Touring The Bases With…John D’Acquisto

Former big league right-hander John D’Acquisto was the 17th pick of the 1970 amateur draft, going to the San Francisco Giants in a draft that also featured Mike Ivie, Darrell Porter and “Disco Dan” Ford.  D’Acquisto got his feet wet in the Pioneer (rookie) League before the 19-year-old blossomed in Single-A in 1971, posting a [...]

Touring The Bases With…Terry Tata

Umpire Terry Tata officiated in the National League from 1973-1999, and umpired in four World Series, seven National League Championship Series, three All-Star games and five no-hitters, for two of which he was behind the plate.  During his major league career, he umpired in 3,743 regular season games. Click here to see a video of [...]

Farewell, Dad

Robert A. Lazzari passed away on June 3rd at the age of 83–his body finally giving out after decades-worth of health problems. He instilled in me a HUGE love for sports; he remains solely responsible for yours truly writing this weekly column and currently being involved in so many other media endeavors. But it all [...]

Touring The Bases With…Rico Petrocelli

Rico Petrocelli was signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 1961 and went on to have a productive 13-year big league career, all with Boston.  After a cup of coffee with the Sox in 1963, Petrocelli arrived in the big leagues to stay in 1965, and by 1969 was one [...]

Farewell To Mom–A True “All-Star”

Mary Lou Lazzari lost her long, courageous battle with cancer on October 9, 2007–the nasty disease having robbed the world of a once-vibrant, wonderful human being. O.K., you may wonder why a death of a loved one would warrant being the subject of a sports column; I kinda wondered about that, too, but the answer [...]

Belated 2011 MLB Predictions

Yes, folks, the 2011 MLB season is underway.  Rosters have changed and managers have changed; Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens HAVEN’T changed.  Here’s how they’ll finish: AL EAST Boston Red Sox N.Y. Yankees T.B. Rays Baltimore Orioles Toronto Blue Jays AL CENTRAL Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Cleveland Indians AL WEST Texas [...]

Fun Fantasy Baseball Marriages

LPGA golfer Leslie Spalding marries former pitcher Scott McGregor, divorces, marries former Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson–divorces again–then marries former Expos outfielder Ron Calloway. Sporting goods manufacturers would delight greatly in her full name of Leslie Spalding McGregor Wilson Calloway……….LPGA golfer Sally Little marries former Georgia Tech basketball player Jarrett Jack–divorces him–then marries former major leaguer [...]

Remembering “Rapid Robert”

The numbers are staggering:  266 victories, over 3,800 innings pitched, 279 complete games, twelve one-hitters–all while missing nearly four seasons due to military service.  Oh, he was also a World War II hero (gun captain on the USS Alabama), World Series champion, and an eventual baseball Hall of Famer.  When I first heard about the death of legendary pitcher Bob [...]

Lazzari’s Baseball Roundup 5

TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1990 Chicago White Sox–who finished 2nd in the AL West under manager Jeff Torborg–had three players who stole more than 30 bases apiece. Can you name this trio? Answer to follow……….There have been many questionable decisions over the years regarding baseball’s postseason awards, but how ’bout this one for pure insanity: In [...]

Lazzari’s Baseball Roundup 4

TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1987 Cincinnati Reds–who finished 2nd in the NL West under Pete Rose–had four players who hit more than 20 home runs apiece. How many of these players can you name? Answer to follow……….I used to think that a Steve Carlton slider was a pure thing of beauty–that is, until I saw a [...]

Lazzari’s Baseball Roundup 3

Great quote by WDRC-FM’s Mike Stevens last week following the Red Sox 14-5 loss to Tampa Bay–a game where Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up EIGHT earned runs in just over four innings: “Dice-K was serving up more meat than the Golden Arches.”……….TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1987 Baltimore Orioles–who finished sixth in the AL East under Cal Ripken, [...]

Lazzari’s Baseball Roundup 2

TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1990 Philadelphia Phillies–who finished 4th in the NL East under manager Nick Leyva–were led in victories by a starting pitcher with a measly total of just TEN. Can you name this former left-handed hurler? Answer to follow……….I have a new nickname for Bill Hall of the Boston Red Sox: “The Pendulum.” WHY? [...]

Touring The Bases With…Doug Gladstone

Doug Gladstone is the author of A Bitter Cup of Coffee: How MLB and The Players Association Threw 874 Retirees a Curve, in which he champions the cause of former major league players who don’t qualify for a pension because they didn’t meet the required service time.  An excerpt from an article Doug wrote for [...]

Lazzari’s Baseball Roundup

In search of some great, late-summer reading? Check out A Bitter Cup Of Coffee by author Doug Gladstone. This terrific publication references the plights of 874 MLB players who were active between 1947 and 1979; due to rules prior to 1980, these players have received NO pension money for their service to the national pastime. [...]

Touring The Bases With…Brent Mayne

Catcher Brent Mayne was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (#13 overall) of the 1989 amateur draft and made his major league debut only a year later, rapping an RBI single off Twins pitcher Scott Erickson in his first major league at-bat.  Mayne spent 15 seasons in the big leagues with [...]

Touring the Bases With…Milt Wilcox

Milt Wilcox, a righthanded hurler from Hawaii, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1968 amateur draft, a draft that included Tim Foli, Thurman Munson, Bobby Valentine, Greg Luzinski, Gary Matthews, and Bill Buckner.  Coming straight out of high school, Wilcox began his career in the Rookie League before moving [...]

Touring The Bases With…Bob Bruce

Bob Bruce was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers at the age of 20 but it took him six years to make his Major League debut.  Bruce went 18-8 with a 3.20 ERA in his first professional season with the Wausau Timberjacks of the Wisconsin State League in 1953, then went [...]

Touring The Bases With…Randy Jones

Former major league hurler Randy Jones spent only 10 years in the bigs and lost more games than he won, going 100-123 for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, but for two magical seasons, he was among the best pitchers in the game.  After leading the National League in losses with 22 in [...]

Touring the Bases (Again) With…Jack Perconte

After batting .334, .322 and .326 in three of his first five minor league seasons, second baseman Jack Perconte made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 13, 1980.  He was back in the minors in 1981 where he batted .346 for Albuquerque, then was traded to the Cleveland Indians, with [...]

Memories of “The Stadium”

No–it wasn’t Shea, the old Yankee one, or even Three Rivers. It was our wiffle ball venue as kids back in the 70′s–my next-door neighbor’s backyard serving as our nightly “home field” during those warm spring/summer days of yesteryear. Yes–we called it “The Stadium.” We’d meet there after dinner EVERY night (I’ll admit to eating [...]

Touring the Bases With…Craig Breslow

Relief pitcher Craig Breslow has been referred to as “the smartest man in baseball” because of his degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry earned at Yale University, and his performance on the field has been equally impressive, boasting a 2.78 ERA in 172 career games.  Breslow was drafted out of Yale by the Milwaukee Brewers [...]

Touring the Bases With…Roger LaFrancois

Boston Red Sox catcher Roger LaFrancois spent only eight games at the Major League level but made the most of it, batting .400 with a double, a run, and an RBI in 10 at-bats in 1982.  Drafted by Boston in the eighth round of the 1977 amateur draft, LaFrancois spent most of his nine professional [...]

So Long, Mr. Harwell

The Detroit Tigers happened to be out of town this past May 4th–playing at the new Target Field in Minnesota. Soon came the seventh-inning stretch and a picture of a smiling Ernie Harwell graced the stadium’s bright, new big screen. The news was then announced–though many fans were already privy to the inevitable: the Hall [...]

The “Not-So-Lazy” Days Of Summer

Yes–as the current summer approaches and the hot, scorching days are within earshot, I reflect upon my own summer vacations as a kid from long ago; yes, though “Father Time” has left his mark, certain memories still remain vivid. It was the 70′s: no video games/computers to corrupt our minds, no iPods to play our [...]

Remembering “The Bird”

The year was 1976; “Frampton Comes Alive” was gaining in music popularity, a former football player was still patrolling the White House, and yours truly had just received a driver’s license. Baseball season started with my next-door-neighbor, Al–a HUGE Detroit fan–telling me about this eccentric, young kid who had made the Tigers’ pitching staff. “They [...]

Touring the Bases With…Darryl Hamilton

Darryl Hamilton was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 1986 amateur draft and spent seven seasons in Milwaukee before signing as a free agent with the Texas Rangers in 1996.  After only one season in Texas, Hamilton played for the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets, with [...]

Ode To The ‘Roid Bums

It was back in the 90′s when Fay V. was “commish,” A clean game of baseball was his ultimate wish. He saw the potential for the game to go bad, He warned of expulsion for the drug-using lad. A few years would pass and the long balls were flying, As the skeptics and purists were [...]

Memories Of A Special Place

I know, it’s hard to believe–they’ve torn down the old Yankee Stadium; it’s still sinking in. It was called “The House That Ruth Built”–reduced to a pile of rubble while a new greed-fueled edifice graces the skyline just a few feet away. Ah, but they can’t haul away the many memories of a place that was [...]

Touring the Bases With…Carlos May

Carlos May, brother of major league slugger Lee May, was selected 18th overall in the 1966 draft, which also featured Reggie Jackson, Gary Nolan, and Richie Hebner.  He spent parts of three seasons in the minors, batting .311 from 1966-1968, before making his big league debut on September 6, 1968 with the Chicago White Sox.  [...]

Real Baseball Fans

Yes, even though the game of baseball seems to be a shell of what it once was, many of us continue to be avid fans. Just WHAT constitutes a REAL fan? Well, you absolutely know you’re a TRUE baseball fan if: *you use pine tar to seal envelopes *you’re female and use burnt cork/eye black [...]

Touring the Bases With…Ron Kittle

Right-handed slugger Ron Kittle belted 90 homers, drove in 247 runs and batted .337 between Double-A and Triple-A from 1981-1982 before settling in as the Chicago White Sox’s full-time left fielder in 1983.  His pyrotechnics display continued in the majors when he slammed 35 homers and drove in 100 runs in his rookie season, earning [...]

So Long, Bobby Ray

He wasn’t the next Mickey Mantle. He wasn’t as talented as Bobby Bonds–the man he was once traded for. And he’d be surpassed as a ballplayer by a young kid named Mattingly–whom he once made room for on the Yankees roster by graciously retiring from the game of baseball. Nope, he’ll never make the Hall [...]

2010 MLB Predictions

Yes, folks, the 2010 season is underway; there’s further talk of performance-enhancing drugs and tainted records–which reminds me:  I’ve been having headaches lately so will head to Canada soon to get some ibuprofen.  Anyway, here’s how they’ll finish this season: AL EAST N.Y. Yankees Boston Red Sox T.B. Rays Baltimore Orioles Toronto Blue Jays AL CENTRAL [...]

Touring the Bases With…Dick Drago

Pitcher Dick Drago began his career with the expansion Kansas City Royals in 1969 and split time between the rotation and the bullpen, winning 11 games in 26 starts and 15 relief appearances.  He led the Royals with 17 wins in 1971, but from ’69-’74 he went only 68-80 as a starter before becoming a [...]

Remembering Phil Rizzuto

Looking back, I’d have to say that Phil Rizzuto was the “voice” of my youth. It was the “Scooter’s” unmistakable, high-pitched voice that would be resounding throughout the steamy living room during those summers in the late 60′s when I first started following America’s pastime. Whether it was his trademark “Holy Cow!” (which, at times, [...]

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