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.