Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/26/2019

Underdog.  Beating the big boys.  Wasn't supposed to win.  All qualities for a great Sportsman of the Week.  35-year-old American Gary Woodland was well below the radar for the 119th United States Open, but put together four consecutive rounds at 2 under par or better.  Only two other golfers finished all four rounds under (John Rahm, Brooks Koepka).  Woodland had only one tour win since 2013, and that was a playoff win over a year prior in 2018.  But Woodland entered Sunday with the lead, with big dogs chasing him.  Like 2-time defending champion  Koepka.  Former major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose.  Even Tiger Woods who birdied six of his last 12 holes.  But Woodland didn't fluster. He didn't have his best round, but down the stretch he didn't falter.  He punctuated his win by, while needing just a 3-putt, putting in a 30 foot putt dead center.  And took his trophy.  And the Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/9/2019

Pitching a no-hitter is a frequent path to the Sportsman of the Week.  Striking out 19 batters in a game would similarly get you there.  Doing both?  Really strong chance.  Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker pitched the game of his life, when his team really needed it to win a pivotal Game 2 of a 3 game set against the Duke Blue Devils.  In an elimination game, Rocker threw 131 pitches, 89 for strikes (57 in the strikouts) to send the series to the third game, which the top ranked Commodores also won.  It was Rocker's 10th win of the year.  He only walked 2 facing 2 more than the minimum in the first no-hitter in NCAA Super Regional history.  Rocker rocked the Blue Devils and duly earns the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/2/2019

This Blog always loves an underdog and an unexpected champion.  Andy Ruiz Jr. fits both.  Even at 6'2", 270 pounds, and significantly lacking what we would call "muscle definition".  The American heavyweight of Mexican descent survived the first knockdown of his career to beat British Champion Anthony Joshua by 7th round Technical Knockout Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  In a wild third round, Ruiz Jr. was felled once, but came up inspired and sent Joshua to the canvas twice.  Joshua never seemed to be the same.  Ruiz Jr. again floored him twice in the 7th round, the second Joshua looked reluctant to continue and that was that.  Ruiz Jr. went off as an 11-1 underdog, but now sits at 33-1 with 22 KO.  The one loss to Joseph Parker, then Heavyweight Champion.  But now, Ruiz Jr. is champion.  Joshua is contractually guaranteed a rematch and certainly will have his full attention on Ruiz Jr.  But it is Ruiz Jr. who is now the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO Champions.  And the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/26/2019

The Toronto Raptors shocked a lot of teams to crash the NBA Finals, however it was done with a familiar source.  Forward Kawhi Leonard outplayed MVP candidate Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to win Games 3 through 6 and pace the Raptors to their first Eastern Conference title.  According to media reports, Leonard was slowed by injury, but it didn't show.  In the four wins to beat the Bucks, Leonard averaged 29 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists when they needed it the most.  Leonard is an NBA Champion and showed that he is ready to take down the Warriors.  For the second time in this blog history, Kawhi Leonard is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/19/2019

The NHL Playoffs are reaching a crescendo with two teams that haven't won a Stanley Cup ever coming from the West.  The St. Louis Blues were one of the worst teams on January 7, but may just punch their ticket to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.  Led by rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington.  Binnington started his first game on January 7 and led the team to an improbable 29-9-5 streak to get a key Wild Card spot.  A spot they've parlayed into being one game away from a shot at their first Stanley Cup Title.  Binnington has been brilliant in the last 4 games, with a 3-1 record, with only 3 GA in 77 shots in the wins.  His loss, to be honest, involved what should have been called a hand pass.  Will Binnington get the job done in Game 6 (at home) or 7 (in San Jose)?  Time will tell.  But Binnington shows that a hot goalie can carry a team, and he is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/12/2019

The weather is warming up, and that means baseball season.  The Oakland A's aren't off to a strong start, but starting pitcher Mike Fiers sure gave the fans a show.  For the second time in his career, he completed nine innings without a batted ball in play resulting in a batter reaching base that wasn't scored an error.  In other words, he pitched a no hitter.  Fiers only walked 2 batters while a third baserunner reached on an error.  And he needed to keep the bases clean to protect a 2-0 lead (only 1-0 when he took the mound in the 7th).  Further adding to the unusual event was that the game was delayed 90 minutes due to a malfunctions in the lights.  Maybe the Reds bats fell asleep and never woke up.  But really, Fiers proved he could do it on his first no hitter in 2015, and backed it up against the Reds.  Mike Fiers is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/5/2019

The Conference semifinals are going down to the wire in several series.  Except one.  The Carolina Hurricanes, fresh off of a dispatch of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, continued their winning streak and crushed the New York Islanders in four straight games.  Led by Teuvo Teravainen, the Canes showed no mercy.  After clutch 1-0 and 2-1 wins on Long Island, the red hot Canes lit the Isles up for 10 goals over the last two games.  Teravainen netted 2 goals in Game 3, and added a goal and assist in Game 4.  Overall, he skated to a +5 +/-.  For the playoffs, he's netted 6 goals in 11 games.  A young Finnish leader of a budding dynasty, our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/28/2019

The NBA playoffs are winnowing down to the elite, and one of the elite that's been underrepresented is the Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard.  The veteran guard without superstar help, has continuously led his teams to playoff berths, and in this case, dramatic victories.  Lillard had what many have called one of the best playoff games in NBA history.  In a closeout game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lillard delivered the fatal blow.  A 37-foot cold blooded 3 pointer in a tie game.  This capped off a 50 point masterpiece, in which he hit 10-18 three-pointers.  Will this be the year that the Blazers surge to a Western Conference Final?  Lillard will be tough to beat.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/21/2019

One of the lower key best times of the sports year is the first round of the NHL and NBA playoffs.  With sixteen teams and eight matchups in each, ever weeknight is filled with action on multiple channels to follow.  And at least in the NHL, upsets are common.  The Colorado Avalanche had relatively low expectation coming into the season.  In fact, they had not made it out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 9 years.  But as the six seed, they knocked off the Pacific Division Champion Calgary Flames in a swift five games.  The Avs took a body blow in Game 1 lowing 4-0, but then ran off four straight, including two on the road.  It helped to have Mikko Rantanen as the star.  The 22 year-old racked up 5 goals and 2 assists in the final 3 games, including the overtime Game 4 winner to send the Avs up 3-1 instead of tied 2-2.  Rantonen along with his sidekick 23 year-old Nathan MacKinnon have the Avs poised for many more runs, and it won't be another nine years before they get past the first round.  Maybe not before they win a Stanley Cup!  Mikko Rantanen is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/14/2019

There is no question what the biggest story in sports this week was.  And it wasn't the NBA or NHL playoffs, or MLB.  We're talking Tiger.  Tiger Woods.  Maybe you remember him.  In the Masters, the biggest PGA tournament of the year, he won his fifth Green Jacket.  And 15th Major.  He did it by emerging from a star-studded field, including 2018 major champion Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari along with Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, and Webb Simpson.  But it was Tiger who down the back stretch, was nails.  He went from tied to 2 strokes ahead as other contenders made mistake after mistake.  On the 18th hole, he needed a 5 bogey to win.  He took all five.  Greatness was returned, as Tiger won his first major in 11 years and fifth masters to go with 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005.  Amazing to think the fans born the first year he won The Masters are at most 21 years old.  And here we are with Tiger Woods back on top.  Enjoy it fans.  It's what sports is about.  And Tiger Woods is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!