Congratulations to the 'Cats on a series sweep this weekend

It wasn't good news for the Arizona Wildcats in basketball today, but the baseball team, now that's a different story. Arizona sweeps Harvard in a three-game series this weekend to improve to 8-2 on the season. Three players continue to pound the ball for the Wildcats. Johnny Field had three hits today to increase his team-leading batting average to .457 for his first 10 games of action. Robert Refsnyder is next in line at .415 and Joey Rickard is hitting at a .366 clip.

Next up for the Wildcats, Cal-Davis on Tuesday at Hi Corbett Field.

The bubble burst!

The Arizona State Sun Devils pulled off the shocker today in Tempe. I must admit, I saw it coming. The Sun Devils, with nothing to lose and a chance to stick a dagger in the heart of the Wildcats...and their fans, did just that as they beat Arizona, 87-80. The Wildcats fall to 21-10 and finish the Pac-12 regular season at 12-6.

Now it's on to the Pac-12 tourney and a matchup Thursday against the UCLA Bruins or the USC Trojans. Arizona needs to win the Pac-12 Tournament, or forget a trip to the NCAA Tournament and settle for an NIT bid. Unless, the powers-to-be on the NCAA committee pull out another shocker..and pencil Arizona in. Don't see that happening.

TOTS' newcomer throws underhand...

TOTS Baseball


Pete Peters, 62, joined the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club in 2011. He is one of the newest members of the club, which has had a flux of just-turned-60-something ball players recently join the organization. Peters, formerly a fastpitch softball pitcher, back in the late 1970s and early 1980s -- playing for such teams as Davis Monthan Air Force Base and Hays Roofing, has been forced to return to his underhand, throwing motion in recent TOTS' games, due to a rotator cuff injury. Peters, a catcher, can fire the baseball underhand back to the mound, just about as fast as some of the pitcher's tosses, which are coming his way.

He can even sail a one-hopper to second base with ease. "Yep, I played a lot of fast pitch softball, still kinda miss it," Peters said, following today's game, held at Jesse Owens Park. "I played mostly on the base (at DMAFB) and down at Santa Rita Park. There was a lot of men's fastpitch in Tucson 30 to 40 years ago." Peters seems right at home playing baseball. He's a consistent hitter and fields his position well. It's okay with me...as long as he doesn't throw me out at first base (underhanded), if...and that's a big if, I were to lay down a bunt, which I don't do very often with the TOTS. I like to hit too much.

TOTS footnote: Finding players 60-and-over who are willing to strap on the catching gear and venture behind the plate are hard to find, but the TOTS have a handful of young (I mean young as in 60 to 65) players willing to do so. Chuck Sabalos (62), Dennis Crowley (62), Mike Steele (64) and John Petrick (69...70 on Monday) see there share of action behind the plate. The TOTS even have a trio of 75-and-over members willing to put on the gear and go the distance. The three: Ron Kwart (78), Dick McAnally (79) and Billy Heiny (82). And for my new readers out there, who are reading my stuff for the first time, I'm not making this up. Hats off to all the above!

It was a good day for Teddy Davis

TOTS Baseball

The youngest member of the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club had a great day at Jesse Owens Park this morning. Teddy Davis, 61, pitched a complete game, struck out three and walked only two, and topped the game off with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th inning to drive in the winning run. The final score was 3-2 as Davis and his TOTS' teammates beat 69-year-old starting pitcher Doc Thompson, who pitched well for five innings (six strikeouts, only one walk), before giving way to 82-year-old reliever Billy Heiny in the sixth inning.

With the score deadlocked at 2-2, 70-year-old Arnie White doubled to left field and Bob Daliege, 63, reached on an infield single, sending White to third. Davis then sent a Heiny change up to left field, deep enough to score the game winner. The TOTS are having their home park at Udall repaired and have spent the week with games at Jesse Owens, where it is over 410 feet down both the left field and right field line. The TOTS return to Udall next week, and it is alright with the players. The Udall fences measure in at 300 feet down both the left and right field lines.

TOTS' footnote: As for me, 1 for 2 today and scored a run. I'll take it. That's .500 for the month of March. Unfortunately, I was on the losing team today.

Just beat the Sun Devils!

The Arizona Wildcats just need to beat the Arizona State Sun Devils on Sunday in Tempe. Take a gander at the Pac-12 standings this morning:

Team/Pac 12 record/overall record

Washington 14-3 / 21-8
California 13-4 / 23-7
Oregon 12-5 / 21-8
Arizona 12-5 / 21-9
Colorado 11-6 / 19-10
UCLA 10-7 / 17-13
Stanford 9-8 / 19-10
Oregon St 6-11/ 16-13
Wash State 6-11/ 14-15
Arizona St 5-12/ 9-20
Utah 3-14/ 6-23
USC 1-16/ 6-24

Standings footnote: Four teams with 20+ wins, eight teams with winning seasons.Only the Atlantic 10, Big East, Big 10 and SEC currently have more teams with more wins overall than losses.

Metal versus Wood...

I played with the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) yesterday at Jesse Owens Park, our temporary home field as our diamond at Tucson Udall Park is being resurfaced, so to speak. Seems a little weird playing at a different park, but it all worked out and it was quite a game by the way, 9-8.

The winners had to overcome an end side the park home run by 61-year-old Teddy Davis, but once again the winning pitcher was Billy Heiny (82), who teamed up with battery mate John Petrick -- who just happens to turn 70 on Monday, by the way -- to hurl another complete game. Seventy-year-old Arnie White was saddled with the loss, but pitched well, also going the distance.

As for me, I grabbed my wood bat out of my bag and used it for the first time this year. If I'm going to play in the 38-and-over wood bat league in April, I'd better start trying out the timber. Of course, most all of the TOTS use metal bats -- the ball goes a lot further, and believe me, the shots hit off the metal bats can be a lot harder to handle, even when the hitters are 60-and-over. Somehow, I did manage a single, a double and knocked in a couple of runs...and was on the winning team for a change. I walked...and struck out as I got caught looking on a great curve ball, thrown by White.

I guess you can strike out with a metal or a wood bat! Fortunately, I keep the strike outs to a minimum in the old timers' league. It may be a different story, come April when I face the 75 to 80 mph offerings from a 38 year old! Still love the sound of the wood bat...but I have to admit the results off the metal bat are a bit more pleasing.

Finally, March 1...

Finally, March 1! It won't be long now before March Madness begins. But, today at least, the Arizona Wildcats and their fans get to sit back and watch the other Pac-12 teams knock each other off...and again on Saturday. Of course, it'll be our turn on Sunday up in Tempe.

It'll be interesting, to say the least, what the Pac-12 standings look like before the Wildcats take to the court against our rival, the Arizona State Sun Devils. Let's hope the pieces fall into place for the Wildcats. Should be another heart-throbbing 31 days in March for all of us Wildcat fans.

Go,'Cats!