"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" -- 02-19-05

What's wrong with college basketball/sports today? THIS: Iowa hoop star Pierre Pierce was recently dismissed from the team by coach Steve Alford due to his run-ins with the law; however, he will REMAIN on scholarship through this spring DESPITE current charges of burglary, domestic assault, false imprisonment, sexual abuse, and criminal mischief; he was also charged with third-degree sexual abuse back in 2002. Rumor has it that if Pierce breaks the law just a few MORE times, Iowa school officials will present him with keys to the city, a new automobile, and a plaque of his likeness to be displayed in front of the school's athletic complex..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: Who is the only boxer to have fought both Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano? Answer to follow..........N.Y. Mets third baseman David Wright was recently asked by the New York Post to name the one person in history he'd like to meet. His answer? "The Founding Fathers." Let's all hope this guy plays the hot corner better than he COUNTS..........I'm sleeping MUCH better now that the football season has ended. No, it's not due to my earlier bedtimes; it's the fact that I now don't have to spend hours recovering from Suzy Kolber's screeching sideline reports on ESPN..........Did you know that former big leaguer Willie Montanez hit 30 home runs in his rookie season with the Phillies in 1971--but NEVER hit more than 20 in a season thereafter? The former "hot dog" ended up averaging less than 10 home runs per season during his 14-year career..........Is it me, or did comedian Bill Murray's attention-grabbing antics at celebrity golf tournaments--which still continue--get old a VERY long time ago?..........Who performed a better tap dance: Fred Astaire in "Top Hat" or Jason Giambi at his recent New York press conference?..........Don't expect the New England Patriots to miss a beat after naming Eric Mangini as their new defensive coordinator. He's young, hungry, and has spent nine of his ten NFL seasons under the tutelage of Bill Belichick. One has to laud the Wesleyan product for his loyalty to his mentor after spurning other offers. Then again, he obviously is keenly aware that the most direct path to a future head coaching position most likely involves staying right at home here in New England..........Answer to trivia question #1: ARCHIE MOORE--who fought Marciano in 1955 and Ali (Cassius Clay) in 1962...........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a girls high school basketball game played here in Connecticut two weeks ago, Sport and Medical Sciences defeated Faith Prep 42-10. I can assure you that the losing squad had little "faith" in their ability to win this one as the game unfolded; they trailed 26-0 at the HALF..........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: What pitcher holds the San Diego Padres club record for most strikeouts in a season? Answer to follow..........This week in sports history, February 20, 1976: In San Juan, Puerto Rico, 34-year-old Muhammad Ali knocks out Belgian boxer Jean-Pierre Coopman in the fifth round--defending his heavyweight crown with relative ease. It was Ali's fifth title defense during his second reign as champion and would lift his career record to 50-2..........Why I can't watch women's college basketball: UCONN 71, PROVIDENCE 24..........In a recent three-game stretch, St. John's guard Eugene Lawrence shot 8-for-38 from the field--including 4-for-20 from three-point range. I haven't seen anyone that cold since the last time I asked a Hooters waitress if she preferred older men..........It's truly the end of an era as we now hear of the retirements of NBA greats Karl Malone and Reggie Miller. Amazingly, these two gentlemen spent a mind-boggling 18 years with their respective Utah and Indiana teams (Malone spent his last year in Los Angeles)--thrilling fans with their scoring exploits along the way. Malone steps away with 36,928 points--1,459 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record. Miller, now 14th on the all-time scoring list, will retire at the end of this season and will perhaps be best remembered for scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds during a playoff game vs. the Knicks in 1995. That performance, at least to yours truly, remains at the very top when remembering the most remarkable individual feats witnessed during any single sporting event ..........Answer to trivia question #2: KEVIN BROWN--who struck out 257 batters for the National League champion Padres in 1998..........Finally, happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Jack Billingham--who blows out 62 candles on February 21st. A Florida native, Billingham pitched 13 seasons for the Dodgers, Astros, Reds, Tigers, and Red Sox--winning 145 games while hurling 27 shutouts. Named to the NL All-Star team in 1973 while pitching in Cincinnati, Billingham was also an integral part of the famed "Big Red Machine" championship teams of 1975 and 1976. Best wishes, Jack.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.