"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" -- 06-18-05

Last Sunday was "Alarm Clock Day" at Shea Stadium; I was waiting the entire game for someone to throw a clock on the playing field, and then explain to security guards that he/she only wanted to see how time flies..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: What player holds the major league record for most sacrifice flies in a career? Answer to follow..........If anyone out there knows the whereabouts/daily activities of former major leaguers Albert Belle, Mo Vaughn, and Steve Howe, then you have WAY too much time on your hands..........PGA golfer Stuart Appleby now sports his own logo on his golf equipment--a picture of a red apple with a bee circling around it. I haven't seen anything that corny since the last time I viewed an episode of "Hee Haw."..........Before last weekend's fight (if you can call it that) vs. journeyman Kevin McBride, Mike Tyson told his opponent that he would "gut him like a fish." Perhaps "Iron Mike" should have checked his OWN set of guts at the door before quitting at the end of the sixth round, huh?..........This week in sports history, June 19, 1986: Before he can play in his first NBA game, Maryland All-American Len Bias collapses and dies at his College Park residence; he was 22. Autopsy reports determine that cocaine intoxication is the cause of Bias' death; he had averaged 23.2 points per game during his senior year before being selected by the Boston Celtics as the second overall pick in the ‘86 NBA draft..........Do you get the feeling that, after having made millions and "gone Hollywood," both Serena and Venus Williams couldn’t CARE LESS about the current sad state of American women's tennis?..........Answer to trivia question #1: EDDIE MURRAY; the Hall of Famer (elected in 2003) accumulated 128 sacrifice flies during his impressive, 21-year career..........How 'bout those three UCONN defensive backs--recently given ONLY probation for their involvement in a shooting outside a Willimantic convenience store? If these guys run up and down the gridiron HALF as well as they flee crime scenes, then coach Randy Edsall will surely be confident in their collective ability to cover opposing receivers this coming fall..........Did you know that, in 1971, NL Cy Young Award winner Ferguson Jenkins led the league with 30 complete games--a number that surpassed the total of CG thrown by the ENTIRE Cincinnati Reds pitching staff? The Mets' Tom Seaver would finish second in complete games that season (21), while Bob Gibson and Bill Stoneman tied for third with 20 apiece..........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: In 1996, this NL player led the league in runs scored with a mind-boggling 142--yet never topped the 100 mark in any other year in his career. Who is he? Answer to follow..........If the White Sox' Frank Thomas is worth $8 million per season, then the Ohio Players never had an ounce of rhythm..........Some people will do anything to make a buck: Lelands auction house is selling off pieces of the airplane in which baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente died over 30 years ago. I'm now wondering if the muffler off the car in which I rode in 1983 to see Dave Righetti no-hit the Red Sox is worth anything on the open market..........In their latest print advertising campaign, Cobra Golf lauds the technology and effectiveness of its latest King Cobra drivers--claiming that "balls will be crushed." However, they fail to say that EGOS, too, will be crushed the first time an amateur swings one of these overpriced clubs and his/her ball slices 50 yards into a highly wooded area..........What are the odds that, at the same time one reads this column, the following scenarios are also occurring: O.J. Simpson is seeking the REAL murderer of his wife, Mark McGwire is speaking to youngsters about the evils of steroids, and the aforementioned Mo Vaughn is participating in an intense aerobic workout?..........Answer to trivia question #2: ELLIS BURKS--who led the league in runs scored that season as a member of the Colorado Rockies..........Sad to see the deteriorating golf game of LPGA golfer Michelle McGann over the past couple of years. One of the most likeable/personable players on the Tour and famous for her flamboyant hats, Michelle is now consistently missing cuts these days after having been extremely competitive just a few short years ago. I'm not sure if health issues have affected her game, but maybe the time has come for McGann--a diabetic--to forego the rigors of the LPGA Tour. Perhaps she can avoid further embarrassment by becoming a teaching pro full-time--thus sharing her wonderful personality and knowledge of the sport with aspiring amateurs. Good luck in whatever you do, Michelle..........Finally, happy birthday wishes go out to former major league infielder Dickie Thon--who blows out 47 candles on June 20th. Playing 15 seasons with various teams, Thon led the NL in triples (10) in 1982 while with the Astros. He collected 1,176 hits in his career and was named to the NL All-Star team in 1983 while playing in Houston. Best wishes, Dickie.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.