Wednesday, July 27, 2011

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 7/30/11

Imagine this: New Haven Open tournament director Anne Worcester walks down the aisle with former MLB player Fred Lynn, divorces, marries former MLB third baseman Mike Lowell, divorces again, weds ex-outfielder Willie Norwood--divorces yet AGAIN--then marries ex-MLB outfielder Daryl Boston. Lovers of Massachusetts geography would delight in her full married name of Anne Worcester Lynn Lowell Norwood Boston..........TRIVIA QUESTION: Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers led the American League in doubles in 1961 with 41. Since then, only ONE member of the Tigers has led the AL in two-baggers over the course of a season. Can you name this individual? Answer to follow..........If A's DH Hideki Matsui had aged HALF as well as Eileen Davidson of "The Young and the Restless," then Oakland may very well be contending in the AL West at this juncture..........I talked to former MLB pitcher Frank Sullivan recently--a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame--and asked him about the modern day pitch count. Sullivan: "All starting pitchers in my day stayed on the mound until the manager couldn't stand it anymore. It had nothing to do with how many balls were thrown. And, I might add, we pitched every fourth day and rarely got a five day reprieve."..........This week in sports history, August 2, 1992: Jackie Joyner-Kersee captures her second straight Olympic heptathlon--accumulating a total of 7,044 points at the Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. Joyner-Kersee virtually wrapped up the championship at the start of the second day of competition with a long jump of 23 feet, 3 1/2 inches; she later ended the event with a time of 2:11.78 in the 800 meters. Irina Belova of the United Team finished second to Joyner-Kersee--199 points behind. Jackie quite possibly could have made this her THIRD straight Olympic victory in the event; however, a hamstring injury during the '84 Games in Los Angeles ultimately led to a five-point loss for one of the great female athletes in history..........ITEM: Former University of New Hampshire defensive back JeRome Wilkins is arrested for attacking a convenience store clerk who refused to sell the under-aged Wilkins alcohol; Wilkins was also arrested LAST year on felonious assault charges. Just wonderin': Due to his obvious inability to be a law-abiding citizen, do you think he had a poster of troubled Bengals DB Adam "Pacman" Jones on his dorm room wall when he WAS on the UNH team?..........Answer to trivia question: MAGGLIO ORDONEZ--who led the American League in doubles in 2007 with an impressive total of 54..........Did you know that the 1983 Milwaukee Brewers--who finished 5th in the AL East--were led in victories by Jim Slaton with 14? The topper? Slaton pitched all of his 46 games that year in RELIEF--finishing with a record of 14-6. Starter Moose Haas was second on the staff in victories with a total of 13..........Congrats to the great Bert Blyleven--who was FINALLY enshrined into baseball's Hall of Fame last weekend. Along with many others, I've been lobbying for this honor for MUCH too LONG; it was WAY overdue. The man is a "class act," too. After sending him a column I recently wrote about my Dad after he passed away, Blyleven immediately emailed me back with these kind words: "Bob--Again, sorry for the loss of your Dad but his life will live on forever through you, his family and friends. A very nice tribute to a great man. Stay strong." Thanks, Mr. Blyleven..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Frank Cimorelli--who blows out 43 candles on August 2nd. If the name doesn't ring a bell, you're not alone. A native of Poughkeepsie, NY, Frank pitched just ONE season in the "bigs"--1994 with the Cardinals--appearing in just 11 games in relief. In 13 1/3 innings that year, Cimorelli gave up 20 hits, walked 10, and allowed 13 earned runs. Yes, folks, Frank Cimorelli--though he never won OR lost a major league game--is listed in the record books as having a career ERA of 8.78. Hey--they all can't be Bob Gibson, right? Best wishes, Frank...........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former college basketball coach Neil Dougherty--who died recently after collapsing while jogging in Indianapolis; he was 50. Dougherty coached TCU from 2002-2008--winning 75 games. Prior to that, Neil worked at Kansas under Roy Williams from 1995-2002; he also served as an assistant at Drake, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Most recently, he promoted youth basketball while working for ihoops--a joint venture between the NCAA and NBA. Neil Dougherty leaves behind a wife and three children; rest in peace, "Coach."

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