"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" ---- 09-10-05

To my readers: I had planned on including more UCONN coverage in this column--including some "feel good"/human interest-type pieces about that school's athletes (God knows they could USE some positive publicity at this point)--but I was denied media credentials recently. Mike Enright, the narcissistic media guy there, deemed me not worthy due to the fact I don't SOLELY cover UCONN games--nor do it on a "full-time" basis. Here I am trying to actually HELP this clueless guy--willing to promote the school's programs in spite of UCONN's CONTINUED transgressions--and he arrogantly refuses to grant credentials to an established columnist. Translation? I didn't bow down to "Sir Michael," kiss his feet, bleed blue and white, and change my column format simply to suit his OWN political agenda; in other words, my #1 priority wasn't to EXCLUSIVELY feed the continuous UCONN propaganda machine. Sorry, Enright, some of us DON'T compromise ourselves and are still willing to think "outside of the box."..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: Name the only tennis player to defeat both Steffi Graf and Monica Seles at Wimbledon in the same year; answer to follow..........I've seen some examples of bad taste in my time but very few like Serena Williams donning $40,000 earrings at the U.S. Open. O.K., Serena, we know you're rich, spoiled, and care little about what others think of you. But to FLAUNT your wealth while people were DYING in New Orleans (and money was so BADLY needed for relief efforts) is beyond reprehensible. Just another pathetic example of the "ME, ME, ME" mentality so prevalent in professional sports today..........My dear mother was showing me some baby pictures of yours truly the other day--when I was about two years old. I STILL looked older at that juncture than K.C. Royals pitcher Zack Greinke appears RIGHT NOW..........If Washington Nationals SS Cristian Guzman is worth more than $4 million per season, then Colonel Sanders, Ray Kroc, and Roy Rogers were all strict vegetarians during their time..........Regardless of how much success (or lack thereof) he has with his golf game, Tag Ridings still has the coolest name on the current PGA Tour..........The New York Yankees, a team of great means, made it a point last week to publicize the fact that they had donated $1 million to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Considering the fact that this monetary figure is approximately the WEEKLY SALARY of Alex Rodriguez during the baseball season, aren't their under-whelming actions more of an EMBARRASSMENT than an act of goodwill?..........Did you know that, in 1932, the Washington Senators had two 20-game winners on their pitching staff, but STILL finished in third place--FOURTEEN games behind the Yankees? Al "General" Crowder (26 wins) and Monty Weaver (22 wins) led Washington's staff that season, but perhaps the team's lack of power hurt them; the Senators hit only 61 home runs that year compared to the Yankees' total of 160..........Answer to trivia question #1: ZINA GARRISON who, in 1990, beat Seles in the quarterfinals and Graf in the semifinals on the way to a loss in the women's final to Martina Navratilova..........The day the K.C. Royals meet the Colorado Rockies in the World Series is the day I'll finally have my long-awaited dinner date with actress Sharon Stone..........This week in sports history, September 12, 1981: Though dominated in the first set, 18-year-old tennis star Tracy Austin bounces back in stunning fashion--winning 1-6, 7-6, 7-6 over Martina Navratilova to claim her second U.S. Open singles title. Just two years earlier, Austin had become the youngest U.S. Open champion ever--when she defeated the ever-popular Chris Evert Lloyd..........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: What relief pitcher holds the St. Louis Cardinals’ team record for most appearances in a season? Answer to follow..........I was talking to golfer Notah Begay on the practice range at the recent Buick Championship in Cromwell--inquiring about the back problems that have plagued him over the last few years. "I don't think I've felt good SINCE I won here [the former Greater Hartford Open in 2000]," he told me. However, he says he feels "pretty good" now, and I captured a sense of cautious relief as he uttered those words. This is a guy who proceeded to sign dozens of golf balls for young fans and converse with them freely following our own conversation. One of the TRUE "good guys" on the PGA Tour, let's hope Begay's health continues to improve and that he can start playing a full schedule again in 2006..........Brace yourself, folks: The Florida State football program has landed a LEGITIMATE student-athlete (I kid you not, my friends--and April Fool's Day passed five months ago). Safety Myron Rolle--who carries a 4.0 GPA at The Hun School in Princeton, NJ, and will graduate in December--will attend the Tallahassee institution in 2006 in hopes of becoming a doctor. Soon to be part of a football program where, historically, scholar-athletes have been as scarce as a Florida blizzard, let's hope Rolle continues to excel in the classroom (AND attend classes) while experiencing continued success on the gridiron..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college football game last week in the southwest, Sam Houston State defeated Bacone 77-7. I haven't seen that kind of mismatch since country singer Lyle Lovett married "Pretty Woman" Julia Roberts..........Answer to trivia question #2: STEVE KLINE--who appeared in 89 games in 2001 for Tony LaRussa's first-place ball club..........Finally, happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Dave Roberts--who blows out 61 candles on September 11th. An Ohio native, Roberts pitched 13 seasons for a variety of teams between 1969 and 1981--winning 103 games. Roberts won 14 games in 1971 for the last-place Padres and finished second in the NL that year with a sparkling 2.10 ERA; he also won an impressive 17 games while playing with the Astros in 1973. Sadly, knee problems plagued the pitcher during the prime of his career--causing him to win only 18 games from 1977-1981. Best wishes, Mr. Roberts.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.