Tuesday, September 15, 2015

"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 9/12/15


*Question: With all the advances in medical science/technology--along with the many resources available to the New York Yankees--WHY did it take the team almost a MONTH to find out that first baseman Mark Teixeira had a fractured right leg? My good buddy, sportscaster Steve Lenox, chimed in with this answer: "Perhaps the Yankees are cutting costs--and/or using the Mets' old team doctors." Go figure..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The 2004 St. Louis Cardinals--who won an impressive 105 games under manager Tony LaRussa--had three players on the team who hit more than 30 home runs and drove in more than 100 runs apiece. Can you name this talented trio of sluggers? Answer to follow..........ITEM: Robert Griffin III is used as a scout team SAFETY in practice prior to the Redskins first game of the season. Call me crazy, but I'll go out on a limb and say that RG3 is the first scout team safety EVER to be earning $16 million per season..........Just received word that former 3-time NBA MVP Moses Malone died in his sleep in Virginia at the age of 60. Wow--what a player. This was a guy who was voted one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996; he is one of only four players in history (Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, and Hayes) to finish with 25,000 points and 15,000 rebounds. He also has the distinction of being the first player to go from high school to the pros (when HARDSHIP was a relevant term)--playing for the Utah Stars after leaving Petersburg (VA) High School. The "Chairman of the Boards" was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 2001. This 6'10" former center was always considered a "gentle giant" off the court, too. You'll be missed greatly, Mr. Malone..........Feelin' old, folks? This won't help: Former MLB pitcher Mickey Lolich celebrated his 75th birthday this past weekend. Did you know that, as a member of the Detroit Tigers, Lolich pitched 200+ innings EVERY SEASON between 1964 and 1975 (including a remarkable 376 in 1971)? Ummm--do you think the team got its money's worth out of this talented lefty all those years? Just an amazingly tough, SOLID pitcher during his day..........I came across a TV commercial the other day for Infiniti automobiles featuring the lovely, ageless Christie Brinkley. Sadly, it made me realize EVEN MORE that she probably would NOT be interested in dating an aging sports columnist who currently drives a beat-up old Ford..........Oh--and the chances of finding an ACCURATE/COMPLETE Connecticut high school football roster on any website are about the same as yours truly dating the aforementioned Ms. Brinkley AND Sharon Stone on the SAME night before the end of 2015..........Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a college football game played last weekend, Boston College totally ANNIHILATED Howard 76-0; BC led 62-0 at HALFTIME--with both teams agreeing to play 10-minute quarters in the second half. I haven't seen anything THAT ugly since a former male college roommate of mine donned pantyhose prior to going to see a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show back in the late 70's..........*Question: How could superstar Mike Trout of the L.A. Angels steal a combined 82 bases in the 2012-'13 seasons--and have a total of only TWENTY-SIX since then (as of press time)? Now I know these athletes are coddled in ridiculous fashion these days and "risky" situations like base-stealing are taken into account when teams are trying to protect their "investments." But to rob Trout of an important "tool" like his running ability--strictly due to monetary concerns--truly takes Trout's "superstar" status and drops it down a notch. Totally ridiculous......... Answer to trivia question: ALBERT PUJOLS (46/123), JIM EDMONDS (42/111), and SCOTT ROLEN (34/124)..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former college basketball star Roy Marble--who passed away last week after a lengthy battle with cancer; he was just 48 after being diagnosed in August of 2014. Marble, a 6'6" swingman--played at Iowa from 1986-1989 and left that school as its all-time leading scorer (2,116 points). A native of Michigan, Marble led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament four times--including an appearance in the Elite Eight in 1987. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1989 but was suspended in his rookie year for violating the NBA's substance abuse policy; sadly, he played in just 29 games during his brief NBA career. Marble's son, Roy Devyn, also played at Iowa (he earned first team All-Big-Ten in 2014); he and his Dad were the first father-son duo in Big Ten history to score 1,000 points apiece. In addition to Roy Devyn, Marble is survived by four other children: Carlo, Royonah, Merrick, and Roichelle. May Roy Marble rest in peace.

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