Wednesday, September 21, 2011

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 9/24/11

*A sign that the average male is getting WAY too old: When he'd rather look at photos of former major league pitchers Sam McDowell and Steve Stone instead of actresses Andie MacDowell and Sharon Stone.........TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the last Washington Redskins quarterback to lead the NFL in touchdown passes? Answer to follow..........Yet ANOTHER reason why I follow Ivy League football: Yale senior DE Austin Pulsipher spent a two-year stretch (2007-'08) in Taiwan on a Mormon mission. While there, he became fluent in Mandarin Chinese, ran a drug rehabilitation program, and managed the finances of over 150 missionaries. Yeah--don't hold your breath looking for Pulsipher's name in the "police briefs" section of your newspaper anytime soon..........Can you imagine if former Louisville basketball star Jazz Covington married comedian Chris Rock, divorced, married NY Jets kicker Nick Folk--divorced again--then walked down the aisle with PGA golfer Fred Funk? Lovers of various musical genres would surely enjoy her full name of Jazz Rock Folk Funk..........This week in sports history, September 26, 1971: Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles fires a three-hit shutout vs. Cleveland--joining fellow starters Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, and Dave McNally as 20-game winners for the season. In a game played at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Palmer also hit a run-scoring double while improving his record to 20-9 following the Orioles' 3-0 victory. Cuellar's 20th win a few days earlier had clinched Baltimore's third straight AL East title. No team in baseball had produced four 20-game winners since 1920--when the infamous Chicago "Black Sox" quartet of Cicotte, Faber, Kerr, and Williams combined for 87 wins..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college football game played in the Midwest last weekend, North Central (IL) dismantled Olivet 86-14; the winning team led 45-0 at HALFTIME and ended up outrushing Olivet 329-45. If this was a heavyweight fight, it would have been stopped before both fighters had their HANDS taped..........I'll go out on a limb and say that the Yale Precision Marching Band was the only group of its kind to play "Hey Jude" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" during a college football game last weekend..........Did you know that outfielder Alex Cole led the 1990 Cleveland Indians in stolen bases with an impressive total of 40--but appeared in only 63 games that season? Mitch Webster was second on the team in steals that year with 22--while playing in more than TWICE as many games as Cole (128)..........Answer to trivia question: BILLY KILMER--who threw 19 TD passes in 1972 to tie Joe Namath for most in the league..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Jason Young--who blows out 32 candles on September 28th. A native of Oakland, CA who attended Stanford, Young spent only two seasons in the "bigs"--pitching for the Colorado Rockies in 2003 and 2004. Let's just say that the thin air of Coors Field did NOT help Young during his short MLB tenure. In 29 2/3 career innings, Young allowed 49 hits (including 11 HR's) and 32 earned runs. Yes, folks, Jason Young's career numbers: 0 wins, 3 losses, ERA of 9.71. Hey, they all can't be CY Young, right? Best wishes, Jason..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former NFL guard/broadcaster Sam DeLuca--who died recently of cancer in New York at the age of 75. A Brooklyn native, DeLuca attended Lafayette High School--where he was a friend of notables such as Sandy Koufax and Fred Wilpon. He played college football at South Carolina and started his pro career in the Canadian Football League in the late 50's. When the AFL was formed in 1960, DeLuca joined the L.A. Chargers (later San Diego) and was a starter on the team's 1963 championship squad. He was later traded to the N.Y. Jets and started for them from 1964-'66; yes, he was one of the first protectors of a young QB named Joe Willie Namath. Sadly, DeLuca suffered a severe knee injury during a 1967 preseason game--which ultimately ended his playing career. Sam proceeded to do some excellent broadcasting work for the Jets, NBC, and even did some pre-game/post-game work for the Mets back in the late 60's; he retired as a sportscaster in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Diane, two sons, and two daughters. May Sam DeLuca rest in peace.

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