Monday, August 17, 2009

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 8-22-09

Column reader/contributor Abe Knaster of New York chimes in once again on his hometown team: "After much debate, Michael Jackson's final resting place was finally revealed. He was buried alongside the 2009 New York Mets." Abe also pointed out that Jose Guillen of the K.C. Royals recently sustained a torn knee ligament while putting on a shin guard--which automatically makes the outfielder very attractive to the Mets this coming off-season..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1982 Houston Astros--who finished fifth in the National League West--hit a total of only 74 home runs as a team. Can you name the team's top two home run hitters that season--who had totals of just 13 and 12? Answer to follow..........Yes, when someone like yours truly experiences a "not-so-good" day, there's always nesn.com/heidi to fall back on..........A caller on WFAN last weekend said disgraced QB Michael Vick should find employment OUTSIDE the NFL--that he is "educated" and could locate alternative work. Host Steve Somers' response: "What is he educated IN--learning how to kill animals?".......... Speaking of NESN: Love him or hate him, Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley lays it all on the line during telecasts. During the 8/12 game vs. Detroit, "Eck" compared Tigers pitcher Zach Miner to former Red Sox hurler Bob Stanley due to the fact that Miner pitched both as a starter and a reliever in the same week; the term "rubber arm" was mentioned. The conversation turned to Eckersley comparing the modern pitcher to the one of years ago; he referred to the era of when Stanley pitched as "the days when saves were SAVES and men were MEN"..........This week in sports history, August 25, 1922: In the highest-scoring game in major league history, the Chicago Cubs outscore the Philadelphia Phillies 26-23 in a game played at windy Wrigley Field. The slugfest featured a total of 51 hits--27 by Chicago and 24 by Philly--with the Cubs having led 25-5 at one point. Philadelphia made a gallant comeback--scoring 14 runs in the final two innings--but ultimately fell short. Chicago was led by Cliff Heathcote with five hits, and were also propelled by a pair of homers off the bat of Hack Miller in a game that lasted approximately three hours..........One of the most fun-to-pronounce names in the Eastern League this season: OF/DH Deik Scram of the Erie SeaWolves..........Answer to trivia question: Second baseman PHIL GARNER (13) and catcher ALAN ASHBY (12)..........With all due respect to Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and some of my media colleagues, Omar Vizquel is the best fielding SS I have ever seen; he just didn't do flips in the infield or win a championship in order to further his cause..........Pardon me for not fully understanding the phrase/concept, but does this "Cash For Clunkers" refer to the money spent by fans to watch the aforementioned New York Mets play?..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league infielder Webster Garrison--who blows out 44 candles on August 24th. A native of Louisiana, Garrison appeared in just five big league games during his short-lived career--playing first and second base for the Oakland A's in 1996. Perhaps the reason why Webster won't be collecting a major league pension is that he went 0-for-9 in those five games; yes, folks, Webster Garrison hit .000 lifetime. However, he CAN tell his grandchildren that he DID walk once during his MLB tenure--thus resulting in a lifetime on-base percentage of .100. Hey--they all can't be Rickey Henderson, right? Best wishes, Webster..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former college basketball coach/player Dick Holub--who died recently in Arizona at the age of 87. As a player, Holub was a member of LIU's 1941 NIT Championship team--leading the Blackbirds to a 25-2 record that season. Holub served in the Air Force during World War II and went on to play a season for the Knicks in the Basketball Association of America--the predecessor to the NBA. Dick Holub would become the first basketball coach at Fairleigh Dickinson--where he compiled a 233-167 record from 1949-1966. He also taught English at FDU and later became an academic advisor to the athletic department at UCONN. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Eileen, four daughters, and two sons; rest in peace, "Coach."

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