One man's path to recovery

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

A man on a mission -- Mark Rupert

Better times/2023

Mark Rupert has been on a journey that has led him to a place he needs to be: a roster spot on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) amateur baseball club.

Mark, 70, is from Albuquerque and a cancer survivor of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2013, prostate cancer in 2016, and treatments for Leukemia in 2021. His journey through life includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from The Ohio State University (1972-74) and a Master's Degree in Geography from Oklahoma State in Stillwater (1977-1980).

Mark's love for baseball included a thesis he did in Stillwater that made it into the July 12, 1980 issue of the Sporting News magazine.

The question of where professional baseball players come from is answered in a 221-page study published by Mark while he was seeking a master of science degree at Oklahoma State. The article entitled: A Geographic Analysis of Professional Baseball's First-Year Player Signings, 1965-1977.

That's a mouthful of a title and is above the pay grade of most of his 2022 TOTS teammates.

But according to Mark's findings from the 13-year period, 13, 985 amateurs signed professional contracts and of those, 1,287, or 8.9 percent, played in the majors through 1978.

The interesting article in the Sporting News discussed the fact it was no surprise that California was the No. 1 producer of baseball talent. In addition, the Sporting News article mentioned that in 1968, the LA Dodgers signed 55 amateurs, of whom 12 graduated to the majors, including Bill Buckner, Ron Cey, Dave Lopes, and Steve Garvey.

The fact that one of the TOTS' newest ballplayers had much to do with this article deserves an 'atta boy' from his teammates. Way to go, Mark!

Mark's love for baseball included a stint with the Albuquerque Dukes' front office for 12 years (1981-93). On his way up with the triple-A affiliate of the LA Dodgers, Mark did a little bit of everything, including selling peanuts. 

"I loved being a part of the organization," Rupert said. "I was able to keep involved with baseball. And yes, I started out selling concessions." Mark sold souvenirs, not peanuts, but it makes for a good story. He certainly did more for the Dukes than sell concessions.

"It was a great gig," says Rupert. "Maybe the article in the Sporting News might have had something to do with me latching on to the Dukes."

Mark has now found his way to Arizona, and specifically to Udall Park, on the east side of Tucson, where he plays the game of baseball Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the TOTS -- a group of older gentlemen who, just like him, play for the love of the game.

And he is good, too.

Mark was an instant hit with the TOTS, and after a few games, he officially joined the team, received his hat, paid his dues, ordered his jersey, and quickly went from the bottom of the batting order to the top. 

The man from Albuquerque has a knack for stepping into the batter's box, making contact, and collecting base hits -- two, three, sometimes four hits a game.

"I love the organization," Rupert said, following a recent game. "What a great bunch of guys. I feel blessed to be here."

Rupert put together a great month of October. He led the TOTS with 15 hits in 36 trips to the plate, a .417 batting average, and played in all 10 games. Mark's best month, though, occurred in May when he set a blistering pace at the plate, going 24 for 38 in 11 games for a hefty batting average of .632.

Mark's new uniforms with his new team

Leukemia treatments/2021

Whether it was his degrees in geography, his love for baseball, or just a twist of fate, Mark has found his way to his new home, a new ballpark, and an organization that still plays his brand of baseball.