Monday, October 30, 2006

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" ---- 11-04-06

Lazzari's "Question of the Week": Which individual is busier--your local postal worker around the holidays or the attorney for Tennessee Titans CB Adam "Pacman" Jones?..........TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the last member of the Detroit Pistons to lead the NBA in scoring? Answer to follow..........Thumbs down to Fox Sports for CONSTANTLY showing close-ups of Mets fans praying/looking to the sky during exciting moments of their Game 7 telecast of the NLCS between NY and St. Louis. I mean, this was drama OVERKILL, folks; maybe ONE close-up would have been enough to demonstrate one fan's over-exuberance. But Fox made it appear like we were at a house of worship--not a ball game--and involved in life-or-death situations. Sheesh; and some of these fans need to get a clue, also. One would only hope they'd be THAT concerned about our troops overseas and/or sick members of their immediate families..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college football game last week down south, Bethune-Cookman defeated North Carolina A&T 70-7. Folks, when a team gets beat THAT badly, the "A&T" takes on an entirely new meaning: ANNIHILATED and TORTURED..........Leaving the Yale Bowl last weekend after the Bulldogs' 21-3 victory over Columbia, I encountered Yale DT Jared Hamilton outside the locker room--where I complimented him on his play that afternoon. He made full eye contact with me and simply said, "Thank you, sir." I guess THAT is why many of us continue to enjoy Ivy League football..........I figure the Red Sox signing of reliever Mike Timlin to a new $2.8 million contract is approximately $2 million too much..........This week in sports history, November 5, 1982: The N.J. Nets defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-91--extending the Cavs' losing streak to a record 24 games. Cleveland had finished the '81-'82 season by losing their final 19 games and started the new campaign by losing their first five. The former record for futility was held by Detroit--who had lost 21 in a row spanning the '79-'80/'80-'81 NBA seasons..........If the NFL had 15-20 more players who conducted themselves like Marvin Harrison does after he makes a catch/scores a TD, then football automatically would become my favorite sport..........Kudos to YES Network basketball analyst/former Knicks guard Mark Jackson--who recently told the New York Post that the difference between today's NBA game and the one of, say, twenty years ago is that the current crop of players are "not as smart." Absolutely, Mark--and it's all about "showtime" and marketing now. Jackson's comments are further legitimized by the fact that seeing a college grad in the NBA right now is as rare as witnessing a solar eclipse..........Answer to trivia question: DAVE BING--who averaged 27.1 points per game for Detroit during the 1967-'68 NBA season..........When I think about power outages, I no longer think of New England's high winds or downed power lines; I think of my alma mater Fordham's anemic offense during this current football season. The Rams did not score in double figures until their FOURTH game this season (a loss to Holy Cross) and have failed to reach the ten-point plateau in FIVE games so far. In addition, they've scored a COMBINED total of just 22 points during their two victories. Ughhhh..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA guard Charlie Criss--who blows out 58 candles on November 6th. A fan favorite because he stood just 5' 8" tall, Criss played eight seasons between 1977 and 1985 for the Hawks, Clippers, and Bucks--averaging 8.5 points per game. A great free-throw shooter (83% for his career), he ranked second in the league from the charity stripe in '81-'82 with a mark of .887. A former head coach of the Atlanta franchise in the USBL ('92-'93), Criss now works in community development for the Atlanta Hawks. Best wishes, Charlie..........
Finally, condolences go out to the family of former Boston Red Sox "good luck charm" Nelson de la Rosa--who died recently at the age of 38 at a Providence hospital. The 2-foot-4 actor, one of the world's smallest men, was introduced to fellow Dominican Pedro Martinez in 2004 and became a regular in the Red Sox clubhouse as the team went on to win its first World Series in 86 years. He is survived by a wife, Jennifer, and a 9-year-old son. Rest in peace, Nelson.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.

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