Alkins hauled in 18 of Arizona's 46 rebounds.

Arizona shot 8 of just 10 free throws, while the Tigers made 20 of 30 attempts. The whistle seems to follow the Wildcats, but thanks to their best performance of the year from beyond the arc and a tough effort defensively in the second half -- allowing the Tigers just 24 points -- led to an impressive win in Columbia.

Way to go, Wildcats.

Ristic's double-double leads Wildcats to easy win over UCI

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Dusan Ristic's double-double and another solid outing from the Wildcats other seven-footer Lauri Markkanen led Arizona to an easy 79-57 win tonight at McKale over UC-Irvine.

Ristic, who scored 14 points in the first half, finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while his counterpart Markkanen chipped in 18 points as well, hitting 7 of 10 shots and 4 of 6 from three-point land. Ristic did all his damage underneath the bucket with eight field goals on 11 attempts.

Chance Comanche fouled out midway through the second half and walk-on Tyler Trillo logged 13   minutes of court time. The Wildcats are still without the services of Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Allonzo Trier.

Arizona improves to 7-2 on the season.

Arizona slips to No. 20 in AP Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball



The Arizona Wildcats basketball team slipped to No. 20 in the latest AP Poll, released today. The UCLA Bruins bolted to No. 2, just behind the top team in the land, Villanova.

Arizona (6-2) with three freshmen in the starting lineup host UC-Irvine at McKale on Tuesday.

Stranded! 90-feet away from victory!

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Lefty Ron Petersen tried his best to pick up a win today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) game.

After all, Petersen, 71,  pitched all seven innings for Team White and held Team Blue to three runs. With the game tied at 3-3 with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Petersen stepped to the plate and drilled a fastball from Team Blue reliever Dan Lundwall to the fence in center field. Petersen scampered safely all the way to third base as the relay throw was late.

Petersen was 90-feet away from a pitching victory and a win for his team. The next batter popped up to Team Blue's first baseman Lloyd Barzell for the second out and the next batter hit a high fly ball to the edge of the infield grass and shortstop Tim Boyd made the catch to end the game.

A kiss-your-sister game. No winner. No loser. A tie. It's not known where the slogan originated from. The TOTS, of course, have been an organized amateur baseball team for close to 50 years. The oldest player on the TOTS is 91, which brings us all the way back to 1925.

So, somewhere long before 1925, someone must have come up with the slogan, which is commonly used for all sports, not just baseball. Why not call it kiss your brother. Who knows? Why not say, "uncle" and just give up. It's a tie.

No matter how the game and the results were referenced today at Udall Park, fun was had by all. A well played game by both sides -- only four balls were hit out of the infield and just three hits went for extra bases -- the triple by Petersen and doubles by Team White's Tim Tolson and Team Blue's Tim Boyd.

One thing is for sure, most of the players on the Tucson Old Timers will kiss their wife "goodbye" and head for Udall Park on Wednesday for another game, hoping for anything but a "kiss your sister" game.

Photo: Ron Petersen, 90-feet away from a win today at Udall Park.

Cold shooting Wildcats fall to Gonzaga, 69-62

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The 16th-ranked Arizona Wildcats shot 38.6 percent from the field, missed nine of 26 free throws and made one 3-point shot in 40 minutes of play as they fall to 8th-ranked Gonzaga 69-62 today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The score was a lot worse for most of the game as the Wildcats big men couldn't stop the 7-1 center for the Bulldogs, Przemek Karnowski, who scored 18 points -- canning nine of 13 shots from underneath the bucket.

The Wildcats, down by 12 points at halftime 38-26, fought their way back in the second half and managed to outscore the Bulldogs, 36-31.  Arizona out rebounded Gonzaga, 39-32, and finished the game with four players in double figures. Freshmen Rawle Alkins scored 16 points and Lauri Markkanen scored 14, while Dusan Ristic added 12 and Kadeem Allen chipped in 10.

Arizona played without their starting point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, out with a high ankle sprain, and Allonzo Trier, who traveled with the team, but did not play.

The Wildcats fall to 6-2.

 

Tolson, Palmer top hitters on TOTS in November

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The month of November was a good month for the top two power hitters on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS).

Reed Palmer, 60, the youngest TOT, hit three home runs during the month of November and drove in the most runs with 17. Palmer finished the month with a .526 batting average and only played in six games, going 10 for 19. That's 17 RBI in six games!

Tim Tolson, 64, played in 10 games and batted a hefty .625. Tolson had the most hits for the month with 20. He batted 32 times, was walked intentionally six times and ended up with 16 RBI, just one behind Palmer.

Both Palmer and Tolson are two of the "young studs" on the TOTS and they both hit from the left side and keep the TOTS' right fielders busy.

Photos: (top) Reed Palmer, (bottom) Tim Tolson.

A strange game at Udall

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

It was a strange oldtimers' baseball game at Udall Park this morning.

The losing pitcher, 66-year-old Bob Daliege, hurled a four-hitter for Team White and lost the game 6-4 to Team Blue.

"I walked a couple of runs in with the bases loaded and we had a few errors today," Daliege said after the game. As for Team Blue, they made the most out of their four hits with lead-off batter Brian Reilly doing most of the damage with one key hit and two runs scored. Jesse Ochoa, Tim Tolson and Arnie White also hit safely for Team Blue.

White, who turns 75 on Nov. 11, pitched all seven innings for Team Blue and picked up the win. "I've been struggling on the mound, but I lengthened my stride today and that seemed to help." White spends his summer days on his ranch in Red Lodge, Montana, and resides in Tucson during the winter.

All six runs for Team Blue were unearned, which easily explains how a pitcher can allow just four hits and lose the game. Then again, the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers, have a way of playing "unusual" games, seeing as how the TOTS range in age from 60 to 91.  In other words, if you happen to be a fan, sitting in the bleachers, chances are you'll get your money's worth, watching the old-timers play for two hours or seven innings which ever comes first.

By the way, it's free to watch the TOTS play at Udall Park on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The TOTS will be in action at Udall Park on Monday. Batting practice begins at 9 a.m. and the first pitch is at 10 a.m.

Photos: (top) Bob Daliege, (bottom) Arnie White.