"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" -- 05-28-05

It's been hinted recently that Red Sox reliever Keith Foulke's pitching woes so far this season may be attributed to his pending divorce. Both Foulke and the Sox better hope that his wife's lawyers are NOT Yankee fans--or these proceedings may turn incredibly nasty and last a VERY long time..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: How many NBA championship teams did Bob Cousy play on as a member of the Boston Celtics? Answer to follow..........Did you know that, from 1953-1956, slugger Ted Kluszewski of the Cincinnati Reds hit 171 home runs--but only struck out 140 times? "Big Klu" hit 61% of his career home runs during that four-year stretch, and was named to the National League All-Star team each year during that impressive time frame..........Gotta love Joe Benigno of WFAN Radio--commenting last weekend on a routine ball hit to the Mets' second baseman Kaz Matsui the day before, which he botched: "Edward Scissorhands could have made that play."..........Bruce Ivory, associate athletic director at Cincinnati, has resigned after being busted for driving while intoxicated; three officials at that university have now been cited on drunken driving charges in the past year. Rumor has it that the sports teams at Cincinnati will soon become known as the "Beer-Cats."..........This week in sports history, May 29th, 1977: Janet Guthrie, driving a Lightning-Offenhauser, becomes the first woman driver in Indianapolis 500 history. Due to engine difficulties, Guthrie would finish only 27 laps of the historic race--finishing 29th overall in a race ultimately won by A.J. Foyt..........Answer to trivia question #1: SIX; Cousy was a member of Celtics teams that won championships in 1956, '59, 1960, '61, '62, and '63..........Ohio State has been accused of various NCAA violations (shocking, huh?); one involves a dentist providing free/discounted services to members of the women's basketball team. Hey, at least these gals' teeth are clean, because the PROGRAM surely isn't..........The more I hear Tom Seaver doing Mets broadcasts, the more I realize how much I miss guys like Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson..........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: What batter holds the Florida Marlins team record for striking out the most times in a season? Answer to follow..........We know that none of trainer Nick Zito's five horses finished higher than seventh at the Kentucky Derby; in addition, his three horses running in the Preakness last weekend finished fourth, sixth, and tenth. Nothing against Nick but, using horse racing lingo, has the time come for Zito to be retired to stud?..........N.Y. Jets kicker/recent draft pick Mike Nugent recently told the New York Post that his favorite actress, musical group, and food are Jennifer Aniston, the Dave Matthews Band, and chicken, respectively. If I'm in the Jets front office, I arrange for Nugent to take Jennifer to a Matthews concert on a Saturday night this coming season--followed by dinner at Kentucky Fried. If this guy doesn't hit a 60-yard field goal the following day, he NEVER will..........If Oakland A's catcher Jason Kendall is worth $10 million per season, then Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee will soon enter the priesthood..........How 'bout Notre Dame High art teacher Mark Picard--who beat up Sacred Heart softball coach John Crovo with an aluminum bat last week here in Connecticut after a dispute over his daughter's suspension from the team? One thing's for sure: If Picard ever DOES return to teaching, VERY FEW of his students will be handing in late assignments..........Vikings RB Onterrio Smith was recently detained at an airport in Minnesota; vials of white powder he was carrying turned out to be dried urine--part of a kit designed to beat drug tests. Thanks, Onterrio: From now on, those delicious, powdery donuts I eat occasionally aren't gonna taste as good anymore..........Need a reason to look forward to the 2005 NFL season? Look no further than the Patriots' two kickoff returners--Tim Dwight and Bethel Johnson. I can't remember two faster, more explosive guys on the same return team, and there's additional good news for Pats fans: Teams can't kick away from BOTH of them. Yeah, this is gonna be fun to watch, folks..........Answer to trivia question #2: PRESTON WILSON--who struck out 187 times during the 2000 season...................Finally, happy birthday wishes go out to former big league pitcher John "Blue Moon" Odom--who blows out 60 candles on May 29th. Odom pitched 13 seasons from 1964-1976 for the Athletics, Indians, Braves, and White Sox--winning 84 games (including 15 shutouts). A two-time All-Star, "Blue Moon's" best season came in 1968 when he went 16-10 for Oakland with a sparkling ERA of 2.45. While in Chicago, Odom--along with Francisco Barrios--combined to pitch a no-hitter in 1976 vs. his former Oakland team. Best wishes, "Blue Moon."

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.