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Lazzari’s Sports Roundup – 7/11/09

Bob Lazzari — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:08:51 +0000

ITEM: American Joey Chestnut wins his third consecutive Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest–consuming 68 wieners to defeat his archrival Takeru Kobayashi. With some nutritional information in hand, try to fathom this, my friends: That translates to approximately 21,000 calories (not counting the buns), 1,367 grams of fat, 2,380 mg of cholesterol, and 46,512 mg of sodium. I sincerely apologize to any cardiologists out there who read this column regularly–i.e. Dr. David Kramer of California–for the shock value contained in those aforementioned numbers……….TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the last Chicago Cubs catcher to hit 30 or more home runs in a season? Answer to follow………..One of the great quotes I’ve come across lately–attributed to former Dodgers star Steve Garvey: “The difference between the old ballplayer and the new ballplayer is the jersey. The old ballplayer cared about the name on the front. The new player cares about the name on the BACK.”……….This week in sports history, July 14, 1991: LPGA golfer Meg Mallon wins her second major title in three weeks–shooting a final-round 67 to capture the U.S. Women’s Open held at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Trailing by two shots entering the final round while playing in 98-degree heat, Mallon made birdies on the 14th and 15th holes–propelling her to a two-stroke victory over Pat Bradley. Mallon had won the LPGA championship two weeks before in Bethesda, MD, to claim the first victory in her four-year LPGA career………..Question: Since Red Sox OF Jason Bay has a daughter named Evelyn, will friends be able to call her “E-BAY” in the future–or will they catch heat from the online auction giant?……….On the final day of competition at the recent Travelers Championship played at the TPC in Cromwell, Travelers announced a commitment by the Travelers Foundation to raise the tournament’s total charitable contribution to $1.08 million for 2009; that now puts the tournament’s contribution on equal footing with the champion’s purse. One of the pleasures of attending this event yearly is knowing that the tournament contributes 100 percent of its net proceeds to Connecticut charities–primarily The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (which assists children suffering from cancer and other serious diseases) and the Greater Hartford Jaycees Foundation. Yes, folks, when you combine great golf with some great causes, EVERYONE wins……….Yet another terrific Wimbledon final–this time between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick–with “King Roger” winning 16-14 in the fifth set. Yes, Mr. Federer now stands alone at the top of the Grand Slam singles list. But the valiant effort by Roddick–and the class he exhibited following the loss–was almost as impressive. Yes–we definitely learned that there IS an “A-ROD” out there TRULY deserving of accolades and applause……….ITEM: Boston Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis sees his batting average drop about 60 points between June 1st and July 1st. I can only surmise that “Youk” having to look at lovely sideline reporter Heidi Watney each and every game has FINALLY become a bit of a distraction……….One thing’s for sure: When Dr. Phil utters those familiar words “I want you to get excited about your life,” he is NOT directing them toward former Red Sox player/recent NESN guest broadcaster Sean Casey……….Answer to trivia question: RICK WILKINS, who hit an even 30 homers for the ‘93 Cubs–and would never hit more than 14 in a season thereafter……….Speaking of the aforementioned Federer and Roddick: If their performances last Sunday had ANYTHING to do with the fact that they are both newlyweds, then yours truly may be forced to alter his negative opinion on the concept of marriage altogether……….Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league infielder Vic Rodriguez–who blows out 48 candles on July 14th. There may be a legitimate reason why most fans may not remember Vic: He played just two seasons in the “bigs”–1984 with the Orioles and 1989 with the Twins. However, he truly made the most of it–compiling a .429 lifetime average while banging out 12 hits in 28 career at-bats. As a minor leaguer, he appeared in more than 1,700 games and later became a minor league coach/instructor; best wishes, Vic……….Finally, condolences go out to the family of former major league pitcher Hal Woodeshick–who died recently in Houston at the age of 76. In a career that lasted from 1956-1967, Woodeshick pitched for five teams: Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, Houston, and St. Louis. Used mostly in relief while appearing in 427 games, he accumulated 44 career wins and compiled a lifetime ERA of 3.56. His best year came in 1963 while with Houston–a year in which he won 11 games in relief, pitched to a 1.97 ERA, and gave up only 75 hits in 114 innings; he was also named to the NL All-Star team that season. Woodeshick was also a member of the ‘67 world championship Cardinals squad and pitched a scoreless inning in the Fall Classic that year vs. Boston. Sadly, Hal Woodeshick had been beset by health problems a long time before his death; may he finally rest in peace.

Lazzari’s Sports Roundup – 7/9/09

Bob Lazzari — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:35:43 +0000

Out at the Travelers Championship last weekend, I was following the threesome of Joe Durant, Boo Weekley, and Jay Williamson for a few holes. Coming off the 9th green, I witnessed a young girl politely inquire to Weekley, “Boo, may I have your autograph?” Weekley simply stopped and smiled–then offered, “I’ll do better than that–how ’bout an autographed ball?” He then signed the ball, flipped it to the glowing youngster, and proceeded to the 10th tee amid an ovation due to his gracious efforts. Yes, some athletes DO get it, folks; talk about a guy with the WRONG nickname, huh? Hooray for you, Boo…….TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1985 Toronto Blue Jays had two pitchers on their staff who had a combined record of 18-0. Can you name this pair of hurlers? Answer to follow…….Speaking of the Travelers, many thanks go out once again to tournament director Nathan Grube, media/marketing manager Anne Marie McLaughlin, and the rest of the staff for their hospitality once again this year. Even when things don’t go as smoothly as expected, they are quick to remedy problem situations–and are true pros at what they do…….Just thinking: If former Texas Tech golfer Tracy Stanford married ex-UCONN RB Donald Brown, divorced, married PGA golfer Ken Duke–divorced again–then married Trail Blazers VP Tom Penn, various college grads would truly delight in her full married name of Tracy Stanford Brown Duke Penn…….Yes, I’m sure that most people who know me would venture to say that I’m a true ”sports fanatic.” But I must admit one thing: When I think of the initials “CD,” I don’t think of Carroll Dale, Charlie Dressen, Chuck Daly, or Clay Dalrymple. No, for some strange reason, only one name comes to mind these days: CAMERON DIAZ…….This week in sports history, July 6, 1986: Infielder Bob Horner of the Atlanta Braves blasts FOUR home runs; however, his heroics are not enough as his team loses to the Montreal Expos 11-8 at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium. Horner hit homers in the second, fourth, and fifth innings–all coming off Expos starter Andy McGaffigan; his final blast came off reliever Jeff Reardon in the ninth. Horner became the 11th player to accomplish this rare feat–and the first to do it in a nine-inning game since Willie McCovey back in 1961…….Sad to hear about the death of Dave Poole–one of Yale football’s biggest fans–who passed away on Father’s Day. Poole worked as an aide to the sports information people at home games, and his unmistakable smile was the official welcoming for many of us over the years once we reached the press box. In fact, I can’t remember a time when the “little guy” WASN’T smiling; I’ll truly miss our enjoyable conversations before each Yale home game and the sincere passion he brought to the university. Keep smiling above us, Dave…….From the “Every Little Bit Helps” Dept.: KRAFT Singles is teaming up with minor league baseball to take families out to the ballgame this summer. Through September 1, fans can enjoy the “Tuesday Night Tickets” offer at most minor league ballparks nationwide. Simply bring a KRAFT Singles package wrapper to the ballpark box office, buy a ticket, and you’ll get another FREE from KRAFT Singles. Yes–a great way to make a family outing a bit more affordable during the remaining weeks of summer…….Answer to trivia question: DENNIS LAMP (11-0) and TOM FILER (7-0)–who combined to go undefeated for Bobby Cox’ first-place Toronto club…….As many of you already know, Danbury (CT) native/PGA Tour pro Ken Green was involved in a tragic RV accident down in Mississippi a few weeks back that killed his girlfriend, Jeanne Hodgin, and his brother, Bill Green. Green recently had to have his right leg amputated due to the injuries sustained in the accident and has undergone various other surgeries since that time. The PGA has established a fund in order to ease Green’s financial burden; checks can be made out to “Ken Green Trust” and mailed to: Ken Green Trust, P.O. Box 1811, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32004-1811. Get better QUICKLY, Ken…….Happy birthday wishes go out to former major league infielder Tim Nordbrook–who blows out 60 candles on July 7th. A native of Baltimore, Nordbrook played parts of six seasons in the “bigs” between 1974 and 1979; he was a member of five different teams during his short career. One thing’s for sure: Nordbrook was NOT known for his hitting. In 169 career at-bats, he tallied just 30 hits for a .178 lifetime average–yes, WELL below the famed “Mendoza Line.” However, folks, he can always hang his hat on the fact that he stole four bases in his career–without ever being caught. Best wishes, Tim…….Finally, condolences go out to the family of legendary swimming coach Richard Quick–who died recently in Texas due to brain cancer at the age of 66. Quick was the winner of more major college swimming titles (13) than any other Division I coach; he also was the head coach of U.S. swimming teams in three different Olympics (‘88, ‘96, and 2000). During his tremendous career, Quick had coaching stints at SMU, Iowa State, Auburn, Texas, and Stanford. Some of the champion swimmers he coached were Rowdy Gaines, Summer Sanders, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson; Quick was elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2000. He is survived by his wife, June, two children, a pair of stepchildren, and two grandchildren. Rest in peace, “Coach.”