Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/18/2021

Two weeks into the MLB season and two no hitters.  It's not supposed to happen like this.  Especially early in the season where pitchers are presumably working up their pitch count.  Last week, Joe Musgrove did the improbable.  This week, Chicago White Sox hurler Carlos Rodon almost did the impossible.  A near perfect game.  The lefty took a perfecto into the 9th but on a fluke (or characteristic) unhittable sharp breaking ball, hit a batter on his foot with one out.  No worries, he retired the next two batters and preserved the no-no for an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians.  Rodon, a 3rd overall pick in the 2014 Amateur draft, has struggled with injuries with only 11 starts in the last 2 years (2019-20).  It was Rodon's second complete game and first shutout.  And of course, first no hitter.  He did it and further reminded baseball fans how fun baseball is.  Our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/11/2021

What a first full week for Major League Baseball and unbelievably we have our first no hitter!  Of 2021 and for the San Diego Padres!  With teams concerned about pitch counts and 10 person bullpens, Joe Musgrove ensured none were needed.  Facing just one more than the minimum, Musgrove sent down 27 Texas Rangers without allowing a hit.  Ten strikeouts, no walks and just a hit by pitch.  It was Musgrove's first complete game and, consequently, his first shut out.  Could not have come at a better time.  The Padres are expected to compete with the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and if they can get this sort of performance out of Musgrove, they just might unseat the champs.  A worthy Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/4/2021

Sports fans across the United States were deprived of March Madness in 2020.  The reward in 2021 is that much sweeter.  After recognizing as a Sportsman of the Week a player on the men's side last week, it was the Women's Final Four that was the story of the weekend.  Enter an all Pac 12 final, and enter our Sportswoman of the Week from the National Champion Stanford Cardinal.  Haley Jones of the Cardinal led a 4 guard attack that couldn't be slowed down in two, single point Final Four victories.  Jones chipped in 24 points in the semifinal against South Carolina Gamecocks, then another 17 against fellow Pac 12 rival Arizona to end the Final Four averaging over 20 points a game.  The Stanford Cardinal were champions for the first time in 29 years and Jones is the deserving Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/28/2021

Another week of March Madness and we can't get enough of the action.  In the backdrop, top national seed Gonzaga is pushing to be the first undefeated NCAA Men's Basketball National Champion team since 1976.  So far this season, only one team has kept the Bulldogs within 10 points.  Neither of the teams they played this week kept them that close.  Led by Sportsman of the Week Drew Timme, Gonzaga averaged 17 point victories over the 8 seeded Oklahoma Sooners and 5 seeded Creighton Blue Jays.  Timme filled the box score in all categories, averaging 26 points (30 vs. OU, 22 vs. CU) and 9.5 rebounds.  He also got 4 assists per game so he wasn't greedy.  Gonzaga has long been a tournament darling but plays the favorite as they try and navigate to their first National Championship.  It will be Timme and teammates that can make it happen, he is a worthy Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/21/2021

What an opening weekend of March Madness.  In an unpredictable season impacted all along the way with games rescheduled and cancelled but culminating in one of the biggest events in American Sports.  The NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball tournament.  This time last year sports fans ate a bitter pill when there was no possible path forward for the tournament as the country grappled with cancelled events and lock downs.  But the tournament was wide open on the first weekend.  On the Men's side, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles were one of the surprise teams, shocking one of the short-list tournament favorite Ohio State Buckeyes in overtime.  Not to be outdone, the 15-seed proceeded to defeat the Florida Gators in the second round.  Sweet 16 ticket punched.  They were led by experienced and talented forward Kevin Obanor.  The junior number "0" led the team with an average of 29 points over the first two games, and not only that, added 11 rebounds in both games.  He added 4 steals in the Florida win as well to be a complete stat sheet filler.  Oral Roberts next gets third seeded Arkansas.  Will they add another major program to their belt?  Our Sportsman of the Week Kevin Obanor will lead the Golden Eagles and make a good run at it!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/14/2021

Spring sports are the best.  Even better when they're winter sports disguised in Spring.  Oh wait, it's actually winter another week.  Even despite clocks changing.  Got it.  Not the first time this Blog points to one of the great athletic events for a Sportsman of the Week in the Iditarod.  And not the first time our Sportsman of the Week took the title.  Dallas Seavey was the 12th ever winner of the Sportsman of the Week honor, but worthy again.  This week in the annual Dogsled Super Bowl as it were, Seavey won his fifth Iditarod (last SOTW was his first win) in 7 days, 14 hours, 8 minutes and 57 seconds.  The race was shortened to ensure a clean finish and without risk of COVID interruption.  At 34 years old, he ties the all time record of Rick Swenson and is poised to break his record in future years.  I'd love to give you a day by day analysis but I wasn't on the course and the ESPN coverage was spotty.  Let's just say Seavey is good and deserves Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/7/2021

Combat sports are in a transition phase, as traditional boxing (on the 50th anniversary of Ali-Frazier I) give way to what might be considered more action packed (read, shorter, fewer rounds) mixed martial arts.  The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has continued to evolve in style, substance, and quality to take the main stage.  And last Saturday's UFC 259 (doesn't quite have the roman numerals like Super Bowls) provided action and surprise.  The action was defending champion Jan Blachowicz (Poland) versus the previous undefeated Israel Adesanya (Nigeria) in the Light Heavyweight (oxymoron anyone, dudes are 200 pounds) division.  Blachowicz was a +185 underdog but controlled Adesanya to demonstrate superiority.  Per the fight stats showed clear dominance for Jan as he had more strikes, significant strikes, take downs (3 to 0), and match control.  Resulted in an easy unanimous decision.  The 38-year old Blachowicz used his experience this time, but Adesanya is probably a champion of the future.  Great historical matchup, and a worthy Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 2/28/2021

The NBA is hitting its Spring stride and a familiar name is positioning his team for a potential deep NBA Playoff run and potential first title in 50 years (and you think your favorite team hasn't won in a while).  Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks has his team at the third seed and feared hoping to at least win the Eastern Conference since 1974.  The two-time reigning NBA MVP lit up opponents this week with 3 games of brilliance.  36-38 points in each game (37 PPG average), 13-15 made FG, throw in average 11 rebounds and 6 assists and not a bad week.  Oh, and 3 wins.  He's also the reigning defensive player of the year so complete two way threat.  Will the Bucks finally break through?  Will Antetokounmpo  win a third MVP?  To be determined, but he is our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 2/21/2021

There's a changing of the guard on women's tennis, no doubt about it.  And it played out in the first Grand Slam tournament in 2021.  Japan's Naomi Osaka knocked off American legend Serena Williams in the Australian Open semifinals which had all the making of a passing of the torch.  Serena had little to defend against the younger, more athletic Osaka.  Neither did fellow American Jennifer Brady who put together a great tournament to even get to the finals, but could muster no more than the 7 games Serena did over 2 sets.  Only Garbine Muguruza could win a set against Osaka and along with the two Americans, the only ones to win 4 games in a set.  The 23 year old Osaka looks all the part of a humble tennis superstar, and this is her second Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 2/14/2021

An annual rite of Spring (or at least late winter) is the restart of the NASCAR season in warm and sunny Florida for the Daytona 500.  Well at least it was warm and later, the rain that precluded the sun abated.  As unpredictable as the weather was the result of the race.  With former Cup champions Denny Hamlin leading the most laps, and Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski leading the final lap, it seemed certain a winner would be from the Final Four of 2020.  Au Contraire.  After Brad took out Joey, it was underdog Michael McDowell who took the checker after a fiery final lap and a yellow flag just before he was passed by 2020 Cup winner Chase Elliott.  It was McDowell's 358th Cup Series career start.  And first Cup Series race victory.  He was listed somewhere between 66-1 and 100-1 at the start.  But he's number one so far in 2021 and now punched his ticket to the NASCAR playoffs.  Michael McDowell is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!