TOTS welcome three new players

 

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers are getting younger all the time with three new additions to the club this week. The trio includes Bobby Williams Jr., a Palo Verde High School grad, from back in the day; Mark Capley, another Tucson product from Rincon High School, again from back in the day, and the third addition is 65-year-old Rick Bitzer, who comes to the TOTS with some baseball credentials.

Bitzer, pictured above, is a former Tucson MSBL player/manager who managed the 45-and-over Cubs for 16 years and logged 17 years in the organization, which has teams and rosters full of ball players just a little bit younger than a TOTS regular -- some 25 to 30 years younger... and in some cases there may be a 40-year age difference.

It'll definitely be a learning experience for Bitzer, but after two weeks of action at Udall Park, he seems to be fitting in rather nicely.

"When Covid-19 hit and all three of my teams folded (he was also player/manager or was involved with the Tucson MSBL 25-and-over, as well as a 18-and over independent league), I thought I was done with baseball." Bitzer said.

Bitzer has discovered in a few short weeks that the TOTS keep on plugging year, after year...after year. In fact, the TOTS missed only March and a couple of weeks of April this year and it has been full speed ahead since the beginning of May. The TOTS are just six weeks away from completing its 53rd season.

Welcome aboard to all three newcomers. Rick has got a little head start on Williams and Capley, who are both a bit younger than Rick and still may be logging some work time.

The TOTS, and hopefully all three "rookies" will be begin yet another week of action on Monday. Game time: 10 a.m.