"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 1-30-10

The "Unwatchable NBA" Update: In a game played in Charlotte last week, the Bobcats dismantled the Heat 104-65; Miami shot a putrid 22-for-76 from the floor (29%). The topper? This included the Heat shooting a pathetic 2-for-23 (9%) from three-pt. range. Yes--somewhere, Steve Kerr is weeping, folks..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The lowly 1990-1991 Miami Heat--who finished 24-58 under coach Ron Rothstein--were led in scoring by a former Big East player. Can you name this individual? Answer to follow..........ITEM: Following a year in which he won 12 games for the Phillies, pitcher Joe Blanton signs a 3-year, $24 million dollar extension. Again, at least when it comes to modern-day baseball, mediocrity breeds BUCKS..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a girls high school basketball game played here in CT last week, Career annihilated North Haven by a score of 78-18. I'm just wondering if the losing coach is a TRUE optimist and complimented the squad on their consistency after the game: yes, they scored nine points in each half.........This week in sports history, February 1, 1987: In a marathon NBA contest, the Golden State Warriors beat the New Jersey Nets in FOUR overtimes--150-147--in a game played in Oakland. Golden State was led by Joe Barry Carroll's 43 points and 24 rebounds; Sleepy Floyd--who set an NBA record by playing 64 minutes--chipped in with 29 points for the Warriors while Chris Mullin added 25. It was the seventh quadruple overtime game in league history and the first in three years..........Can you imagine if singer Courtney Love married contemporary artist Jim Shack? Fans of a popular tune by the B-52's would surely delight in her full married name of Courtney Love Shack..........Yes, an additional meaning of the word "ugly" should be added to the dictionary immediately--this one related to college basketball: My alma mater, Fordham, is 9-61 against ranked teams since the AP weekly poll started in 1948. Ughhhhhhhh..........I don't know about you folks, but I want either Wade Phillips or Norv Turner--who both lost recent NFL playoff games but kept their jobs--to purchase my next set of lottery tickets..........Hubie Brown--commenting on ESPN last week about the length of a successful three-point attempt by the Lakers' Kobe Bryant while he was playing at Madison Square Garden: "That one came from the MEADOWLANDS."..........As I've said before, I consider a Ray Allen jump shot a thing of pure beauty. But Jennifer Aniston and the dress she wore at the recent Golden Globes elevated the word "beauty" to an ENTIRELY different level..........Answer to trivia question: SHERMAN DOUGLAS--a Syracuse product who averaged 18.5 ppg along with 8.5 assists per contest..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league infielder Buddy Biancalana--who blows out 50 candles on February 2nd. A native of California, Buddy played a total of six seasons in the "bigs" between 1982 and 1987 as a member of the Royals and Astros--hitting just .205 lifetime in 311 games. Biancalana CAN claim fame to this: he was the starting shortstop for the Royals in all 14 postseason games in 1985--playing errorless ball while helping the team to a World Series victory over the Cardinals. Yes, he MAY have been associated with the famed "Mendoza Line" for his lack of offense, but he can always show off his World Series ring at the local pub. Best wishes, Buddy..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former college basketball coach Dan Fitzgerald--who died recently in the state of Washington after collapsing in a restaurant; he was 67. He began his coaching career at Archbishop Mitty High School (1969-'71) and was named California's high school coach of the year in 1970. A San Francisco native, Fitzgerald built Gonzaga into a national power while coaching that program from 1978 to 1997; he compiled a 252-171 record there and also served as the school's athletic director. At Gonzaga, he recruited John Stockton and took the 'Zags' to their first NCAA tournament in 1995. May Dan Fitzgerald rest in peace.

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 1-23-10

Without question, the performance by Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner in the recent playoff game vs. Green Bay was one of the most impressive in postseason history. Here's why: The man had MORE TD passes (5) than INCOMPLETIONS (4). Final numbers: 29/33 for 379 yards and NO interceptions; simply phenomenal.........TRIVIA QUESTION: The lowly 1987-'88 Los Angeles Clippers--who finished 17-65 under coach Gene Shue--were led in scoring by a former N.Y. Knicks player. Can you name this individual? Answer to follow..........For some reason, I'm still having WAY too much fun pronouncing the full name of Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Igor Olshansky..........Of all the quotes made about baseball's "Steroid Era," former player Jack Clark's recent words to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch were by far the best. After calling guys like A-Rod, Palmeiro, Clemens, Bonds, and Sosa "fakes" and "phonies," Clark added this gem: "They should all be in the Hall of Shame; they can afford to build it."..........Yeah, Brett Favre played well during the Vikes' thrashing of Dallas last weekend, but I still believe the highlight of that game was Sidney Rice's body-bumping of the Vikings mascot after his first TD catch..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a girls high school basketball game played here in CT last week, Windham Tech annihilated University 61-12; the winning squad outscored its overmatched opponent 29-2 in the second half of this fiasco. Interesting to note is that victorious Windham Tech was only 5-5 coming into the game, but perhaps more noteworthy is that lowly University had actually WON two games previously. My first thought was perhaps they had included two pre-season intra-squad scrimmages in their overall win total..........This week in sports history, January 26, 1980: At a track meet in Auckland, New Zealand, 21-year-old American Mary Decker runs away from the pack while lowering the world record in the women's mile to 4:21.7. Decker, who had won gold at the previous summer's Pan Am games, was 100 meters ahead of her nearest competitor with 100 meters to go; Linden Wilde of New Zealand finished a distant second in 4:36.6. In this race, Decker broke the previous record of 4:22--which was set by Natalia Maracescu of Romania in 1979..........Good line by Westwood One's James Lofton after punches were thrown by players during last weekend's Saints/Cardinals game: "Larry Holmes would have been proud"..........A main difference between Division I and Division III basketball? This: After last weekend's loss to Eastern CT, Southern Maine (Div. III) basketball coach Karl Henrikson possessed a lifetime record of 55-117--and still has a JOB..........Answer to trivia question: MIKE WOODSON--who averaged 18 points per game while also shooting an impressive 87% from the free throw line..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA guard Tom Henderson--who blows out 58 candles on January 26th. A graduate of DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx who attended Hawaii, Henderson played nine years in the league between 1974 and 1983 as a member of the Hawks, Bullets, and Rockets--averaging 9.4 ppg for his career. Henderson accumulated 6,088 points in his career along with 3,136 assists; he was a member of the '77-'78 Bullets squad that captured the NBA title. Best wishes, Tom..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of College Hall of Fame golf coach Karl Tucker--who passed away recently due to complications stemming from congestive heart failure; he was 83. Tucker was hired to lead the Brigham Young golf program in 1961; from 1969 through 1991, his teams won 19 conference championships and had 17 Top 10 finishes in the NCAA Golf Championships. A few of the many fine players who benefited from Tucker's coaching expertise included Johnny Miller, Keith Clearwater, Mike Weir and Bobby Clampett; he coached 69 All-Americans. Tucker has been recognized as one of the founding fathers of modern collegiate golf--along with late USC golf coach Stan Wood, Dave Williams of the University of Houston, and Jess Haddock of Wake Forest. Above all else, Karl Tucker was considered a true gentleman to those who were fortunate enough to know him. He is survived by his wife, Joanne, and four children; may Mr. Tucker rest in peace.

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 1-16-10

Has anyone out there seen ANYTHING uglier so far in 2010 than the UCONN women's 91-24 thrashing of Seton Hall a couple of weeks ago--a game in which the losing squad shot 9-for-52 (17%) from the field? I haven't seen anything THAT ugly since a former roommate of mine at Fordham tried dancing with the head cheerleader of the football team after imbibing 6 or 7 Heinekens at a school homecoming function..........TRIVIA QUESTION: In the history of the NBA, what player has had the highest three-point shooting percentage in a single season? Answer to follow..........Can you imagine if author Dara England married former NFL lineman Doug France, divorced, married Eastern CT. State Univ. basketball guard Ed Spain--divorced again--then married former MLB pitcher Mark Portugal? Fans of European geography would surely delight in her full married name of Dara England France Spain Portugal..........Book recommendation for the readers of this column: OUTSIDE THE LIMELIGHT: Basketball in the Ivy League-- written by Kathy Orton of the Washington Post. The book provides keen insight into the love of basketball experienced by TRUE student-athletes--and also gives readers a better appreciation of this captivating conference. To gain more information about the author and this wonderful book in general, go to www.outsidethelimelight.com ..........This week in sports history, January 18, 1950: Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller--a winner of 192 major league games--signs a new contract with the team for $45,000--taking a $20,000 pay cut at his OWN suggestion. Feller was unhappy with his performance over the previous two seasons--when he went a combined 34-19 while pitching close to 500 innings. Feller first appeared in a big league game as a 17-year-old back in 1936 and had enjoyed five 20-win seasons going into the 1950 major league campaign..........Good news and bad news for married men out there who happen to be N.E. Patriots fans. Bad news is the team embarrassed themselves at home last weekend; Tom Brady had the "deer in the headlights" look throughout the game and the players will soon be on the golf course. The GOOD news is that the game was over after the first quarter (24-0 lead for Baltimore)--giving you guys the rare opportunity to take your spouses out for a Sunday drive during football season. Yes, guys, think about it (without telling your ladies about the lopsided score): You could have scored some MAJOR points--in a backhanded sort of way--by demonstrating how spending quality time with them beats a football playoff game ANY day..........The "Unwatchable NBA" Update: How 'bout that game in Los Angeles last week between the Rockets and Lakers--where the two teams combined to shoot 6-for-33 (18%) from three-point range? If the Lakers' front office people had any collective sense of humor at all, they would have given each fan a copy of Jimmy Breslin's The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight upon exiting the Staples Center that evening..........Answer to trivia question: STEVE KERR--who made 89-of-170 three-point attempts during the 1994-'95 season for a sizzling percentage of .524..........I STILL say that actress Sharon Stone has aged MUCH better than baseball players such as Ken Griffey, Jason Varitek, or Gary Sheffield..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Jon Matlack--who blows out 60 candles on January 19th. A native of West Chester, PA, Matlack pitched 13 seasons in the "bigs" between 1971 and 1983 for the Mets and Rangers--winning 125 games lifetime. Matlack was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1972--a year in which he went 15-10 with an impressive 2.32 ERA; he was a three-time All-Star while with the Mets. His highest win total came in 1976 when he won 17 games for New York; he also tossed 30 shutouts over the course of his career. He fared well in the postseason, too--allowing just 12 hits in 25.2 innings while compiling a 1.40 ERA. Best wishes, Jon..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former major league player/scout Stan Benjamin--who died recently on Cape Cod at the age of 95. A native of Framingham, MA, Benjamin was an outfielder for the Phillies and Indians between 1939 and 1945--appearing in 241 big league games. He later joined the Houston Astros as a scout in 1965--remaining with the team for nearly 40 years. He scouted American League East clubs for several seasons before working as Houston's scouting supervisor for the Northeast. Benjamin was very instrumental in Houston's acquisition of Jeff Bagwell from Boston (for pitcher Larry Anderson) in 1990 after having scouted Bagwell very closely. May Stan Benjamin rest in peace.