"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 3-28-09

The "Unwatchable NBA" Update: During a 26-point loss to New Jersey last week, the Knicks shot 2-for-17 from three-point range (12%) and 58% from the free-throw line on 11-for-19 shooting. Someone with a sense of humor in the Madison Square Garden crowd that evening should have held up a sign at one point with the following message on it: "New York BRICKS"..........TRIVIA QUESTION: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hold the NBA's all-time career record for minutes played in the playoffs with 8,851. Can you name the player who is #2 on the all-time list? Answer to follow..........How 'bout LPGA golfer Dorothy Delasin--who carded a "nightmarish" round of 92 (20 over par) in the first round of last week's MasterCard Classic in Mexico City? She had four bogeys, one triple bogey, two quadruple bogeys, and shot a robust 9 on the par-4 15th hole (ouch!). I swear--this gal may very well have panic attacks, nightmares, and MAJOR indigestion every time she uses a certain credit card from this day forward..........This week in sports history, March 31, 1975: Dave Meyers and Richard Washington combine for 52 points--leading UCLA to a 92-85 victory over Kentucky in the NCAA basketball championship game played in San Diego. The victory would be coach John Wooden's record 10th NCAA title--all while coaching the Bruins; the "Wizard of Westwood" had announced his retirement after UCLA's earlier semifinal win over Louisville. UCLA led the game by ten points with 12 minutes remaining in the game before the Wildcats pulled to within one, 76-75. However, Kentucky star Kevin Grevey (34 points) missed a few crucial free throws down the stretch--allowing the Bruins to ultimately pull away and claim another title.........Mark Teixeira of the N.Y. Yankees recently told the New York Post that his favorite movie is "The Godfather." I'm now wondering if GM Brian Cashman--while negotiating Teixeira's $180 million contract this past off-season--sealed the deal by saying, "Mark--this is truly an offer you no canna refuse!"..........Answer to trivia question: SCOTTIE PIPPEN--who logged in 8,105 playoff minutes during his 17 years in the NBA..........Love him or hate him, you can't help but respect Dick Vitale's enthusiasm when he does color commentating on ESPN telecasts. During Duke's recent victory over Florida St. in the ACC championship game, I could envision Vitale nearly jumping out of his seat as the Blue Devils were draining one three-pointer after another. At one point, he yelled out in typical 'Vitale-esque' fashion, "Somebody call the fire chief--they're burning the nets down!!" Yes, there's no one quite like Dicky V..........Former NFL linebacker-turned-actor Brian Bosworth was arrested recently in Los Angeles for driving his motorcycle while drunk on Hollywood Boulevard. Geez, I always knew that "The Boz" wanted to make his mark in Hollywood, but he was supposed to do it INSIDE a film studio..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA player Steve Smith--who blows out 40 candles on March 31st. A Michigan native who played college ball at Michigan State, Smith spent 14 seasons in the NBA playing for six different teams between 1991 and 2005--averaging 14.3 ppg over his career. Smith averaged more than 20 points per game in both the '96-'97 and '97-'98 seasons while playing for the Atlanta Hawks; he also led the NBA in three-point FG% (.471) during the 2001-2002 season while playing with the Spurs. A former All-Star, Smith is also well-known for his charitable nature---having once donated more than $2 million to his alma mater. Best wishes, Steve..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former major league player/manager Whitey Lockman--who died recently in Arizona at the age of 82; he had been fighting pulmonary fibrosis and pneumonia. Lockman was best-known for helping set the stage for Bobby Thomson's famous "Shot Heard 'Round The World" during the 1951 playoff between the Giants and Dodgers; Lockman came to bat in the bottom of the ninth facing Brooklyn's starting pitcher Don Newcombe and hit a one-out, run-scoring double that kept the rally going while cutting the Dodgers' lead to 4-2. Playing most of his career as an outfielder, Lockman hit .279 lifetime in 15 seasons spent with the Giants, Cardinals, Orioles, and Reds. He also managed the Chicago Cubs from 1972-1974 and spent more than 25 years as a front-office executive and scout for the Cubs, Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins. He is survived by four daughters and a son; may Whitey Lockman rest in peace.

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 3-21-09

The word "domination" is often misused/overused in the sports world--but NOT in this case: The Trinity College (CT) squash team just won its 11th straight national championship and 202nd match in a row--simply MIND-BOGGLING numbers in these days of competitive college athletics. I was privileged to interview coach Paul Assaiante on "Monday Night Sports Talk" recently--where he talked fondly of the team-oriented individuals (including some scholar-athletes) that he's been honored to coach during this streak; he also lent keen insight into the game of squash in general and touched upon its international appeal. Assaiante had players from SEVEN different countries on this past year's roster; my co-host Tony DeAngelo called him "a true ambassador for the sport." Congratulations, Paul; your accomplishments and continued focus on excellence cannot be publicized ENOUGH..........TRIVIA QUESTION: During the 1928-'29 NHL season, goalie George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens recorded a remarkable 22 shutouts. Since then, what goalie has put together the most shutouts in one season? Answer to follow..........Congrats go out to my good friend Roy Lawrence of Marlborough (CT)--who was recently selected by the CT Sports Writers' Alliance to receive a "Good Sport" Award at the upcoming Gold Key Dinner to be held April 26th at the Aqua Turf in Southington. A retired educator, Lawrence spent the majority of his teaching career in the town of Columbia where he coached ALL four sports (soccer, baseball, basketball, and track) over a 25-year period--starting the baseball program there. Roy has spent time in Johannesburg, South Africa as a volunteer soccer coach through "Ambassadors in Sport"; he's also run baseball clinics, built fields, and collected/provided equipment to residents of Uruguay during his work as a sports missionary in that country. Having been fortunate enough to coach with this fine gentleman, I can relay first-hand that very few individuals have given back to the community--or to kids in general--more than one Roy Lawrence. A richly-deserved award, for sure..........Some more dominant numbers for you: Of the 23 Little East Women's Basketball tournaments played since 1987, the University of Southern Maine has won NINETEEN of them. Whoa.........This week in sports history, March 24, 1956: San Francisco stakes its claim as one of college basketball's all-time greatest teams--beating Iowa 83-71 in the NCAA championship game for its 55th consecutive victory. Bill Russell scored 26 points and pulled down 27 rebounds as the Dons became the first team to win the national title with a perfect record (29-0). Iowa actually led at one point 15-4, but Russell's domination of the Hawkeyes' high-scoring center Bill Logan--held to just 12 points--proved to be the difference as San Francisco repeated as national champions..........How crazy/encompassing has this whole steroids thing become for yours truly? The other day I saw a squirrel under my bird feeder clutching a piece of bread that was almost as big as its BODY--and I immediately surmised that the critter MUST be on the "juice."..........Answer to trivia question: TONY ESPOSITO of the Chicago Blackhawks--who recorded an impressive 15 shutouts during the 1969-'70 NHL season..........Call me crazy, but the first time a misjudged fly ball goes over the head of Manny Ramirez this season--and he proceeds to loaf after it--manager Joe Torre is gonna need something MUCH stronger than green tea in order to cope with the aftermath..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA player/current coach Mike Woodson--who blows out 51 candles on March 24th. A native of Indianapolis who was a two-time All-American at Indiana, Woodson played 11 seasons for seven different teams between 1980 and 1991--averaging 14 ppg for his entire career. Perhaps Woodson's finest season came during the '82-'83 campaign while with the Knicks--a season in which he averaged 18.2 ppg while shooting more than 50% from the field; Mike also averaged 12.2 ppg while playing in 13 career postseason games. Woodson is currently in his fifth season as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks; best wishes, Mike..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former Alabama A&M baseball coach Thomas Wesley--who died recently of a heart attack at the age of 51. Wesley guided the Bulldogs for 16 seasons between 1991 and 2006--winning 238 games. He led his squad to the 1993 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship--which turned out to be the high point of his coaching career. After leaving A&M, Wesley worked as a recreation assistant at the North Alabama Regional Hospital in Decatur. Rest in peace, "Coach."

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 3-14-09

Talking to my "Monday Night Sports Talk" co-host Tony DeAngelo on Thursday of last week, I mentioned to him that it was the 36th anniversary of the famous "wife swapping" incident between N.Y. Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson. His response: "Hey, at least they weren't INJECTING one another."..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1987-'88 Chicago Blackhawks had three players on the squad who each scored more than 40 goals. Can you name these gentlemen? Answer to follow..........ITEM: JetBlue Airways is offering a $99 Manny Fan Fare for southern California residents to welcome back Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers--the #99 representing the player's uniform number. Question: If/when Manny quits on the team when they are 10 games back come September, will JetBlue similarly cease operations for a week or two?..........My idea of a perfect afternoon: Having lunch with LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis at a Hooters Restaurant--while a Christie Brinkley fitness infomercial is showing on a nearby television..........This week in sports history, March 17, 1973: The Philadelphia 76ers set an NBA record for losses in a season--losing 120-115 to the Baltimore Bullets in a game played in Philly. Elvin Hayes led the victors with 43 points and six blocked shots as the 76ers' record fell to a dismal 9-68 with five games left in the season. Despite 39 points from Fred Carter in this game, Philadelphia could not avoid yet another defeat. The previous record of 67 losses in one year was shared by the '67-'68 San Diego Rockets and the '70-'71 Cleveland Cavaliers..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a Connecticut girls Class S state tournament basketball game played last week, home team Bolton destroyed Holy Family 51-9--with the winning squad having led 28-2 AT THE HALF. In addition, only TWO girls scored for Holy Family--who put up ZERO points in the first AND fourth quarters of this nightmare. If I'm the Holy Family coach, I comfort my team after the game and offer this: "Hey, girls, look on the bright side; we could have been playing in Bolton, VERMONT--and then be forced to endure a four-hour bus ride after taking such a beating. Yes, SMILE--we'll be home in 20 minutes!"..........ITEM: The New York Jets urge team employees to take two weeks of unpaid leave this offseason in order to avoid job cuts. My first thought was that if the Jets hadn't traded for Brett Favre last summer, these same employees may have been asked to work OVERTIME this offseason--and be handsomely compensated for doing so..........Answer to trivia question: DENIS SAVARD (44 goals), RICK VAIVE (43), and STEVE LARMER (41)..........Can you imagine if former pro boxer Erica Sugar married ex-big league pitcher Jim Ray--divorced--then married PGA golfer Justin Leonard? Fans of the "sweet science" would surely delight in her full, married name of Erica Sugar Ray Leonard..........N.Y. Mets new setup man J.J. Putz recently told the N.Y. Post that his favorite actress is Jennifer Aniston. Putting the reasons for his admiration aside (ahem), I'll go out on a limb and say that Putz had absolutely NO trouble passing an eye exam shortly after he was signed by the club..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA player Terry Cummings--who blows out 48 candles on March 15th. A native of Chicago who played at DePaul, Cummings spent an amazing 18 seasons in the NBA between 1982 and 2000--playing for seven different teams. He was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1983 while playing for the San Diego Clippers; he averaged more than 20 points per game in seven different seasons on his way to scoring over 19,000 points in his impressive career. Cummings was a two-time All-Star and averaged over 16 ppg for his career. An ordained Pentecostal minister, Cummings is a single father of three boys; best wishes, Terry..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former major league pitcher Tom Sturdivant--who died recently in Oklahoma City at the age of 78. Sturdivant went a combined 32-14 for the Yankees during the 1956 and '57 seasons and pitched a complete game victory for New York in the '56 World Series vs. the Dodgers. However, arm problems plagued Sturdivant in the late '50's--limiting him to only 59 wins in a 10-year career spent with seven different teams. Nicknamed "Snake" due to his effective curveball, Sturdivant was a native of Kansas; may he rest in peace.

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 3-7-09

Great quote from WFAN's Mike Francesa recently--talking about the way Derek Jeter and Tiger Woods effectively handle media questions in the same manner that many POLITICIANS do: "They can give you answers without giving you ANSWERS."..........TRIVIA QUESTION: During the 1983-'84 NHL season, Mark Pavelich led the New York Rangers in scoring with a total of 82 points. Can you name the player who finished second on the team in scoring that season? Answer to follow..........Cheshire native/former NHL All-Star defenseman Brian Leetch will be among the honorees at the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance's 68th annual Gold Key Dinner--to be held April 26th at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington. The dinner, which costs $75, will begin at 4:30 PM. Ticket info can be obtained by contacting Alliance president Bob Ehalt at (203) 929-6584 (ehalt.b@sbcglobal.net) or vice-president Tiffany Ventura at jeangrey80@gmail.com. Finally, via mail, one can send a check/money order to : Gold Key Dinner, c/o CT Sports Writers' Alliance, P.O. Box 70, Unionville, CT 06085..........This week in sports history, March 8, 1971: Ridden by jockey Bill Shoemaker, Silky Sullivan rallies from 20 lengths behind to win the Santa Anita Derby in Arcadia, California. It was Shoemaker's first time riding Sullivan--a 3-year-old who ran a blistering final quarter time of 24 2/5 seconds en route to a 1:49.4 clocking. A record crowd of over 63,000 people saw Silky win by three lengths over runner-up Harcall..........The "Unwatchable NBA" Update: How 'bout that game played in Denver last week between the Lakers and Nuggets? L.A. shot a pathetic 2-for-21 (9.5%) from three-point range while Denver converted just 3-of-21 (14.3%) from behind the arc. Yes, folks, so-called "professionals" combining for a 3-point percentage of NOT QUITE 12% on 5-for-42 shooting. Geez, folks, I know the thin air of Denver causes batted baseballs to go a bit farther, but I didn't think it prevented basketballs from going through RIMS!..........I was privileged to have former major league pitcher Frank Sullivan as a guest on my cable TV show "Monday Night Sports Talk" recently--a man who was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame this past November. A tremendous storyteller, "Sully" talked about former teammates such as Ted Williams and Gene Conley and shared various stories that were included in his entertaining book Life Is More Than 9 Innings. For the readers of this column, Frank has graciously offered to personally autograph a copy for just $23 (including postage). Send signing instructions--along with a check made out to "Editions Limited"-- to Frank at the following address: P.O. Box 1873, Lihue, HI 96766..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a men's college basketball game played last week down in Georgia, Savannah St. annihilated Carver Bible College 103-44. I don't know about other guys, but if I'm a member of a squad that beats a team with the word "Bible" in its name by 59 points, I get EXTREMELY nervous the next it starts thundering outside..........Answer to trivia question: PIERRE LAROUCHE--who tallied 48 goals and 33 assists for a total of 81 points..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NHL defenseman Phil Housley--who blows out 45 candles on March 9th. A first-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 1982, Housley played a robust total of 21 seasons for eight different teams between '82 and 2003--appearing in 1,495 games. In his career, Housley scored 338 goals and assisted on 894 others; he is the second-leading scorer among U.S.-born players with a total of 1,232 points--trailing only Mike Modano. Housley was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 and currently coaches high school hockey in Stillwater, Minnesota. Best wishes, Phil..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former NBA player Norm Van Lier--who was found dead in his home recently at the age of 61. "Stormin' Norman" played ten seasons in the NBA as a member of the Royals, Bulls, and Bucks--appearing in 746 games. A 6'1" guard who attended St. Francis University, Van Lier was best known for teaming with Jerry Sloan while in Chicago to form one of the league's best backcourts during the '70's. A three-time All-Star, Van Lier led the league in assists in 1970-'71 (10.1 per game) and averaged seven assists per game over his entire NBA career. Van Lier most recently worked for Comcast SportsNet Chicago doing pre-game/post-game analysis. May he rest in peace.