Mannion leads Wildcats into Wooden Legacy final

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Nico Mannion scored 24 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the field to lead 14th-ranked Arizona to a 92-82 win in the semi-finals over Penn tonight in Anaheim at the Wooden Legacy Classic.

The Wildcats (8-0) face Wake Forest on Sunday in the championship game.

Green, Smith lead Wildcats to win over Pepperdine

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Arizona put together a 10-0 run midway through the second half and turned a 42-all score at halftime into a 69-57 lead over Pepperdine at the quarterfinals of the Wooden Legacy Tournament tonight in Anaheim.

It got a little dicey after that.

Arizona (7-0) survives 93-91 on a running shot from Nico Mannion with two seconds left on the clock. The 14th-ranked Wildcats ended up out scoring the Waves 51-49 in the second half.

Josh Green finished the game with 24 points, while Zeke Nnaji, Mannion and Dylan Smith finished with 16 points apiece. Chase Jeter also hit in double figures with 10. Green, Mannion and Smith were a combined 10 for 15 from 3-point land.

And the Wildcats needed all of those 3-pointers.

Arizona scrambled to a 86-84 lead on a Smith 3-pointer at the three-minute mark and then led 91-89 on a dunk from Nanji. Colbey Ross, who scored 20 points, hit a jumper in the paint to tie the game at 91-all.

Bottom line: Arizona gets the win and moves to 7-0.

The Doc Holliday Run

The Doc Holliday Run

Forty minutes east of my son's house sits a bar called Doc Holliday's.

Holliday died in Glenwood Springs, Colorado on November 8, 1887 at the age of 36.

My two sons and I arrived in Glenwood Springs yesterday and moseyed up to the bar at High Noon.

Down the road apiece is Linwood Cemetery -- a marker is in place, signifying the final resting place of Wyatt Earp's famous sidekick.

How does an old-time city boy exist in two different worlds

Living in the 70s

I took a huge "trip" for me this week -- actually, when all is said in done, I'll be away from the Old Pueblo for two weeks. It's the middle of the winter, for goodness sakes...well, that's how this old man looks at things.

A resident of Tucson, Arizona for most of my life, there's been a time or two when winter never comes. But here I am, setting in a "Colorado Room" at my son's house and having a cup of coffee, watching the deer and the antelope play. Sorry, I just went off on another tangent. That's deer, wild turkeys and a bear or two (actually I haven't seen the latter this week...as far as the antelope are concerned, the last one I saw play was a few miles east of Show Low, Arizona last spring).

So, here I sit and wondering if I could "live" as a resident of Colorado, or should my "old bones" stay put in a land where the temperature reaches 110 degrees in July. The temperature around Grand Junction will reach in the single digits by daybreak.

It's a beautiful land...it's a beautiful country whether you're talking about Colorado or Arizona.

I have a buddy, a teammate on my old-time baseball team, who has it all. He lives during the summer and fall on his 85-acre ranch in Red Lodge, Montana, while spending the hard winters in Tucson. Arnie White, 78, is as fit as a fiddle and can handle himself in Alaska if need be.

As for me, the "city boy" who grew up wearing shorts, a T-shirt and tennis shoes year around, I should continue to watch ESPN, stay inside the house during the summer months and continue to play early-morning baseball, bike the Catalina Foothills and age gracefully.

I don't need to buy a winter coat, or those special white thermal underwear my son wears. Of course, he is 6-2  and 260+, and if I borrowed a pair, it is likely I could cover my entire body and get a comfortable night's sleep.

I''ll be home on Sunday, after a trip through Southern Utah, Monument Valley...Flagstaff...hit I-17...avoid the rush hour in Phoenix... and be back home by sundown.

There are pretty sunsets in Colorado and Arizona.

That's the thing about living in America. You can choose where you live, but dress accordingly.

Arizona crushes Long Beach State

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats (6-0) crushed Long Beach State 104-67 at McKale Center last night for their sixth win of the season as five players scored in double figures. Arizona, led 38-33 at the half, but scored 66 points in the second half, while jamming home enough highlight-reel shots to keep ESPN busy.

Nico Mannion scored a game-high 22 points and Zeke Nnaji kept up his attack on the basket, canning nine of 13 from the field for 21 points. Max Hazzard played just 18 minutes, but hit on 4 of 6 from 3-point land for 14 points, while Josh Green and Jemari Baker Jr. netted 11 points apiece.

Chase Jeter led the 14h-ranked Wildcats with six rebounds and Green came up with three steals.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Utah 35 Arizona 7

Arizona Wildcats Football

The Arizona Wildcats have one game left on the 2019 schedule.

Of course, that comes next Saturday in Tempe against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

As expecting, the Wildcats lose big at Arizona Stadium tonight falling to the 8th-ranked Utah Utes, 35-7. The Utes are heading for bigger and better things, while the Wildcats...well, they have a shot against their rival next week. A slim one, but a shot.

The Sun Devils (6-5) surprised the sports world with a win over 6th-ranked Oregon today, the Wildcats (4-7) surprised no one.

Going to the movies...

Grandpa's journey to the movies


Us old timers have been through it many times. A journey to the movies with a grandchild can be taxing at times -- either for the grandparent or the grandchild. One of the two is likely to squirm in his or her seat during the film. After all, after the popcorn, the milk duds and the sodas, it's time for the "attention span" and it's any one's guess as to who wins out -- the adult, or the child.

Unless the movie is called "A  Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" -- the current flick, released today, with Tom Hanks in the lead role as Fred Rogers.

For my readers -- mostly old-timers born in the 1940s...well maybe I should include the 1950s as well (Man, how fast time goes by!) -- there's no reason to go into who exactly Mr. Rogers was. Fred Rogers died in his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 27, 2003. Best known, of course, for his television show, which was aired on PBS from 1968 to 2001.

Fast forward to a Friday morning -- November 22, 2019 -- and I, the grandpa...and my grandson, Chase, head for the movie theater in the town of Rifle, which sits along the Western Slope of Colorado, on I-70 between Grand Junction and Denver.

Before the movie was over I was in tears and my grandson for the most part sat quietly in his seat and  watched as Tom Hanks took over the screen for the better part of an hour and 25 minutes. I did not expect the movie to be "a learning tool" for a 10-year-old (or, maybe...in the back of my mind, I did), nor did I expect to be so moved that I was forced to use my right hand and hide a tear or two from the eyes of my grandson.

There was a moment when my grandson put his left hand on my right arm and said, "Are you okay, Grandpa?"

I took a moment and said to him there will come a time, years from now, when he would remember and recall bits and pieces of the movie. "That's what movies are all about," I said.

We walked out of the theater. There was a chill in the air. It was 39 degrees. The expected high for the day was to be 42 degrees by mid afternoon.

I looked at my grandson and eyed the beautiful mountains surrounding the town of Rifle. "You know what the best part of it all is?"

"What's that, Grandpa?"

"You've got your whole life ahead of you. Enjoy it all...the movies...the deer in your backyard...the turkeys walking up the street...your school days...your high school days...getting married and having kids."

He chuckled. I smiled and said, "let's head home."

Note: It is not unusual for Tom Hanks to move me. After all, he's the guy who talked to a volleyball for thirty minutes in, Cast Away. A great actor and his portrayal of Mr. Rogers was simply perfection.

Arizona improves to 5-0 with 71-64 win over South Dakota State

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Arizona, down 32-29 at the half, gradually pulled away from South Dakota State midway through the second half at McKale Center tonight en route to a 71-64 win. Josh Green led the Wildcats with 15 points, Nico Mannion added 14 and Zeke Nnaji, while in foul trouble for most of the game, played just 21 minutes, scoring 12 points and connecting on 4 of 5 field goals.

The 14th-ranked Wildcats improve to 5-0 and face Long Beach State on Sunday at McKale.

Wildcats ranked 14th in AP Basketball Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Movin' on up!

Arizona (4-0) moves to No. 14 this week in the Associated Press college basketball poll.

Oh, yes! Duke (4-0) is No. 1.

Nnaji does it again

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Freshman Zeke Nnaji hasn't missed a shot from the field in two straight games.

Nnaji led the Wildcats with 19 points and was a perfect 7 for 7 from the field at McKale Center today as Arizona won by 30 over the New Mexico State Aggies, 83-53. Nnaji has canned his last 17 field goals.

Ten Wildcats scored today with Jemari Baker finishing with 16 points and Nico Mannion ended up with 15 points. Arizona hit 10 of 21 from 3-point land with Baker knocking down four and Mannion with three.

Arizona improves to 4-0, while the Aggies fall to 2-2.

Arizona falls to 4-6

Arizona Wildcats Football


As expected the Arizona Wildcats (4-6 overall, 2-5 Pac-12 South) lose at 6th-ranked Oregon last night, 34-6.

Just two games left in the season for the Wildcats, unless they can beat Utah at Arizona Stadium on Saturday and then beat the Sun Devils in Tempe on Nov. 30.

As for last night's game, J.J. Taylor led the Wildcats with 74 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards and 94 yards on four kickoff returns. He was a busy man. As for the final result it could have been a lot worse for our Wildcats. They played hard and return home today without any added injuries.

As for 8th-ranked Utah, the Utes beat UCLA yesterday, 49-3, to improve to 9-1 and sit atop the Pac-12 South with a 6-1 record. The Utes have won six games in a row.

Pigpen hits game-winner in walk-off TOTS' win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Game of the Week

Pigpen Price, 74, hit an RBI-single down the third base line and Pete Peters, 70, scored from third as Team White prevailed 3-2 with a walk-off win over Team Blue today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Arguably, the best game of the week with two pitchers, Reed Palmer for Team White and Mike Dawson for Team Blue, locked in a pitching duel for seven innings.

Team Blue took an early 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a two-run single from lefty Dennis Crowley, but in the fourth inning RBI-singles from David Byars and Palmer tied the game and the battle was on.

Team Blue went quietly in the top of the seventh as Palmer breezed through the frame. In the bottom of the seventh inning with one out, Peters singled and moved to third on a ground out. That brought up the youngest player on the club, 61-year-old Ron Ryan, with a chance to win the game.

Dawson threw nothing but strikes to Ryan and struck him out for the second out. That brought up Price, who went into the game with a .200 batting average for the month. Dawson offered an inside fastball to Price. The ball was out of the strike zone, but Price found the pitch to his liking and drilled a shot by Team Blue's third baseman Mike Steele for the game-winner.

"I bet it's been 10 years since I've hit a game-winner with the TOTS," Price said. "It feels good to contribute."

It was Price's only hit of the game, after grounding out in his first two at bats.

The big hitter is Byars, who went into today's game with seven straight hits to his credit for the week. Byars, who lined out in his first at bat, ended up with two more hits during the game and is on fire with 9 hits in 10 trips to the plate.

The two teams played errorless ball, while Reed and Dawson threw nothing but strikes today and there were no walks in the game. Unfortunately, Dawson threw a high-inside fastball to Pigpen, instead of a strike.

The TOTS return to action on Monday at Udall. Game time: 10 a.m.

The Men at Udall

For the Love of the Game


Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball


A decade of memories (2010-2019)




Hall of Fame Players



         Clarence Fieber                              

   

                                                                   Chico Bigham

                                                                  Richard McAnally






                                                                       Ed  Rife

Carl Brutovsky

 
                                                                  Jim Pagels

                                                                      Joel Blutfield

 
                                                                     Conrad Royskund

The Players

The Aces

                                                           The Originals

The Chairman of the Board

Brad Tolson

The Iron Man

Jerry Smarik

The TOTS

(2010-2019)