Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)
60-and-over baseball
Once upon a time -- say 43 years ago -- John Mathews hit the baseball to the gaps in left-center and right-center field at Flowing Wells High School. Of course, he was a hard-hitting senior in the starting lineup for the Caballeros back then.
Fast forward to 2017 and we find the 60-year-old Mathews still spraying the ball to the gaps -- only now he plays for the Tucson Old Timers, an amateur baseball club which plays three days a week at Udall Park.
Today, the former Caballero went 3 for 4 and drove in five runs as Team White beat Team Blue 7-1.
"I had a good day," said Mathews, who bats from the right side.
The TOTS have had an influx of 60-year-old players join the club in 2016. Mathews, who stands 6-4, is not the tallest rookie to become a TOT in recent months. The tallest is 6 feet-6 inch Reed Palmer, a hard-hitting lefty who hit five home runs in 2016 and has hit the only round-tripper so far in 2017.
As for Mathews, he collected his first home run back in August of 2016. With the left field fence only 300 feet away, it won't be long before he hits another.
The TOTS will be back in action on Friday at Udall. Game time: 10 a.m.
Photo: John Mathews
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