Tuesday, May 01, 2012

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

Great news: The Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance is reviving the Bo Kolinsky Scholarship Golf Tournament--named for the longtime high school sports editor of the Hartford Courant who passed away in 2003. This special event will be held June 28th at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield. Proceeds will go toward the Bo Kolinsky Scholarship--given to a Connecticut high school senior pursuing a career in sports journalism. The tournament has an entry fee of $170--which includes a box lunch on the course, buffet dinner, prizes, and silent/live auctions. More information can be obtained by emailing Bruce Berlet: golfwrtr@aol.com..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The San Francisco Giants had a pitcher who was an NL ERA champion back in the 1980's, but was done with baseball by the age of 30. Can you name this former hurler who spent his entire career with the Giants? Answer to follow..........Did you know that the 1968 Chicago White Sox--managed by Eddie Stanky, Less Moss, and Al Lopez--managed to score just 463 runs that entire season? That averaged out to just 2.86 runs per game--thus resulting in a team record of 67-95. Just HOW pathetic was this team's offense? Third baseman Pete Ward led the team in both HR's and RBI's with 15 and 50 respectively--but also hit a paltry .216 in almost 400 at-bats..........Don't get me wrong--I FULLY enjoy everything about Fenway Park, i.e. the Green Monster, the finely manicured grounds, the cozy atmosphere, etc. But from this day forward--when someone mentions "the natural beauty of the ballpark"--only ONE thing will come to mind: sideline reporter Jenny Dell on NESN telecasts. My goodness; in all honesty, NO female deserves to be THAT attractive, folks..........Nothing personal, but I believe Metta World Peace of the L.A. Lakers should change his name AGAIN--this time to World Class Punk..........Can you imagine if former East Carolina swimmer Rachel Blue married ex-NBA player Walter Berry, divorced, then married Boston Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill? Fans of a classic Fats Domino tune would surely delight in her full married name of Rachel Blue Berry Hill..........ITEM: Oklahoma State baseball player Gabe Weidenaar is arrested after accepting delivery of a package containing $35,000 worth of marijuana. No, Gabe--NOT a smart move. Weidenaar's course of study at OSU? Ironically, EDUCATION..........Answer to trivia question: SCOTT GARRELTS--who led the NL in 1989 with an ERA of 2.28; he pitched for San Francisco from 1982-1991..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former NBA player Tony Campbell--who blows out 50 candles on May 7th. A native of Teaneck, NJ, Campbell was drafted out of Ohio St. by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 1984 draft; he'd go on to play 11 seasons in the league for six different teams. Campbell's best year came during the Minnesota Timberwolves expansion season of 1989-'90--a year in which he averaged an impressive 23.2 ppg while appearing in all 82 of his team's games. Following his retirement, Campbell became an athletic director/coach at a prep school in New York City. Best wishes, Tony..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former major league first baseman Bill "Moose" Skowron--who died recently in Illinois of congestive heart failure; he was 81. Skowron played for five different teams between 1954 and 1967; the majority of his career was spent with the N.Y. Yankees from '54-'62. "Moose" was a six-time All-Star and his grand slam in the 7th inning of Game 7 of the '56 World Series helped the Yankees win a world championship vs. the Dodgers. Altogether, Skowron won five championship rings--four with the Yankees and one as a member of the Dodgers in 1963. Bill Skowron hit .282 lifetime with 211 career home runs and 888 RBI's while appearing in over 1,600 regular season games; he also batted .293 with eight homers in 39 post-season games. Following his career, he worked in PR/sales for the Chicago White Sox. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to speak with "Moose" a few times over the years; under a perceived gruff exterior was an extremely cordial guy who just loved reminiscing about his playing days--always telling people how thankful he was to have been a big-leaguer. The last time we chatted, he talked about how the game had changed over the years--NOT in a good way--but he still pointed out his love for "America's pastime." Skowron is survived by his second wife, Lorraine, a brother, three children, and four grandchildren. May Bill "Moose" Skowron rest in peace.

1 Comments:

At 1:52 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

nice written

 

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