Diamondbacks battling to reach the .500 mark

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks (11-12) continue to claw their way back to the .500 mark, winning and losing some. They head for St. Louis and a three-game series at Busch Stadium on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The Cardinals are having their own troubles and find themselves in last place in the NL Central with a 9-13 record.

Arizona is in third place in the NL West behind the LA Dodgers (13-11) and the San Diego Padres (12-12) but remains just 1 1/2 games back of Shohei Ohtani and Company.

Ketel Marte leads the Diamondbacks with a .330 batting average. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Marte are tied in home runs with five apiece, while Gurriel Jr. leads the club in RBI with 21. 

  

Walk-off Wildcats in first place in Pac-12 Conference race

 Arizona Wildcats Baseball

The Arizona Wildcats (24-14 overall, 13-5 in the Pac-12) head for Las Cruces Wednesday and a single non-conference game against the New Mexico State Aggies.

The Wildcats, who are becoming known lately as the Walk-off Wildcats may have their sights set on this weekend's three-game series in Seattle against Pac-12 Conference foe, the Washington Huskies. After all, Arizona has collected six walk-off wins this season, all of them coming in its last 10 home games and the Wildcats now sit atop the conference standings ahead of everyone.

Arizona can garner another series win in Seattle and better yet a sweep would be even better and allow them to remain the top dog in the conference heading into May.

The Wildcats' last sweep and last walk-off win occurred on Sunday at Hi Corbett when the hard-hitting Mason White singled in the game-winner against Washington State in the 11th inning for an 8-7 win.

Brendan Summerhill continues to lead the Wildcats in hitting with a .366 batting average (56 for 153 in 37 games), while White's 13 homers and 49 RBI leads the way in the power department. Cam Walty (6-1, 2.55 ERA), Clark Candiotti (4-1, 3.34 ERA), and Jackson Kent (3-1, 2.64 ERA) continue to be the top three main starters for the Wildcats.

Way to go, Wildcats! Go, get 'em in Las Cruces and Seattle.

A sign of the times...

I have spent eight decades in and out of dugouts.

Yes, the world has changed.

My advice to the young ballplayer out there with a Louisville Slugger draped over his or her shoulder:

Keep swinging! Stay between the lines. Stay focused. Give it your all. Await every pitch thrown at you. Smile. Take your cuts and remember if at first, you don't succeed, you'll have another at-bat, and when you connect at the plate and in life you will be so proud of yourself.

Don't do this...

Do this...

Celebrate and reach for the stars...

Gallen rights the ship at Chase with 5-0 shutout

 Arizona Diamondbacks

Zac Gallen (3-0) took care of business at Chase Field on Sunday as the Diamondbacks' ace hurled six strong innings, allowing four hits while striking out seven and walking just two batters as Arizona evened its record at 8-8 with a 5-0 shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Arizona won 2 of the 3 games with Christian Walker collecting three of the Diamondbacks' seven hits on Sunday.

The Diamondbacks continue their homestand with another three games as they take on the Chicago Cubs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before heading to San Francisco and a four-game series with the Giants.

A beautiful Day at Hi Corbett Field

Arizona Wildcats Baseball

Arizona earned a sweep at Hi Corbett Field of Louisiana Tech on Sunday with a 5-2 win and picked up its 11th consecutive win this season to improve to 20-13. Starting pitcher Cam Walty (6-1) hurled seven strong innings, allowing just two runs while striking out eight batters.

Photos: A day at Hi Corbett -- A little bullpen action before the start of the game and some images depicting the history of the landmark baseball field. So many of the baseball greats have played between the lines at Hi Corbett Field.

Congrats to UConn: National Champs

NCAA National Championship 

Back-to-back titles for the Huskies

University of Connecticut won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship with a 75-60 victory over Purdue tonight in Glendale, Arizona.

Tristen Newton scored 20 points, dished out seven assists, and won the MVP Award.

Purdue’s Zach Edey was the top scorer with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks.

Arizona Baseball: Wildcats rip Stanford, 12-1

Arizona Wildcats Baseball

Arizona closed out its four-game road trip with a non-conference 12-1 win at Stanford today. The Wildcats improved to 18-13 overall and remain 10-5 in Pac-12 play. Mason White highlighted the big win with two home runs and six RBI.

White leads the Wildcats with 13 home runs and 45 RBI.

Arizona returns home to Hi Corbett Field on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for a three-game non-conference series with Louisiana Tech.

Bookemdanosports surpasses half a million views

Considering the grand scheme of things, it's a small thing, but my blog, Bookemdanosports, surpassed half a million views today.

One post at a time. It's a blog, or maybe it's just a diary for this oldtimer. Whatever, it keeps my old brain churning and the windmill turning.

From baseball...

To basketball...

To many of the characters I've met along the way...

Or keeping track of my grandkids...

It all keeps me going one word at a time.

Diamondbacks falter in Atlanta, Wildcats cruise to a sweep in Berkeley, TOTS await total eclipse at Udall

Arizona Baseball: The Diamondbacks, the Wildcats...and the TOTS

from the desk of Dan Price

Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost all three games in Atlanta: 6-5, 9-8, and 5-2. The Diamondbacks (4-6)  head to Colorado and end their current road trip with a three-game series with the Rockies on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Ketel Marte leads the Diamondbacks in hitting with a .311 batting average. Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Christian Walker are tied in homers with three, while Gurriel Jr. leads the club in RBI with 11. Zac Gallen leads the pitching staff with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 0.82.

Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats are rolling. Arizona improved to 17-13 overall and 10-5 in the Pac-12 Conference with a sweep of California in Berkeley over the weekend. The Wildcats won the opener 5-3, the second game 5-0, and capped off the sweep on Sunday 7-3, riding the pitching of starter Clark Candiotti (3-1), who struck out six in five innings of work.

Cam Walty improved to 5-1 with a seven-inning gem during Game 2. Walty struck out eight and allowed just six hits. Emilio Corona hit his sixth homer of the season in the fourth inning with a solo shot. In Game 1, Jackson Kent had a nice outing with six strong innings, allowing just two runs. He walked three and struck out six. Casey Hintz (2-1) picked up the win in relief.

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

The TOTS will take the field today (4-8-24) at Tucson Udall Park and try to keep the flyballs to a minimum. After all, today's first pitch will be around 10:06 this morning, just in time for the eclipse.

The players say the umpires will have it easy this morning. 'They can't see anyway.'

As for the players, nothing bothers the TOTS. Not even an eclipse!

Thunder Tim leads TOTS with 16 hits in March

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

at Udall Park

Thunder Tim Tolson, 71, led the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers in hits during March with 16. The hard-hitting lefty went 16 for 28, a .571 batting average, and finished two hits ahead of two power-hitting right-handers, Ernesto Escala and Jon Beady.

Beady, 62, hit the only home run for the month. He batted 14 for 22, a .636 clip, and scored the most runs (10) while knocking in nine. Escala went 14 for 23 with eight RBI and a .606 batting average.

Three players, Mike Dawson, Bob Long, and Randy Livingston, collected a dozen hits apiece, while John Mathews had 11 hits and tied with Tolson for the most RBI for the month with 11.

Dawson was the workhorse on the mound in March. He pitched 28 innings and had a 2-2 record, while Livingston owned an unblemished record, with four wins in four appearances in 26 innings of work.

The TOTS collected 208 hits in 563 official at-bats as a club while maintaining a team batting average of .369.

The Tucson Old Timers are heading into the spring, hoping for better weather. Three months into 2024, the TOTS completed just 25 games: seven in January, eight in February, and 10 in March. 

Photo: Thunder Tim Tolson led the TOTS in hits during the month of March, going 16 for 28.

Photo: Randy Livingston was a perfect 4-0 on the mound for the TOTS in March.

Photo: Jon Beady hit the only home run for the TOTS in March and led the club in runs scored with 10.

  

Arizona baseball: Wildcats, Diamondbacks and the TOTS

 Arizona Wildcats Baseball

The Arizona Wildcats put together a 12-hit attack at Hi Corbett Field last night and knocked off the Lobos from New Mexico, 9-1. Mason White hit his 11th home run of the season, Garen Caulfield went deep with his third of the year, and Tommy Splaine went 4 for 4, a personal best, as the Wildcats used their bullpen arms to take down the Lobos. Dawson Netz (2-0) picked up the win.

Arizona, now 14-13 and 7-5 in the Pac-12 Conference, head for Berkeley and a three-game series this weekend with California.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Zac Gallen improved to 2-0 with six strong innings against the New York Yankees last night. The Diamondbacks evened the three-game series with New York at Chase Field. Gallen allowed just three hits, struck out six, and walked three as Arizona prevailed, 7-0.

Newcomer Blaze Alexander (Oh! What a name!), a 24-year-old rookie, had two hits, while veteran Christian Walker went 2 for 4 and knocked in three runs with his third home run of the season.

Arizona completes the series with the Yankees today at Chase Field. Game time: 12:40 p.m.

Diamondbacks Update (4/3/24)

The Yankees won the series 2-1 over the Diamondbacks. At Chase Field, Arizona relaxed a bit too much and lost the series' final game 6-5 yesterday in 11 innings. Blaze Alexander and Ketel Marte hit home runs for the Diamondbacks, while Aaron Judge and the former Tucson prep star Alex Verdugo homered for the Yankees. New York improves to 6-1 and sits atop the AL East. Arizona hits the road to face Atlanta and Colorado, sporting a 4-3 record.

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers

Two rainouts have occurred this week at Tucson Udall Park. We need the rain, but this is becoming too much, as the TOTS have yet to play a game in April. And there's more rain on the way next week!

The TOTS have a game scheduled for Friday, April 5, with a 10 a.m. start.

The March batting and pitching stats should be out soon.

Go, TOTS!

Remembering a home run milestone with the TOTS...

From the archives/2022...

Reed Palmer, 66, hit his sixth home run of the season and career home run No. 100 today at Udall Park for the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers.

Palmer's team lost 8-7, but the big story was the big lefty's blast in the third inning, when he went deep into the trees 330 feet from home plate, way beyond the right field fence.

Palmer said after the game, 'I really didn't feel like I hit (the ball) that well.'

Reed's teammates can attest that he got it all. On a warm and dusty day in Tucson, Arizona, the TOTS players turned their heads and watched the oval disappear into the trees.

The record-setting blast is a club record for individual career home runs for the organization.

Photo: Palmer is a righthander but bats from the left side. He pitches, too, throwing around 60-plus miles an hour and has a wicked change-up in his arsenal.