TOTS' player to get his first shot at MSBL World Series

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

One of the "young studs" on the Tucson Old Timers, 61-year-old John Mathews, will get his first shot at playing in the MSBL World Series next month in Phoenix.

Mathews, in his second year with the TOTS, will play for an Albuquerque, New Mexico team called the Paladins and will compete in the 60-and-over Central division. Mathews and the Paladins will play a six-game round robin, Oct. 30 through Nov. 4.

"I'm a little anxious, but excited to get the chance to play," Mathews said. "Someday I hope we can take our own 60-and-over team from the TOTS."

But for now, Mathews will join the Paladins and enjoy his first ever MSBL World Series.

Below is John's round-robin schedule with the Paladins:

Central	Dragons	Paladin	Mon, Oct 30	9:30 AM	Salt River D4
	Central	Paladin	Mariners	Mon, Oct 30	1:30 PM	Salt River D4
	Central	Paladin	Legends	Tue, Oct 31	4:00 PM	Tempe Diablo
	Central	Dodgers	Paladin	Wed, Nov 1	2:00 PM	Peoria M6
	Central	Diamonds	Paladin	Thu, Nov 2	10:00 AM	Riverview SE#3
	Central	Paladin	CN Fire	Thu, Nov 2	2:00 PM	Riverview SE#3

Remembering Game 4 at the 2016 MSBL World Series

Bob Daliege and Pigpen Price will be heading back to the MSBL World Series in two weeks. The two infielders remember what happened during the fourth game in the 70-and-over division last year when the San Antonio Texans went up against the dreaded and unbeaten San Diego Mudcats.

The Tucson duo and the Texans lost the game, but Price, at third, and Daliege, at shortstop, combined their efforts and had a senior world series they will remember for a long time. The two players combined for 15 of the 27 outs.

"It was one of those games when the ball was always heading in our direction," Price remembers. "Bobby was involved in a hand full of double plays and it seemed like the Mudcats were always picking on me at third."

"It was a lot of fun," says Daliege, who can't wait to return to Phoenix next month. "I look forward to getting back to the world series."

And it's a sure bet, Daliege and Price would love to duplicate what happened to them in Game 4 of the 2016 Men's Senior Baseball League World Series. And, according to Price, it would be nice to be on the "winning" end of the scoreboard for a change as well.

"Last year, we were competitive, but didn't win a game," Price said. "This year, it's going to be a different story."

Photo below of Daliege and Price

Astros, Dodgers, Indians reach 100-win mark

Major League Baseball


Congrats, to the Houston Astros, LA Dodgers and to the Cleveland Indians for reaching the 100-win mark during the regular season.

As for our Arizona Diamondbacks, they enter the final weekend of the regular season in Kansas City  with an impressive 92-68 record. The Diamondbacks lost last night 2-1 to the Royals in the first game of the three-game series.

Stanton watch: In pursuit of 61 -- The Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton will take his 59 home runs into the weekend.

Petersen does it all in TOTS' win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Ron Petersen, 72, is two weeks away from heading to the Men's Senior Baseball League World Series. The lefty is doing what he can to prepare himself for a grueling, two-weeks and a minimum of 10 games at the MSBL World Series in Phoenix, Oct 14-27.

Today, Petersen took a big step forward as he pitched a complete game and knocked in five runs to help his cause en route to a 8-3 win in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) game at Udall Park.

Petersen, pitching for Team White, kept the Team Blue batters at bay for seven innings and if all goes well, he'll try to do the same when he's asked to take the mound at the senior World Series in both the 70-and-over division and the 65-and-over division.

Way to go, Ron!

Arizona improves to 92-67

Arizona Diamondbacks


The Arizona Diamondbacks head for Kansas City for their final regular season three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Arizona beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 at Chase Field today on a walk-off walk and improve to 92-67. J.D. Martinez homered again, his 45th of the season, 16th this month and 29th since joining the Diamondbacks.

Team White 15 Team Blue 4

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Tim Tolson drove in five runs and 88-year-old Billy Heiny collected three RBI as Team White dominated at Udall Park today with a 15-4 win over Team Blue.

Reed Palmer knocked in four runs for the losing team, but connected on a three-run homer over the right field fence in the second inning -- his club-leading 13th round-tripper of the season.

The home run streak continues for Palmer, who hit his sixth home run of the month with his blast today. The ball came to a stop at the base of a tall cypress tree and was quickly recovered.

One of the home run balls hit by Palmer last week was lost for a few days --  until Palmer left the park after Monday's game and was cruising south, down Sabino Canyon Road.

It was then an object caught his eye. On the side of the road -- a TOTS' baseball. Palmer pulled over, got out of his car and retrieved the ball. Palmer brought the ball to the next TOTS' game and everyone signed it. Maybe it's time to build a special section -- beyond the 300-ft fence at Udall, and name it "Palmer's target zone."

After all, New York has a Judge's Chambers at Yankee Stadium -- a special home run zone for the amazing Aaron Judge. Now, our man Palmer is a former lawyer, so why not have a spot for him -- just beyond the fence at Udall. And, if Palmer's fans suddenly start showing up and sit in the stands, behind home plate at our field, we could have them sport a Kangol 504 cap (Reed's signature cap of which he loves to wear when he's out and about and away from the field of play).

Palmer says he has more Kangol 504 hats than his wife has shoes. "I have a closet full of them --all in different colors."

So, if the homers continue, and there is no reason to think otherwise, then why not have his fans in attendance wear a Kangol 504 cap with an "RP" stenciled across the front, honoring our new "Home Run King."

Photos: (middle photo) Tim Tolson, who knocked in five runs today. (top photo) The lost...but finally found home run ball. A little dirty, but in one piece. Found on the side of Sabino Canyon Road.  (bottom photo) Reed Palmer at a recent TOTS' after-game function, sporting one of his signature caps.

Darkness descends over McKale

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


A low hanging black cloud hovers over McKale. Say it ain't so, Sean Miller.

Arizona sports fans cherish Arizona basketball. The "lucky fans" who own or can obtain a ticket to witness live the Wildcats in action at McKale will now prepare for the dark days ahead.

The headlines on the front page of the Arizona Daily Star this morning does not mention the devastation and the aftermath of a hurricane more than 3,000 miles away or the latest wave of political discourse in Washington, D.C.

Instead, the headlines center around Book Richardson and a Category 5 news story which will bring the beloved Arizona basketball program to its knees.

Winning seems to be the most important thing in Washington these days. And it's no surprise, as the curtain falls and overshadows a cherished college basketball program, that "winning" is everything.

New schedule released for the 70-and-over Central Division of the 2017 MSBL World Series

2017 MSBL World Series

70-and-over Central Division Update

Well, due to Hurricane Irma, the Virgin Island team will not compete in the 70-and-over division at the MSBL 30th annual World Series this October in Phoenix. It stands to reason the players from the Virgin Island team have more important things to do...like rebuilding their homes.

We, Bookemdanosports and the entire MSBL community, wish them well in their recovery and we hope to see them in 2018 at the next Men's Senior Baseball League World Series.

Below is the updated schedule for the 70-and-over San Antonio Texans (which includes three players from the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers -- Bob Daliege, Ron Petersen and Pigpen Price).

Unfortunately, due to the change, the Texans lost their originally scheduled stadium game, inside Hohokam (spring training home of the Chicago Cubs), but the new schedule does include a doubleheader at Temple Diablo (spring training home of the LA Angels) on Sunday, Oct. 15. -- the first game against Team America (Wisconsin) and the second game against the Tri Valley Giants (out of the San Francisco area).

That, of course, will give us (the Texans) a day off on Tuesday, Oct. 17, to relax poolside. After four games in three days, we will need the down time!

See updated schedule below:

***click on respective fields (at far right of box below) to gain info on field address.

Division	Away	Home	Date	Time	Result	Boxscore
	Central	Texans	Classics	Sat, Oct 14	10:00 AM	Goodyear Reds 5
	Central	Team America	Texans	Sun, Oct 15	9:00 AM	Tempe Diablo
	Central	TV Giants	Texans	Sun, Oct 15	12:30 PM	Tempe Diablo
	Central	Texans	Team America	Mon, Oct 16	10:00 AM	Maryvale #5
	Central	Aussie	Texans	Wed, Oct 18	9:45 AM	Papago #3

65-and-over MSBL World Series schedule released today

2017 MSBL 30th World Series

65-and-over division

Update

Bob Daliege

Ron Petersen

Pigpen Price 


Three players from the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers -- Bob Daliege, Ron Petersen and Pigpen Price -- will see two weeks of action at the Men's Senior Baseball League World Series next month in Phoenix. The first week's schedule (see post from Tuesday, Sept. 19) is already out, although some changes may occur because of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which could alter the schedule for a Virgin Island's team. The original schedule had the San Antonio Texans, whose roster includes Daliege, Petersen and Price, playing a Virgin Island's team as a third-game opponent in the five-game round robin tournament, in the 70-and-over division, scheduled for Oct. 14-20.

The Tucson Old Timers trio will play for a 65-and-over team out of the San Francisco area called Tri Valley Giants (2) and the five-game round schedule, slated for Oct. 21-27, is as follows:

Diamondbacks vs TV Giants (2) Sat, Oct 21 2:00 PM Maryvale #5

New Mexico vs TV Giants (2) Sun, Oct 22 1:30 PM Hohokam Stadium

TV Giants (2) vs Solar Sox Mon, Oct 23 10:00 AM Riverview SE#5

TV Giants (2) vs Grays Tue, Oct 24 9:30 AM Salt River D3

TV Giants (2) vs Snowbirds Wed, Oct 25 10:00 AM Fitch Park SE#1

***click on fields at far right of schedule to get info on address of the respective fields

The Tri Valley Giants (2) will have a matchup inside the beautiful confines of HoHokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. Daliege, Petersen and Price, along with their Giants' teammates, will play New Mexico at 1:30 PM on Sunday, Oct. 22. Also, the Tri Valley Giants (2) will finish their week with a game against the Snowbirds, a team from Canada.

As for the playoffs, they will occur at the end of round-robin play each week. Playoff schedules, of course, are yet to be determined. The trio from Tucson will play a minimum of 10 games from Oct. 14 through Oct. 25. If the 70-and-over San Antonio Texans and the San Francisco Tri Valley team both qualify for the playoffs, then the Tucson trio could add another three or four games to the mix.

Team Blue edges Team White behind Palmer's 5-hitter

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Reed Palmer took a shutout into the seventh inning and John Mathews went 2 for 4 and knocked in two runs as Team Blue edged Team White 4-1 in a 60-and-over baseball game today at Udall Park.

Palmer lost his shutout bid, thanks to an infield hit by Bob Daliege and a booming double off the right field fence by hard-hitting lefty Tim Tolson. The two hits in the seventh by Team White were the fourth and fifth hit allowed by the 6-foot-5 Palmer.

It was certainly a battle of the "twin towers" today as Team White's 6-foot-2 starting pitcher, Tim Boyd, pitched well for six innings, but was saddled with the loss. Pete Maldonado pitched the final inning for Team White.

The TOTS will be back in action on Wednesday. Game time: 9 AM

Diamondbacks clinch Wild Card berth with 90th win

Arizona Diamondbacks


The Arizona Diamondbacks (90-66) won their 90th game of the season today with a 3-2 win over the Marlins at Chase Field and clinched the NL Wild Card and will host the one-game affair on Oct. 4.

J.D. Martinez capped off the day with a bases loaded walk-off single in the ninth inning.

Way to go, Diamondbacks!

Maybe today the Diamondbacks can clinch a playoff spot

Arizona Diamondbacks


Glencarlo Stanton hit his 57th home run and Miami kept the Diamondbacks from clinching a playoff spot with a 12-6 win Saturday night at Chase Field.

So, maybe today's the day as Arizona closes out the three-game series with the Marlins at 1 p.m.

Last night, J.D. Martinez hits his 43rd home run of the season, Brandon Drury hit his 13th and Paul Goldschmidt went yard with his 36th homer, but Stanton and the Marlins prevail.

Arizona (89-66) will send Patrick Corbin (14-13) to the mound today.

Turnovers costly in Wildcats' loss to Utah

Arizona Wildcats Football


An ugly loss at Arizona Stadium tonight.

Utah comes to town and improves to 4-0 and 1-0 in the Pac-12 with a 30-24 win over Arizona as the Wildcats cough up the ball five times. The Wildcats fall to 2-2 and 0-1 in the Pac-12.

Team White's Gordon knocks in go-ahead run in the 4th

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Phil Gordon, on the waiting list to be a full fledged member of the TOTS, knocked in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie and Team White went on to beat Team Blue 5-3 today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Gordon, who takes the center stage around town as a stand-up comic, singled between first base and second base and his opposite-field hit was anything but a joke as far as Team Blue was concerned.

"I usually pull the ball," Gordon said, after the game. "I finally got a hit to right field."

The first big hit of the game came in the fourth inning when lefty Ron Petersen doubled to right field with the bases loaded to give Team White an early 3-0 lead. But Team Blue battled back in the bottom of the inning and plated three runs to tie the game. One of the hits was a two-run homer by Reed Palmer, his 12th round tripper of the season.

Hard-throwing right-hander Doc Thompson went the distance in this one and picked up the pitching victory for Team White.

The TOTS return to action on Monday at Udall. Game time: 9 AM

TOTS Update:  Reed Palmer's 12th home run of the season today pulls him within seven homers of the all-time single season record in the organization, which is held by Doc Thompson with 19. Thompson set the home run record in 2006 at the age of 64. Thompson, now 75, is still an active member of the TOTS.



Photo: Phil Gordon

Friday night game of the week

My grandson Jadon Price (#7) and his teammates David Bacerra (#9), Justin McGrath (#52) and Brayden Smith (#88) play for the Ironwood Ridge High School Nighthawks and will have their hands full Friday night in Oro Valley against visiting Queen Creek.

Queen Creek, the 5th-ranked team in the state of Arizona (overall ranking by Max Preps), is 5-0 and has the best record among the Phoenix area schools and the best record in the state for that matter.

Ironwood Ridge is 4-0 and ranked No. 22 in the state this week in the overall rankings by Max Prep. The Arizona Central high school football poll this week has Queen Creek ranked No. 2 in 5A and Ironwood Ridge ranked No. 5.

Diamondbacks notch 88th win

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks (88-65) win their 88th game of the season tonight in San Diego with a  13-7 victory over the Padres. David Peralta, Jake Lamb, A.J. Pollock and J.D. Martinez homer for the Diamondbacks.

The D'backs return home for their final home stand of the season, beginning with a three-game series with Miami on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After the Marlins leave town, the Diamondbacks will host the San Francisco Giants in a three-game series, before heading for Kansas City and their final three regular-season games.

Way to go, Diamondbacks!

Team Blue wins a close one, 4-2

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

John Mathews scored three runs, Reed Palmer and Ted Davis knocked in two runs apiece as Team Blue edged Team White 4-2 today in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game at Udall Park.

Both teams collected seven hits. Team White's Joe Opocensky and Dave Byars knocked in runs.

Lefty Ron Petersen picked up the pitching victory, while right-hander Bob Daliege took the loss.

The TOTS will be back in action on Friday. Game time: 9 AM.

Photo: First baseman John Mathews scores three of the four runs for Team Blue today.

70-and-over MSBL World Series schedule

30th annual Men's Senior Baseball  League World Series


70-and-over division

San Antonio Texans

Home              Away                Date         Time             Field

Texans           Team America     Oct 14       10:00           Goodyear Reds #5

TV Giants        Texans                Oct 15       9:45             Hohokam Stadium

Texans            Virgin Islands      Oct 16      12:30            Tempe #5

Classics           Texans                Oct 17      1:30              Salt River R-5

Texans             Aussies               Oct 18       9:30              Papago #4


The above schedule is for the Texans of which three players -- Bob Daliege, Ron Petersen and Pigpen Price (all members of the Tucson Old Timers) are on the roster of the San Antonio team. The TOTS' trio will join the Texans at the MSBL World Series in Phoenix, Oct 14-20.

The Texans five round-robin opponents includes a team from St. Thomas (Virgin Islands) and  the Aussies from Australia.

The Texans will play inside Hohokam Stadium this year at the MSBL World Series. Hohokam is in Mesa and is the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs.

Team White wins slugfest, 13-10

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

There were a lot of hits at Udall Park this morning.

The Team Blue batters pounded the ball with six doubles, a triple and a home run and scored 10 runs, but as it turned out, they ended up on the losing team as Team White won the game, 13-10.

The home run came from Reed Palmer, who hit his fourth home run of the month and 11th of the season, while teammate Ron Petersen went 3 for 4 and drove in five runs. Bob Daliege ended up 3 for 5 and knocked in two runs.

For Team White it was lefty Dennis Crowley leading the way with a 4 for 4 performance -- including a double. It didn't end there as Joe Opocensky doubled, tripled and knocked in four runs en route to a 3 for 4 day, while Ted Davis and Mike Taylor combined their efforts for six hits and seven RBI.

Definitely not a pitching duel. Lloyd Barzell held on to pick up the pitching victory, while Pete Maldonado was saddled with the loss.

The hot-hitting TOTS will be back in action on Wednesday. Game time: 9 AM.

Diamondbacks take 2 of 3 from Giants

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks (87-63) take 2 of 3 in San Francisco over the Giants, but lose the getaway game 7-2 today. Still, the Diamondbacks remain 24 games over .500 and maintain their five-game lead over the Colorado Rockies, a 4-3 loser today to the Padres.

J.D. Martinez blasted his 40th home run of the season today for the Diamondbacks.

Arizona heads for San Diego and a three-game series with the Padres.

Keep it going, Diamondbacks!

Arizona slams UTEP

Arizona Wildcats Football


Playing "under the lights" on a Friday night seems to agree with the Arizona Wildcats.

And playing the UTEP Miners at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas doesn't hurt either.

Arizona (2-1) rolled to its second win of the season with a 63-16 win over the Miners as the Wildcats rode the arm and the legs of quarterback Brandon Dawkins to a much-needed win.

The Wildcats led at the half 35-9, thanks to Dawkins, who completed 12 of 13 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball eight times in the first half for 76 yards and two more scores.

The Wildcats poured it on the second half as Dawkins ended his night early in the fourth quarter with six touchdowns -- three through the air and three on the ground.

The Wildcats, with the win safely tucked away, head home to prepare for another Friday night encounter at Arizona Stadium on Sept. 22 against Pac-12 foe Utah (2-0).

Cleveland's consecutive winning streak ends at 22

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians lost 4-3 to Kansas City at Progressive Field tonight and the winning streak ends at 22 straight games.

Francisco Lindor, one of the heroes in Cleveland's dramatic win last night, struck out tonight for the final out ending the amazing winning streak by the Indians.

Great job, Cleveland. It was an amazing run.

TOTS' pitcher tosses a 2-hitter and catches a bus

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Most of the players on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers are retired. After all, you have to be at least 60 to play for the amateur baseball organization.

John Mathews, 61, is one of the younger players on the TOTS who still works for a living. So what happened at Udall Park today is not unusual if you are one of the "young studs" on the club.

Mathews, a tall left hander, tossed a two-hitter through five innings before giving way to his relief pitcher, Bob Daliege, in the sixth inning. Why would any pitcher want to come out of the game after pitching such a gem?

John had to catch a bus. Well, in reality he's a bus driver and needed to report to work.

The big lefty barely had time to check in, take his familiar seat behind the wheel and go to work. Chances are he's driving down Broadway, at this very moment, and chances are he might be reliving what he had accomplished at Udall Park today.

Mathews and Team Blue won the game 7-1 over Team White. And according to Mathews, he was pleased with his effort today. "I felt pretty good out there. I think the run was unearned."

That, of course, is not unusual for the TOTS. Normally, there are a lot of unearned runs scored.

Still, a two-hitter and no earned runs is something to tell the wife about when you get home after a tough "outing"  at Udall Park...and after a long shift as a bus driver.

Way to go, Big John.

Photo: The hard-throwing John Mathews.

The Cleveland Story

The amazing Cleveland Indians


Jay Bruce hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning in Cleveland tonight to extend the Indians' record-breaking consecutive winning streak to 22 games.

The Indians win the game 3-2 over Kansas City in front of a packed house at Progressive  Field and can now set their sights on the major league record of 26 games, which is held by the 1916 New York Giants.

Cleveland owns the American League record outright and needs five more consecutive wins to seal the deal.

The 2017 Cleveland Indians are UNBELIEVABLE!

Diamondbacks earn split with Rockies

Arizona Diamondbacks


Zack Godley (8-7) pitched eight strong eight innings, J.D. Martinez hit his 39th home run and A.J. Pollack knocked in four runs as Arizona beat Colorado 7-0 at Chase Field today to earn a split of the four-game series with the Rockies.

Arizona (85-62) still holds a five-game lead over the Rockies in the Wild Card race with 15 games to go.

Way to go, Diamondbacks!

Pitch counts of an oldtimer

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Okay, sports fans. Do you want to know how many pitches a pitcher throws in a typical 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) game at Udall Park.

Well, not really, you might say. So, okay. I'll tell you anyway. Be prepared to be blown away.

The TOTS play seven-inning games. Now, at the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in Phoenix every year, it's still nine innings. Still regular baseball. But at Udall Park on Monday, Wednesday and Friday the TOTS play seven-inning affairs, rain or shine, and if the game ends up in a tie, well it ends up in a tie.

As for the pitchers, take today's game for example. Team Blue had 69-year-old right-hander Bob Daliege on the mound and Team White countered with a 72-year-old lefty, Ron Petersen.

Team Blue won the game 12-4, resulting in a pitching victory for Daliege and Petersen was saddled with the loss. As for the pitch count: Daliege threw 125 pitches, while Petersen was not too far behind with a grand total of 118. That's 243 pitches in seven innings between the two and the game took a little over two hours to play.

There you have it. Mind boggling you say.

Daliege, after his win today said, "I tried to mix up my pitches today. Unfortunately, I walked too many."

Still, in the eyes of a TOT, a win is a win.

Petersen took the loss in stride. "I just couldn't get on a roll today." Petersen said, while sitting on a stool, toweling down, just moments after a two-hour pitching performance.

Putting it all into perspective sports fans. How many 70-somethings get up every morning, take to the mound and throw over 100 pitches in a baseball game? That's good to know, you might say.

In fact, you might add, that's just plain crazy.

Petersen added. "I go home and ice down my arm, just like the pros do. It takes a few days to recover."

And make no bones about it, the TOTS' hurlers will wait their turn and return to the mound next week, if called upon.

Pitch counts! Who on the TOTS worries about pitch counts?

Absolutely, no one. Many of the 60-and-over members of the TOTS have a hard enough time counting, anyway.

Photos: The pitchers of record today. Ron Petersen (top) -- 118 pitches, Bob Daliege (bottom) -- 125 pitches.

Team Blue edges Team White, 10-7

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Lefty Dennis Crowley sailed through the Team Blue lineup this morning at Udall Park. In fact, there were only two batters he had trouble with -- Ted Davis and hard-hitting lefty Reed Palmer.

Unfortunately, the duo accounted for seven of the runs as Team Blue walked away with a 10-7 win over Team White.

Davis was a thorn in the side of Crowley all morning with a 3 for 4 performance and five RBI, while Reed hit his 10th home run of the season -- a two-run shot over the right field fence.

Get by those two and Crowley pitched well. "I tried to get the ball inside on Reed, but he still crushed it," Crowley said, after the game. Crowley doesn't feel too bad. Every pitcher on the TOTS has tried to maneuver around the big left-handed hitter at one time or another and have had little success.

Palmer is in a ZONE! And the zone is somewhere around 340 feet from home plate as every home run ball has cleared the right field fence and then ends up searching for a tall cypress tree to crash into.

Tim Tolson was once again the big hitter for Team White. Tolson doubled and tripled and knocked in three runs. Right-hander Lloyd Barzell picked up the pitching victory, while Crowley, of course, was saddled with the loss.

The TOTS will be back at it on Wednesday. Game time: 9 AM.

Diamondbacks within 9 games of the Dodgers

Arizona Diamondbacks


The Arizona Diamondbacks beat San Diego 3-2 at Chase Field today and salvage 1 of 3 with the Padres to climb within nine games of the NL West division leaders, the Dodgers, a team which lost its 10th straight game this afternoon in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers fall to Colorado 8-1 and have now lost 15 games in the last 17 days. Go figure!

Arizona improves to 83-60 and the reeling Dodgers fall to 92-51 with 19 games remaining in the regular season.

The Rockies come to town tomorrow night for a four-games series at Chase Field.

Diamondbacks Update:  Paul Goldschmidt, who turned 30 today,  hit his 34th home run this afternoon and J.D. Martinez went yard twice and now has 37 homers on the season. Robbie Ray (13-5) won his 13th game.

Quarterback woes lead to Arizona loss

Arizona Wildcats Football


Arizona can't find a quarterback who can get the job done.

Will Rich Rodriguez turn to his son, Rhett?

We'll know next Friday when Arizona (1-1) heads to the Sun Bowl in El Paso to take on UTEP.

As for tonight, a 19-16 loss for the Wildcats as Houston comes into Arizona Stadium and walks away with a win.

Jadon scores! A wonderful moment in time

A moment in time, a moment to cherish forever...

Forgive me if I get a little carried away this morning.

I somehow...slowly, I might add, made my way to the top of the stands at Ironwood Ridge High School last night to witness my grandson, Jadon, and the Nighthawks play their first home game of the season.

They were up against a familiar foe, their rivals from a few miles north, the Dorados from Canyon del Oro. The Dorados star this year, Eli Carey, the younger brother of Ka'Deem Carey, who a few years ago terrorized the opposing secondaries with his electric runs up and down the field.

Of course, Ka'Deem went on to do the same thing at Arizona, before being drafted by the Chicago Bears. Ironically, Ka'Deem was waived by the Bears yesterday.

Getting back to my glorious moment in time, it was a family affair with my daughter-in-law, Amber, and my youngest granddaughter, Bree, taking in all the action with a packed house around us, mostly fans of the Nighthawks. My son, Michael, a battalion chief for Golder Ranch Fire, on duty below, trying desperately to work and watch his son play the game of football at the same time.

Down on the sideline, my granddaughter, Hannah, now a varsity cheerleader was strutting her stuff, while Jadon, #7, had his hands full, along with his teammates, dismantling a gutsy unit from CDO on the field of play.

And then it happened...

With the first quarter ticking away, Jadon waited for the snap and took off down field. He caught the pass from his quarterback in full stride, shook off the last defender and scampered into the end zone for a 53-yard TD reception to tie the game at 7-7.

Jadon would go on and complete his best game as a senior, both offensively and defensively, as the Nighthawks held on for a  24-21 victory to improve to 4-0 and extend their winning streak over CDO to seven games.

At the age of 72 and feeling like an old broken down athlete, I grabbed my cane and headed slowly down the steps, trying my best to remain upright with all the Nighthawk fans scurrying around me.

I had all the time in the world to get to the bottom of the stands and I took one last look at the scoreboard. The Nighthawks had won. Jadon had won. In fact, the entire Price family had won.

A moment in time I'll remember forever.

Photo: My grandson, Jadon, on the run.

Palmer's 9th homer leads Team White to 7-3 win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Left-handed power hitter Reed Palmer says, "I'm seeing the ball well right now."

His TOTS' teammates can attest to that.

As for Team Blue's righthander Bob Daliege, he turned and watched one of his pitches sail out of the ball park in the first inning as Palmer connected for his ninth home run of the season.

"I threw him a change up, a bad change up," Daliege said after the game.

Palmer's homer came with two runners on base and Team White cruised to a 7-3 win today in a 60-and-over baseball game at Udall Park.

Lloyd Barzell went the distance for Team White and picked up the win. He also had three hits in the game to help his cause. Of course, the big hitting star was Palmer, who almost connected for No. 10 later the game, but the ball bounced on the warning track and sailed over the fence for a ground-rule double.

Team Blue tried to stay close, but couldn't get a rally going through out the game, despite getting two hits in three trips to the plate from a trio of players -- David Byars, Pete Peters and John Misiaszek.

Photo: Palmer cranks another one.

Diamondbacks set franchise record with 13th win in a row

Arizona Diamondbacks


The streak continues.

Arizona (82-58) beat the Dodgers (92-47) in  LA again tonight with a 3-1 win to sweep the three-game series.

Tiajuan Walker (9-7) gets the the win and Fernando Rodney earns the save, his 36th of the season.

Way to go, Diamondbacks!

The last run

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Somewhere around the fifth inning a run was scored at Udall Park today during a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

It wasn't just any run, but the last run 92-year-old Floyd Lance will ever score for the amateur baseball organization, a "men's club" of sorts, whose members play the game of baseball three days a week and have been doing so since the league was formed in 1968.

Lance, the oldest TOT ever to don a blue and white TOTS'  uniform and take the field of play, hung up his cleats today after 18 seasons. He took his familiar position at first base and played the entire game. He batted lead off in order to get in an extra at bat or two. Floyd's teammates met him at the pitching mound following the game and handed him the game ball -- autographed by all the players.

In his final game, he singled down the left field line in his third at bat and eventually scored all the way from second base. His last run scored was his 976th of his career as a TOT.

As for the game, Team White won 7-5, despite Reed Palmer's eighth home run of the year for Team Blue. All eyes were on the moon shot as everyone turned and watched the homer disappear over the fence and into the tall trees.

Later on, all eyes were on the plate as Lance rounded third and stepped on the plate for the final time.

It wasn't just any run, but the final tally for the oldest player to ever suit up for the Tucson Old Timers.

Photo: The remarkable Floyd Lance

Diamondbacks make it 12 in a row

Arizona Diamondbacks

They did it again.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (81-58) beat the Dodgers 3-1 in L.A. last night to capture another series from the NL Western Division leader. The Diamondbacks go after the sweep tonight.

Go get 'em, Diamondbacks!

Martinez belts four homers in a game

Arizona Diamondbacks


When you're hot you're hot.

Country singer Jerry Reed belted out that song back in 1971.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and J.D. Martinez are certainly hot -- the Diamondbacks winners of 11 straight games with a 13-0 shellacking in L.A. of the Dodgers yesterday. Of course, Martinez is on fire, hitting four home runs yesterday to become only the 18th player in MLB history to accomplish the feat.

I'm shaking my head this morning. The Diamondbacks improve to 80-58 -- 22 games over .500!

The Dodgers have now lost nine of their last 10 games and are 12 1/2 games ahead of the Diamondbacks in the NL West.

Arizona has the fifth best record in the majors.

Keep it going, Diamondbacks!

Diamondbacks make it 10 in a row

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks have it going.

Arizona beat Colorado 9-5 on Friday, 6-2 on Saturday and this afternoon at Coors Field in Denver the Diamondbacks made it a clean sweep with a 5-1 win -- their 10th win a row. The first time Arizona has accomplished that feat in 14 years.

The last time the Diamondbacks won 10 straight was in 2003.

My goodness, the Diamondbacks are rolling as they improve to 21 games over .500  and now own a 79-58 won-loss record. The second-place Diamondbacks are 6 1/2 games ahead of the Rockies (72-64) in the NL West.

The LA Dodgers lost to San Diego today 6-4, but still own the best record in baseball with a 92-44 record and sit atop the division with 26 regular season games to go.

As for Arizona's victory today, it turned out to be another three-homer day for the good guys as Chris Iannetta, Ketel Marte and Brandon Drury went deep. Paul Goldschmidt had a rare day off, but the Diamondbacks won anyway and now head for Los Angeles and a three-game series, beginning on Monday with the Dodgers.

Photo: Paul Goldschmidt got a rare day off today but the Diamondbacks won anyway.

Arizona 62 NAU 24

Arizona Wildcats Football


As expected the Wildcats rolled over the Lumberjacks tonight inside the friendly confines of Arizona Stadium.

If you were at the game, chances are you kept a program handy to match up an Arizona jersey number to a name. Arizona pounded Northern Arizona 62-24 as coach Rich Rodriguez opened the gate and allowed many of his young Wildcats to take the field and get in some playing time -- including his own son, Rhett Rodriguez, who entered the game in the fourth quarter, took his first snap from center and handed off to Branden Leon (check your program) for a 10-yard touchdown run.

Six different Wildcats rambled for a score -- including the young Rodriguez, who scored on a quarterback sneak from 1-yard out with four minutes left in the game.

Arizona is 1-0 and that's a good thing.

There will be tougher games ahead.

The TOTS "Big 4" sizzle at the plate in August

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Four players on the TOTS dominated the stat sheet for the month of August.

The Big Four: Tim Tolson, Reed Palmer, Ron Petersen and John Mathews.

Tolson batted in all 11 games and went 25 for 37 for a .676 batting average and a club's best 15 RBI,  while Mathews was second in hits with 19 to go along with his .633 average (19 for 30 in 10 games).

Palmer, who finished first in runs scored with 18, went 17 for 23 in eight games for a healthy .739 batting average. He also hit three home runs during the month and now has seven on the year.

Petersen played in nine games during the month and batted .654 with 17 hits in 26 at bats. He was also second on the club with 14 RBI.

Other top hitters included: Ted Davis (13 for 21 in eight games, a .619 average), Pete Peters (12 for 19 in six games, a .632 average), Dennis Crowley (13 for 25 in nine games, a .520 average), Joe Opocensky (10 for 18 in six games, a .556 average). DeLon "Doc" Thompson (10 for 17 in five games, a .650 average), John Misiaszek ( 11 for 18 in five games, a .611 average) and Pigpen Price (12 for 24 in eight games, a .500 average.

Petersen was the top pitcher on the TOTS in August with four wins and no losses.

Way to go, guys! And now it's on to September.

Tolson hits 4th dinger of the season

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Thunder Tim Tolson hit his fourth home run of the year today -- a moonshot over the right field fence, and Team Blue knocked off Team White 13-4 in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game at Udall Park.

Tolson finished the day with three hits in four trips to the plate and drove in four runs, while teammate Dave Byars went 2 for 3 and knocked in three runs and Chuck Sabalos added two hits to go along with three runs batted in for the winners.

It was a good start to September for the TOTS, especially for Tolson, who pulled within three homers of the club leader Reed Palmer, who has seven round-trippers.

The TOTS will take Monday off for Labor Day and return to action on Wednesday with a 9 AM start.

September is here!

September is here. Here we go!

The Arizona Wildcats take the field tomorrow night and play host to the visiting Lumberjacks from Northern Arizona University as college football gets into full swing.

Major League Baseball heads into the final weeks of the 2017 season. The playoffs and the World Series are just around the corner.

And on Sunday, NFL fans involved in fantasy football wait for the final seconds to tick away as they prepare to unleash their first draft pick.

Great time of the year.