A commentary from the desk of Dan Price
Major League Baseball (MLB) has reached the halfway point in 2022, while closer to home the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS), arguably the oldest organized amateur baseball club in the country, is at the midpoint of their 54th season.
In professional baseball, the New York Yankees are currently the best team in the universe with a 59-23 record, while the LA Dodgers own the second best record at 52-29.
Aaron Judge hit his 30th home run in 2022 yesterday for the Yankees, while Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies hit two homers and is closing in on Judge with 27.
Over at Udall Park in Tucson, the TOTS are at the halfway mark with 70 games in the books, en route to a possible 140 to 145 games in 2022. The TOTS' all-time home run leader, 65-year-old Reed Palmer, has hit four dingers this season. Palmer, who owns the single-season home run record for the organization at 30, needs two more to reach 100 career home runs -- an individual record for the club and one that may stand for a while. Of course, the young lefty has plenty of seasons left to build on his own record.
The TOTS and the social media...Blog: Bookemdanosports and Tucson Old Timers' Facebook Page
Google it and you'll be surprised to find the blog and the TOTS' page has more than 1,000 photos and 4,000 stories having to do with the amateur baseball organization, dating all the way back to 2009 when yours truly (photo left) began the journey documenting the baseball club, which has been around since 1968.
I'll have some help in my reporting in 2022 as my TOTS' teammate Bob Daliege returns from a lengthy vacation to take over the daily recaps of our games at Udall (3 days a week, year end year out).
I, in turn, will continue to do feature stories on my blog and keep up with acknowledging player's birthdays...etc.
The Accidental Tourist -- Pigpen Price
It's becoming apparent at the age of 77 that my baseball skills are floating away -- perhaps the skills are disappearing over the centerfield fence at Udall Park. Wherever they have gone, I want them back. I'll continue to look for them as I continue to play America's Favorite Pastime.
I realize I'm just passing through and I'm accident prone -- dealing weekly, and monthly, with injuries from head to toe...aka the Accidental Tourist. Close to 300 players have played for the TOTS' organization and they all have played through injuries as they play for the love of the game.
While my buddy, Bobby, will add his humor and whit to the recaps of the games on Facebook, I may venture off and try a new angle: to explain and document on my blog the how, and the why, a bunch of crazy old men defy Father Time and continue to play the game of baseball well into their late 70s and 80s.
The Day After
The TOTS play every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So, on Tuesday and Thursday, I begin my recovery in hopes of shaking off the ailment I have at the time -- it may be foot pain, neck pain, back pain, or it may be all three. Tylenol tablets are a must before the game. Forty minutes of stretching prior to the first pitch is a must. Water! Plenty of water is needed before, during and after a game.
I learned the hard way about dehydration. A year ago, I was playing second base and suddenly I had a fuzzy feeling. A few minutes later I passed out. The ambulance arrived and it was off to the hospital.
But I'm back!
When you are the oldest regular with the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers, you have to get used to facing and competing with the "younger men" -- the 60 year olds. I was a young whippersnapper in 2008 when I joined the TOTS at the age of 62. Yesterday, I had to face the 6 foot-5 Palmer, 65, who is 12 years younger than I am. I'm a fastball hitter, even at my age. I swung at three curve balls and I looked like I had never played the game of baseball before. That's the age factor. There's no hiding it as I have gone from a leadoff hitter at 62 years of age to the bottom of the lineup at 77.
But boy was it fun! I'll get another crack at Palmer in the days ahead.
That's the beauty of it all.
Note: a 10-10 tie yesterday at Udall. Look for Daliege's recap on the Tucson Old Timers' Facebook page.
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