"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" ---- 11-26-05

It's been reported that several current and former Miami Hurricane football players have recorded a lewd rap song--one that is VERY explicit and denigrates women. Geez, shame on me; I assumed that members of this "fine" program--known for its "scholar-athletes" (don't laugh too hard!)--would have been reading to children, reciting Shakespeare, or actually studying for exams during their spare time..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: Each year--from 1992 to 1996--the National League Rookie of the Year Award went to a member of the L.A. Dodgers. How many of these players can you name? Answer to follow..........How 'bout Mexican super-bantamweight fighter Paulino Villalobos who--after losing to Hartford's Mike Oliver last week--now sports a ring record of 23 wins, 33 losses, and 2 draws? I figure if this guy fights Tonya Harding MONTHLY for the next couple of years or so, he MAY get his record near the .500 mark..........Best names of Ivy League football players this past season? I vote for Harvard DT Wainwright Wint--followed by Yale's own D.J. Shooter and Dartmouth offensive lineman Daniel Tootoo..........Just wondering: Do you think egomaniac WR Terrell Owens wrote "Me, Me, Me" on his papers in high school instead of his given name?..........This week in sports history, November 27, 1966: Despite being outgained 389-341 in total yardage, the Washington Redskins annihilate the N.Y. Giants 72-41 in front of a home crowd in the nation's capital. The Redskins' A.D. Whitfield scored three TD's while Brig Owens and Charley Taylor added two apiece for the victors; the game would set records for both combined points by two squads (113) and points by one team (72) in a regular-season game..........Answer to trivia question #1: ERIC KARROS ('92), MIKE PIAZZA ('93), RAUL MONDESI ('94), HIDEO NOMO ('95), and TODD HOLLANDSWORTH ('96)..........Who gets LESS publicity: Seattle Seahawks terrific RB Shaun Alexander--or the animal control officer in Moorcroft, Wyoming?..........Congrats go out to Brown University RB Nick Hartigan--whose three rushing TD's last weekend broke Ed Marinaro's longstanding Ivy League record of 50; Hartigan finished his career with 51. However, Nick's record may be short-lived; Harvard's Clifton Dawson now has 40--and he will be a senior in 2006. Marinaro's career rushing record (4,715 yards) may also be in jeopardy as Dawson is currently 1,087 yards shy of that mark..........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: John Stockton of the Utah Jazz led the NBA in assists per game every year between 1988 and 1996. What player broke this consecutive streak of assist titles in the '96-'97 season? Answer to follow..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Scores of the Week": I don't know what's worse: New London defeating Griswold 90-0 in Connecticut high school football or Eastern Connecticut beating City College of New York 117-26 in women's basketball. Question: Do you think it would make the Griswold coach feel any better if he was told that CCNY lost by ONE MORE POINT (a deficit of 91 instead of 90) than his own team did?..........The "Unwatchable NBA" Update: In a recent "thriller," the Knicks defeated the Jazz 73-62; Utah shot 29% (22-for-75) from the field and 22% (4-for-18) from three-point range. How BAD was the Jazz offense that night? When these same two teams met in 1977, Jazz guard "Pistol" Pete Maravich exceeded this putrid 62-point effort by HIMSELF--scoring 68..........Answer to trivia question #2: MARK JACKSON--who led the league in assists that season with an average of 11.4 per game while playing with both Indiana and Denver..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league outfielder Sixto Lezcano--who blows out 52 candles on November 28th. A native of Puerto Rico, Sixto played 12 seasons between 1974 and 1985 with the Brewers, Cardinals, Padres, and Phillies--hitting .271 lifetime. Undoubtedly, Lezcano's best season came in 1979 while with Milwaukee--slugging 28 homers, driving in 101 runs, and hitting a blistering .321 for George Bamberger's second-place Brewers squad. A good defensive outfielder, Lezcano also won a Gold Glove Award that same '79 season. Best wishes, Sixto..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former thoroughbred trainer Johnny Campo--who died recently in New York at the age of 67. Campo trained horses for more than 30 years before retiring in 1996; his horses won 1,431 races and amassed more than $25 million in earnings. Campo's most famous "pupil" was Pleasant Colony--who won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 1981--but came up a few lengths short at the Belmont Stakes. Sadly, a fire gutted Campo's barn at Belmont Park in 1986--killing most of the 38 horses he stabled there. Rest in peace, Johnny; you're in our thoughts.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.