Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)
60-and-over baseball
Denny Leonard turns 80 in November. Denny has been a member of the TOTS since 1992, which means he's currently in the middle of his 25th season with the organization.
Leonard, a left-handed batter, is easy for his teammates to spot when he steps into the batter's box. His batting helmet is as old as he is...or close to it, anyway. Some members of the TOTS have mistakenly thrown the helmet into the trash can more than once.
The bright purple helmet has more tape around it than most of Leonard's teammates have around their legs, their arms or their ankles. The helmet has seen its better days, but Leonard, a former police officer from Alberta, Canada, likes to have it around.
"I like it. It feels comfortable," Leonard says. "It's a part of me."
One thing is for sure, Leonard has played a lot of baseball with the TOTS over the years -- over 1,400 games and 4,100 at bats (since the TOTS started keeping such stats in 2003) and it's a sure bet "old glory" ( the helmet's nickname) has kept him safe through thick and thin.
Chances of getting hit in the head with the TOTS at least a dozen times a year is a 60-40 proposition and if a pitch happens to bounce off the noggin'...well there's plenty of tape around to mend "old glory".
Photo: Denny Leonard and his trusty helmet.
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