"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" -- 07-16-05

Yankees GM Brian Cashman recently told the New York Post that his favorite singer is 50 Cent. Put it this way: If the Yanks don't win it all this season, Cashman may soon be shown "The Doors" of Yankee Stadium exits, treated like the many "Stray Cats" that roam the Bronx, find himself working in "Chicago" next year, and basically be in VERY "Dire Straits."..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: What player holds the N.Y. Mets team record for most doubles in a season? Answer to follow..........Who has done more "scalping" lately: Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice--or the barber who gives crew cuts at the U.S. Naval Academy?..........I was thinking about former big-league catcher Duke Sims the other day--or was it Sports Illustrated swimsuit supermodel Molly Sims? Oh well, in any case, Duke could hit a fastball better than Molly ever could--but the latter has always looked a HELLUVA lot better moving on a slow-motion replay..........Did you know that, in 1952, pitcher Allie Reynolds of the Yankees led the AL in strikeouts with only 160? In contrast, twenty years later, Mickey Lolich of the '72 Tigers struck out an impressive 250 batters, but STILL finished well behind league leader Nolan Ryan of the Angels--who finished with 329..........Can you imagine if LPGA golfer Leslie Spalding married former pitcher Scott McGregor, divorced, married former Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson--divorced again--then married former Expos outfielder Ron Calloway? Sporting goods manufacturers would delight greatly in her name of Leslie Spalding McGregor Wilson Calloway..........NBA forward Eddie Griffin has been jailed for violating probation; Texas court officials say that he was "consorting with disreputable people" at a Houston nightclub recently. If THAT reason is what brought Griffin down (and taking into consideration the "gangsta mentality" so prevalent in the NBA today), couldn't law officers bust Griffin EVERY TIME he steps onto an NBA floor?..........Answer to trivia question #1: BERNARD GILKEY--who smacked 44 two-baggers in 1996 for the fourth-place Mets..........If Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez is worth $15 million per season, then singer Jimmy Buffet is the most stressed-out person in the music industry..........This week in sports history, July 17, 1966: 19-year-old Kansas University freshman Jim Ryun runs a 3:51.3 mile at a track meet in Berkeley, CA--shaving more than two seconds off the world record formerly held by Frenchman Michel Jazy. Due to his stellar performance, Ryun becomes the first American to hold the esteemed record since Glen Cunningham in 1934..........12-year-old Katie Brownell of Batavia, NY, has donated her #3 jersey to the Baseball Hall of Fame--weeks after throwing a Little League perfect game; she struck out all 18 batters she faced. Rumor has it that she will soon hire Scott Boras as her agent and demand the following: permission to stay up past 10:00 PM, the complete Lindsay Lohan DVD collection, $200 for every class grade B+ or above through high school, and chauffeured limo rides for family members to every future road game in which she participates..........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: Who was the first American-born golfer to win the British Open? Answer to follow..........If more players approached their work/handled themselves like Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui, wouldn't major league baseball be a HELLUVA lot more fun to follow on a daily basis?..........Channel surfing last week, I came across the World Series of Darts on Fox Sports (I kid you not, folks). Putting aside the fact that this event could put caffeine to sleep, it DID have the following pluses: no trash talking, no pitch counts, no penalties, and NO Suzy Kolber doing sideline reports..........Gotta agree with my colleague/talk show host Rich Marazzi--who told me last week that SOMETHING must be done about these players who skip All-Star games (listening, Pedro?) due to "phantom" injuries or just wanting vacations; an effective penalty might be ineligibility the following year. These idiotic players are simply thumbing their noses at the fans/managers who selected them; it's time we give THESE guys the "thumb," also..........Answer to trivia question #2: WALTER HAGAN--who won the first of his four British Open titles at Royal St. George's in 1922..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell--who blows out 42 candles on July 18th. A Kentucky native, Greenwell played twelve seasons in Boston from 1985-1996--collecting 1,400 hits and batting .303 lifetime. A two-time All-Star, "Gator's" best season came in 1988--when he hit 22 homers and knocked in an impressive 119 runs while hitting .325. Best wishes, Mike..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former NFL coach Hank Stram--who died recently due to diabetes complications at the age of 82. One of the most innovative coaches in history, Stram won AFL titles in 1962, '63, and '69 with the Chiefs and led Kansas City to two Super Bowls--winning one (vs. Minnesota in Super Bowl IV). He later enjoyed a successful career as a broadcaster and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Mr. Stram, your contributions to the game of football will never be forgotten; rest in peace.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.