Down 6-1, Team White bounces back wins 10-6 in TOTS' game

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Toeing the rubber in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game can be frustrating at times.

If you are a TOTS' pitcher then your ERA is not something you want to discuss with your spouse over dinner at home, following highly-contested old-timers' games, which are held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Udall Park.

The TOTS keep track of hits...and runs, but the amount of errors made in a game and how many runs are earned and unearned are not statistics the club keeps track of.

Still, the club has been around for over 50 years and you can't play the game without pitchers. So somebody has to do it. Today, it was right-hander Mike Dawson who got the call for Team White.

Before the dust had settled -- after just two innings of play --  Dawson and his teammates were down 6-1. Dawson's teammates had committed seven errors (give or take an error). Fortunately for Dawson and Team White, there were five innings to go. With the sun beating down and the temperature heading for the 90-degree mark, Team White regrouped and suddenly it took only three outs to get out of an inning instead of six...or seven.

Team White kept chipping away at the Team Blue lead. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Team White tied the game and then went up 7-6 when Team Blue's catcher Roger Beebe tried to pick off Pigpen Price, the runner at first base. The ball bounced away from Ron Carlson, Team Blue's first baseman, and Dawson, who was the runner on third and chomping at the bit to score, rambled home with the go-ahead run.

Dawson, who went 3 for 4 and drove in four runs to help his own cause, mowed down Team Blue the rest of the way, while his teammates failed to make an error down the stretch and added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game on ice.

Ron Petersen, a lefty, went the distance for Team Blue and was saddled with the loss. Tim Tolson and Ron Ryan had two hits apiece for the losing team. Team Blue lost their catcher Mike Steele in the fifth inning.

Steele was running from first to second and cramped up and went down in pain. "I thought I had got hit by the ball," Steele said. It may turn out to be a cramp or worse yet a pulled muscle. At any rate, Steele was helped off the field and replaced by Beebe.

A lot goes on during a TOTS' game -- hits, runs, errors...injuries, a laugh or two. There are no winners or losers in a 60-and-over game. Yes, one team is chalked up with the win on the scoreboard, but if you play ball at the age of 60, 70, 80 or 90, like the TOTS do...well it's all good.

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

Opocensky, Boyd lead Team Blue to 12-4 TOTS' win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Tim Boyd and Joe Opocensky collected three hits apiece and combined for six RBI to lead Team Blue to a 12-4 win over Team White at Udall Park today in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Opocensky went the distance on the mound for Team Blue and shutdown Team White until one out in  the top of the seventh inning. Ron Petersen knocked in a run to start the Team White rally and three more runs crossed the plate before Opocensky regrouped and coaxed Team White's Jerry Hamelin into a ground ball to Boyd at shortstop, which resulted in a double play to end the game.

Team White just couldn't get anything started until the late rally in the last inning. Lloyd Barzell started for Team White and was saddled with the loss.

Ron Ryan went 2 for 4 and knocked in two runs to help Team Blue pad their big lead.

The TOTS close out the month of May on Friday at Udall Park. Game time: 9 a.m.

Photos: Boyd and Opocensky

Turning the Page

Songs from the Heart


Back in 1973, Bob Seger put out a ballad entitled Turn the Page.

It was one of those songs that grabs you from the beginning and never lets you go. Fifty-six years ago and the words still light a fire inside me.

It's 2019 and I'm still turning the page, one month and a few days away from the age of 74 -- close to three quarters of a century.

My goodness, I'm still turning the page...and finally I'm starting to slow down and listen to the beauty in a song...and the beauty of life itself.

Hats off to Bob Seger. He's one of the best.

Arizona left out of postseason

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats (32-24) were left out of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were nowhere to be found as the selection committee announced the 64 teams this morning.

Too bad.

Arizona finished strong with 10 straight wins to end the regular season.

The Wildcats will have just about everyone back next season.

Cameron Cannon finished the season with 92 hits and a .397 batting average to lead the Wildcats. Nick Quintana led the way in the power-hitting department with 15 home runs and 77 RBI. Austin Wells scored 73 runs to top the Wildcats in that category.  Pitchers Quinn Flanagan and Randy Labaut finished with identical 8-3 records.

Hey, Wildcats! See you at Hi Corbett Field next season.

Congrats to the Arizona women's softball team

Arizona Wildcats Softball


The Arizona women's softball team is headed back to the College World Series in Oklahoma City, the first appearance by the Wildcats since 2010.

The Wildcats beat Ole Miss at Hillenbrand Stadium 9-1 on Saturday night.

Home runs by Dejah Mulipola, Malia Martinez and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoz accounted for four of the nine runs.

Arizona will play in its 23rd WCWS and will face Washington in the first round.

Way to go, Lady Cats!

Frenchman Simon Pagenaud wins the Indy 500

103rd Indianapolis 500


Frenchman Simon Pagenaud won the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 today, finishing 0.2086 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Alexander Rossi.

Pagenaud led 116 of the 200 laps.

Congrats, Pagenaud.

Arizona sweeps Washington State, ends regular-season with 10 straight wins

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats (32-24, 15-14) ended their regular season with a three-game sweep of the Washington State Cougars in Pullman, including a 15-7 win this afternoon. The Wildcats scored 46 runs in the three games and finish their 2019 regular schedule with 10 straight wins.

They now await their fate for postseason play.

The Wildcats are certainly on a roll. Arizona received two home runs today from Justin Wylie as every player in the starting lineup hit safely, scored at least one run and knocked in at least one run.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Dawson, Mathews, Gordon lead Team White to 9-4 TOTS' win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

A little one-sided affair at Udall Park this morning.

All the hitters seemed to be on the same side as Team White manhandled Team Blue  9-4 in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game. Mike Dawson and Big John Mathews were a combined 8 for 8, while teammate Phil "Flash" Gordon contributed two key hits and drove in four runs for the winners.

Dawson went the distance and picked up the pitching victory, while Team Blue's starter Joe Opocensky was the top dog for the losing team with a 3 for 4 day and three RBI, but went the distance on the mound and was saddled with the loss.

Team Blue tried to get something going in the top of the seventh. They scored a run and had two runners on base, but Team White's center fielder Pete Peters made a shoestring catch and doubled a runner off first base. The next batter, Dave Rhoades, popped out to Dawson to end the game.

The TOTS will take a week off due to the Memorial Day weekend. The TOTS will not play on Friday (May 24) or Monday (May 27), but will return to action at Udall on Wednesday, May 29.

Hats off to all our Veterans.

TOTS' note:  Phil Gordon has a new TOTS' nickname. Phil "Flash" Gordon. It's not for his blazing speed on the base paths, but more for his hitting ability. Phil is not just a flash in the pan when he steps to the plate. He can crank the ball down the line and into left field with the best of them. Way to go, Phil.

Wildcats make it 7 in a row

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats (29-24) make it seven wins in a row with a 9-5 win at Penn State today and a three-game sweep of the Nittany Lions. Nick Quintana collects three hits and knocks in four runs to lead the Wildcats.

Next up for the Wildcats a three-game series in Pullman on May 23, 24 and 25 against the Washington State Cougars as Arizona wraps up Pac-12 Conference play and the regular season.

Tucson Aces win 1 lose 1 in Old-timers tourney

60-and-over Tucson Aces

The 60-and-over Tucson Aces won one and lost one in a one-day old-timers tourney at the Hi Corbett annex fields today. The Aces won their opener 10-4 over the Old Pueblo Club behind the pitching of Mike Dawson and the hitting of Ron Ryan, Ken Nebesny and John Mathews.

Ryan ripped a two-run single, Nebesny banged out a couple of hits and Mathews blasted an RBI-double.

In the second game, the Aces tangled with some younger players -- some of them have yet to reach the age of fifty. In other words, some very young whippersnappers. The south-side all-star team rolled to a 15-1 win over the Aces and also bested the Arizona Rattlers, 16-3.

The players on the Aces return to Udall Park on Monday and rejoin their teammates on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers. Game time: 9 a.m.

Photo: Aces' right-hander Mike Dawson goes the distance and gets a pitching victory during a four-team baseball tourney at the Hi Corbett annex fields today.

An old-time thriller at Udall

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The old guys were at it again at Udall Park this morning.

Team Blue outlasted Team White 9-8 in a thriller. Well, today's 60-and-over baseball game wouldn't  quite matchup to the Thrilla in Manila, the 1975 fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, but when a bunch of oldtimers get together to play baseball it's a battle nonetheless.

Ali, who won the fight back in '75, threw punch after punch at Frazier, similar to the TOTS' Reed Palmer, who once again pulled no punches at the plate. Instead, Palmer had a 3 for 4 day and knocked in three runs to lead Team Blue to victory. Peter Peters, Mike Steele, Bob Stofft and Jesse Ochoa threw a couple of punches of their own with each player contributing two hits apiece. Steele drove in three runs to match Palmer.

The losing team had their own fighters as well, led by Tim Tolson with a 4 for 4 day -- including a triple and Doc Thompson with three hits and three RBI.

Lefty Ron Petersen went the distance and picked up the pitching victory, while another lefty, Dennis Crowley, took the loss.

There is still a lot of fight in the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers. They return to action on Friday. Game time: 9 a.m.

Arizona moves to 24-22 with 2 non-conference wins

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats (24-22) played a doubleheader last night at Hi Corbett Field, knocking off Sam Houston State, 14-7 and 16-2. Dayton Dooney collected five RBI in Game 1 and Cameron Cannon knocked in four runs in Game 2.

Freshman George Arias Jr. picked up his first win as a Wildcat with four solid innings in a reliever role in the second game of the night.

The Wildcats head for Penn State and three more non-conference games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Palmer, Thompson, Sallee lead the way in TOTS' win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Reed Palmer, Doc Thompson and Phil Sallee combined for 9 hits and 9 RBI to lead Team Blue to a 15-9 win over Team White today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Team White received three-hit performances from Big John Mathews and Ron Ryan, while Ron Petersen turned in a solid performance with four hits in four trips to the plate.

Bob Daliege started for Team Blue and picked up the pitching victory, while Team White's crafty right-hander Pete Maldonado was saddled with the loss.

The TOTS return to action on Wednesday at Udall. Game time: 9 a.m.

Weather puts damper on Arizona's postseason chances

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Already then.

Arizona is battling for postseason play. The Wildcats keep plugging toward that goal and helped matters a bit with a two-game sweep, if you will, over USC this weekend. The Wildcats won the opener on Friday and it took two days to complete Game 2, but Arizona got it done with a 7-2 win on Sunday afternoon.

The third game of the Arizona-USC series was cancelled due to weather late Sunday and the Wildcats end up with an overall record to 24-24 and their Pac-12 Conference slate to 12-14.

That means Arizona needs to sweep the final series in Pullman with Washington State (May 23, 24, 25)  to put them over the .500 mark in conference play. In the meantime, Arizona takes on Sam Houston State in a doubleheader on Monday night and then travel to Penn State for a three-game series (May 16, 17, 18).

Bottom line: Keep winning and keep plugging.

Note: Nick Quintana continues to lead the Wildcats in home runs (12) and RBI (62).

Dick Tomey

Dick Tomey (1938-2019)

The Wildcat Nation mourns the loss of legendary football coach Dick Tomey, who passed away Friday, May 10, at the age of 80 -- the winningest football coach in the history of Arizona sports.

Diagnosed with lung cancer in December, Tomey spent 14 years at Arizona, finishing with a 95-64-4  record -- including a  12-1 record in 1998 and a win over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

Aces win behind Palmer's moon shot

Tucson Aces

60-and-over baseball

It doesn't matter what league or what field Reed Palmer happens to be at when he steps up to the plate. With the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers, Palmer is the current record holder for home runs in a single season (29 in 2018) and he leads the club in homers with eight this season.

When he plays with the 60-and-over Tucson Aces it is more of the same. Case in point: Today at Mission Manor -- a park with an outfield fence which measures well over 400 feet -- Palmer blasted a moon shot over the right field fence in the second inning and it was off to the races for the Aces as they went on to beat the Arizona Rattlers, 10-7.

Palmer added two more hits during the game and knocked in a total of four runs.  He was also the winning pitcher.

He did have a little help from his friends as Lloyd Barzell and Ken Nebesny had two hits apiece, while Mike Dawson and Bob Daliege banged out two-run doubles. Nebesny and Dennis Crowley also threw out two base runners to snuff out a rally by the Rattlers.

The Rattlers picked up three runs in the seventh, but by then the damage was done and the Aces left town -- well...the south side of Tucson, anyway...and headed home with another victory under their belt.

Way to go, Reed... and good job Aces!

Photo: Palmer

Axe-handle bat a big hit for TOTS' player

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Denny Leonard, 81, a member of the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers for 26 years, is one of a hand full of players with over 1,000 hits with the club. In 1993, the hits seem to come easy. Not so much in 2019. Lately, the "young man" from Edmonton, Alberta is finding a gap or two and is getting back into the swing of things.

Case in point: Today, Leonard picked up an axe-handled bat and gave it a try. He hit the ball hard with each at bat and even connected with a gapper to left-center field to help Team White stay within striking distance of Team Blue at Udall Park.

Chances are Leonard will continue to check out the bat rack, searching for the axe-handled bat, which some ball players and baseball aficionados feel may actually revolutionize the game -- at least from a hitting perspective.

Today's game at Udall had a little bit of everything --including a comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning when lefty Reed Palmer sent a Lloyd Barzell fastball over the right field fence for a three-run homer as Team White closed to within two runs of Team Blue. The homer was Palmer's eighth of the season.

Barzell regrouped and got out of the inning to pick up the 11-9 win. Mike Dawson went the distance for Team White and was saddled with the hard-luck loss.

Dawson tried his best to get through Team Blue's potent offense -- especially the middle of the lineup, which included a hard-hitting lefty, Tim Tolson, and two hard-hitting right-handed batters, Tim Boyd and Doc Thompson. The trio combined for eight hits and combined for six runs scored.

Pete Peters and John Mathews had three hits apiece for the losing team. Mathews came close to a home run. His towering blast landed half way up the left field fence and the double accounted for two RBI.

The TOTS return to action at Udall on Friday. Game time: 9 a.m.

Photo:  Denny Leonard

ASU wins season series

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Arizona State (34-12) beat Arizona 10-7 at Hi Corbett field last night and sweep the series with the Wildcats (22-24).

The Sun Devils out hit the Wildcats 13-12. Cameron Cannon and Branden Boissiere knocked in four of the seven runs for Arizona.

Up next for the Wildcats: USC in town this weekend for a three-game series.

Peralta "top gun" for Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks


It's not surprising to see David Peralta at the top of the stat sheet for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Just a few days into the May schedule, Peralta leads the Diamondbacks with a .312 average. His 44 hits leads the club and his 24 RBI in 33 games is second only to Ketel Marte with 26. Marte leads the club in home runs with nine.

Arizona finds themselves second in the NL West with a 20-14 record. The Diamondbacks are at Tampa Bay tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday before returning home for a 10-game home stand with the Braves, the Pirates and the Giants.

Team White rolls behind Palmer, Carlson in TOTS' win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Reed Palmer hit his club-leading seventh home run of the season and left fielder Ron Carlson made the play of the day as Team White rolled to an easy 14-2 win over Team Blue today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Carlson set the tone of the game in the bottom of the first inning when he backtracked to the warning track and made a backhanded stab to rob Team Blue's hard-hitting Mike Dawson of an extra base hit.

"I was thinking double, maybe a triple," Dawson said. "I heard the cheers and realized Ron had caught the ball."

It was downhill from there as far as Dawson and Team Blue were concerned. The Team White hitters found the holes and scored in four of the six innings. They didn't need the extra at bat in the bottom of the seventh.

As for Palmer's homer, Dawson picked up two quick strikes in the fourth inning on the power-hitting lefty, but the next pitch got too much of the plate and Palmer hit the pitch high and deep.

Joe Opocensky went the distance for Team White and picked up the win.

The TOTS return to action on Wednesday at Udall Park. Game time: 9 a.m.

Photo: Ron Carlson, who set the tone in the first inning of today's game with the catch-of-the-day in left field.

Wildcats romp in a Cinco de Mayo slugfest

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


Cinco de Mayo must agree with the Arizona Wildcats.

The Wildcat baseball team had a field day against the Oregon Ducks today at Hi Corbett with a 28-7 win to sweep the three-game Pac-12 Conference series and improve to 22-23 overall and 10-14 in conference play.

Arizona collects 26 hits. No home runs were hit. Nick Quintana led the way with a single, two doubles and five RBI, tying a single-game personal best for runs-batted-in, while Justin Wylie hit safely four times with three doubles and three RBI.

Nine players drove in runs for Arizona -- including three hits and four-RBI from Austin Wells, while freshman Branden Boissiere matched Wells with another three hits and four runs-batted-in.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Wildcats out to sweep the Ducks today

Arizona Wildcats Baseball


The Arizona Wildcats (21-23, 9-14) are out to sweep the Oregon Ducks at Hi Corbett at High Noon.

Just like Gary Cooper would have planned it.

Hopefully, the bats will be blazing for the Wildcats. Arizona picked up its second win of the three-game series last night, winning 9-8, on a throwing error by Oregon pitcher Ryne Nelson. The bad throw to first base allowed the runner, Matthew Dyer, to scamper home in the bottom of the 11th with the game-winning run.

There are all kinds of ways to win a baseball game.

Horse of a different color wins Derby

The 2019 Kentucky Derby




A disqualification at the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby today.

A horse of a different color wins it as Maximum Security interferes with two horses down the stretch, turning what looked like a second place finish for Country House into a winner -- a 65-1 shot.

A stunning victory to say the least.

Names to remember:  Flavien Prat, the winning jockey, Bill Mott, the trainer.

TOTS among 2,700 spectators at Hi Corbett last night

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers made their annual trip as a group to Hi Corbett Field last night and were among 2,708 fans who witnessed the Arizona Wildcats pick up a victory in the Pac-12 Conference with a 17-6 win over the visiting Oregon Ducks.

Arizona collected 16 hits including a late home run from freshman Branden Boissiere. His first as a Wildcat.

Arizona picks up its 20th win of the season against 23 losses. The Wildcats improve to 8-14 in the conference. Oregon is just a bit better at 23-20 overall and 8-11 in the conference.

The two teams play game two of the three games tonight at Hi Corbett. Game time: 6 p.m.

The usual suspects do it again in TOTS' game

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

It was the "usual suspects" at it again at Udall Park this morning.

Two more home runs in the books -- a two-run shot by Team White's Reed Palmer and a solo shot by Team Blue's Tim Tolson.

Palmer and Tolson hit No. 6 on the season and remain tied for the home run lead.

Bottom line: Team White wins the game 10-2 over Team Blue as Lloyd Barzell picks up the win on the mound and Mike Dawson is touched up with a 10-spot and takes the loss.

Palmer also contributed a 2-run double and finished a 3-for-3 performance with four runs-batted-in. Jesse Ochoa and John Mathews combined their efforts with four hits in six trips to the plate. Dawson and Ken Nebesny had two hits each for the losing team.

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

Thunder Tim rolls in April

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Thunder Tim rolls on...

Tim Tolson was on fire during the month of April, finishing the month with 25 hits in just 33 at bats for a .824 batting average. The hard-hitting lefty, led the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers in doubles for the month with seven, hit one home run and led the club in RBI with 19.

There wasn't much Tolson didn't do in April. He did make eight outs, but most of those outs were high pop ups and most of those high-flying ovals turned out to be quite an adventure for the TOTS' outfielders.

Lloyd Barzell with 22 hits, Mike Dawson with 21 hits and Reed Palmer with 20 hits tried their best to keep pace with Tolson through out the month. Palmer did get the upper hand over Tolson in homers with three.

Four players hit home runs. Along with Tolson and Palmer, another hard-hitting lefty sailed one over the right field fence. Joe Opocensky hit his first TOTS' homer -- a monster blast into the trees. Dawson also joined the crowd and circled the bases with an inside-the-park homer.

Other top hitters for the month: Dick Ducklow (14 for 29, a .483 batting average), John Mathews (13 for 24, a .542 average) and Opocensky (12 for 24, a .500 average). Also Bob Daliege (11 for 18, a .611 average) and Danny Boxberger (11 for 28, a .393 average).

Floyd Lance, 93, the oldest player to ever take the field in the club's 50-year history, played in three games in April. Lance batted seven times, had two hits, scored two runs and was hit by a pitch.

The TOTS returned to action today at Udall -- the first day of May. It was a one-sided game with Team Blue rolling to a 9-1 win over Team White. Tolson hit a two-run homer, his fifth of the season,  to pull into a tie with Palmer for the season lead in round-trippers.

Thirty-four members of the club saw action in April.

A job well done by all the TOTS.

Thunder Tim hits 5th home run of the season

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Thunder Tim Tolson hit his fifth home run of the season, singled and drove in three runs to lead Team Blue to a 9-1 win over Team White today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Reed Palmer and Tolson are now tied for the the most home runs on the club in 2019.  In fact, it was Palmer, pitching for Team White, who served up the Tolson homer today. Palmer tried to get a change up by Tolson, but to no avail as the ball sailed over the right-center field fence. It was a bad day at the office for the hard-throwing Palmer, who was touched up for nine runs.

Joe Opocensky, Team Blue's starter, picked up the win.

It was a good day for Team White's catcher Danny Boxberger, who had two hits, scored his team's only run and also made the play of the day, hauling in a high pop up in front of the plate to snuff out a Team Blue rally.

The TOTS return to action on Friday at Udall. Game time: 9 a.m.

Photos: (top) Thunder Tim Tolson, (bottom) catcher Danny Boxberger.