"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" ---- 4-21-07

Can someone tell me why the UCONN football squad needs SIX team captains going into the 2007 season? Talk about overkill; maybe they'll have TEN in 2008--adding four more captains to oversee weightlifting sessions, Gatorade dispersal, dinner get-togethers, and team study halls..........TRIVIA QUESTION: Michael Jordan is the NBA's all-time leader in playoff scoring average with a mark of 33.4 ppg. Two active players (minimum 25 games) are second and third on the all-time list. Can you name these two players? Answer to follow..........So I hear that new WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev is now calling himself the "White Tyson." Geez, taking into consideration Mike Tyson's track record both in and out of the ring the past few years, I'd say that the fighter from Uzbekistan has a MAJOR inferiority complex..........Did you know that, in 1922, Harry Heilmann of the Detroit Tigers hit 21 home runs--and that almost HALF (10) of them were hit in Shibe Park vs. the A's? Heilmann batted .356 during the '22 campaign and would follow that up with a phenomenal .403 mark the following season--the best in baseball..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a CT girls high school softball tilt last week, New Britain annihilated Bulkeley 26-0 in a game shortened to five innings; the winning squad led 17-0 after just two innings of play. A pessimist points out that this softball score would resemble both a good offensive AND defensive performance by a victorious football team. An optimist counters by saying that the Bulkeley gals benefited from the shortened game; it enabled them to spend less time in the FRIGID spring temperatures here in New England--thus lessening the risk of catching colds..........Anyone out there have connections to Heather Locklear and/or her manager/publicist/etc.? Now that her divorce to Richie Sambora is final, please pass this info along: Aging sports columnists are very loyal, personable, and make for GREAT dinner conversation..........I'm setting June 15th as the over/under date as to when recently-suspended Titans DB Adam "Pacman" Jones is involved in his next nightclub altercation..........This week in sports history, April 22, 1970: N.Y. Mets pitcher Tom Seaver strikes out a mind-boggling 19 San Diego batters--leading his team to a 2-1 victory over the Padres at Shea Stadium. "Tom Terrific"--who was presented with his '69 Cy Young Award during pre-game ceremonies--fanned a record 10 consecutive Padres at one point and gave up just two hits; the lone San Diego run came on an Al Ferrara homer in the second inning..........Answer to trivia question: ALLEN IVERSON (30.6 ppg in 62 games) and TRACY McGRADY (29.8 ppg in 25 games)..........Can you imagine if LPGA golfer Sarah Lynn Sargent ever tied the knot with former NFL wide receiver Webster Slaughter? Wrestling aficionados throughout the land would surely enjoy her walking around the golf course with the married name of Sarah Lynn Sargent Slaughter..........One positive for yours truly regarding Don Imus' recent, disgusting comments directed toward the Rutgers women's basketball team: His actions now give credence/reinforcement to why I HAVEN'T listened to any of these typical "shock radio" dolts over the past 20 years or so..........Did anyone out there watch the entire final round of the Masters live in its entirety and see Tiger Woods NOT win (like yours truly did)--and STILL have to check the newspaper the following day to see if Zach Johnson REALLY claimed the victory?..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Bryan "Moose" Haas--who blows out 51 candles on April 22nd. A Baltimore native, Hass pitched 12 big league seasons between 1976 and 1987 for the Brewers and A's--winning exactly 100 games lifetime. Haas' best season came in 1980 for the third-place Brewers--a year in which he won 16 games, pitched 252 innings, and hurled three shutouts while throwing 14 complete games. However, he had little postseason success while with the Brewers--pitching 21 innings and compiling an ERA of 7.17. Best wishes, "Moose"..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former VMI football coach John McKenna--who died recently of congestive heart failure at the age of 92. McKenna coached VMI from 1953 to 1965; he led his team to six consecutive winning seasons during that time--including one of the only two undefeated seasons that VMI enjoyed during the 20th century. He later became associate athletic director at Georgia Tech where he was very instrumental in the development of several of the school's athletic facilities. May Mr. McKenna rest in peace.