"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 3/26/11

I know that Elin Nordegren--the former Mrs. Tiger Woods--has the $$$ now to do almost anything she wants. But a $12.2 million/4,700 square foot, Palm Beach mansion with EIGHT bathrooms? I can only surmise that she wanted a bathroom for each day of the week--with the extra one to be used STRICTLY as the proverbial "reading room"..........TRIVIA QUESTION: In New Jersey Nets history, only three players have tallied 20 or more assists in a single game. Can you name this trio? Answer to follow..........Question: Now that actress Renee Zellweger is single again, do you think there is ANY chance that she'll soon be in the market for an aging, New England-based sports columnist?..........ITEM: Former UNLV basketball player Bobby Joyce is arrested in California for robbing a Vietnam veteran who was waiting at a Santa Ana bus stop in his wheelchair; Joyce's arrests/run-ins with the law dating back to the 1990's are too numerous to mention here. But sheesh--robbing a disabled vet--can it GET any lower than that? And shame on me; all this time I had surmised that those old Jerry Tarkanian teams of yesteryear were comprised solely of outstanding citizens and Rhodes Scholars..........Did you know that the 1993-'94 Detroit Red Wings--who finished 46-30-8 under Scotty Bowman--had FOUR players on the team with 30 or more goals during the regular season? Sergei Federov (56), Ray Sheppard (52), Vyacheslav Kozlov (34), and Keith Primeau (31) were all "scoring machines" for a team that finished first in the league's Central Division. However, they ultimately lost in the conference quarter-finals to the San Jose Sharks that season--4 games to 3..........This week in sports history, March 29, 1976: The Indiana Hoosiers overcome a six-point halftime deficit and ultimately roll to an 86-68 victory over Michigan in the NCAA Tournament championship game played in Philadelphia. Kent Benson and Scott May combined for 51 points for Indiana; Benson, May, and guard Quinn Buckner combined for 36 of the Hoosier's first 38 second-half points as coach Bobby Knight's squad became the seventh team to win the NCAA title with a perfect record (32-0)..........ITEM: Butler beats Pitt 71-70 last weekend--Pittsburgh's FOURTH straight year of losing to a lower seed in the NCAA tournament. Two possible explanations: 1) Pitt is now a program with a cemented reputation as an underachiever or 2) the selection/seeding committees have been hanging out with Charlie Sheen WAY too much over the past few years..........If anyone out there is well-aware that Luis Alberto Lazarte of Argentina is the current IBF junior flyweight champion of the world, then you have WAY too much time on your hands..........Did you know that the 1989 Cleveland Indians had four starting pitchers on their staff with ERA's less than 3.70--but the team STILL finished 16 games under .500? Bud Black, John Farrell, Tom Candiotti, and Greg Swindell were part of a very formidable staff that year. The problem with that team was OFFENSE; they scored the least amount of runs in the AL (604), had very little team speed, and were dead last in the league in on-base percentage (.310)...........Answer to trivia question: KEVIN PORTER (who did it four times in '77-'78), ROBERT PACK (1996), and STEPHON MARBURY (1999)..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league pitcher Marcus Jones--who blows out 36 candles on March 29th. A native of Bellflower, CA, Jones is a member of that unique MLB fraternity of pitchers who appeared in just ONE big league game. As a member of the A's back in 2000, Jones started a game vs. the Rockies--allowing five hits and four earned runs over 2.1 innings. Yes, folks, Marcus Jones is listed in the baseball record books as having a career ERA of 15.43. Hey, they ALL can't be Vida Blue, right? Best wishes, Marcus..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former University of Minnesota football coach Murray Warmath--who passed away last week in Bloomington at the age of 98. Hired in 1954, Warmath put together a record of 87-78-7 in 18 seasons as coach of the Gophers. After finishing last in the Big Ten in 1959 while winning just two games, Warmath was criticized harshly by angry fans--to the point of garbage being thrown on his front lawn. A hard-nosed disciplinarian, Warmath responded in 1960 by leading his team to a Big Ten title with a record of 8-1 while also being named national champions. Warmath remains the last Gophers coach to win a national championship, a Big Ten title, and a Rose Bowl. He later became a Minnesota Vikings assistant coach in 1978 and also worked as a scout in the organization into the 1990's before retiring. He is survived by his son, Murray Warmath Jr., as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; may Coach Warmath rest in peace.