"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 9-12-09

Just came across a picture of the lovely Christie Brinkley as she attended the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows last week. One thing's for sure: If yours truly was there and able to make the acquaintance of this stunning beauty, the term "love match" would have taken on an ENTIRELY different meaning..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1979 Minnesota Twins, who finished 82-80 under manager Gene Mauch, had two regulars in their lineup who hit over .300--one an infielder and the other an outfielder. Can you name these two players? Answer to follow...........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college football game played last week in the midwest, Southeast Missouri State annihilated Quincy 72-3. When I first read this score, I thought of the former TV series "Quincy" where Jack Klugman played a medical examiner--which is what the losing team may have been in need of after such a life-less performance..........A couple of great publications:Baseball in New Haven and Yale Football --both authored by Sam Rubin, who works in the sports publicity department at Yale. Sam recently told me that both books are available at amazon.com as well as barnesandnoble.com; if people are interested in autographed copies of these books, they can contact Sam Rubin directly by emailing him at sam.rubin@yale.edu.......... This week in sports history, September 15, 1971: Americans sweep at the U.S. Open for the first time in 16 years as Billie Jean King and Stan Smith capture singles titles at Forest Hills. King, who had won her first U.S. title back in 1967, disposed of Rosemary Casals rather easily--winning 6-4, 7-6. The second-seeded Smith--who had won the tournament as an amateur in 1969--came back to beat Jan Kodes of Czechoslovakia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 before a crowd of close to 13,000 at the West Side Tennis Club..........Sometimes, I think many of us would prefer sports announcers to speak in very plain terms; after all, it IS only baseball. Example: Last week, I heard N.Y. Mets announcer Howie Rose say that Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs "took a circuitous route to the ball." Translation? The guy botched the play, Howie..........O.K.--here goes: English actress Jane March marries NFL assistant coach Bobby April, divorces, marries former MLB outfielder Carlos May--divorces again--then marries NFL linebacker Cato June. She then walks onto film sets with the full married name of Jane March April May June..........ITEM: Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor shows support for disgraced pro QB Michael Vick during last week's game vs. Navy--displaying the name "Vick" on the eyeblack sticker under his left eye. Truthfully, folks, I don't know what to say--other than relay my concerns about the mindset of some young individuals in our society along with the lack of rational thinking EVERYWHERE these days.......... Answer to trivia question: Second baseman ROB WILFONG (.313) and centerfielder KEN LANDREAUX (.305)..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Doug Simons--who blows out 43 candles on September 15th. A native of Bakersfield, CA, Simons pitched only TWO years in the majors--1991 with the Mets and '92 with the Expos--and experienced very little success. In fact, his tenure with Montreal wasn't pretty AT ALL. Appearing in just seven games for a total of 5.1 innings with the Expos, Simons allowed 15 hits and 14 earned runs. Yes, folks, Doug Simons ended the 1992 campaign with an ERA of 23.63. Hey--they all can't be Jeff Reardon, right? Best wishes, Doug..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former NFL running back John Stephens--who died recently in Louisiana in a single-vehicle accident when his pickup truck veered off a highway; he was 43. Stephens was named the 1988 Offensive Rookie of the Year when he rushed for 1,168 yards for New England and was named to the Pro Bowl. He played a total of six NFL seasons--also spending time with Green Bay, Atlanta and Kansas City before retiring with 3,440 career yards and 18 touchdowns. As a college player at Northwestern State, Stephens broke the school's career rushing record previously set by Joe Delaney--who would also play for the Kansas City Chiefs. John was also the first recipient of the NFL's Gale Sayers Humanitarian Citation due to his terrific work on behalf of the Roxbury (MA) Comprehensive Community Health Center. May John Stephens rest in peace.