"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" ---- 03-25-06

Former St. John's basketball coach Lou Carnesecca recently told the New York Post that his favorite singer is Frank Sinatra; he also claimed that his ideal meal would include pasta, red wine, and Italian bread. Sounds to me like "Looie" would feel right at home attending a dinner party thrown for cast members of "The Sopranos.".......... TRIVIA QUESTION: Before his tragic death in 1999 at the age of 42, how many major championships did golfer Payne Stewart win? Answer to follow..........Can you imagine if female wrestler Hsiao-Wei Hung of Taiwan had once married former Chicago Cubs draft pick Cameron Jury? Trial/courtroom drama lovers would have surely enjoyed her married name of Hsiao-Wei Hung Jury..........I'm selecting August 15th as the over/under date for the first blowup/shouting match between WR Terrell Owens and Cowboys coach Bill Parcells......This week in sports history, March 27, 1978: Jack "Goose" Givens scores a game-high 41 points--leading Kentucky past Duke 94-88 in the NCAA championship game played in St. Louis. Givens, a left-handed shooting forward, made 18 of his 27 total field goal attempts; he connected on 9-of-12 first-half shots which enabled the Wildcats to enjoy a 45-38 lead at intermission..........As much as I've liked/respected the work of newly retired basketball coach John Chaney, he stayed about five years too long at Temple; hopefully, the school's next coach will return that program to national prominence--thus shedding Temple's current label as strictly "an NIT team."....... Regarding the recent World Baseball Classic and Team USA's poor performance: From this day forward, whenever I encounter the term/initials WBC, I'll immediately think of "Woefully Bad Chemistry."..........The "Unwatchable NBA" Update: It keeps getting uglier, folks. The Blazers scored FIVE points in the entire fourth quarter during a recent loss to New Jersey; the night before, Portland scored 29 in the ENTIRE second half while getting blown out 95-66 by Chicago. Here's more: The Jazz shot 6-for-13 from the foul line and 1-for-9 from three-point range during a 38-point loss to Miami. Hell, one more: The Celtics led the Heat 59-34 at one point during a game last week, but ended up LOSING the game by three points. Question: Wouldn't it be appropriate if all NBA arenas started playing the song "Ugly" by the Sugababes before every game begins?..........Answer to trivia question: THREE; Stewart won the 1989 PGA Championship and two U.S. Opens--in 1991 and 1999..........Jeff King has just won his fourth Iditarod dogsled race--finishing the 1,100 mile trek in 9 days, 11 hours, and 11 minutes. If I'm Jeff, I remain very modest about my accomplishments at this event and react to fan adoration by saying, "It's 'mush' ado about nothing." (Sorry, folks.)..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league infielder Kevin Seitzer--who blows out 44 candles on March 26th. An Illinois native, Seitzer played 12 seasons between 1986 and 1997 for the Royals, Brewers, A's, and Indians--hitting a respectable .295 lifetime. A two-time All-Star who played various positions, Seitzer's best year came in 1987 with K.C.--a year in which he led the AL in hits (207) and singles (151) while hitting an impressive .323. All told, Seitzer batted .300 or better in six of his big league seasons. Best wishes, Kevin..........Finally, condolences go out to the families of hockey Hall of Famer Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion and former DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer--both of whom died recently. Geoffrion, who died of stomach cancer at the age of 75, popularized the slap shot while helping the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cups during the ‘50s and ‘60s; he tallied 393 lifetime goals and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972. Meyer, who was 92, was a fixture at DePaul for over 40 years; he won 724 games, led his team to the 1945 NIT title, and coached the Blue Demons to the Final Four twice. Players such as George Mikan, Mark Aguirre, and Terry Cummings were just a few who benefited from the teachings of Mr. Ray Meyer. May these two gentlemen rest in peace.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.