Monday, October 06, 2008

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - -10-11-08

Why do I watch Yale football and keep an eye on the Ivy League in general? This: Bulldogs DB Casey Gerald, who currently carries a 3.68 GPA in political science and is a Gates Scholar, has been nominated for the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award. In addition, the talented senior is applying for a Rhodes Scholarship and ALREADY has been admitted to the Harvard Business School. Yes, some young men CAN do it all, folks..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1992 Minnesota Vikings had FIVE players on the team who accumulated more than 300 yards receiving. How many of these players can you name? Answer to follow..........I'm not sure what's a lower number: the amount of current-day big-leaguers who play the game like Pete Rose did, or the number of naturally blonde women I've met in my lifetime..........Call me blunt, crass, insensitive (I've been called worse)--anything you'd like. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if O.J. Simpson should hang himself in a jail cell while awaiting a December sentencing date on armed robbery/kidnapping charges, the majority of Americans lose no sleep WHATSOEVER..........This week in sports history, October 14, 1972: Gene Tenace of the Oakland A's becomes the first player in major league history to hit home runs in his first two World Series at-bats--leading his team to a 3-2 Game 1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Pennsylvania with the given name of Fiore Gino Tennaci, Tenace would go 8-for-23 in the Fall Classic and ultimately win the World Series MVP Award. The A's seven-game victory over the heavily-favored Reds gave the team its first world championship since 1930..........Race car driver/"Dancing With The Stars" champion Helio Castroneves was in handcuffs and leg irons inside a Miami courtroom last week while answering a seven-count indictment for tax evasion; the charges--if proved--could land Castroneves in jail for up to 35 years. Looking back over the past year or two, he'll probably now admit that he should have spent more time getting "up close and personal" with his ACCOUNTANT rather than lovely dance partner Julianne Hough..........I used to think that Joe Namath throwing a football was a thing of pure beauty--that is, until I saw a picture of beautiful actress Charlize Theron decked out in a stunning white dress on the cover of the August issue of British Elle Magazine..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college football game played in the Midwest last weekend, Monmouth (IL) defeated Grinnell 69-0; Monmouth held a 49-0 lead AT THE HALF and actually was the VISITING team during this fiasco. The topper? Monmouth actually attempted/converted a FIELD GOAL halfway through the fourth quarter--when the score was already 66-0. OUCH..........Answer to trivia question: CRIS CARTER (681), ANTHONY CARTER (580), TERRY ALLEN (478), STEVE JORDAN (394), and HASSAN JONES (308)..........Great stuff from Ron Darling on TBS last week early in the game during the Minnesota/Chicago playoff. He was asked if he was ever on a pitch count when he played and how it might affect the handling of White Sox pitcher John Danks--who was pitching on short rest that day: "No pitch count, and it's overrated--especially for a 23-year old (like Danks). Just the adrenaline of such a big game will get you by physically." Final score: White Sox 1, Twins 0--with Danks pitching 2-hit ball over eight innings. Excellent call, Ron.........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Frank LaCorte--who blows out 57 candles on October 13th. A native of San Jose, CA, LaCorte played for the Braves, Astros, and Angels between 1975 and 1984--pitching mainly in relief. His career numbers don't look pretty: 23 wins, 44 losses, lifetime ERA of 5.01. However, LaCorte had a terrific year in 1980 for the Astros--a season in which he went 8-5, compiled a 2.85 ERA, and gave up only 61 hits in 83 innings. Best wishes, Frank..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former major league infielder Eddie Brinkman--who died recently at the age of 66 in his hometown of Cincinnati. A slick-fielding shortstop, Brinkman played 15 seasons between 1961 and 1975 for five different clubs--spending most of his time in Washington and Detroit. Brinkman won a Gold Glove Award in 1972 while with the Tigers--a year in which he hit only .203. Altogether, "Steady Eddie" hit just .224 lifetime but had career-best seasons at the plate under Senators manager/Hall of Famer Ted Williams--who helped him bat .266 in 1969 and .262 in 1970. A former high school teammate of Pete Rose, Brinkman later coached for the Tigers in 1979 and was the infield coach for the White Sox from 1983-88. Rest in peace, "Steady Eddie."

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