sendmail can't identify hostname

[Ed.Q.Bridges]

for some reason i haven't been able to determine,
when init is running it's startup scripts it freezes
on the start script for sendmail.

initlog is displaying this:
Aug 11 13:16:23 lazy sendmail[1713]: My unqualified host name (lazy) unknown; sleeping 
for retry

lazy is the hostname of the machine, i.e. both of these display:
   bash$ cat /etc/HOSTNAME
   lazy
   bash$ hostname
   lazy

this is a RH6.2 machine:
   bash$ uname -a
   Linux lazy 2.2.16 #19 Thu Jul 27 13:06:58 EDT 2000 i686 unknown

the machine basically locks up during boot, forcing a cold
restart (i guess cause it keeps "sleeping for retry" whatever
that means :) ).

any help is _greatly_ appreciated!!

thanks!!!
--edb