"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 1/28/12

Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, Inc. will hold its annual "Strike Out Epilepsy 2012" event on Sunday, April 22nd at Milford Lanes--located on the Boston Post Road in Milford, CT. Participants will enjoy hours of bowling; proceeds will be used to assist people living with epilepsy--along with their families/friends. The entry fee is $30 per person with pizza and soda served at each lane. Sponsors can also pay $200 to have a business banner displayed above the lanes. Finally, general donations of any amount are greatly appreciated; they can be mailed to Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, Inc. 20 Salem Walk, Milford, CT 06460-7132. For additional information on this tremendous event/cause, people can call (203) 874-8731 or send an email to ctepilepsy@optonline.net ...........TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1992-'93 L.A. Kings--who finished 39-35-10 under coach Barry Melrose--had FIVE players on the roster who scored 25 or more goals apiece. Name these gentlemen; answer to follow..........ITEM: Mississippi St. WR Chad Bumphis is arrested on disorderly conduct/public drunkenness charges following his team's victory over Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl. His stats during that game? One reception for MINUS-3 YARDS and two rushes for MINUS-4 yards. My question is THIS: Just how much MORE rowdier/inebriated would this guy have become if he played a DECENT game that day--perhaps catching five passes for 100 yards and rushing for an additional 20 yards or so?..........This week in sports history, January 31, 1970: "Pistol" Pete Maravich of LSU becomes college basketball's all-time leading scorer--connecting on a 15-foot jump shot during his team's 109-86 win over Ole Miss. Maravich broke the former record of 2,973 points held by Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson, and accomplished the feat with 13 games still remaining in his remarkable college career. "Pistol" Pete would finish his record-setting evening with a total of 53 points vs. an overmatched Mississippi defense..........He may not be classified as one of the best players in the country, but University of Alabama guard Trevor Releford is CERTAINLY among the most fun to watch in college basketball..........Andy Soltis of the New York Post--commenting on just one of the features of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen's new 22,000-square foot pad in Los Angeles: "A six-car garage--so each member of the New England Patriots' offensive line has his own place to park his limo."..........My "Monday Night Sports Talk" co-host Tony DeAngelo--commenting about how some invited "vocalists" butcher the National Anthem prior to various sporting events: "That song was meant to be sung--NOT performed." Amen, Tony..........For those of you who don't think our society is just a tad screwed up, fathom this: Currently, there are at least TWENTY college basketball coaches who earn more than $1.6 million annually. The average salary for an EMT in the United States? Between $30 and 40k per year..........Answer to trivia question: LUC ROBITAILLE (63), TONY GRANATO (37), MIKE DONNELLY (29), JARI KURRI (27), and TOMAS SANDSTROM (25)..........QUESTION: Now that lovely actress Marg Helgenberger has left the popular CBS drama CSI, doesn't that free up more time for her to date east coast-based sports columnists?..........I truly believe that those individuals who say that free-throw shooting isn't important in basketball are the SAME people who often say it's "too cold to snow" during the winter..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league outfielder LaSchelle Tarver--who blows out 53 candles on January 30th. If the name doesn't ring a bell, here's the reason: Tarver played just ONE season in the "bigs"--1986 with the Boston Red Sox. Appearing in 13 games, Tarver went 3-for-25 at the plate (three singles)--thus resulting in a lifetime batting average of .120. However, the California native CAN tell friends/relatives that he DID have an RBI that year (yes, just ONE), walked once, and also scored three times. Hey--they all can't be Jim Rice, right? Best wishes, LaSchelle..........Condolences go out to the family of former college/pro football coach Jim Stanley--who died recently of cancer at the age of 77. Stanley was the head coach at Oklahoma State from 1973-1978--posting four consecutive winning seasons there while coaching eight All-Americans. He later coached in the NFL with the Giants, Falcons, Buccaneers, and Oilers (he also led the Michigan Panthers to a USFL championship in 1983) before becoming Director of Player Personnel for the Arizona Cardinals for 12 years. Jim Stanley is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and four children. Rest in peace, "Coach."..........Finally, the news of Joe Paterno's passing came just hours before this column was submitted (last weekend). For now, I'll just include some words from my colleague Ken Davis of FoxSports.com: "RIP Joe Paterno. The last few months have given us so much to think about, deal with, and struggle to understand. Too bad we can't all go back to a simpler, more innocent age. Unfortunately, it's all part of the story but let's hope there is balance and fairness at this point." Thanks, Ken; more to come on Paterno in a future column.