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!