It's a number's game

 

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Baseball is a number's game.

In the pros, everything is counted -- hits, home runs, batting averages...on-base percentages. You name it. Everything is added up in hopes of gaining an edge and putting a "W" in the win column.

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers follow along and try to the do same. Although, it's a bit harder for an old-time ballplayer between the age of 60 to 80 to get the calculations right. But they try.

Take for instance today's game at Udall Park -- a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire 3-2 win by Team Blue over Team White.

Team Blue's Bob Daliege and Team White's Reed Palmer were locked in a pitching duel for six innings. In the top of the seventh, with the score deadlocked at 2-2, Team Blue pushed across the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice play and Team White came to bat in the bottom of the seventh needing a run to tie or two runs for the win.

With two outs and runners on second and third, the organization's top contact hitter Mike Dawson made his way to the plate. Dawson, known for spraying hits to all the corners of Udall Park, needed to launch a single anywhere in the outfield to bring home the winning runs.

Daliege, a retired accountant who spent most of his life dealing with numbers, had no problem adding up his next move. Daliege walked Dawson, a .400 hitter, to get to the struggling 75-year-old Pigpen Price, who was mired in a 2 for 13 slump for September -- a hefty .153 clip for the month.

With the bases loaded, Price, as advertised, hit a two-hopper to Team Blue's second baseman Lloyd Barzell for the final out of the game.

"My struggles at the plate continue," said a disappointed Price, after the game.

By all calculations, there are plenty more TOTS' games to be played -- including a game on Friday at Udall. Plenty of time for Price to break out of a slump. As for today, Daliege, the accountant (pictured below), played the percentages and led his team to victory.

Adding up the hits in the game, Team Blue finished with 11 hits as Ken Nebesny, Tim Tolson, Joe Opocensky, Daliege and Barzell collected two hits apiece.  Team White ended up with 10 hits in the game with Mike Steele, Doc Thompson, Dave Byars and Bobby Stofft doing most of the damage with two hits apiece.

Stofft, 81, on the injured list since January, was happy with his performance today. "It was great to be back on the field and pick up a couple of hits," says Stofft (pictured below). As it turns out, it was Stofft's first hits in 2020. 

Way to go, Bobby! Now if we could just get Pigpen going.