A 60s/70s sandlot showdown at Udall

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Corona Games

It's a dog day afternoon at Udall Park as the Tucson Old Timers let all the animals in free for the Corona Games. Today's contest pits the 60-and-over players against the 70-and-over players.

On paper, it looks like a runaway game for the 60s team. The starting lineup for the  60s  Blue includes:  Roger Beebe leading off and handling the catching duties, with shortstop Mike Dawson batting second and the hard-hitting Reed Palmer, 63, will toe the rubber and bat third. Tim Tolson, the first baseman, is batting cleanup today, while Big John Mathews gets the assignment at third and bats fifth.

If that's not enough fire power, Tim Boyd, the centerfielder, bats sixth and the hot-hitting Ron Ryan bats seventh and handles left field today. The rest of the lineup includes Jesse Ochoa at second base, with Ken Nebesny batting ninth and playing left field, while 62-year-old Steve Foster, the TOTS' rookie, bats 10th and plays short field.

The 60s Blue lineup should give the Team White starter a headache, but Doc Thompson, 77, the only active player still on the TOTS with former professional experience (albeit it was close to 60 years ago when he pitched for a Minnesota Twins affiliate), gets the call today for the old guys.

So the battery looks like this: Palmer and Beebe for the 60s; Thompson and Steele for the 70s.

Mike Steele will set up shop behind the plate and bat second for 70s White today, while lefty Dennis Crowley will bat in front of him and hold down the spot in centerfield. Bob Daliege will bat third and play left field, Joe Opocensky will bat fourth and play third base and Pistol Pete Peters will bat fifth and play shortstop. Thompson will take care of the sixth spot in the lineup, while lefty Ron Petersen will bat seventh and play right field. The rest of the lineup includes Pigpen Price at second base, Dave Byars at first base and Bill Mishler will play short field and bats 10th.

Bob Royer, 82, will be the head umpire behind the plate, while Jerry Hamelin, 79, and Bobby Stofft, 81, will handle the bases (of course, the organization is provided glasses for all three umpires today).

It may not help. Heck, many of the players on the field today need some kind of eye wear.

Let's play ball!

Thompson came out firing. He was taking no prisoners. He fanned Beebe on three pitches, coaxed Dawson into a lazy fly ball to center and Palmer sent Crowley to the gap in right-center, but the fleet-footed kid from Boston snagged the ball on the run for the final out in the top of the first.

Of course, Palmer was not to be outdone as he struck out Crowley, Steele and Bobby Daliege to end the first frame. It looked like the makings of a real barnburner as both pitchers rolled untouched through the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.

Thompson toed the rubber again in the sixth, but Dawson got things going with a shot up the middle for a single.  That brought up the "Big Three" -- Palmer, Tolson and Mathews, and they all connected. Palmer doubled to right, Tolson drilled an opposite field double down the left field line and Mathews tripled over the head of Daliege in left field.

Boyd and Ryan hit back to back shots to Opocensky, but in both cases the "Big O" held Mathews at third and threw to Mishler at first base for the first two outs. That brought up Ochoa, who singled on the first pitch to bring in Mathews. Nebesny grounded out to short for the final out of the inning, but the damage was done and Team White headed for the dugout, trailing 4-0.

Team White cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth as Petersen and Price picked up back to back singles and ended up at second and third on an errant throw from the outfield. That brought up Bill Mishler and Ron Carlson. Mishler doubled over the head of Tolson at first base for Team White's first run of the game and Carlson hit a shot by Ochoa at second for the second run of the inning.

Palmer gave way to reliever Pete Maldonado and the man from Da Bronx got out of the inning by getting Crowley to pop up to second, Steele followed with a single up the middle, but Daliege hit a rope to Ochoa at second. Ochoa grabbed the ball on one hop, fired to Dawson, who relayed the ball to first for a double play to end the inning.

In the seventh, Team Blue picked up an insurance run on a single from Dawson and a triple to the right field corner by Palmer.  Team White came off the field, needing three runs to tie the game and four runs for a walk-off win.

In the bottom of the seventh, Opocensky sent a high fly ball to the warning track in right field, but Nebesny tracked the ball down and made a running catch for the first out of the inning. Peters and Thompson followed with singles and Petersen took a Maldonado fastball deep to right field. The ball hit the fence on one hop and both runs scored to pull Team White to within one run, at 5-4.

Back to back singles from Price and Mishler loaded the bases and suddenly the winning run stood on second base. Team White had one player left in the dugout. The pinch hitter grabbed his bat, took a couple of practice swings and headed for the batter's box.

Floyd Lance, 94, a TOT since 1999 with over 1,400 career hits, stepped into the box and took the first pitch from Maldonado. Royer raised his right arm and yelled. "Strike one!"

The next pitch curled over the plate and Lance sent a sizzler to right field, both runs scored and 70s White upset the 60s Blue, 6-5.

Both teams made sure they stayed six feet apart as they headed back to the dugout. Within minutes the parking lot was empty and all the players, their friends and those old dogs, too, returned home to catch the afternoon news.

The coronavirus continues.

As for the game, too bad it wasn't an official one. Hopefully the TOTS will be back in action soon.

Taking a swing at the coronavirus

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The Corona Games

This post will not be about a 60-and-over fantasy game. Instead, a little note from me about real life.

Some of the members of the Tucson Old Timers are trying their best to cope under the cloud of this deadly coronavirus. Current count of lost Americans at 54,000 as of this morning.

A group of us, under 10 mind you, meet one day a week -- or maybe two or three if a member of the club wants to push the envelope a bit -- show up at our baseball field at Udall Park in the early morning hours to partake in batting practice only.

Of course, yours truly is the oldest participant in this endeavor. I mean, with the mechanical pitching machine in front of me, I hit, or foul off around 50 or 60 pitches as each one of us steps into an imaginary batter's box and rotates, not only once but twice, or three times during the one-hour workout. We take out all our aggression, grit our teeth and assume the next contact with the ball will instantly kill the virus.

What a kick it is! What a relief it is, after spending the previous day glued to the television set --  listening to all the pain and suffering throughout the world.

Well, wouldn't you know it. I failed to drink enough water (not realizing the heat in Tucson has already returned). Yes, you guessed it another injury pops up as I wake up in the middle of the night cramping. If that isn't enough, I pass out, fall and ricochet off the end of the bed. I now have bruised ribs (I hope, that's all) and I will not be swinging a bat next week.

Rest assured, I'll be back.

By the way, dummy:  Drink more water!

Coronavirus Update

Coronavirus Update (4/24/2020)


Cases  in the United States  882,503

Deaths in USA   50,105

To all my friends and readers out there:

Take good care of yourself, please!

Is it sports writer or sportswriter

From the desk of Dan Price


Is it sports writer or sportswriter?

For a guy like me who spends his time writing about sports, it seems like an easy question to answer. With nothing but time on my hands, due to the coronavirus, I decided to hit the internet and see if anyone really cares. I discovered Frank Deford, who passed away in 2017, said: "It is one word."

Well, that's all I need to know. Deford was a six-time Sportswriter of the Year. He is a member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame and the first sportswriter to be given a National Humanities Medal, which was presented by President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony, back in 2013.

Deford was one of my favorite sportswriters. I wish I could have met the man. I'd like to have walked in his shoes for maybe a day or two.

I'll stick with one word. Deford should know. As for me, I love writing about sports. My favorite sportswriting occurred more than 25 years ago. I covered high school sports in Phoenix, including the  surrounding suburbs of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Apache Junction.

I was asked to do a story on a kid in Chandler on a Thursday afternoon. By the time I got there, the kid had already scored three touchdowns and was going for more. He was a sophomore, if I remember correctly. He was a man among boys.

I went back to my desk at the paper and came up with a headline: Remember this name: Terrell Suggs.

Suggs has spent 17 years in the NFL as an all-pro defensive end/linebacker...and he is still kicking. In photo below: back in the day when Suggs was a running back for Chandler Hamilton High School.

Members of my family are not avid readers

From the desk of Dan Price

To say I'm a struggling writer may be an understatement.

In fact, over the years I've written five books. Once in a while I'll see one on a shelf at the local library, the book just setting there... all alone gathering dust.

In fact, there's not one person in my family I could label as a bookaholic or in other words: a lover of books or an avid reader.

It's the sign of the times. My family is busy, making little Prices  (as in seven grandkids...make it nine if you add some extended family to the equation).

Of course, I write more as I hobby to keep myself from going completely out of my mind. Ever since my high schools days, my mind has been cluttered with ideas to write about. It's actually a curse. Many sleepless nights occur as I wake up at midnight with thoughts in my head that have to be put in print...quickly punched into my trusty old laptop, which is 10 years old and starting to crash once or twice a week.

With this coronavirus going on, I have even more time to peck away...even more time to drive myself crazy.

I've put my books on my sports blog for the world to see for free or you can buy one for $2.99 and the book will instantly show up on your Amazon Kindle device. I have my sports blog (now 12 years old with 4,000 short clips and stories) and three Facebook pages for goodness sakes. It's endless and at 74 years of age, everything I write is basically free.

(For all my readers: My books are selling, so no more freebies for a while. The five went poof on my blog as of today: 05/09/2020. I hope you enjoyed a peek at my books. Now, please help this writer and hit "buy" on my books on Amazon. A month has gone by since I formatted my books for free on my blog, due to this ugly coronavirus. Now it's time to go back to work).

Yes, I made a living as a sports writer for a few years back in the 1990s, but as I said before it's just a great old hobby now. To be honest, I'm glad I'm still ticking...still writing, especially right now with the world in complete chaos and I'm hold up in a 1,300 square feet dwelling.

I figure the odds are 50-50 that I will pick up the virus sooner or later. So, in case I'm gone you can still go to Amazon, or my blog, or my Facebook page and read to your heart's content.

I'm talking mostly about my family, that is. Most of my avid readers are my age, or older, and everyday we have to sit still and watch on television as the news people keep calling us vulnerable adults.

Well, thats it for now. I've had too much coffee...and it's time for our president...maybe our governor...or maybe a scientist from China...or maybe...well you get the idea, to speak some words of wisdom and encouragement.

Pigpen Price is signing off for now.

Coronavirus Update

Coronavirus Update  04/19/2020


United States confirmed cases  746,379

Deaths  41,379

The TOTS Fantasy Game of the Week

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Easterners vs. Westerners

Corona Games

The starting lineups

Easterners: Lloyd Barzell- SS, Ken Nebesny- LF, Joe Opocensky- RF, Bill Mishler- 2B, Ray Garcia- 3B, Dennis Crowley- CF, Danny Boxberger* -C, Pete Maldonado -P,  Ron Carlson -1B and Ted Davis- SF.

Westerners: Tim Boyd- CF, Mike Dawson- P, John Mathews- 1B, David Byars- 2B, Reed Palmer- 3B, Tim Tolson- SS, Ron Ryan- C, Jesse Ochoa- LF, Roger Beebe- SF and Steve Foster- RF.

Battery: Easterners -- Maldonado and Boxberger,  Westerners -- Dawson and Ryan.

Let the game begin: 10 a.m. starting time at Udall Park. Sunny day, 82 degrees...wind at 3 mph.

(no final score in the first paragraph of this one... a suspenseful outcome is ahead)

Mike Dawson finished his warm up tosses and catcher Ron Ryan tossed the ball to Byars at second. Byars then fired to Palmer at third. The tall third-sacker walked to the mound and handed the ball to Dawson.

"Go get 'em," Palmer said to his pitcher.

The first pitch from Dawson caught the corner of the plate and the clear-eyed umpire Davey Rhoades let out a roar: "Strike one!"

Barzell ripped the next pitch to Tim Tolson at short. Tolson backhanded the ball and threw to Ron Carlson for the first out of the inning. Ken Nebesny unloaded on Dawson's next offering and sent a towering fly ball to deep left field. Jesse Ochoa moved two steps back of the warning track and made the catch for the second out. That brought up the power-hitting Joe Opocensky, who worked the count full and then belted a solo home run over the right field fence.

Dawson mumbled. "Darn it. I left it (the ball) out over the plate." All Dawson could do was turn and watch the ball slam into the cypress trees, 330 feet away from home plate.

Bill Mishler stepped in and singled to left and Ray Garcia followed with a double to right-center, but Dennis Crowley made the third out of the inning on a one hopper back to Dawson.

In the bottom of the first, the Westerners went quietly as Maldonado fanned Tim Boyd, Dawson grounded out to short and the hard-hitting John Mathews sent a high fly ball to center but Dennis Crowley camped under the ball for the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the third inning, David Byars, Roger Beebe and Steve Foster hit safely, but Maldonado found his way out of trouble with a force out at home and a double play, a 5-4-3 beauty, from Garcia, to Mishler, to Carlson.

The game continued to be a pitching duel until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Westerners plated two runs on back to back home runs from Palmer and Tolson. The Palmer blast bounced off the scoreboard in center and Tolson's homer cleared the fence in right field with plenty of room to spare.

Both teams went quietly in the sixth inning and the Easterners came to bat in the seventh inning down 2-1. Dawson got the first out on Carlson's ground out to second, but Ted Davis reached on an error,  Barzell singled to left and Nebesny walked to load the bases.

That brought up Opocensky, the power hitting lefty. This time Dawson made the perfect pitch and Opocensky hit a pop up behind the plate. Ryan threw off his mask and made the catch for the second out.

Mishler made his move to the plate. He tapped the barrel of the bat on the plate and wiggled his way into the batter's box. Wild Bill Mishler smiled at Dawson and awaited the first pitch. The pitch was high and tight and Mishler moved back from the plate as the ball sailed to the backstop.

Once again, Mishler stepped back into the box and drilled the next pitch foul down the third base line. Dawson's next pitch was a curve ball and Mishler barely got a piece of it as the ball skipped behind Boxberger.

Once again, Mishler awaited Dawson's next delivery.

Mishler connected and sent a one hopper right back to Dawson for the final out of the game.

Westerners  2  Easterners  1.

WP  Dawson LP Maldonado

Home runs:  Opocensky (the Easterners), Palmer and Tolson (the Westerners)

Scorekeeper: Mal Zwolinski

Reporter: Pigpen Price

*Boxberger, who is from Vancouver was picked up on waivers for the Easterners prior to game time.

Note: Please...will the coronavirus go away!

Coronavirus Update

Coronavirus Update (Saturday morning 04/18/2020)

More than 706,000 cases in the United States

and sadly at least 37, 079 people have died.

TOTS future in doubt

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

After I rant and rave a little, I'll show you photos that were lost somewhere in my computer. The late Conrad Royksund, our numero uno photographer, was good at taking photos at just the right time.

If a Tucson Old Timer had his mind elsewhere, well that was okay. Conrad always liked to catch the players unaware.

As for my ranting, it's been five weeks since the Tucson Old Timers have had a game. It was a good one -- a 4-0 win for Team Blue over Team White. Bob Daliege hurled the shutout.

When the next game is played...when the shelter in place is lifted, we'll get the scoop on what happens to us -- a 60-and-over baseball organization, which has been around for 52 years. We were almost two and half months into our season when this coronavirus rolled in and created havoc all over this great country of ours.

It's a bummer. No TOTS'  season has ever been canceled.

So, we sit and wait. I few of us sneak into Udall, get the batting machine out of the shed, practice the six feet apart rule and take a few cuts. The players rotate around, but there are less than 10 ballplayers on hand at one time...some come on Monday, some on Tuesday and a few show up on Friday to close out the week. Added up, the players spend two hours at the park, get a little exercise and then hustle home to be semi-quarantined and watch the next episode of  The Bold and the Beautiful.

It doesn't take long to get back into the swing of the soap operas. This week, Ridge and Brooke are having marriage problems, while Bill Spencer, who is married to Katie Logan, that's Brooke's sister, suddenly kissed Brooke, who was emotionally upset  because Ridge's son, Thomas, is being a bad guy, causing nothing but problems for all the Forrester family and the Logan family.

My goodness! Can we get  back to baseball?

If we do get back, will we have enough players to field two teams for a seven inning game? We have  4 or 5 players over the age of 80 and two player above the age of 90. Add to that a handful of players 75 and up.

Actually, the whole organization is  full of vulnerable adults. The young whippersnappers, those in their 60s, aren't quite effected by all  this choas. You know, when you are in your 60s you have the world by the tail.

Just kidding, but you get the drift. Right?

Okay, Ill just take a deep breath, watch the news for a while and then catch an episode of  The Young and the Restless.  I could fit in on that show, but I'm more of The Old and the Restless.

And now for some pictures from the archives...

Remembering Grandma and Grandpa...

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball


Let's not forget Grandma and Grandpa.


The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers range in age from 60 to 94, so it's easy to calculate that ninety percent of the members of the amateur baseball organization answer to Grandpa Henry or Grandpa Felix, as an example. Well, I won't go on with more names, but you, my readers, should be able to follow my reasoning. Scary isn't it. After 12 years on this blog and some of you are still with me.

So, I'm going to select, out of all our ballplayers, one grandpa to make an example of: our associate and retired member, 84-year-old Denny Heath (photo below).

Denny took his last at bat with the TOTS back in 2010. Denny joined the TOTS in 1995. So he was an active player for 15 years (I can still handle basic math skills, that's a plus, beside the fact I turn 75 in July).

I recently had a long-range conversation with Denny and advised him I was going to attempt a human interest story about him..and his wife...and his grandchildren. In the midst of the conversation, I discovered his family and grandchildren are 100 or so strong (do not hold me to that figure, that's just a ballpark number). But you, my readers, are still with me. Right?

So Denny and I select Granddaughter Cahli, 11 years removed from Ananndale High School in Kimball, Minnesota, 60 miles northwest of Minnesota, situated along side of the Upper Mississippi.

As the story goes, Cahli loved softball...and baseball for that matter,  all of which she picked up from Grandpa Denny, of course.

So, before I run out of room on my Heath Story, here's a quote from Cahli: "A favorite story of mine was when you (Grandpa Denny), watched me play softball and this giant chick (a girl, that is.) from Rockford or Rockville flattened me like a pancake by home plate. You (Grandpa Denny) came running out onto the field to make sure I was okay."

"You and Grandma (Marti, that is) were always such a joy to have in my cheering section. I love when I get to repay you by watching your TOTS games." Cahli added, in a conversation with her Grandpa, the famous Denny Heath and our own TOT (Tucson Old Timer).

Cahli's Grandpa Denny Sr., said on my Facebook page: "The Kimball Cubs are an example of many rural high school teams, very competitive, traveling to other small towns in the league. After coaching four daughters and one son, I hung up the cap. Grandma and I joined the bleacher crowd following our 12 grandkids. We were amazed when Cahli took the field as a catcher. She was the smallest in stature and had vision problems in her right eye from birth. But that didn't stop our girl, she played her position fearlessly."

And that's my feature story of the day. I can speak for the TOTS, just like I always do. Denny, you're our "Gramps" and a TOT forever. There's nothing like a TOT. They keep on ticking.

Photos: Marti and our Denny on the right. That's Cahli in the middle Doug on the far left...and the rest of the gang...and of course the photo of Cahli, just a few years back in time.

Coronavirus Update

Shocking numbers...

The Coronavirus

Cases in the USA as of 04/16/2020

639, 664

Deaths in our beautiful country

30,985 as of 04/16/2020

Arizona

Cases  3,968

Deaths  143

#42

It's been 73 years since Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier. I hadn't quite turned two years of age. Six years later, I was a big, little fan.

Number 42.  Jackie could do it all. A remarkable man, during a remarkable time. He broke in on April 15, 1947.

Oliver Wendall Holmes Sr. said it best...

Oliver Wendall Holmes Sr. said it best in his poem: Cacoethes Scribendi  

If all the trees in all the woods were men; 

And each and every blade of grass a pen; 

If every leaf on every shrub and tree 
Turned to a sheet of foolscap; every sea 
Were changed to ink, and all earth's living tribes 
Had nothing else to do but act as scribes, 
And for ten thousand ages, day and night, 
The human race should write, and write, and write, 
Till all the pens and paper were used up
And the huge inkstand was an empty cup,
Still would the scribblers clustered round its brink  
Call for more pens, more paper, and more ink.

And now:  From the desk of Pigpen Price

I have a friend, a teammate and a lawyer if I need him. His name is Reed.

As I sit around the house, doing my best to avoid the coronavirus, I have discovered I have another ailment. Reed has a name for it.

It's called cacoethes, which is the uncontrollable urge or desire: in my case to write and write...and write. It has taken over my body. It really isn't a shocker. I've spent my adult life with a variation of the above.

Reed just shakes his head and calls me: Hemingway. Of course, my readers know I'm nowhere close to a Hemingway, except for the fact the great American novelist is my favorite author. I wish I could write like that.

Anyway, Reed Palmer is a smart fellow. He's the best hitter on our 60-and-over baseball team. He stands 6 feet 5 and I've asked him twice this week, if he sees any viruses up there. I'm 5-8, and my neck hurts after a 10-minute conversation with him.

No doubt, Reed is going to read this. My tall friend will make his way to my blog sometime during the next 24 hours. Reed will probably utter under his breath, "there goes Pigpen again!"

Pigpen is my nickname on our old-time baseball team. I go by Hemingway once I leave the baseball field. I'm kidding.

I'm the historian for our organization, which has been in existence for 52 years. We have close to 40 active players and if you include our retired players, and our associates, we are close to 100 strong. Formed in 1968, the club continues on and on and on...just like the Energizer bunny.

As for Palmer, the man can hit. He hit 29 homers in 2018! After one of his record-breaking home runs, a group of us went to the local watering hole. "I told the cocktail waitress, "I'd like a Reed Palmer, please!"

Well, that's enough for now. I'm going to get my trusty dictionary out and see If I spelled cacoethes correctly.

Note:  Reed started all this. I followed up with my little story line and Oliver Wendall Holmes Sr.  finished it for us.

Photos: Reed and me.

Coronavirus Update

Coronavirus Update


The Day after Easter  (04/13/2020)


Worldwide cases   1,917,239

Deaths   119,090

Total cases in USA   583,411

Total deaths    23,462

*USA ranked No. 1 in the world in virus cases and deaths

In Arizona

Total cases  3,702

Deaths   122

It takes you breath away...

Entering the dark side...

On the Way Out series -- Vol. 4, Part 2

A sportswriter’s nightmare

My goodness! Another nightmare explodes inside my overloaded brain. This time, there are two little men sitting on a fence post. I didn’t bother to visualize if they were six feet apart. They must have been because suddenly a figure emerged and sat down between them and unleashed a devilish smile.

It was Jack Nicholson!

Normally, with such an occurrence, I would instantly wake up and return to the real world. Not this time… this time there wasn’t a clock on the nightstand to bring me back.

The trio smiled in unison and Nicholson pointed straight ahead and said. “Isn’t that, Price…the broken down sportswriter?”

The fella on the left was shoeless. The tip of his wooly socks contained the letter “L” in blue, while the fella on the right was shoeless as well, but the letter “R” in red stood out, plain to see, as both men frantically wiggled their toes.

My goodness, I was leaving the comfortable surroundings of the world of sports…and I was entering something completely foreign to me: Politics.

I guess it was inevitable. After all, venturing away from the world of sports for most of 2020, I had finally headed for the dark side.

Beware! There’s no telling what lies ahead.

I quickly tuned to the Western Channel. I wiggled my feet and suddenly Glen Ford appeared. It was the original 1957 flick 3:10 to Yuma. I was now wide awake and back home. All was well. Ford was the bad guy for a change and Van Heflin played the good guy. Parts of the film was shot in Texas Canyon, just a few miles east of my current residence and a few miles west of Old Tucson, once a haven for Hollywood and the site for so many of the oldWesterns.

Suddenly, I removed my strange pair of socks and was snoring away. By the way, I cannot remember if I stole those unusual foot coverings from a democrat or a republican.

Easter Day TOTS' fantasy game

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Easter Sunday fantasy game

Corona Games

It was Easter Sunday and all through the house not a creature was stirring...

Except down at Udall Park, at the stroke of 10 o'clock... a game was to be played.

The fans crowded into the bleachers and adhered to the rule of six feet apart.

Little Joe was already scurrying through the park trash cans, searching for Easter eggs...the players were grabbing their gloves and warming up...the United States flag blew freely beyond the center field fence.

Mike Dawson was on the scene early and lined the baselines...Michael Steele was busy hosing down the infield...and Brad Vermeer quickly attached the bases, while Denny Leonard quickly put the finishing touches to the field by bringing out the extra plate and placing it down at its rightful place.

Pete Peters completed his duty...and maneuvered the TOTS' motorized tug, back to the shed...back to Chico's Place.

Let the game begin...

A new rookie, Ken Nebesny toed the rubber for Team White and finished his warmup tosses to his battery mate, Billy Mishler. Once again no umpire behind the plate in this one and no field umpires as well.

It should be easy enough on the pitchers. Throw a strike and the batter must swing, the runner then forced to take a deep breath under his TOTS' bandana and scurry down the line to first base.

The game turned into a real nail biter as Team Blue countered with the slow-throwing lefty, Dennis "the menace" Crowley.

The innings flew by. No arguing strikes, no pitter-patting around on the base path...social distancing at first, at second and at third. There was plenty spacing in the outfield as right fielder Miguel Urtaza made a shoestring catch to end the sixth inning.

Still no score when Team Blue came to bat in the top of the seventh for the final time. David Byars hit a towering fly ball to left, but Roger Beebe was on his horse and made the catch at the warning track. Reed Palmer sent a line shot to right, but Joe Aparicio adjusted his glove, eyed the sky and made a circus catch for the second out. Jesse Ochoa stepped to the plate. His forearms looked bigger than usual. It was discovered after the game, he'd been spreading rock in his back yard for days and he had come to the game as fit as a fiddle.

Ochoa connected on the first pitch from Crowley (the only pitch, mind you) and the ball sailed toward the mid-morning sun, picking up speed heading to deep center field. All the players looked up and picked up the oval as it banged off the scoreboard, beyond the centerfield fence for a solo home run.

The three people in the stands roared their approval and began a wave...a horn went off in the parking lot as Ochoa began his journey to home plate. Team Blue 1, Team White 0

Team White came off the field and prepared for their final at bat. All 10 players remained six feet apart and positioned themselves outside the dugout. Dick "Double D" Ducklow grabbed a bat...it was to be his final at bat of the spring. He was to leave for Wisconsin on Monday morning. His family back in Wisconsin had called, his five acres needed mowing -- the grass was out of sight and needed attending.

Ducklow drilled Nebesny's pitch inside the bag at third and the Green Bay Packers' fan scurried all the way to third. Suddenly, the tying run was at third and the winning run stepped to the plate in the person of Big Doc Escala.

Doc gritted his teeth, much like one of his patients would do while squirming in his dental chair.

You could almost see the sawdust coming off the end of his 35-inch wood bat.

Nebesny unleashed his best fastball of the day. Doc swung. Nebesny didn't bother to look back as the ball was "out of here" sailing over the left field fence with plenty of room to spare.

Team White 2  Team Blue  1.

The players quickly marched to their cars and headed home. Back to being quarantined.

The Corona Games will return next week.

Stay tuned.

Reader alert...reader alert

To my readers:

There seems to be some confusion on how to read my books on the blog. Remember my blog is set up with the latest post first. I had a few calls yesterday and some messages asking how to read my five books online. Go to the right side of my home page, scroll down through April or March...click on the beginning of one of my books and find your way upward through all the installments.

For example: The Dancer

The beginning of The Dancer  (click)

then middle chapters of The Dancer (click)

and finally the end of the story of The Dancer (click)

Kinda like making a double play 6-4-3 or in The Dancer's case 1-2-3 (bottom to top).

As I have said, if you have a lot of time on your hands, just sit back, grab your device of choice and have fun with it. Let me know what you thank afterwards. Do the same with Bucket, Johnny Dugan, The Loner and Billy's Victory.

Trying to do my part to help us get through this crisis as we sit at home, wishing we were out playing baseball...or walking...or driving around, enjoying life. Tough to do right now.

To all my readers: take care of yourself.

The TOTS' outfielders

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The outfielders..and the rovers

Corona Games


When you are between the ages of 60 and 94, the outfield at Udall Park can seem pretty spacious. There is a rule with the TOTS, which allows for one extra outfielder -- a rover if you will.

That makes it a little harder on the batter as he steps into the box and can see 10 fielders in front of him  -- well  a catcher, a pitcher, four infielders and four outfielders.

The outfielders:

Ken Nebesny

Ken is quick to the ball. He was born in 1957, which makes him a young man at 62, by the TOTS' standards, that is. Nebesny plays in left field and center field mostly and can run down the ball with the best of them.

Tim Boyd

Tim Boyd, 64 is a speedster. He too spends most of his time in left or center...plays a little shortstop and can handle himself at first base as well...and at times is called upon to pitch. His tall frame and his release point seems to give the batters fits when he does take the mound. Boyd is from Tucson.

Tim Tolson

Besides playing first base and shortstop, Tolson is a force in the outfield. He usually resides in center field. See his profile on the post for TOTS' first basemen.

Dennis Crowley

Crowley is another speedster and plays anywhere in the outfield and he too pitches when called upon. Dennis is a lefty and has an assortment of slow pitches, causing havoc with the boys at the plate. But he's best known for his quickness in the outfield and his ability to run down just about every ball hit his way.


John Misiaszek

John is a steady outfielder, usually plays left center and right. Misiaszek is from London, England and is 71 and is a good hitter, capable of spraying the ball to all fields.

Ron Petersen

Ron is a hard-hitting left-hander and plays anywhere in the outfield. Petersen has been known to play first base from time to time and is also on the TOTS' huge pitching staff. Ron is 75 and is from Lamars, Iowa.


Arnie White

Arnie, 78, spends his summers in Montana on his ranch and his winters in Tucson playing ball for the TOTS. White plays right field and at times he's called upon to fill in at second base or short. Arnie was born in Fulton, New York and has been a member of the TOTS since 2010.


Roger Beebe

Roger, better known as the Tombstone Kid, plays anywhere in the outfield and is a great contact hitter. Beebe is 66, one of the young men on the team. Roger joined the TOTS in 2016. His father, Bud, played for the TOTS (1991-1997)







Reed Palmer

And, of course, Palmer is never out of any lineup. The man has it all a good glove, a cannon for an arm and leads the TOTS every year in home runs. Reed normally sets up in centerfield when he's not on the mound.


As  for the roving fielders:

Jerry Hamelin

Jerry, 79, is from Hartford, CT and has been a member of the TOTS since 2002 and is a member of the TOTS' 1,000+ hit club.





Brack Whitaker

Brack hails from Tucson, Arizona and is one of our newest members. He joined the TOTS in 2019. He's a graduate from nearby Palo Verde High School and his family used to own Whitaker Pools.





Rob Morse

Rob hails from Detroit, Michigan and has been a member of the TOTS since 2017. Morse is 72 and plays an occasional second base.



Denny Leonard

Denny is from Alberta, Canada and has been a member of the TOTS since 1992. Denny is 82 years old and is a member of the TOTS' 1,000+ hit club.


Joe Aparicio

Joe is the third oldest on the club. Joe is 86 years young and likes to play in left center field. "I don't like right field," he says.


Miguel Urtaza

Miguel turns 78 in July. Urtaza hails from Panuco, Veracruz and loves to play rover, especially in right where he has been known to come up with many highlight reel catches.

The TOTS' shortstops

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The shortstops

Corona Games


The TOTS shortstop position is overloaded. And why not? That's normal in amateur baseball, even in the old-time leagues, the talent seems to rise to the top and the most talented players head for the shortstop position. Boy! We have some good ones.

Mike Dawson, Lloyd Barzell and Reed Palmer -- all three in the TOTS' pitching rotation -- lead the way (see their profile in the pitcher's post and check out their photos below).

Mike Dawson

Lloyd Barzell

Reed Palmer


Also Pete Peters and Tim Boyd can handle the shortstop duties as well:

The TOTS' second sackers

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The second sackers

The Corona Games


Pigpen Price has found his next home at second base. Price, 74, wears jersey #22 and joined the TOTS way back in April/2008 -- just three months after a quadruple heart attack. If you haven't guessed it already, I'm the club historian and an "aging" second baseman now.

"Next, they will give me a shot at first base, and when I hit my 80s they'll put me out to pasture in right field and I'll have to take a class on how to catch a towering fly ball. I could lose my mind out there. Some of my teammates said I already have."

Jesse Ochoa is breathing down my neck at second base. He is still a young man. He played at Pueblo High School, back in the day. I, of course, went to Catalina High School. Jesse has a good glove and he's a good buddy. He wears jersey #64 and he's been a member of the TOTS since 2012. Jesse is 68, just a youngster.

Billy Heiny, 90, plays a mean second base. Billy is the second oldest player in our organization and keeps on ticking, just like the energizer bunny. Billy wears jersey #70 and is from Terre Haute, Indiana. Heiny joined the organization in 1997.

and Phil Gordon, who plays second base and outfield for the TOTS. Phil hails for the Chicago area and he's another youngster. Phil is 66 years old and when he bats, he loves to pull the ball down the third baseline.

TOTS at the hot corner

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The third basemen

Corona Games


The hot corner. A tough position to play at any age.

If you happen to be a member of the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers and you are trying to hold down the third base spot, you better have had a good night's sleep. Most of the players use aluminum bats and if the batter connects with the sweet spot and pulls the ball toward third...you'd better be awake.

The TOTS' managers will normally assign a 60-something to play the spot. Chances are pretty good all our 80-year-olds are happy to stay clear of third base. The TOTS have plenty of fellas who can handle the position.

Pigpen Price, who turns 75 in July, has played the position for 12 years, but recently due to a neck injury and arthritis in both hands, has been "labeled" a middle-aged TOT and has moved over to second base.

"I miss playing third, but the younger set has taken over the spot," Pigpen said. "You need someone that has a strong throw. Besides, it's a long way across the diamond for an old-timer, especially if you have arthritis in your throwing hand, a recent thumb operation and a bothersome trigger finger."

So in steps, Ray Garcia, 67, a talented, strong-armed infielder from Da Bronx. Ray (photo below) has all the tools to play third or short. Ray spends his winters in Arizona and his summers in New York. Garcia went to high school with two members of the TOTS -- Lloyd Barzell and Pete Maldonado.

Joe Opocensky, 70, the man from Virginia, is a right-handed third baseman, but bats left and can hit with power. A steady third sacker, Joe has been with the TOTS since 2014 and wears #54. His nickname is "Big O" for his ability to pound the ball off the fences.

Pete Peters, 71, can play all positions, but he has the quickness and the strong arm to play third. Pete is from Fairfield, Iowa. He wears #29 and has been with the TOTS since 2011.

Steve Foster, 62, is our youngest TOT, so he's definitely young enough to stay awake at third. Steve recently joined the club and is a good friend of TOTS' teammate Roger Beebe. He's got plenty of time to get his feet wet at third. Steve has already shown he's a contact hitter and can spray the ball to all fields.

Bob Daliege, one of the TOTS' top pitchers, who catches and plays all outfield positions, can also play a "mean" third base. Daliege, who wears #9, and a member of the TOTS for 10 years, displays a strong arm and fields the ball well. Bob is no spring chicken at 71, but he can still get the job done at the hot corner.

Then there's the man from Las Cruces, New Mexico -- Brad Vermeer. He's just a youngster at 68, Brad joined the club in the winter of 2017. A high school teacher, Brad definitely has the smarts to maneuver his way around third base.