TOTS take a break, MSBL WS begins

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers will take a two-week break until the end of October, while 11 of their regulars will head for Phoenix and the 34th annual Men's Senior Baseball League World Series.

Today at Udall Park the TOTS played their final game until the 29th of October.

And it was a good one.

Team White edged Team Blue 4-3 as Mike Dawson went the distance to pick up the win, while Ernesto Escala, Pete Maldonado and Bob Daliege shared pitching duties for Team Blue.

John Mathews, Tim Tolson, Danny "Pigpen" Price and Dawson are all heading for Phoenix and yet another Senior World Series and they all played today for Team White, while Joe Opocensky, Pete Peters, Escala and Daliege saw action for Team Blue -- all four of those players also heading for Phoenix.

Bobby Long, David Byars and Sam Dean did not play today -- Long begins play Saturday in Phoenix, Dean on the 23rd of October and Byars on October 25.

Price, 76, returned to the playing field today, after a six-week layoff due to dehydration problems, as well as troublesome bone spurs in his left foot.

"I'm so happy to be back," Price said, after the game today. "Made a few good plays at third, but went 0 for 3 at the plate. I didn't test the wheels." Of course, the guys are saying: "What wheels!" 

Price is the oldest of the Phoenix-bound group and will be playing in his 14th MSBL World Series, beginning on the 25th of October.

The big hitting star today was newcomer John Jarboe, who received his TOTS' hat today. Jarboe went 3 for 4, scored once and belted one of two doubles in the game -- the other two-bagger coming from Dawson, who went 2 for 3 and knocked in a run for Team White.

The winning team was out hit, 14 to 11. Another newcomer, William Foley, also received his TOTS' hat today and went 2 for 3 for Team White.

Way to go, TOTS! For the 11 players heading for Phoenix -- good luck!