The game that would never end

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Team Blue  13  Team White 10

Mike Dawson, co-manager of the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers, spends a lot of time on the baseball field these days.

At night he ramrods his Little League players through their paces -- that alone is quite an undertaking, but he also manages a club of old-time ball players three days a week at Udall Park, which includes setting daily lineups, making sure the scheduled work crews have the field in working order and, along with co-manager Mike Steele, manages to keep a club of baseball players happy -- a club consisting of a roster of  close to 75 players.

And he tries to play, too. Dawson, 67, is one of the club's top hitters and he logs in his share of mound duty. This morning at Udall Park, he would have been happy with a low key game -- a six-inning affair, with an 8:30 start, maybe a handful of 1-2-3 innings to boot, then close up shop, head home for a few hours of rest before heading off to Freedom Park on the south side of town and another night with his Little Leaguers. If all goes well, he'd be home and in bed before midnight.

Dawson (photo) toed the rubber for Team Blue today and went up against another right-hander 70-year-old Ernesto Escala, who started for Team White, before he turned the ball over to Mark Rupert in the fifth.

"I threw a lot of pitches today," Escala said. "The innings seemed to last forever."

Before the first pitch this morning, the players had decided to go six. After all, the temperature was rising and the humidity was building as well. Six innings would be enough today for a group of players ranging in age, this morning, from 64 to 76.

The first inning went quickly. Two runs by Team Blue and a lone run by Team White.

Then the game began to sputter.

Two hours and twenty minutes later it was over. Twenty-one players saw action. There were 75 at bats among the players -- including a few wild pitches, eight walks, a hit batter,  six errors, 32 hits banged around the confines of Udall Park and 23 runs scored.

The final score: Team Blue 13 Team White 10.

"It was a long game," said Dawson, who eventually picked up the win. He allowed 10 runs, 15 hits and walked three batters, while his teammates committed four errors behind him. Escala allowed 10 runs, 12 hits, struck out two and walked four. Rupert was saddled with the loss as the game went into the sixth tied at 10-10, before Team Blue plated three runs -- included a 2-RBI single from Dawson, who finished the game with three hits and four RBI.

Joe Opocensky contributed three hits for Team Blue as did Steele, while David Byars ended up with four RBI on the day. Ken Nebesny and Tim Tolson were the hitting stars for Team White. Nebesny went 3 for 3 with a walk, while Tolson was a perfect 4 for 4 and four RBI.

Newcomer Frank "The Mechanic" Garcia received his TOTS' hat today and became the newest member of  the organization. Garcia, 67, played right field for Team Blue today and went 2 for 3.

As for the TOTS' scorekeeper Mal Zwolinski, 84, he recorded every out, every hit, every error today, just like he always does. Mal keeps a clock at the scoring table inside the dugout on the third base side and records every play -- no matter how long it takes.

The TOTS will be back in action on Friday, July 1 and will be ready for action. No matter how long it takes.

Go, TOTS!