60-and-over baseball
Once again, just for fun: The TOTS from A to Z, added at bottom, the new 60-somethings. Some more alphabet soup, only this time the 2019 additions are to go along with the original posting from July/2013. A welcome addition of newcomers to the TOTS as the decade comes to a close. Still attached is the old list...too -- a trip down memory lane.
(the old list from 2013...sadly, we've lost "a few good men")
Just for fun let's take a look at 26 of the more active Tucson Old Timers (TOTS), who play baseball three days a week at Udall Park. Why, twenty-six? Well, we're going to run through the alphabet...A to Z and the following 26 are your day to day players who show up rain or shine.
A is for...Joe Aparicio, who turns 80 in January. Joe has been a TOT since 1998. He normally plays the outfield, but loves to pitch when called upon. Joe is from Santa Paula, CA.
B is for...Lloyd "Baby Bull" Barzell. Lloyd turns 63 in August and is one of the youngest TOTS. He gives 100 percent every time he hits the field, hence the "Baby Bull."
C is for...Ron Carlson, age 66. Ron hails from Brooklyn, New York. Ron joined the TOTS in 2010 and enjoys playing first base.
D is for...Dennis "The Menace" Crowley, age 63. Dennis is one of the TOTS' leadoff men...some say he's the fastest among the TOTS. Dennis can light up a scoreboard. He can hit for power or bunt his way on.
E is for... Ed Rife, age 76...Ed is still "smooth" at the shortstop position. Born in Akron, Ohio, Ed has been a member of the TOTS since 2000.
F is for...Sir Floyd Lance, age 87. Floyd, the oldest active member on the TOTS, turns 88 in September. Nicknamed "Sir Floyd" as a tribute to his longevity. Joined the TOTS in 1999 and his age plus years of service as a TOT adds up to 100 years.
G is for...Bob Daliege, age 65. Bob has been known to wear colorful outfits to practice games. Hence, he "glows" not in the dark, but on the field.
H is for...Billy Heiny, age 83. Billy, a former dentist, pitches and plays the outfield. When Billy throws, he normally frustrates the opposing hitters with his off-speed pitches. Being a former dentist, he certainly can take a "bite" out of the opposition.
I is for...Mal Zwolinski, age 75. Mal is an "interesting fellow"...hence the I (this is harder than I thought). Mal's educational background includes degrees from the University of New Hampshire, Yale University and the University of Arizona.
J is for...Jeff Helzel, age 73. Jeff is one of the top first basemen for the TOTS. Jeff, who joined the TOTS in 2009, is a lefty and can flat put the wood on the ball. In his second game with the TOTS, Jeff cleared the right field fence with a booming home run.
K is for...Tim Tolson, age 60. Tim is the youngest TOT and the team's home run KING. Tim, a lefty, can send a fastball over the right field fence with consistency.
L is for...Denny Leonard, age 75. Denny joined the TOTS in 1999 and is the only TOT who hails from Canada. A former police officer, Denny bats left and plays the outfield.
M is for...John Misiaszek, age 64. John joined the TOTS in 2011 and is our only Psychiatrist. John hails from London, England. He plays outfield and hits with power.
N is for...Nasty...as in Doc Thompson, who turns 71 in August. N is for his nasty fastball which consistently gets hitters out. Arguably the hardest thrower on the TOTS, Thompson is one of the few TOTS who signed a major league contract right out of college.
O is for...Jesse Ochoa, age 61. Jesse is one of the younger TOTS. He joined the club in 2012. Jesse, born in Tucson and a former police officer, plays second base and third base and hits with power.
P is for...Danny "Pigpen" Price. Age 68. His teammates nicknamed him "Pigpen" because he usually goes home with a dirty uniform and bloody knees. Price is in his sixth season with the TOTS.
Q is for...Bob Katz, age 76. Bob joined the TOTS in 2005 and is always one of the first players to show up at the ball park. Hence: right on Q! Always willing to help out, must have got that from his days as a MARINE. They called him the "Gunner", back in the old days.
R is for...Dave Rhoades, age 68. Dave joined the TOTS in 2005. He hails from Greely, Colorado and is a diehard Rockies fan. Dave plays outfield and has one of the strongest arms on the club.
S is for...Jerry Smarik, age 81. Jerry has been with the TOTS since 1991 and rarely misses a game. Jerry has lost some of his speed over the years and is nicknamed "The Rocket" because he says he needs one to beat the throw to first base.
T is for...Ted Davis, age 62. Ted is a former Assistant Dean of Finance at the University of Arizona. Ted joined the TOTS in 2011 and plays infield, outfield and pitches. Ted grew up in Athens, Alabama and loves to see the TIDE roll.
U is for...Chico Bigham, age 74. Chico catches, plays infield, outfield and pitches for the TOTS and he shows up hours before each game to set up the field at Udall Park. When he's not playing for the TOTS, you can find him umpiring (Hence the "U") high school baseball games in and around Tucson. He calls 'em as he sees 'em.
V is for...Carl Brutovsky, age 77. There's a V in there somewhere! Carl joined the TOTS in 1999. Carl is arguably the fastest TOT over the age of 75. He bats left handed and scampers down the first base line with the best of them.
W is for...Jeff Rein, age 61. Jeff joined the TOTS in 2012 and is the only former CEO on the ball club. Jeff, a former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Walgreens (Hence the "W"), is one of the speedsters on the ball club. He bats left handed and bunts the ball well. A tough man to throw out.
X is for...now that's tough. I still got some great players left. So let's pick this up after the letter Z at the bottom of the screen. So, we are at 25 and counting.
Y is for...Jerry Hamelin, age 72. Jerry joined the TOTS in 2002. Jerry said he played in the Yankee organization in the early 1960s (Hence the "Y"). Jerry plays outfield for the TOTS and will manage a 70-and-over team, comprised mostly of TOTS' players, at the MSBL/MABL World Series, scheduled for mid October in Phoenix.
Z is for...Robert Royer, age 75. Bob joined the TOTS in 2004 and is a former manager of the TOTS. As for the Z, well, Bob and his wife, Elaine, ZIP around the world. When Bob is not playing ball, chances are the two of them are vacationing in exotic places. A former Nuclear Engineer, Bob loves to be on the baseball field, playing for the TOTS, but he's right at home in the air and at sea, as well.
AB is for...Archie Burke, age 80. Archie joined the TOTS in 1991. A former teacher in the Tucson Unified School District, Archie once taught Arizona Daily Star cartoonist David Fitzsimmons. Archie plays outfield for the TOTS.
AR is for...Art Radtke, age 75. Art joined the TOTS in 2003. Art plays outfield for the TOTS and always has some good advice to pass along in the dugout. We call him the "communicator".
AS is for...Arnold Segovia, age 62. Arnold joined the TOTS 2011 and is one of the younger TOTS. Arnold plays outfield for the TOTS. Arizona born, Arnold grew up in Morenci.
BS is for...Bob Stofft, age 74. Bob joined the TOTS in 2012. Bob bats right and is strictly a pull hitter. He puts a scare into all the TOTS' third basemen.
ES is for...Ed Seelbinder, age 67. Ed joined the TOTS in 2009. A former police officer, Ed plays outfield for the TOTS, but in recent years has moved behind the plate.
LG is for...Leon Glasshoffer, age 74. Leon joined the TOTS in 2003 and plays outfield. Leon is from Providence, Rhode Island and for many years was a Teddy Bear salesman. "Hey, somebody has to do it," Leon says. Leon currently teaches CPR classes. We can certainly use him.
RP is for...Ron Petersen, age 68. Ron joined the TOTS in 2005. A lefty, Ron is one of the starting pitchers on the TOTS, but also plays the infield and outfield and catches at times. Ron loves baseball and at one point in his life owned his own baseball card shop.
PP is for...Pete Peters, age 64. Pete joined the TOTS in 2011. Pete can play the infield and outfield, but loves to catch behind the plate. An outstanding hitter, Peters will manage the 60-and-over Tucson Aces at the 2013 MSBL/MABL World Series in Phoenix, scheduled for late October.
Well, there you have it. I'm sure I missed a few, especially our "seasonal players" who play mostly in the winter time. Boy, are they lucky. It is hot outside.
Okay, you win. Let's do the seasonal players, and those on the disabled list, too, and we might as well throw in our two rookies -- Dan Lundwall and Brian Reilly. But, let's start over on the alphabet.
A is for...Arnie White, age 71. Arnie joined the TOTS in 2010. Arnie spends his summers in Montana on his ranch. When he does play for the TOTS, Arnie plays infield and outfield and is one of the TOTS' top pitchers.
B is for...Dick Ducklow, age 71. Dick joined the TOTS in 2009, but spends his summers in Spring Valley, Wisconsin. The B is for "Big Fella", maybe we should call him "Double D" -- he hits with power and is another one of those hitters who pulls the ball down the third baseline.
C is for...Dick McAnally, age 80. Dick is referred to by some of his teammates as "Coach" (Hence the "C"). Dick joined the TOTS in 1994 and played for the University of Arizona as a catcher, back in the early 1950s. When he plays for the TOTS, he still puts on the gear. Dick spends his summers in Flagstaff.
D is for...Joe Dinich, age 69. Joe joined the TOTS in 2008. Joe plays outfield for the TOTS when he is in town. Dinich spends his summers in Pottsville, PA.
E is for...Ed Eckert, age 73. Ed joined the TOTS in 1996, but spends part of the year in Tucson and a majority of the year in Chandler, Arizona. Ed plays outfield and is an outstanding hitter. He plans on playing in the MSBL/MABL World Series in Phoenix in mid October.
F is for...Mike Steele, age 65. Mike joined the TOTS in 2009. Mike is a fabulous ( Hence the letter "F") player, but his teaching schedule keeps him away from the ball field quite a bit. But when he's available, Mike is a favorite (Hence the "F") when the managers select their teams.
G is for...Jack Glickman, age 85...will turn 86 in January...the second oldest on the TOTS' roster. A little fella who likes to use a heavy bat. (disabled list)
J is for...John Petrick, age 71. John joined the TOTS in 2005. John is an old-school catcher and still runs down the first baseline to cover for the first baseman, if the throw from the infielder is a bad one. (That happens a lot with the TOTS). John spends part of the year in Burnet, Texas.
K is for...Ron Kwart, age 80. Ron joined the TOTS in 2008. A former Tucson Fireman. Ron catches for the TOTS and was a former coach at Tucson Palo Verde High School. (disabled list)
L is for...the rookie Dan Lundwall, age 68. Dan joined the TOTS this year. He plays infield and outfield for the TOTS. He recently pitched for the first time for the TOTS. He is just getting his feet wet as a TOT, so to speak. He's already shown that he has a good glove and can hit with authority.
M is for...Richard McCorkle, age 80. Richard joined the TOTS in 1992. Richard was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and worked for T.U.S.D before his retirement. (disabled list)
R is for...Brian Reilly, age 62. The second of the two rookies on the club this year. Brian plays outfield for the TOTS and has shown that he is a threat at the plate.
Well, that's it. That's enough for now. I think I'll take a break and have some alphabet soup!
2019 update A to Z. The "newbees" -- the "rookies" -- the youngins'
OK! Here we go again!
A is for (left blank for a newcomer)
B is for Danny Boxberger, 68, from northern Washington. One of our top catchers and a "winter visitor" who joined the TOTS in 2014.
BB is for Roger Beebe, 66, joined the TOTS in 2016. Hails from Tombstone, Arizona and is known on the club as The Tombstone Kid.
BBB is for the hard-hitting, slick fielding Tim Boyd, 64. A school administrator, still working for a living. Tim, who joined the club in 2015, is from Tucson and hasn't been saddled with a club nickname yet.
BY is for David Byars, 71, a former high school baseball star at Tucson High School, joined the TOTS in 2017 and is loving every minute of his time with the ball club.
D is for Michael Dawson, our current co-manager, who played at Tucson Santa Rita High School, back in the day. Michael is 64 and joined the organization in 2018.
E is for Ernesto Escala, 68, a "still working" dentist, who can put the clamps on a baseball. Nicknamed "Doc", Ernesto just received his TOTS' hat and joined the club in 2019.
G is for Ray Garcia, 67, Born in Puerto Rico, Ray joined the club in 2018 and is a winter visitor from New York.
GG is for Phil Gordon, 66, one of our "real life" comedians. Phil hails from Chicago and joined the club in 2017.
JJ is for Don Jorgensen, 62, one of our youngins' who joined the club in 2017 and continues to do consultant work. Hails from New York.
M is for Pete Maldonado, who hails from "da Bronx" and joined the club in 2016. A crafty pitcher, Pete is 67 and is a high school teammate of two TOTS' members -- Ray Garcia and Lloyd Barzell.
MM is for Big John Mathews, 63, a former standout at Tucson Flowing Wells High School and a former girls' basketball coach at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. John joined the club in 2016.
MB is for Bill Mishler, 72, a current professor at the University of Arizona and one of the "brain thrusts" of our club. Bill hails from Miami, Florida and joined the TOTS in 2015.
MR is for Rob Morse, 71, joined the club in 2017. Rob plays baseball and rides horses...among other things. Rob hails from Detroit and went to Michigan State.
N is for Ken Nebesny, 62, another one of our youngins' and a Staff Scientist in Chemistry at the the University of Arizona. Ken joined the TOTS in 2018. Ken is another one of the players from da Bronx.
OO is for the Big O Joe Opocensky, 69, and hails from the state of Virginia. Joe joined the TOTS in 2014 and his mother keeps tabs of his club-leading stats every week, by reading the blog and the Facebook pages.
P is for the club home run hitter Reed Palmer, 63, one of our lawyers and currently a co-manager of the organization, who owns the club's home record and will continue to do so for many years to come. A tall, hard-hitting left-hander, Reed hails from Portland, Oregon and joined the organization in 2016.
RR is for Ron Ryan, 61, and is currently our youngest player. Ryan is an attorney in Tucson and, believe it or not, is a rock singer. Ryan waited patiently for his time to become a TOT and now loves every minute of it. Ron is a Dodger fan from Los Angeles.
S is for Phil Sallee, 64, a police officer from Decatur, IL. Phil joined the TOTS in 2018.
SG is for George Staas, 73, born in Dayton, Ohio, but currently lives in Kentucky and is one of our winter visitors. George joined the club in 2014.
U is for Miguel Urtaza, 67. Miguel hails from across the border, but we are lucky to have him now. Miguel joined the club in 2015.
V is for Brad Vermeer, 68, joined the club in 2017 and went to college not far from Tucson in Las Cruces, New Mexico. A former educator, Brad loves his time with the TOTS.
W is Brackston Whitaker, who joined the TOTS this year (2019). Braxton, 71, is from Tucson and his family owned Whitaker Pools back in the day. Brack graduated from Palo Verde High School.
Alright, that's enough "alphabet soup" for the day. It's six o'clock in the morning and time to start thinking about today's TOTS' game (Friday, Nov. 8, 2019).
If I missed any "newcomers" then I'll pour another bowl of soup down the road.
P.S. I love my TOTS.
Photos above: Three of our youngins' -- Reed Palmer, John Mathews and Phil Gordon.
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