ARIZONIQUES

A Guide to Places, Events, and People EXTRA INNINGS

Many men of 30-something feel cheated. They grew up playing baseball. The summers of their youth were spent mastering skills that suddenly became obsolete at 20. Some were able to play college baseball, and a few made professional teams. But the vast majority had to be satisfied with softball. It was like making do with ice milk instead of homemade ice cream. Gone was the feel of a wooden bat making contact with a hard slider, or the thrill of stealing second off a strong-armed catcher. The remedy? Baby-boomers sharing similar sentiments have banded together to form a nationwide hardball league of their own. Just two years old, the Men's Senior Baseball League-as it's called-has 150 teams, eight in Arizona alone. Phoenix-area members include the Moon Valley Astros, Cactus Athletics, Bed RockRed Sox, Scottsdale Mets, Tri-City Cubs, Phoenix Valley Giants, Tempe Rangers, and Red Mountain Indians. Teams wear full uniforms, follow traditional baseball rules, and play one nine-inning game each week, in season, usually on Sunday.

League champions from 20 U.S. cities gathered in Phoenix last November for the league's first world series. Games were played at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Compadre Stadium in Chandler, Scottsdale Stadium, and Diablo Stadium in Tempe.

Interested in playing next summer? Terry Van Gundy is the Phoenix MSBL president. Call him at 464-9102.

SAVE THE FOX

In Tucson, a citizens' group is trying to rescue the historic Fox Theater from the bulldozer's blade. The 1,300-seat theater, built in 1930 and said by some to be the state's last important Art Deco public building, stands in the way of a planned high-rise development. Michael Midkiff, chairman of Citizens to Save the Fox, says volunteers must raise $2.5 million to $3 million to buy the block on which the building stands before its owners move forward with construction. Supporters point out that the theater's capacity puts it neatly between the small Temple of Music and Art and the city's large Music Hall, filling a gap for legitimate theater, jazz concerts, and small orchestra and solo performances. Interest in the old theater runs high. A recent Arizona Historical Society conference about the Fox attracted several hundred members of the public.

The citizens' group is negotiating with the building's owners for permission to repair two holes in the roof. In the long term, volunteers hope to buy or lease the property, and with donated skill, labor, and funds, to restore the theater to its former grandeur.

For information, call Citizens to Save the Fox, (602) 888-4501.

PICK-HANDLE WHISKEY

Travelers in 1866 along Arizona's dusty overland route from Fort Yuma to Fort Bowie would periodically reach adobe or brush "rest stops" near watering holes. The traveler was first expected to care for his livestock, after which he could refresh himself with one of Arizona's special beverages, "Pick-handle Whiskey."

Each rest stop proprietor blended the concoction from whatever amounts of alcohol, water, cayenne pepper, and tobacco he had available at the moment. The beverage was then stirred with a pick handle. Those who tried the drink said it was stimulating: it had the surprising ability to relax the muscles and sharpen the mind at the same time. Travelers seemed to survive the beverage, but what it did to the pick handles is still unknown.

CLIFTON CRYSTAL

Perched atop Scotty Calhoun Pinnacle in eastern Arizona, a new 29foot-tall sculpture celebrates Clifton's history as a mining town. The airy, abstract monument, which resembles a child's building toy in gigantic scale, duplicates the structure of a copper crystal. It contains 3,000 pounds of copper, produced by Phelps Dodge by means of a recently developed chemical process which recovers the mineral from low-grade ore. Sculptor Stephen Wilmoth designed and built the crystal, Supported by Arts in Public Places and Artist in Residency grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

"It's the first time those two grants have been combined," says Mayor Teresa Benavidez. "The sculpture symbolizes our area's economy, which has always been based on copper." The pinnacle, located on U.S. Route 666 near Chase Creek, was named in honor of Arizona Copper Company's manager and stands at the entrance to the town's historic district.

"Almost everybody in the community got involved," Benavidez reports. Volunteer leader Frances Powers coordinated efforts that included Brown & Root Construction, the Phelps Dodge Corporation, the Town of Clifton, and the Greenlee County Historical Society. The mayor observes that the sculpture is an important source of civic pride for the little mining town. "It was both a community and a company project," she says.

FRIENDS' TRAVEL

Telephone the Friends of Arizona Highways Travel Desk, 258-6641, for more information about the following: Tucson Photo Adventure, March 4. Highways contributor Robert Campbell leads a day-long seminar at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Participants can photograph wildlife in naturalistic settings.

White-Water Raft Trip, April 8. Paddle your own kayak or join with others on a six-man raft trip through the Salt River Canyon Wilderness. Experienced boatmen give instruction and tell about the area's history.

Naturalists' Scenic Tour, April 26-29. Experts guide trips through Ramsey Canyon and Cave Creek Canyon to view an amazing variety of wildlife and unusual flora.

CALENDAR

December 28 through January 15, Phoenix. The Arizona Theater Company presents Under Milkwood, by Dylan Thomas. This "play for voices" gives us a day in the life of an imaginary Welsh village. Telephone 279-0534.

January 5 and 7, Tucson; January 12 and 14, Phoenix. The Arizona Opera presents Lakme, the 1883 French romantic classic by Leo Delibes. Tailored for coloratura singing, the plot is set in 19thcentury British colonial India. Telephone 293-4336 in Tucson; 254-1664 in Phoenix.

January 16 through 22, Scottsdale. The Phoenix Open takes place at the Tournament Players Club Course. Telephone 263-0757.

January 28, Scottsdale. The annual Parada del Sol parade goes down Scottsdale Road between Indian School and McDowell. The festivities precede the Parada del Sol Rodeo in Rawhide, February 2 through 5. Telephone 990-3179.For a more complete calendar of events, free of charge, write to the Arizona Office of Tourism, 1100 W. Washington St., Phoenix 85007. Unless otherwise noted, all telephone numbers are within area code 602.