2024 75+ American

Arizona Storm 9, Rhode Island Salty Dogs 2

‘Buzz Mann Wins Team Tournament MVP Award’

The Arizona Storm played outstanding team ball all week. With only three World Series-tested pitchers (John Hopkins, Jim Teeter, and Ron Windell) and two catchers, Zach Jones and Bob Barr, the Storm couldn’t count on any one aspect of their game.

Shortstop Buzz Mann couldn’t stop playing in the dirt, and outfielder Hugh Gaskins wowed the crowd with full-speed shoe-string catches to end a threat. The rest of the outfield (Gordon Bennett, Dohrman Sinclair, and Bob Wengert) had an error-free week.

The eight-team 75+ American division was very competitive. Of the four teams qualifying for the playoffs, two teams had one loss and two had two losses, some against their National division rivals.

In the earlier pool play encounter with their championship opponent, the Salty Dogs beat the Storm 14-5 in a game that was closer than the final score would suggest.

John “Hoppy” Hopkins took down the Vets and Aqua Sox, and a team of pitchers, including Father Joe Kelleher and Jim Simmons, worked the rest.

In the semi-final game at Tempe Diablo #2, the Storm beat the OKC Dodgers 5-1. Ron “Walk-off” Windell worked a nasty curve all day to throttle the Dodgers bats, and Jim Teeter closed the game. Their roles were reversed in the championship game on November 2, also at Tempe Diablo #2. Great defense was the name of the game on both sides.

In the title game, starting pitcher Teeter led off the Storm’s half of the inning with a lead-off triple, but was stranded at third after a ground-out, walk, and an inning-ending double play. Similarly, the Salty Dogs occupied bases every inning but just couldn’t push one across.

Finally, the Storm broke away with eight of their nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Timely hits by Pete Aadland, Eddie Newman, and Pete Funt kept the decisive inning alive as they beat the Dogs 9-2 for the championship. You’d never expect Arizona would have four of fifteen players aged 75 over earn their first-ever World Series rings: Bob Barr, Pete Funt, Jim Simmons, and Dohrman Sinclair.