TOTS play it safe, but play on

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The TOTS play on...

and on...

and on...and on

Not even a fire in the nearby mountain can stop 'em...nor the coronavirus sweeping the world...nor chaos in the streets from LA to New York...and as pro baseball nears closer and closer to a "lost season" -- the TOTS continue to play on.

The TOTS may be the only game in town. They may be the oldest organized bunch of old-timers in the state, in the country...in the nation for that matter (1968 to the present...53 years). The TOTS' ages range from:  60-something in recent games to an 82-year-old from Canada named Denny Leonard (photo below), a member of the TOTS' organization since the mid-90s and a former police officer from Edmonton.

Still on the roster are 86-year-old Joe Aparicio, Billy Heiny (who turns 91 in August/2020) and 94-year-old Floyd Lance (who turns 95 in September/2020), although the sign of the times are currently keeping them off the field of play. Aparicio played a total off 19 games in January and February (before the conronavirus hit) and Heiny played in 14. Lance, the TOTS' poster boy, hasn't logged an official at bat this year.  Lance, a member of the TOTS since 1999, may just mosey in one day and take his cuts. After all, the TOTS have six months left in their 53rd season.

Below the "heart " of the TOTS: Aparicio, Heiny and Lance.

There is no quit in the TOTS. Yes, if the stay-at-home rules return, the players will leave the ball field and return home. The players will put their baseball shoes near the front door and await the "all clear" signal to return once again. The TOTS will withstand fire on the ridge, a deadly virus and chaos in the streets...and old age. The TOTS list of reasons not to play do not include the word: age.

Go, TOTS!