"Lazzari's Sports Roundup" - - - - 4/21/12

Lazzari's "Lopsided Score of the Week": In a Connecticut girls softball game played last week in Milford, Platt Tech annihilated Bullard Havens 22-0; the victors scored a whopping SEVENTEEN runs in their very first at-bat and the game was mercifully halted after 3 1/2 innings. Question: How long did it take for the outcome of this game to TRULY be determined? Put it this way: If this had been a boxing match, the bout would have been halted even before the losing fighter attempted to tape his hands PRIOR to entering the ring..........TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1991 Cleveland Indians, who finished 57-105 under managers John McNamara and Mike Hargrove, hit only 79 home runs as a team--dead last in the American League. Albert "Don't Call Me Joey" Belle led the team with 28; can you name the former infielder who was second on the team that season with a total of just 11? Answer to follow..........ITEM: N.Y. Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie becomes the father of his TENTH child--born to eight different women covering six U.S. states. With that in mind, I ask my readers THIS question: When Cromartie finally retires someday (he just turned 28)--and at the rate he reproduces--will he have more career interceptions or KIDS? (he currently has 22 lifetime picks)..........This week in sports history, April 24, 1967: Wally Jones scores 27 points while center Wilt Chamberlain adds 24 (along with 23 rebounds)--leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 125-122 victory over the San Francisco Warriors to claim the NBA championship. The 76ers overcame an outstanding effort by Warriors star Rick Barry--who scored 44 points that day while averaging 41 ppg over the six-game series. It was the first NBA title won by a team other than the Boston Celtics since 1958; Philadelphia had defeated Boston in the semifinals--ending the Celtics run of a remarkable EIGHT consecutive championships..........Lately, I'm starting to believe that the secrets to both effective MLB pitching AND selling real estate are identical: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION..........Compliments of my good friend--Dick Graham of West Haven (CT): If Canadian actress Carrie Moss ever married Mick Jagger, could it then be said that the Rolling Stone was gathering Moss? (sorry, folks)..........Did you know that the 1996-'97 Philadelphia 76ers had three players on the squad who averaged more than 18 ppg apiece--but finished a pathetic 22-60 in the NBA's Atlantic Division? Allen Iverson (23.5), Jerry Stackhouse (20.7), and Derrick Coleman (18.1) were the top scorers for coach Johnny Davis' sixth place team. DEFENSE was this team's albatross as it allowed almost 107 points per game--second-to-last in the league that season..........I used to think that watching J.J. Redick of the Orlando Magic shooting free throws was a pure thing of beauty. That all changed the other day when I caught a glimpse of the orange dress that actress Audrina Patridge was wearing at the premier of "The Avengers" in Hollywood. My goodness..........Answer to trivia question: CARLOS BAERGA, who played in 158 games that year for a team that finished in seventh-place--34 games behind Toronto in the AL East..........Happy birthday wishes go out to former MLB pitcher Herman Segelke--who blows out 54 candles on April 24th. Segelke was known to throw more than 100 miles-per-hour while pitching for El Camino High School in California during the 1970's. Drafted by the Cubs in the first-round of the '76 draft, Segelke's success at the amateur level never translated to the "bigs." He pitched in only THREE big league games (1982 with the Cubs)--and it WASN'T pretty, folks. Herman threw a total of 4 1/3 innings in relief during his short tenure--giving up six hits, walking six, and uncorking a couple of wild pitches. His lifetime ERA? A whopping 8.31. Hey, they ALL can't be Ferguson Jenkins, right? Best wishes for many more celebrations to come, Herman..........Finally, condolences go out to the family of former Montreal Canadiens captain/four-time Stanley Cup-winner Emile "Butch" Bouchard--who passed away recently in Canada at the age of 92. The captain of the Canadiens from 1948-'56, Bouchard played his entire 15-year career in Montreal; the team won the Cup twice while Butch was the captain. A defenseman, he scored 49 goals in his career while appearing in 785 regular season games and an additional 133 postseason games. A six-time All-Star, Bouchard was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. However, his #3 jersey wasn't retired by the team until 2009 due to his family's strong desire/urging. May "Butch" Bouchard rest in peace.