"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 11-21-09

Congratulations go out to Eastern CT State University soccer player Sarah Swann of Oxford (CT)--who was recently named the Little East Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Swann scored nine goals and added three assists in seven conference matches; she also scored both goals during a 2-1 road win over three-time defending conference champion Western Connecticut. Swann (along with teammate Christine Lemieux) repeated first-team all-conference honors this past season; great job, Sarah..........TRIVIA QUESTION: Amazingly, the 1990-'91 Phoenix Suns had three starters on the squad who shot 83% or higher from the free-throw line. Can you name this trio? Answer to follow..........ITEM: San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker may miss up to a week due to a sprained left ankle. I'm totally convinced that Parker's injury probably warranted him missing about a MONTH--but being married to Eva Longoria speeds up the healing process DRASTICALLY..........This just in: Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler just attempted to throw a bottle into a garbage bin outside Soldier Field--and it got picked off..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college basketball game played last week, Arkansas dismantled Alcorn State 130-68; the winning squad built up a 71-26 lead BY HALFTIME. In addition, the Razorbacks' Rotnei Clarke scored 51 points in this terrible mismatch (making 13 three-pointers) while SITTING OUT the last five minutes of the game. Sheesh--and I used to think that the famed mugshot of Nick Nolte (following his DUI arrest in 2002) was ugly..........This week in sports history, November 23, 1991: Kansas running back Tony Sands runs for an NCAA-record 396 yards--leading his team to a 53-29 victory over Missouri in his final game as a college player. The 5-foot-6 Sands carried the ball a remarkable 58 times while scoring four touchdowns; he gained 240 yards in the second half on his way to breaking the previous mark of 386 set by San Diego State's Marshall Faulk earlier in the season. Sands' heroics enabled the Jayhawks to experience their first winning season since 1991..........Can you imagine if former Sacred Heart University scholar-athlete Kathleen Henry married ex-Florida State LB Andre Wadsworth, divorced, then married former Gwynedd-Mercy College pitcher Kyle Longfellow? Poetry fans would surely delight in her full married name of Kathleen Henry Wadsworth Longfellow..........ITEM: The great Vin Scully says he will continue to broadcast L.A. Dodgers games for yet another season. At this juncture, you can be sure of three things in life: yours truly will wake up each AM with joint stiffness, Carmen Electra will look good in ANY photo she takes, and Vin Scully will be calling a baseball game SOMEWHERE come summertime..........How 'bout Yale junior DB Jesse Reising--who was class valedictorian at Eisenhower High School (Decatur, IL)? Reising is double-majoring in Economics/Political Science and plans to join the Marines after graduation. Don't look for THIS guy to be caught cheating on any online music history exam in the foreseeable future..........Answer to trivia question: TOM CHAMBERS (83%), KEVIN JOHNSON (84%), and JEFF HORNACEK (90%)..........ITEM: Joe Namath's dog Leo has been deemed "dangerous" and must be muzzled and leashed even while on Namath's property in Florida. Let's just hope that "Joe Willie" doesn't get cited for animal cruelty should he decide to use panty hose in an attempt to keep the pup's jaw shut..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA player Gary Voce--who blows out 44 candles on November 24th. I know--WHO??? A native of Bridgeport (CT) who played at Notre Dame, the former 6-foot-9 forward is one of those handful of individuals who played in just ONE NBA game; Voce appeared in one regular season game for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 1989-'90 season vs. the Washington Bullets--scoring two points (on 1-for-3 shooting) and grabbing two rebounds. Hey--they ALL can't be Lebron, right? Best wishes, Gary..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former NBA center Alan Ogg--who passed away recently in Alabama from a staph infection that ultimately reached his heart; he was 42. The 7-foot-2 inch, 240-pound Ogg played collegiately at UAB; he remains that school's all-time leading shot blocker with a total of 266 over four seasons. Between 1990 and 1993, Ogg played in the NBA for Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington--appearing in 80 games; he also spent time playing overseas before retiring for good in 2001. May Alan Ogg rest in peace.