"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" -- 03-05-05

The 2000 Yankees World Series ring recently sold by Jose Canseco reportedly featured 22 diamonds and close to 35 grams of gold. I'm now wondering if this ring, too, was affected by steroids--and was originally only a 12-diamond, 20-gram piece of jewelry..........TRIVIA QUESTION #1: Who is the youngest man ever to win a Grand Slam tennis event? Answer to follow..........N.Y. Mets catcher Mike Piazza has been working on his footwork this spring with instructor Tom Nieto. Truthfully, I don't think even Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly could have assisted this guy in improving his feet/shuffling to the point of helping him throw runners out..........Temple basketball coach John Chaney has been suspended for the rest of the season by the school for ordering rough play by one of his self-proclaimed "goons." Don't worry, John--a job on a "Sopranos" spin-off awaits in the near future..........It hurts me to say this, but the time has come for Andre Agassi to join his friend Pete Sampras in retirement. His trouncing at the hands of Roger Federer last week at the Dubai Open is just superfluous evidence that he can no longer compete with the sport's very best; he has now lost to Federer SIX straight times. I remember, what now seems just a short time ago, spending hours trying to convince friends that the rise of the long-haired, teenaged Agassi was NOT all image-based--that the kid could TRULY play tennis. Now a multi-Grand Slam champion and one of the game's all-time greats, he'd be wise to avoid any "farewell tour" and simply focus on enjoying his riches, family, and some incredible tennis memories..........Message to "steroid freak" Barry Bonds: Instead of attending press conferences/bad-mouthing press members, your time rehabbing would be better spent applying Preparation H to your head in hopes of making it smaller..........Answer to trivia question #1: MICHAEL CHANG--who won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17 years, 3 months..........This week in sports history, March 7, 1970: Junior guard Austin Carr of Notre Dame sets a new NCAA tournament single-game scoring record--pouring in 61 points as the Fighting Irish defeat Ohio University 112-82 in a first-round, Mideast Regional game. Carr--who scored 35 of the Irish's 54 first half points--broke the former mark of 58 set by Princeton's Bill Bradley back in 1965..........Did you know that pitcher "Smokey" Joe Wood--who won 34 games for the 1912 Boston Red Sox--actually played four games as an outfielder in the 1920 World Series as a member of the Cleveland Indians? Forced to give up pitching in the late "teens" due to a thumb injury, Wood switched to the outfield and finished with a .283 lifetime batting average--including a .366 season with Cleveland in 1921..........Looking back now, doesn't it seem totally ridiculous that it took the Miami Dolphins more than FIVE YEARS to realize that Jay Fielder was NOT a bona fide NFL quarterback?..........Back in the early '80s, I did a study for Baseball Digest of all major leaguers who had both walked and struck out 100 times in a season; I've updated it yearly. Interesting fact: Putting aside the strike season of 1994, 2004 was the first year since 1987 that an American League player failed to accomplish this feat. What does this tell me now? The continual dwindling of dominant pitchers and the current absence of selective hitters........TRIVIA QUESTION #2: What former Baltimore Orioles pitcher struck out seven consecutive batters in his major league debut? Answer to follow..........My idea of the perfect day? A 7 a.m. tee time with LPGA golfer Carin Koch, followed by a one o’clock lunch/tennis date with former star Gabriela Sabatini, topped off with a 7 p.m. dinner date with CBS football correspondent Jill Arrington..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a boys high school basketball game here in Connecticut last week, Lyman Memorial defeated Parish Hill 66-14--and held a 38-5 lead AT THE HALF. The REALLY sad part? The entire losing team was outscored by Lyman's Kyle Murphy; in addition, Parish Hill lost by 52 to a SUB-.500 team..........Question: Who tells lies more often: steroid-using athletes or the weathermen here in New England?..........Stat/fact of the year in the NBA so far: Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is 7'6" tall--but ranks 21st in the league in rebounding. Go figure..........A new soccer ball will be tested at this year's under-17 world championship; it will contain a microchip that beeps when it crosses the goal line--thus alerting referees to a legitimate goal. Can you imagine if they had a similar chip in baseballs when Gaylord Perry pitched--one that would beep in the presence of foreign substances? We would have heard more beeps than an edited version of "Scarface"..........Answer to trivia question #2: SAMMY STEWART--who fanned seven consecutive Cleveland Indians in his first big league game on September 1, 1978..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major leaguer Richie (Dick) Allen--who will blow out 63 candles on March 8th. One of the most feared hitters and free-spirited players of his time, Allen played 15 seasons for the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox, and A's--slugging 351 home runs along the way. He led the American League in home runs twice--in 1972 and 1974--while playing for the White Sox; he was also a six-time All-Star. Best wishes, Dick..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former heavyweight boxer Jimmy Young--who died recently of heart disease in Philadelphia at the age of 56. In a career that spanned from 1969-1990, Young's lifetime record was 35-18-3--including a disputed loss to Muhammad Ali in 1976 and a 12-round decision over George Foreman in 1977. Sadly, Young battled drug, financial, and legal difficulties in his later years. You may have been a light puncher, Mr. Young, but it's with a heavy heart that I offer this on behalf of many boxing fans: Thanks for the memories, Jimmy.

Bob Lazzari

Reprinted by permission of the Valley Times.