Sportsman of the Week Ending 9/20/2020

 

Once again, defying COVID odds, another sport had an amazing competition with an unexpected outcome.  The Tour de France, a tradition of over 100 years, slipped about 6 weeks and despite having little crowd control, managed to execute safely.  With a result nobody expected.  With favorite Primoz Roglic winning by a near one minute margin coming out of the crucial Alps stages, it was thought the final few days would be a coronation.  Oh but for the Time Trial.  Most of the Tour de France is run in packs where moves can be countered and precious seconds over rivals are hard to generate.  But the Time Trial is an event in which each cyclist is on his own for, in this case, about an hour.  And it's easy to lose time.  And lost time Roglic did.  To his fellow Slovenian countryman Tadej Pogacar (Tah-dey Po-GAH'-cha).  Pogacar reeled in his 57 second deficit and tacked on a minute advantage in winning the Time Trial on Stage 20, the penultimate stage.  He demolished the field by 2 minutes, even Roglic finished 5th out of 100+ cyclists and looked like he got whooped.  Pogacar had seemed the strongest rider the last week, but couldn't make up the time he had lost early on a mechanical failure combined with cross winds that cost him nearly 2 minutes early.  But the best cyclist won.  Oh, and Pogacar is only 21 years old (22 today, actually).  He may be the future of cycling and many more Sportsman of the Week honors to come!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 9/13/2020

Hardly anyone expected a no hitter to be pitched in 2020.  Odds were strongly against TWO no hitters.  What if both were from teams in the same city?  One of the most unlikely candidates for the Chicago Cubs defied odds.  Alec Mills eased his way through 9 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers with no batted ball in play that resulted in a baserunner.  In other words, a no hitter.  The soft tossing Mills drew contact but nothing that was able to land safely.  The 28 year-old only struck out 5 while having well more than that hard hit balls.  Sprinkle in 3 walks, no runners due to error, and it seemed way too easy.  Mills had only started 15 games with but 5 career wins.  But his sixth will be memorable for sure.  And earns him the Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 9/6/2020

 

The first Saturday in May is a fixture of sports for the Kentucky Derby.  Of course, 2020 has been different, so no later than the first Saturday in September all was made right with the world with the 146th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.  What was expected to be a coronation for the most dominant horse of 2020 and Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law, instead a surprise winner emerged.  The lone entry by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert that wasn't scratched, Authentic held off a meager charge by Tiz the Law to win almost wire-to-wire.  Jockey John Velazquez ran nearly a perfect race by getting Authentic up front and fending off all challengers.  Word was that Authentic couldn't handle the full mile-and-a-quarter but it appeared to be no problem.  No Triple Crown winner this year, as Authentic with Velazquez made sure of it.  John Velazquez is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/30/2020

That magical pitching feat in baseball.  Twenty-seven outs, no baserunners reach via a batter ball not ruled an error.  Otherwise known as a no hitter  It happened again, even with the shortened season.  Chicago White Sox ace pitcher Lucas Giolito shut down the Pittsburgh Pirates for a full nine innings (not one of those shortened ones) recording the first (and likely only) no hitter in 2020.  With a stout defense behind him, he walked only one batter in facing 28 with 27 outs fanning 13 Bucs.  The 26 year-old, former first round draft pick seems to be reaching his full potential.  With this effort, opponents are batting only .180 against him for the season.  A microscopic .149 batting average against in August.  As the White Sox are positioned for a postseason run, Giolito will likely get his first chance to pitch in the playoffs in October.  He'll be the guy you don't want to face.  He is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/23/2020

The next great NBA superstar is here and he lives in Dallas.  Wunderkind Luka Doncic is getting a lot of eyes on him in his first postseason of what could be a serious run for the Mavericks.  In four games this week, Doncic twice showed what he could really do unabated, in scoring 43 and 42 points, including a cold blooded game winner in overtime to win Game 4 over the Los Angeles Clippers.  More on that game, he had a triple double magnanimous, with a 43-17-13.  The two games he didn't score as well, he logged under 30 minutes with an injury and dubious foul trouble that seemed to be unfortunate to the casual observer.  Oh, and did we mention the Slovenian is only 21 years old?  The 2019 Rookie of the Year is a generational talent and the Mavericks are likely to build around him for years to come.  A worthy Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/16/2020

In just a few weeks from delayed "Opening Day", baseball is hitting it's playoff chase stride.  And one of the teams of interest is Tampa Bay Rays.  As spoiler.  They don't have the high payroll or big free agent names of other teams, but they do have young talented players.  Like Brandon Lowe.  The Rays 26 year old second baseman may be the biggest under the radar star.  Mainly because Tampa.  But this week he broke out.  Lowe scorched his fellow NL East opponent Red Sox and Blue Jays by going 14-29 with 4 HR and 10 RBI.  Most importantly, the Rays went 6-1, and this was coming off a weekend sweep of the New York Yankees.  Don't look now Bombers, the Rays are on your heels.  The Rays will be pests to the presumed NL East Champion Yankees and with this years expanded playoff format, likely to wreck other teams hopes as well.  Lowe is set up to lead the charge, and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/9/2020

The first men's professional golf major of 2020 and in over a year did not disappoint.  At one point on Sunday, seven big name and emerging players were atop a crowded PGA Championship leaderboard.  But in one shot, our Sportsman of the Week ended it all.  California phenom Collin Morikawa burst ahead of a crowded leaderboard with a near impossible tee shot off the 16th hole on a par four to get within a few feet of the hole.  One putt.  Match.  The two shots gained on that hole gave him the margin he needed for his first major championship in only his second major start.  He is only 23 years old after all.  Morikawa has been right at the top of the leaderboard weekly since the PGA restart, losing a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge, then beating current World Number One Justin Thomas in a playoff at Workday Charity Open to win his first championship.  The combination of amazing technical skills and precocious poise have Morikawa as someone to watch.  A deserving Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/2/2020

Baseball is back!!!  And no team is favored to win the World Series more than the (love 'em or hate 'em) New York Yankees.  And no player may be the face of the game more than our Sportsman of the Week, Aaron Judge.  Judge has announced his courtroom authority by setting the league on fire during the first full week of action.  Specifically, five straight games with a home run, six home runs during that span.  Overall the Yankees were 5-0 and Judge knocked in an incredible 13 runs.  Health has constantly been an issue for Judge and had the season started on time he might have not answered the opening bell.  Instead the break seems to have served him well and baseball is better for it.  Judge looks poised to win his first MVP and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 7/26/2020

One of the first major team sports to restart in 2020 was the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) with a tournament in a Utah bubble for player safety.  After a four-game round robin, the NWSL Challenge Cup tournament commenced and a surprise winner was crowned.  The Houston Dash, not considered a favorite, came through in the clutch behind the solid goalkeeping of Jane Campbell who didn't allow a goal in the three tournament games and had a clutch stop in the quarterfinals during a PK shootout.  She turned away all six shots in the semifinals and finals to enable 1-0 (vs. Portland Thorns) and 2-0 (vs. Chicago Red Stars) wins respectively.  She had no room for error.  Throughout the tournament she led the league with 21 saves and four shutouts.  A deserving champion and great goalkeeper.  The Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/19/2020

Greatness is measured by being best in your sport.  Winning one of the elite tournaments in your sport to propel you to that is also a great way to demonstrate greatness.  Both were achieved by our Sportsman of the week.  John Rahm distanced himself from the field enough at The Memorial to make the back 9 nearly irrelevant.  With up to a six stroke lead at times, Rahm proved he was at the top of his game.  On a Sunday when the course was bringing players to their knees (only one player in the Final Top 9 finished under par), he managed to mitigate damage with a 3 stroke win.  With the win, the Spaniard is now Tops in the World.  Plenty of golf to play in 2020 including deferred majors, but he is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week.