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.