TOTS' lefty bends but does not break

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

It was hot and humid and Team White lefty John Mathews was struggling on the mound.

But Mathews, 61,  somehow escaped from his control problems and found a way to get the final out to hold off Team Blue for a 14-13 hard-fought win at Udall Park this morning.

"I think I walked everybody twice," Mathews said jokingly, after the game.

It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win as Mathews picked up his second pitching victory in the month of July. Mathews and Team White plated five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and turned a 10-9 deficit into a 14-10 lead.

Ted Davis and Mathews led the way at the plate for Team White. Davis contributed two doubles, walked twice and drove in four runs on the day while Mathews went 3 for 3 to help his own cause.

During the five-run fifth inning, Team White picked up a couple of key hits -- one from newcomer Phil Gordon and another from 91-year-old Floyd Lance.

Still, Team Blue came to bat in the final inning and had hopes of regaining the lead or at least tie the game and force another at bat for Team White. Mathews walked four batters in the final inning and Team Blue pulled to within one at 14-13 with only one out. With the bases loaded and the count 2-0 on 79-year-old lefty Denny Leonard, the next pitch by Mathews was right down the middle. Leonard swung and hit a come-backer to Mathews, who threw home for the force out.  Team White catcher Bob Daliege caught the ball and unleashed a perfect throw to first in time to double up Leonard and end the game.

The TOTS will take the weekend off and return to action on Monday at Udall. Game time 9 a.m.

Team White edges Team Blue, 4-1

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Hard-throwing righthander Reed Palmer went the distance at Udall Park this morning in a Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) game, allowing just one run as Team White edged Team Blue, 4-1.

The game remained scoreless the first five innings as Palmer and Team Blue's lefty Ron Petersen were locked in a pitching duel until Team White squeezed across a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to a bases-loaded walk.

Team Blue fought back in the top of the sixth, tying the game on an RBI-single to deep left field by Dave Byars, who ended up with three hits in three trips to the plate on the day. But in the bottom of the sixth, things fell apart for Team Blue as Team White put together a three-run rally, thanks to a walk to Bill Mishler, a bunt single by Lloyd Barzell, a key hit by John Mathews and two errors by Team Blue's defense.

"Reed had it going today," said Team Blue's second baseman Jesse Ochoa, who fell victim to two of Palmer's five strike outs. "Reed was throwing hard and he was throwing strikes."

Still, a well played game by both sides.

Team Blue tried to battle back in the top of the seventh, but Palmer threw nothing but strikes to nail down the win. Team Blue reliever Pigpen Price was saddled with the loss.

The TOTS were glad to be back in action after a rain out on Monday. The TOTS will finish up the week with a game on Friday. Game time: 9 a.m.

2nd oldest TOT still swinging and competing

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The second oldest TOT on the roster is Billy Heiny.

Billy turns 88 in two weeks. On August the fifth to be exact.

The former Tucson dentist, has no desire to give up playing baseball. He already owns two jerseys -- one with the number 70 and the other with the number 80. A new jersey number will be waiting for him when he turns 90.

Billy leads all the 80-plus hitters on the TOTS for 2017 with 10 hits in 106 official at bats. Billy has  also walked 23 times this year and has two sacrifice bunts to his credit.

Heiny's on-base percentage is just a few points under his weight. He has an Ensure just before game time and his weight fluctuates between 110 and 115 pounds.

Needless to say, Billy has to hunker down on a windy day. But wind, rain or a blazing fastball from someone 28 years younger doesn't keep him away from getting his swings in.

Billy has played in 42 games this season and from the looks of him chances are he'll be pushing 100 games by the end of the year.

At close to 88, Billy Heiny is what the Tucson Old Timers are all about.

Photos above: Billy at work

Reaching for the fences

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball


When a baseball fan takes in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) game at Udall Park, he or she sits in awe as men between the ages of 60 to 91 compete together -- the younger ones, of course,  overshadow the older players on the stat sheets.

After all, it's a bit harder for a 70, 80 or 90-year-old to connect with the ball and send it to the fences -- 300 feet away from home plate. That's asking a little much from an old-timer.

So, the aging TOT looks to squeeze the ball in the hole between the first baseman and the second baseman, in the hole between the third sacker and the shortstop or tries to square up a pitch and land a soft Texas-Leaguer in front of one of the hard-charging outfielders.

The old-timers do not complain. Instead, they step to the plate and compete within themselves to hit the ball wherever they can and reach base safely. And many times they get the job done, despite hitting off a 60-year-old who comes close to throwing a pitch with a speed (mph) that matches his age.

The old-timers (those players who fall in the category of 70 to 91) all remember when they were in their 60s and they were drilling shots to the fence, or in some cases, over the fence. Most of the old timers who have already spent 10, 15 or 20 years as a member of the TOTS have an autographed ball at home, signed by their teammates, signifying the moment in time when they hit their first home run with the organization.

The well-known saying, "it's a young man's game" doesn't apply to the members of the TOTS. For goodness sake, every player on the field is a grandpa or has already acquired what some say is "old-man status."

Still, there's singles, doubles and an occasional triple to be had by the older players as they watch the 60-somethings pepper the fences and in some cases watch the baseball clear the fence, bouncing off the tall trees some 330 feet away from home plate.

The 60-something power hitters on the TOTS include Reed Palmer (four home runs already this year), Tim Tolson (with three round-trippers in 2017), Joe Opocensky, Tim Boyd, John Mathews, Jesse Ochoa, Ron Petersen and Doc Thompson -- all eight of them capable of reaching the fences and more.

It should be noted that the final two power hitters mentioned --Petersen and Thompson -- have already blown by the age of 70, but continue to bang the ball off the fence with consistency.

And it also should be noted that the TOTS' roster consist of 45 players -- with 50 percent of the members into their 8th, 9th and 10th decade on this earth. The oldest player is 91-year-old (soon to be 92) Floyd Lance.

And make no mistake about it, the old-timers love to watch the youngsters pound the ball to the fences. After all, they remember how it used to be.

Photos: (below) The youngsters. The "big bangers" -- (from top to bottom) Reed Palmer, Tim Tolson, Joe Opocensky, Tim Boyd, John Mathews, Jesse Ochoa, Ron Petersen and Doc Thompson.

TOTS' trio sets their sights on 30th annual MSBL World Series

The MSBL World Series awaits TOTS' trio

Phoenix will once again be the site for the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in October -- the 30th year of the prestigious amateur tournament.

Three players from the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) will see action this year over a two-week period between October 13-27. Ron Petersen, 72, Bob Daliege, 69, and Pigpen Price, 72, will play for the 70-and-over San Antonio Texans the first week and the 65-and-over Tri Valley Giants, out of the San Francisco area, in Week 2.

The tournament continues into the month of November with all age groups participating from 18-and-over all the way to 74-and-over. The players will get a chance to play at all the Spring Training parks through out the city -- including the main park and the headquarters for the tournament, Tempe Diablo Stadium.

"I get a kick out of playing every year," said Daliege, the youngster of the trio, who already has played  in five MSBL World Series. Price has played every year since 2009 and Petersen played his first World Series in 2007.

"I've missed a couple along the way," Petersen adds. "But now that I'm retired, I plan to play every year."

So does Price. "Heck, it won't be long before I'll be joining a 74-and-over team."

Of course, injuries can hamper one's plans. "One year I played in the 60-and-over, the 65-and-over and the 70-and-over. I was walking on one leg by the middle of the third week,"adds Price.

After all, players are assured of five or six games each week and then there's the playoffs (if you qualify), which adds another three or four games -- if (it's a big IF)you go all the way to the championship game in your respective division.

One thing is for sure, the TOTS' trio has a little over two months to get ready for the MSBL World Series, which will include players from all over the country and teams from as far away as Canada and Australia.

Photos: (top) Petersen (middle) Daliege (bottom) Price

Palmer does it again!

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers shook off the rust after going 10 days without playing the game of baseball due to the monsoons raising its ugly head in and around Tucson the past two weeks.

At Udall Park this morning, there was a game as Team Blue edged Team White 5-2.

Lefty Ron Petersen started for Team Blue and gave way to Pigpen Price in the fourth inning. The two pitchers out dueled Team White's righthander Bob Daliege with the big hit of the game coming in the top of the first inning when Team Blue's Reed Palmer knocked in three runs with a bases-loaded double to right field.

Team Blue ended up scoring four runs in the first and added an insurance run in the top of the fourth. Petersen picked up the win and Price hurled the final four innings without allowing a run to pick up the save.

Ron Carlson and Jesse Ochoa knocked in the two runs for Team White.

Weather permitting, the TOTS will close out the week with a game on Friday at Udall. Game time 9 a.m.

Photo: The slammin' Reed Palmer

Diamondbacks 3rd best record in NL at All-Star break

Arizona Diamondbacks


The Arizona Diamondbacks have won three of their last 10 games. Still, they have the third best record in the National League at the All-Star break and fourth best record in the Majors.

A lot better than this time last year.

At 53-36, the Diamondbacks are 7 1/2 games back of the LA Dodgers, a team which has the best record in the major leagues at 61-29.

Come Friday, regular-season play resumes and the Diamondbacks need to start hitting if they want to keep pace with the Dodgers.

Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb will enter the second half of the season tied with the team lead in RBI with 67 and Zack Greinke leads the pitching staff with a 11-4 record and an ERA of 2.86.

Go get 'em, Diamondbacks!

Boyd does it all on the field for the TOTS

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Tim Boyd does it all when he plays for the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers.

At 61 years of age, Boyd has the tools to dominate a game at times -- speed, quickness, size (he's 6-2), strong arm, an excellent glove man and he's just a youngster compared to most of the TOTS who range in age from 60 to 91.

Today at Udall Park, Boyd pitched a complete game, belted out three hits and ran the bases well, showing off his speed and agility, as he led Team Blue to a 12-9 win over Team White.

Boyd is a few years away from playing full time with the TOTS. A Tucson administrator ( the assistant administrator at Family Life Academy) loves to teach and coach his students more than anything, but he does have a love for sports -- like biking (been in his share of races in the annual El Tour de Tucson)...and he loves to play the game of baseball.

"I love playing with the TOTS," Boyd said. "Just being around the guys is great fun. We have a lot in common and we enjoy playing the game of baseball."

Boyd excels in the outfield, but he's also one of the TOTS' top shortstops and has a cannon for an arm. Today he spent six innings on the mound and picked up the victory, while 72-year-old Pigpen Price was saddled with his second hard-luck loss in five days.

For the first time in two weeks the temperature stayed under the 100-degree mark.

"It was a hot and humid," Price said. "I had to throw a lot more pitches today. Just didn't have the fastball under control."

The catch of the day went once again to the oldest player on the field, 91-year-old Floyd Lance. Playing in short left field, Lance ran to his left and made a shoestring catch for Team White in the top of the seventh inning to end a Team Blue rally and give Team White one final chance at the plate.

The TOTS will be back in action on Wednesday at Udall Park. Game time: 9 a.m.

Photos: Tim Boyd

The long at bat

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Sometimes a batter can frustrate a pitcher.

It happens in the Big Leagues. There are times when a batter will foul off pitch after pitch, until he gets that one offering which results in a hit and helps change the outcome of a game.

With the old-timers it works the same way.

Today at Udall Park, Team White's John Misiaszek fouled off close to a dozen pitches in the last inning and then drilled the next pitch from Team Blue's Bob Daliege into the right field corner to load the bases.

Up to that point, Daliege and Team Blue enjoyed a 12-9 lead and Team White had one last gasp at the plate to turn things around. With two outs, Misiaszek's set the table with his opposite-field hit and before the dust had settled Team White had won the game 13-12, capped off by a two-run single to left field by Dave Byars.

Team Blue scored early and often and posted nine runs on the board after three innings of play, before Team White started to whittle away at the lead.

The game took two hours and 15 minutes to complete, but with the Arizona sun beating down on Udall Park, it was Misiaszek who added the precious few minutes to the game which allowed his team to muster up a big rally and post a come-from-behind win.

Nowadays, pitchers record "quality starts" on the mound in the Major Leagues. Five or six innings and the team lead is enough for a pitcher to gain his quality start. And so it goes with hitters. Sometimes it's a "quality at bat" that makes the difference.

Today, Misiaszek had his.

Photo: John Misiaszek "quality at bat" led to a 13-12 win for Team White at Udall Park today.

"Big Boppers" lead Aces to 16-10 win at Mission Manor

60-and-over baseball

Tucson Aces

The 60-and-over Tucson Aces traveled across town and took on the Arizona Rattlers this morning at Mission Manor Park.

And the Aces took their "big-boppers" with them.

Reed Palmer, Tim Tolson, Joe Opocensky and John Mathews all contributed multiple hits during the game as the Aces scored five runs in the first, the third and the fifth inning, while adding a lone run in the top of the seventh.

Mathews, 61, was the main man today as he pitched the first five innings and picked up the win. At the plate, Mathews, who throws left but bats from the right side of the batter's box, contributed three hits in four trips to the plate and drove in a game-high six runs.

Palmer pitched the final two innings for the Aces. Every player in the Aces' lineup contributed to the onslaught as ten batters hit safely and the 11th player, 87-year-old Billy Heiny, dropped a successful sacrifice bunt down the third base line in the fifth inning, which led to two runs.

The big blow of the day a triple by Opocensky. Mathews had two doubles and a single, but missed out on a perfect day at the plate when he grounded out in the seventh. "I heard someone in the dugout say, "John, make it 4 for 4."

Still, it turned out to be a great day for Mathews and the Aces.

The game started early with the first pitch at 8 a.m. Still, the temperature hit the 100 degree mark before the game was half way over. Before the Aces returned to the east side of town, the temperature was hovering around 106.

The Aces couldn't escape the heat this morning, so they took their mind off the miserable weather and proceeded to bang out 20 hits and pick up an easy win over their crosstown rival.

Crowley, Price battle in a 1 hr, 15 minute pitching duel

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

When a pitcher on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers takes the pitching mound there's a good chance a lot of balls will be thrown. In the Major Leagues a pitcher will certainly throw more along the line of 70 percent strikes, 30 percent balls. With the TOTS, it very often could end up the other way around -- 30 percent strikes, 70 percent balls.

But not today. Lefty Dennis Crowley and right-hander Pigpen Price locked up in a pitching duel that lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. Both pitchers threw nothing but strikes. Price struck out four, walked one. Crowley struck out one and walked two -- one intentionally.

Crowley and Team White won the game 4-2. David Byars provided the big blow of the game in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out single down the third baseline, which scored two runs. Team White added a couple of runs down the stretch -- both unearned to complete the scoring for the winners. Team Blue couldn't muster a lot of hits off Crowley, but Jesse Ochoa led the losing team with a 3 for 3 day and two runs-batted-in.

Crowley picked up the win and Price was saddled with the hard-luck loss.

Still, the game turned out to be the quickest game played this year by the 60-and-over TOTS. The innings blazed by as the temperature barely had time to reach triple digits. In fact, the players are home...resting as the outside temperature approaches 108 degrees.

It was definitely a hot time at the ball park.

Photos: 1) Dennis Crowley struck out one and walked two and picked up the win today. 2) Pigpen Price struck out four batters and walked one intentionally today in a losing effort. 3) David Byars provided the big blow for Team White today with a two-out, two-run single in the first inning. 4) Jesse Ochoa led Team Blue at the plate today with a 3 for 3 day and two RBI.

Newly-retired Petersen adjusting nicely on the ball diamond

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Ron Petersen, 72, has been playing with the TOTS since 2005. During all those years, Petersen has divided his time working as a "lineman for the county" at Tucson Electric Power and playing baseball with the old-timers at Udall Park.

Petersen officially retired in June from TEP after 50-plus years of service and can now concentrate on playing baseball full time with the TOTS. So what does he do in June?

He goes crazy at the plate!

Petersen led all batters during the month of June with 24 hits in 35 at bats for a .686 batting average. The hard-hitting lefty played in all 12 games, scored 12 runs, tied for the club's top spot in doubles with six and finished second in runs-batted-in with 15.

The top RBI-man for the month of June went to Doc Thompson with 21 runs-batted-in. Thompson played in 11 games and batted .621 (18 for 29) and finished with six doubles to match Petersen.

Other top hitters for the month included Tim Tolson (23 for 32, a .719 batting average in 11 games), Bob Daliege (19 for 28, a .679 average in nine games), Reed Palmer (18 for 35, a .514 average in 12 games), Pete Peters ( 17 for 27, a .630 average in eight games) and Mike Steele (17 for 33, a .515 average in 12 games).

Petersen and Daliege tied for the most pitching victories for the month with four.

With the June stats in the books, the TOTS are off and running in July at Udall Park. Despite the hot weather, the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers take the field every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Game time: 9 a.m.