"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 5/26/12

ITEM: Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees is arrested at an off-campus party in South Bend, IN; he allegedly tried to flee the scene after illegal consumption and then became involved in a scuffle with police during his arrest. All is know at this juncture is that someone needs to remind Rees that the term "Fighting Irish" refers to actions ON the football field--NOT away from it..........TRIVIA QUESTION: What MLB pitcher won the most games during the 1960's? Answer to follow..........Can you imagine if famed LPGA golfer Sally Little married NBA guard Michael Redd, divorced, then married North Carolina-based attorney Ted Corvette? Fans of the artist currently known as Prince would surely enjoy her full married name of Sally Little Redd Corvette..........I'm not sure what is larger: The 26 feet-high (with a 150-inch waist) statue of Paul Bunyan in Brainerd, Minnesota, or the ego possessed by WFAN Radio afternoon show host Mike Francesa..........This week in sports history, May 29, 1971: Al Unser celebrates his 32nd birthday in grand style--winning his second straight Indianapolis 500 with a record speed of 157.735 mile-per-hour. Unser led 102 laps of the race and set the record DESPITE a string of accidents that took nine cars out of the race. It took Unser 3 hours, 10 minutes and 11.56 seconds to claim victory--finishing 22 seconds ahead of runner-up Peter Revson. Al became the fourth driver to win consecutive Indy 500's--the other three being Wilbur Shaw (1939-'40), Mauri Rose (1947-'48), and Bill Vukovich (1953-'54)..........*Great cause: The Village for Families and Children is a community-based organization that provides social services to at-risk children/families in the Hartford area. On June 16th, participants will take part in The Village Ride--a day of cycling (various distances) through the scenic towns of Litchfield County (CT). To sponsor a rider, form/join a team, or just donate to this noble cause, people can email Greg Latz--glatz@villageforchildren.org--or call(860)297-0519..........Congratulations go out to Eastern CT State University softball players Molly Rathbun and Arielle Cooper--who have been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-America team. Rathbun became the first member of the Eastern CT program to earn the honor in EACH season of a four-year career. She won over 100 games during her time in Willimantic; she capped her record-breaking career this past season by winning a program-record 33 games, striking out 339 batters, and throwing a pair of no-hitters. Cooper, a junior, batted .439 this season and annihilated the program record with a phenomenal 33-game hitting streak; she was also named the MVP of the Little East Conference tournament. ECSU has had a total of 40 All-Americans in its history (since 1982). Here's wishing Molly and Arielle continued good luck in the future; they've contributed immensely to the fine softball program headed by coach Diana Pepin at Eastern CT..........Answer to trivia question: JUAN MARICHAL of the San Francisco Giants--who won 191 games from 1960-1969 with his highest single-season total (26) coming in 1968..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former MLB pitcher Mike Dupree--who blows out 59 candles on May 29th. Drafted by the Padres in the fourth round of the '73 draft, Dupree spent just ONE season in the "bigs"--1976 with San Diego. Pitching just 15.2 innings of relief, Dupree gave up 18 hits and SIXTEEN earned runs--thus going into the record books with a lifetime ERA of 9.19. In all honesty, Dupree may have been a better HITTER than pitcher; he singled in his only major league at-bat and later played as an outfielder in Japan. Hey--Dupree CAN tell his grandchildren that he DID play with '76 Cy Young Award winner Randy Jones, right? Best wishes, Mike..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former MLB pitcher Kevin Hickey--who passed away last week in Chicago at the age of 56. Hickey--who never played high school baseball--spent six years in the majors between 1981 and 1991 with the White Sox and Orioles; he appeared in 231 games--all in relief--and saved 17 games. Hickey, a left-handed specialist, actually held Hall of Famer George Brett hitless in 15 at-bats during his major league tenure. Hickey led a rough life following his playing days--often working at jobs with no health insurance while actually being homeless at one point. In his later years, Hickey landed a job as a batting practice pitcher for the White Sox. A very well-liked and colorful guy, Hickey--a diabetic--was actually voted a full playoff share of over $300,000 back in 2005 by the White Sox players in order to treat his health issues. He is survived by his mother, five daughters, two brothers, two sisters, and three grandchildren. Kevin Hickey will surely be missed.