Back at the MSBL World Series: My team remains alive

Men's Senior Baseball League World Series

73-and-over division

Phoenix, Arizona

The eight remaining teams meet for the first round of the playoffs at the Maryvale Complex today (photo above).

Despite three straight losses, the 73-and-over New England Red Sox remain alive on Day 6 and head for Maryvale -- the spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers, this morning for a 9:30 tussle with the division's top dog -- the Mudville 9.

Three players on the Red Sox roster are still active after close to a week of action of baseball.  David Byars, Pete Peters and Bob Daliege (from the Tucson Old Timers --TOTS) are still standing, unlike their fourth player and Tucson teammate, Danny "Pigpen" Price, who withdrew on Day 1 with an illness and is now recovering in Colorado. The Red Sox opened play with two wins at the beginning of the week, but their play on the field and their hitting has gone south for the last three games.

Still, they have a chance to knock off the front runner this morning with a chance to advance to the semifinals this afternoon...and believe it or not, two wins away from a title shot on Sunday. A tough task to win three straight games with five games already in the books.

The Red Sox will need to get the bats going and someone needs to step up defensively and lead the way. New England's ace in the hole is former major leaguer Bill "Spaceman" Lee, who owns a win and a save in Game 1 and Game 2.

Peters, the TOTS' catcher back in Tucson, should get the honors once again behind the plate, Daliege will undoubtedly take his normal spot in the outfield and Byars should get a shot at first base today.

Go get 'em, Red Sox!

It's been a long week for everyone -- winning an MSBL title, especially when you are over the age of seventy isn't an easy undertaking.

As for Price, 76, he says he'll play for a team next year in the 75-and-over division -- a relatively new division and it is about as far as you can go in the senior World Series.

"I'll be back!" Price said, this morning from Parachute, Colorado. "I know this has to stop sometime but it is hard to give up when you have 14 years invested in the MSBL World Series."

As for the remaining Red Sox, they lost to Mudville 9 earlier in the week, 4-1. It was a close game and Peters scored the only run. "We aren't hitting," Peters said. "And, we need to cut down on the errors."

Of course, it would be nice to see Spaceman Lee toss another two-hitter -- like he did in Game 1.

Go get 'em, Red Sox!