Opening Day 2021!

 Major League Baseball

It's finally here. Opening Day for Major League Baseball.

All 30 teams will be in action on April 1.

Play ball!

Palmer tosses 5-hitter in TOTS' win

 Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Right-hander Reed Palmer, 64, allowed five hits and one run as Team White won a lopsided 13-1 win over Team Blue today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Bill Mishler, Ray Garcia, Ted Davis and Palmer combined for 12 hits and the four players knocked in 11 of the 13 runs as Team White scored three runs in the first inning, five in the second and five more in the third and cruised the rest of the way for an easy win.

Jesse Ochoa had two of Team Blue's five hits, while Pete Peters drove in the lone run. Pete Maldonado had a rare opposite-field triple for Team Blue. 

The TOTS close out the week with a 10 a.m. game at Udall Park on Friday. Next Monday the TOTS return to a 9 a.m. starting time, due to the warmer weather.

Photo: Reed Palmer

UCLA reaches NCAA Men's Final Four, Stanford joins Arizona in the Women's Final Four

 UCLA  goes from a play-in game all the way to the Final Four with a 51-48 Elite 8 win over Michigan yesterday at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, while Stanford beat Louisville 78-63 in the women's bracket to punch a ticket to the Big Dance, along with our own Arizona Wildcats.

The Final Four (women's)

Arizona vs UConn

Stanford vs South Carolina

The Final Four (men's)

UCLA  vs  Gonzaga

Houston vs  Baylor

Congrats, to all the teams representing the Pac-12 Conference..

A job well done. 

Arizona reaches Final Four

 Arizona Women's Basketball

Aari McDonald poured in 33 points on Sunday to lead the third-seeded Arizona Wildcats to a 66-53 win over Indiana and a spot in the NCAA Final Four and a showdown with UConn on Friday.

The Wildcats reach the Final Four for the first time in school history behind McDonald and a little help from her teammates -- including Trinity Baptiste, who picked up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Congrats, Wildcats!

Stanford, the overall No. 1 seed, take on No. 2 seed Louisville tonight in hopes of punching their ticket to the Final Four. 

Arizona one win away from Final Four

 Arizona Women's Basketball

The Wildcats are rolling at the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Arizona beat a very good Texas A&M team 74-59 on Saturday to move on to the Elite 8 at the NCAA Basketball Tournament, just one win shy of the Final Four. Aari McDonald led the Wildcats with 31 points.

Up next: Indiana tonight at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Go, Wildcats!

USC, UCLA and Oregon State reach Elite 8

 NCAA Men's basketball Tournament

It was a little unfair that USC and Oregon met in a Sweet Sixteen matchup on Sunday at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. With Oregon State and UCLA already penciled in as participants in the Elite 8, it had become a sure thing that three teams from the Pac-12 Conference would advance to the Elite 8 and just one win away from the Final Four.

USC was too much for Oregon yesterday as they rolled to a 82-68 win, while UCLA moved on with a grueling 88-78 overtime win over Alabama. Oregon State reached the Elite 8 on Saturday with a 65-58 win over Loyola.

It's time for Bill Walton to get his due. Not for announcing mind you, but as a 7-foot fortune teller, after all he had five Pac-12 teams in the Final Four. Colorado, of course, bowed out after one win as the Pac-12 owns a 12-1 record.

Up next for the Pac-12: USC and Gonzaga, UCLA and Michigan and Oregon State takes on Houston. The fourth matchup has Baylor against Arkansas. Four go home and four advance to the 2021 Final Four.

Wildcats improve to 16-7, 3-3 in Pac-12

 Arizona Wildcats Baseball

Arizona won two of three games at Hi Corbett Field last weekend over the Oregon Ducks and improve to 16-7 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Wildcats won 5-4, 15-2 and dropped the finale, 18-13.

Jacob Berry leads the Wildcats with a .449 batting average (35 for 78) with six home runs and 31 RBI. Chase Silseth leads the pitching staff with a 4-0 record and has pitched the most innings (37) and strike outs (46).

Up next: A three-game series with Arizona State in Tempe, beginning on Thursday.

TOTS' Nebesny swinging a hot bat, a blistering 22 hits in last 27 at bats

 Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The Chemist

Ken Nebesny knows how to mix things and come up with the right formula.

After all, Nebesny received the 2019 Excellence Award at the College of Science Awards ceremony, held last April at the University of Arizona.

Nebesny's teammates on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers know him more for being a prolific leadoff hitter on the amateur baseball team, which plays three days a week, year in and year out, at Udall Park.

Ken is a quiet dude and plays outfield for the TOTS. He's not one to sound his own horn, on or off the ball field.

But take a gander at the following:

Ken was born and raised in the Bronx. A product of the Bronx Academy for Math and Science at Queens College. He left New York and came to the University of Arizona to pursue his PH. D in Analytical Chemistry.

After receiving his degree from Arizona in the early 80s, Ken stayed on to manage the Laboratory for Electronic Spectroscopy and Surface Analysis in the department of Chemistry. Later he took in the roles of Director of Research Support Services and Operation Director of Core Facilities.

Wow! That's a mouth full.

At Udall Park, on the TOTS' home field behind the Udall Senior Center, Nebesny, who turns 64 on April 25, 2021,  is now chasing a different formula these days. He's discovered the right mixture to turn a pitcher's offerings into base hits. Not just one or two hits every few at bats, but hits in bunches -- line shots to left field, to center field or right field.

This week, in two games, Ken is a perfect 10 for 10 with six runs scored and a couple of RBI to boot. Today, he led Team Blue to a 13-3 win with a perfect 5 for 5 day. Ken will head into Monday (March 29) with 22 hits in 27 trips to the plate for the month of March.

Team White's Mike Dawson was saddled with the loss today, allowing 19 hits, while Bob Daliege picked up the win for Team Blue, allowing just nine hits. Tim Tolson and Pigpen Price went 2 for 3 for the losing team today. Tolson scored a run and Price knocked in a run.

Due to the Coronavirus, the TOTS have played just 20 games this year and just eight of those games have been in March. As for Nebesny, in 20 games, he's hitting at a .671 clip (51 for 76).

Ken  has the formula down pat. Many of the TOTS have nicknames. Ken, a TOT since 2018, now has his: The Chemist.

Photo: Nebesny at work at the plate.

 

USC, UCLA, Oregon and Oregon State reach Sweet Sixteen

 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Yes, it is March Madness.

The Arizona Wildcat fans are MAD!

Oh, what could have been.

The Arizona Wildcats should have been there. Instead, we (the Arizona fans) watch the NCAA tourney unfold. We watch five Pac-12 teams put on a show. All the way to the Sweet Sixteen. USC in! UCLA in! Oregon in! Oregon State in! Only Colorado, after a lopsided opening-round win over Georgetown, falters with a second-round loss to Florida State.

A  9-1 record and counting!

Congrats to the Pac-12.

Arizona Wildcats tangle with Oregon at Hi Corbett this weekend

 Arizona Wildcats Baseball

Arizona (14-6, 1-2) take on Oregon at Hi Corbett Field on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a Pac-12 Conference three-game series.

The Wildcats split their four games in southern California last weekend, winning one of three games with UCLA, before rolling over Loyola Marymount, 18-2. The Wildcats lost their Pac-12 opener to the Bruins, 3-2, won the middle game 7-3, but lost the third game, 11-3.

Jacob Berry leads the Wildcats with a .400 batting average (26 for 65). Berry leads the club with six home runs and 26 RBI. Brandon Boissiere is second in batting average at .395 (30 for 76). 

A windy contest at Udall

 Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Old-time baseball players battle through their share of obstacles -- annoying pain in the old knee cap, in their shoulders, in their throwing arms, arthritis in their throwing hand, foot pain...well you name it, a 60-and-over member of the Tucson Old Timers can battle their way through it all.

The same goes for the weather. Hot days and cold days. Or, for that matter just getting out of bed in the early morning can be an experience. A little water on the face, some heavy duty stretching and then grab the baseball gear and it's off to the ball park.

What can really irritate an old-timer is the wind.

Chasing down baseballs for a ballplayer in his 60s, 70s or 80s is tough enough without a 20 mph wind blowing against you.  Well, that's what the TOTS battled with yesterday at Udall Park.

Twenty six hits and a hand full of errors later, Team Blue walked away with an 8-4 win over Team White.

Lead-off hitter Ken Nebesny led Team Blue's 15-hit attack with a 5 for 5 day at the plate. Nebesny scored three times and knocked in a run, while Jesse Ochoa had no trouble with the wind with a 4 for 5 day and two runs batted in. On the other hand, Team White managed just 11 hits with Mike Dawson leading the losing team with three hits in four trips -- including a double.

Pete Maldonado picked up the pitching victory, while Joe Opocensky was saddled with the windy loss. To both pitchers credit, only three walks were issued during the game. Maldonado struck out one and walked two, while Opocensky walked one and struck out two batters.

The TOTS will be back in action on Wednesday. Game time 10 a.m. More wind is expected and a high  in the mid 50s.

Go, TOTS!

Team White edges Team Blue 6-4 in St. Patrick's Day game at Udall

 Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

St. Patrick's Day Game

There was no need for luck at Udall Park today in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game. Instead, Team White banged out thirteen hits as eight players in the starting lineup hit safely en route to a 6-4 St. Patrick's Day win over Team Blue.

Team White's starting pitcher, Bob Daliege, did help his own cause by wearing a green jersey today, but it was centerfielder Bobby Long, who made sure luck had no bearing on the outcome of this one with a perfect 4 for 4 day performance at the plate, while lefty Dennis Crowley provided the big blow with a two-run triple in the fifth inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Team White added a couple of runs in the sixth to seal the deal.

Team Blue tried to rally in the top of the seventh inning with two runs off Daliege, but the tying runs were left on base and Team White escaped with the St. Patrick's Day win. Leadoff batter Ken Nebesny was the big gun for Team Blue with four hits in five trips to the plate.

The TOTS will close out the week on Friday at Udall. Game time: 10 a.m. 

 

Wildcats (12-4) enter Pac-12 Conference play at UCLA on Friday

 Arizona Wildcats Baseball

With a 12-4 non-conference record for 2021, the Arizona Wildcats head for UCLA and a Pac-12 Conference three-game series in Los Angeles on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After 16 games, sophomore Brandon Broissiere leads Arizona with .458 batting average (27 for 59), is first in runs scored (26) and is tied in home runs (3) with Jacob Berry.

Ryan Holgate and Berry have knocked in 19 runs apiece to lead the Wildcats.

Freshman TJ Nichols and sophomore Chase Silseth own 3-0 pitching records. Nichols owns a 4.29 ERA, while Silseth has a 4.91 ERA.

Go, Wildcats!

Dawson allows 1 run today at Udall, picks up 7th win of 2021

 Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Hard-throwing right-hander Mike Dawson allowed one run and pitched seven strong innings to improve to 7-1 this year as Team White beat Team Blue 5-1 today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Dawson had a shutout intact until the top of the sixth inning when Dennis Crowley reached base on an infield single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Pigpen Price and scored on an RBI-single from newcomer Jimmy Kinion.

David Byars and Dawson combined for six hits in the game for Team White, while Ken Nebesny picked up three hits for Team Blue. Pete Maldonado pitched well for Team Blue, allowing just nine hits. He struck out one and walked one, while Dawson struck out two and walked two.

Bobby Long knocked in two of the five runs for Team White. Long had two hits on the day and scored twice.

The TOTS return to action at Udall on Wednesday. Game time: 10 a.m.

Photo: Dawson

2 blowouts highlight TOTS' week of action at Udall

 Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

A couple of blowouts highlighted this week's action at Udall Park.

On Monday, Dennis Crowley, John Mathews and Mike Dawson combined for nine hits in 12 plate appearances as Team White scored four runs in the first, two in the third and six runs in the sixth to run away from Team Blue, 12-2, while Wednesday's affair saw Team Blue blow by Team White, 13-1, as Ken Nebesny and Pete Peters both went 4 for 5 and knocked in a combined four runs.

Normally the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers battle to the wire with many of the games ending in walk-off wins. Not this week.

On Monday, Dawson went the distance and picked up the easy win. He struck out four. On Wednesday, Pete Maldonado threw a gem. He pitched seven innings, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out three and walked three.

Crowley, a lefty, put together seven hits in nine trips to the plate and scored six runs in the two games.

On Monday, Pigpen Price, 75, returned to the mound for the first time in over a year. It wasn't pretty.

With the game pretty much decided, Price strolled to the mound in the sixth inning for Team Blue and threw 10 pitches -- two for strikes and eight pitches wide of the strike zone.

"I faced two batters and walked them both," Price said. "It was ugly. The neck and shoulder hurt with every delivery."

On the other hand, Maldonado, 68, who like Price, has been out of action close to a year due to injuries,  has picked up right where he left off. "It feels good to be back on the mound," he said on Wednesday, after tossing a gem.

The TOTS return to Udall Park on Friday at Udall. Game time: 10 a.m.