Sunday, November 21, 2004

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" -- 11-27-04

Mihai Macovei, chairman of a Moldovan soccer team, recently drove his car onto the field and tried to run over a referee after a penalty kick was awarded to his team's opponent. Geez, I've heard of RUNNING UP the score during games, but never RUNNING DOWN the officials..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: Did Henry Aaron hit more home runs in his career as a member of the Milwaukee Braves or the Atlanta Braves? Answer to follow..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college basketball game in the Midwest a few weeks ago, SW Baptist defeated Ozark Christian 138-44. I'm not sure how many three-point shots Ozark made, but try to fathom this: If they had made an ADDITIONAL 31 shots from "downtown," they STILL would have lost the game..........Is it me--or is N.Y. Jets running back Curtis Martin perhaps the most quiet, unassuming superstar to ever play in the NFL?..........Did you know that, in 1961, the Chicago Cubs had FOUR different managers--and not ONE of them compiled a .500 record? Vedie Himsl, Harry Craft, El Tappe, and Lou Klein managed the squad that went 64-90 that season--with Klein accumulating the best winning percentage (.455)..........Answer to trivia question #1: The MILWAUKEE BRAVES--for whom "Hammerin' Hank" hit 398; he slugged 335 home runs while wearing an Atlanta uniform..........From the "Just Thought I'd Ask" Dept.: Question for ABC advertising executives: How come you never had a towel-clad Roseanne Barr disrobing in a locker room on “Monday Night Football” when HER show was gracing your airwaves? Just thought I'd ask..........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: From 1992 through 1998, only two NFL quarterbacks led the league in touchdown passes. Who were they? Answer to follow..........This week in sports history, November 29, 1969: Eddie Miles and Jimmy Walker of the Detroit Pistons combine for 51 points--leading their team to a 110-98 victory over the New York Knickerbockers at Madison Square Garden. The loss ended the Knicks' NBA record 18-game winning streak--and would come at the hands of a team with a 7-13 record..........I don't know what I've seen more of in the NFL this season: helmet-to-helmet penalties, TD passes by Peyton Manning, or bad hats worn by CBS sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein..........If Pedro Martinez is still worth $12 million per season, then Madonna is an introvert, Anna Nicole Smith went to Radcliffe, Ben Affleck is a better actor than Robert DeNiro, and Pat Riley gets his hair styled at Wal-Mart..........Former #1 tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov is quitting tennis to become a professional poker player. Question: Can you imagine if the fiery Ilie "Nasty" Nastase had once done the same thing? I'd hate to be the dealer who tells Ilie that his three aces don't beat his opponent's royal flush..........I'm thoroughly convinced that there were more punches thrown during last week's Indiana/Detroit NBA brawl than there were in Evander Holyfield's last fight..........Answer to trivia question #2: STEVE YOUNG and BRETT FAVRE; Young led the league in '92, '93, '94, and '98 while Favre was the league leader in '95, '96, and '97..........Now that I think more about it, I have to give ABC credit for ONE thing: they showed Nicolette Sheridan disrobing/removing a towel during that Monday night game and NOT John Madden..........From the "Total Insanity" Dept.: Can someone tell me HOW Red Sox GM Theo Epstein DID NOT receive a single vote for the Sporting News Executive of the Year Award? 60 big league executives voted; this was nothing short of an outright CONSPIRACY. I haven't seen this type of injustice/cruelty since Mike Ditka was allowed to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field..........ATTENTION, NBA commissioner David Stern: Are you now proud of your "new NBA"--the monster you helped create by marketing the "gangsta mentality," by not properly policing your bevy of thugs, and having no code of conduct whatsoever? And you now actually express shock and have the audacity to call the brawl in Detroit last week "shocking and repulsive?" Do us all a favor and look in the mirror, Mr. Stern--please look in the mirror..........Gotta agree with Fox Sports' Darryl Johnston--and his disdain for the ever-popular fade pattern used so much in the red-zone during NFL games this season. This option-less play RARELY works--and its pre-planned nature takes the remainder of a team's offense out of the play BEFORE it begins; defenses have also adjusted accordingly and are no longer fooled by it..........Finally, happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA forward Johnny Newman--who blows out 41 candles on November 28th. Newman played four years at the University of Richmond before being selected in the second round of the 1986 draft by Cleveland. In addition to playing for the Cavaliers, he also had stops in New York, Charlotte, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Denver, and Dallas during his NBA career--averaging a respectable 11 points per game over 16 seasons. Here's wishing you many more celebrations, Johnny.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.



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