60-and-over Aces top Rattlers

Super Senior Baseball


The 60-and-over Aces banged out 22 hits and scored in every inning today at Mission Manor Park en route to 19-14 win over the Arizona Rattlers. The Aces jumped out to a 10-2 lead after three innings and cruised to a super-senior victory over the Rattlers as every player in the lineup hit safely. Right-hander Tom Barrow was saddled with the loss, while Doc Thompson pitched the first three innings for the Aces and  Arnie White came on in relief and pitched the final  four innings.  Dennis Crowley and Ted Davis combined for eight of the Aces 22  hits, while Lloyd Barzell, Jerry Hamelin, Pete Cerenzia, Pete Peters, Billy Heiny, Thompson, White and yours truly contributed to the onslaught. Aces' manager Floyd Lance was pleased with the effort. "I think that's the most runs we've ever scored off those guys," Lance said. The Rattlers used three pitchers to try to cool off the Aces  --  including knuckleballer Tino Naverez, who relieved Barrow in the third inning, but the visiting Aces kept on rolling and has now won three of the last four games over their crosstown rivals.

Game note: I went 2 for 5 today, but for the second time in the last three weeks, I broke one of my wooden bats. All of my teammates used aluminium today ( with the exception of Jerry Hamelin, who always uses a wood bat). I should have left my Louisville Slugger in my bat bag today. Tom Barrow, the Rattlers' starter, said after the game that he threw me his best slider of the day and heard the bat crack. I tried to get Tom to throw in a couple of bucks, but he wouldn't bite. Oh well, it's back to Sports Authority for another Louisville Slugger. 

Diamondbacks go 5-5 on the road

The Arizona Diamondbacks head home tonight after losing another series. This time, they fall to the New York Mets 3-1 today and end up losing two of the three games to finish with a 5-5 record for their latest road trip. The Diamondbacks (14-15) head back to Chase Field, looking for some answers.

Wildcats can say so long to first place in Pac-12 for now

Pac 12 Conference Baseball

The Arizona Wildcats can say so long to first place in the Pac-12 conference standings for now. Oregon  held off the Wildcats at Hi Corbett Field today to win the rubber game of the three-game series, 3-1.  Arizona falls to 30-15 overall and 13-8 in the conference. The Bruins (34-14), by winning two of the three games,  takes over sole possession of first place in the conference with a 16-8 record.

Blackbirds to face Reds in TMSBL matchup

I'll get a chance to play against some of my old teammates Thursday at Reid Park. The Mountain Blackbirds will take on the Mountain Reds in a 38-and-over Tucson Mens Senior Baseball League matchup. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The Mountain Reds have four players on their roster who are teammates of mine on the Tucson Aces,   a  60-and-over MSBL World Series team. The Aces, who competed in the annual Phoenix senior baseball tournament in 2010 but failed to make it to the championship rounds, almost won it all in 2011 as they won their first five games to reach  the playoffs and then went on to finish second at the World Series, losing in the championship finale to a team from El Paso. The four players, Ozzie Espinoza, Joe Jimenez, Marc Sewell and Arnold Mares -- all TMSBL Hall of Famers, are currently members of the Reds, a team which has a game and a half lead over the Blackbirds in the standings as we head into the sixth week of action in the wood-bat league at Reid Park.

Yankees fly by Blackbirds

The 38-and-over Yankees of  the Tucson Mens Senior Baseball League have some "big boys" in their starting lineup. If they aren't the best team in the TMSBL, they are certainly close, but one thing is for sure they parade a starting unit to the plate which will get your attention. The Yankees muscled their way to their fourth win of the young season Thursday night at Reid Park as they overpowered the Blackbirds, 12-6.

The Blackbirds dropped to 1-4 in the Mountain Division of the TMSBL, while the Yankees moved to 4-1. The Yankees had trouble with the Blackbirds early on and led just 4-3 after four innings, but in the fifth the Yankees flexed their muscles with a two-out three-run rally and never looked back. The Blackbirds, thanks in part to a two-RBI single up the middle by catcher Robin Badart, put together a three-run rally in the eighth and final inning, but that would be all they could muster off of the Yankees' ace Butch Washington.

The Yankee right hander threw an assortment of pitches,  mainly a hard-breaking curve ball and a nasty slider, while changing speeds on his fastball to keep the Blackbirds at bay. When the dust had settled, the Blackbirds were able to record just eight hits, while the Yankees finished with 18 hits. Every player in the Yankees lineup hit safely, except for Washington, who went hitless in four trips to the plate.

The Blackbirds face the Mountain Reds next week.

Price Watch:  As for me, a pretty uneventful night. Walked once and struck out once, while my son, Michael, went 1 for 3 and scored a run.

Crowley, Rhoades sizzle in April

The "old boys of summer" pounded out a lot of hits at Udall Park last month.

Dave Rhoades, 67, led the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) baseball club in hitting for the month of April. Rhoades collected 15 hits in just 23 at bats for a .652 batting average, while Dennis Crowley, 62, finished second with 20 hits in 32 at bats for a .625 average. Lloyd Barzell, 61, finished third with 20  hits in 36 plate appearances, while Bob Daliege ended up fourth with 14 hits in 23 trips to the plate.  Barzell batted  .556 and played in 10 games, while Daliege, 62,  played in just seven games and finished the month with a healthy .609 average.

That left yours truly in fifth place as I picked up 18 hits in 36 trips to the plate to finish at an even .500. I did top the leader board in RBI with 12, while three players -- Peter Peters , 63, Ted Davis, 61, and Daliege -- knocked in eight runs apiece. (stat leaders based on a minimum of seven games played).

My fantasy team takes a hit

Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria is my main man on my Weekend Baseball League (WBL) fantasy team. Longoria has been the most productive player on my fantasy squad with four home runs, 19 RBI and a healthy .329 batting average during the month of April. He'll be on the DL for all of May and maybe into June as he nurses a hamstring tear and I'll be hard pressed to find a player to fill his shoes.

I do have Atlanta's Chipper Jones on my roster and will have to count on the Braves' third sacker to carry the load at that position for the next few weeks. Oh well, the life of a fantasy baseball owner. I'm already struggling to stay out of the cellar in my fantasy league as I continue to get very little production out of my other position players. And my pitching, well I've taken in on the chin there as well. The leader of my pitching staff, the Phillies' Roy Halladay, has lost two in a row. That's enough complaining, let's see what happens next week.