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.