Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/8/2025

It was a crazy week of sports.  French Open.  NCAA Baseball tournament.  Stanley Cup and NBA Finals.  MLB in midseason form.  But a sport that got the best rating in its history takes center stage.  Softball's Women's College World Series captivated the nation, in addition to the state of Texas.  As Big 12 Texas Tech and their all-world pitcher faced off against Texas, old Southwest Conference (and Big 12) rival who battled through their conference without winning either the regular season or tournament.  In a thrilling three game series that brought tons of eyes to the sport, Texas won WCWS Game 1 defeating Tech superstar NiJaree Canady on a clutch 2-run single in the bottom of the sixth.  Tech answered with a 4-3 win holding on in Game 2.  But Texas delivered the death blow scoring a mind blowing 5 in the first inning and coasting to a girlpile for the Longhorns first National Championship.  Behind it all?  Superstar starter Teagan Kavan who outshined her Red Raiders counterpart.  Kavan set a record with 31 2/3 WCWS innings with no earned runs.  Started both the Longhorns wins in Finals Game 1 and 3.  Finished the season 28-5.  To loosely quote Yogi Berra (at the time regarding Bob Gibson), "I understand how she won 28.  I have no idea how she lost 5."  Kavan is now a Longhorn Legend and the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/1/2025

The NBA Playoffs have featured lots of seed upsets and new teams advancing to the final rounds.  The Indiana Pacers check both boxes.  Entering the playoffs, the fourth seeded Pacers faced an uphill challenge and have not flinched.  They've marched through the 5th seeded Milwaukee Bucks, top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and 3rd seeded New York Knicks not even facing elimination.  12-4 so far with eight games on the road.  This week they were led but Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam, who relentlessly pushed the Knicks in their two decisive wins in Games 4 and 6.  Siakam netted 76 points (including 30+ in the wins) with 16 boards and ten assists.  He added three blocks in decisive Game 6.  The ten-year Cameroon native is a relentless best supporting player as he also won a title with the Raptors in 2019.  He's the guy you want on your side and epitomizes the Pacers team play and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/25/2025

The annual "Best Day in Motorsports" did not disappoint as the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend featured the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, and Coca Cola 600 across the Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR series respectively.  The Indianapolis 500 features storylines including a rookie pole sitter, a driver attempting for a rare three-peat, and the best driver on the circuit looking for his first iconic win in the premier race of his sport.  The latter happened.  Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing kept a consistent presence near the front, as others faded by the wayside.  The three-time IndyCar champ pulled out all the stops in passing, then holding off Marcus Ericsson.  Brilliant use of pit strategy and economic fuel management put Palou in position to pass Ericsson with 15 laps left and with a faster machine, drive on to Victory and the brick kissing and milk that goes with it.  Palou becomes the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500 and puts a major stamp on his career which is still on the younger side of 30.  Alex Palou is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/18/2025

Both the NBA and Stanley Cup Playoffs are rounding into semifinal form. On the NHL side, there is one team left to represent Canada.  The Edmonton Oilers.  A big reason they look poised to capture the cup is their goalie, Stuart Skinner.  This week, Skinner shut down the Las Vegas Golden Knights with two shutouts.  Game, set, match.  27 shots, 27 saves and two wins including a 1-0 overtime.  You can't win if you can't score and Skinner showed that.  The native of Edmonton could be one of the greatest heroes of local yore. Just eight more wins. One octopus.  But for now, the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/11/2025

The NBA Playoffs first round was somewhat predictable, but the second round has been pure chaos of upsets.  The Minnesota Timberwolves got a tough draw with the 3x World Champion Golden State Warriors having disposed of the second seed Houston Rockets and out for more blood.  But our Sportsman of the Week has taken control.  Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is exerting his teams will and looks to point the Wolves to the Conference Finals.  After stumbling in Game 1, Edwards helped Minnesota recover, Stephan Curry injury withstanding, push his team to a 2-1 lead after 3 with home court in hand.  Edwards 36 points in Game 3 in a close win, to go with an average of 27 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds.  And team leadership.  The Timberwolves seem to be poised to win their first title and if they do, it will be because of Anthony Edwards, the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/4/2025

It is high arena playoff season, that being the NBA and NHL (a.k.a. Stanley Cup) Playoffs.  Up to four games a night for each league over the last couple of weeks has been a buffet of fan excitement.  But the ultimate climax is Game 7.  Especially a Game 7, and especially with a comeback win.  And an individual single handedly doing it.  The Dallas Stars Mikko Rantanen took a dire situation down 2-0 to score three goals in the last 13 minutes to send his team to the Second Round.  It wasn't just scoring, the former Avalanche star was lighting up the scoreboard in Games 5, 6, and 7 with six assists to go with five goals as the Stars recovered from a 3-2 deficit to win the series. The Stars move on, and Rantanen is a worthy Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/27/2025

Sluggers going to slug, but four home runs in a game is beyond slugging.  Eugenio Suarez did just that for the Arizona Diamondbacks, first time in MLB since 2017.  The unfortunate news, the Diamondbacks lost the game to the Atlanta Braves in extra innings.  Only the second time ever a player hit four bombs in a loss.  Baseball.  Doesn't diminish the individual effort.  Suarez has been a big power bat on a team that is contending in the hyper-spending NL West and let's not forget, just two times removed from an NL pennant.  Will the Diamondbacks be able to keep it up?  If Suarez keeps hitting like this, it very well may happen!  Eugenio Suarez is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/20/2025

While everyone presumed the Los Angeles Dodgers would coast to the NL West Championship, if not the NL Pennant.  The San Diego Padres are reloaded and ready to challenge.  There may not be a better all-around player on the planet, if not the hottest, than Fernando Tatis Jr.  FTJ is playing high level MVP ball if not Triple Crown.  This week he was 9-24, 9 runs, 7 RBI, 4 HR and walked 5 times.  He's a problem for opponents leading off with artillery behind him.  It's crazy he just turned 26.  By now twice Top 5 MVPs, two silver sluggers, and a gold glove.  With the COVID year, he's only played 130 games or more twice.  What does this look like for 150 games for a few years in a row?  We'll find out, but Fernando Tatis Jr. is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/13/2025

One of the greatest feats in golf is the career grand slam.  Only five golfers have every done it since World War II and it's a who's who of modern golf.  Actually, many before the more competitive era.  Nicklaus.  Hogan.  Player.  And more recently, Woods.  But most recently, Rory McIlroy.  After a decade of trying to win his first green jacket at The Masters, McIlroy finished the job.  Coasting with a comfortable lead most of Sunday (which he earned with near flawless play the first 54 holes), things got sticky when fellow Briton Justin Rose posted a 66 including six Birdies.  Meanwhile, McIlroy flubbed three holes for bogeys plus a double.  On the 72nd hole, McIlroy just needed a par, but bogeyed.  As criticisms of "can't finish the job" echoed over Augusta National, the Northern Irishmen nailed his second shot on the 73rd hold in easy birdie range.  Rose couldn't hole the birdie and Rory won it.  The Masters.  The Career Grand Slam.  And Legend.  Rory McIlroy is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

This is the second Sportsman of the Week for Rory McIlroy the last coming over 10 years ago (which is probably a record).

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/6/2025

He is.  The Greatest.  Of All Time.  Goal scorers at least.  Washington Capitals sniper/winger Alex Ovechkin defied father time and the history of the National Hockey League in scoring his career goal number 895, breaking what many thought was an unbreakable record held by "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky.  This may finally be unbreakable, to average 45 goals for 20 years is just something hard to do, especially as physical as the game is in the 2020s and beyond.  He broke the record on Sunday with a national audience tuned in, but overall, for the week he scored 5 goals in 4 games (scoring at least one in all four).  He's actually scored a goal in 5 straight games and sits fourth in the league in goals despite missing five weeks due to a knee injury.  The Soviet Superstar has gas left in the tank, and is a deserving Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!