Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/5/2026

The NCAA tournament on the men's AND women's side have been amazing theater.  The big teams are winning when it counts, and UCLA has fit the bill on the women's side.  At 31-1 entering the tournament, the Bruins seemed to be about the fourth choice by betting favorites behind fellow number one seeds Connecticut, South Carolina, and Texas.  They made no match for two of three.  The Bruins played absolute clamp down defense and scored consistently to win by an average of 17 points, culminating in a 28 point beatdown of South Carolina in the Finals .  Led by our Sportswoman of the Week Lauren Betts.  In relative low scoring games, The 6'7" senior Betts scored 30 points in the Final Four, on efficient 13-20 from the field, perfect 4-4 from the line, 22 rebounds, 5 blocks, 5 assists, all of what it takes to win.  It was their first NCAA Championship for a program of proud sports tradition.  Betts and her team finished the season 37-1, and a worthy Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/29/2026

The shot of the tournament.  Maybe the shot of the tournament in this century.  Heavyweight number one overall seed goes down on a miracle sequence.  This is why we love March Madness.  Connecticut and Duke went toe to toe in the East Regional Finals, two teams with a healthy number of NCAA Championship banners hanging from their rafters.  Despite what some say, NCAA tournament upsets are fun in the short term, but heavy weights going at it at the back end of the tournament is fun too.  Duke was comfortable leading by as many as 19 points as the top seed seemed to be in position to go to their third Final Four in six years.  They led 40-21 three quarters of the way through the first half.  Ten-point lead with 6 minutes left.  Four points and the ball with 90s left.  Two points and the ball with 10s left.  Then it all imploded.  The final sequence will never be forgotten.  Duke just needing to dribble it out throws a pass over a double team, tipped by Braylon Mullins.  Mullins recovers the ball, quick pass, pass back to Mullins, 35-footer.  Good!  It didn't even touch the rim.  Connecticut advances and Duke cries. May not have seen a final sequence like that since the Laettner win over Kentucky.  It's in March Madness Lore and Braylon Mullins is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/22/2026

March Madness is in full effect!  With fewer upsets than some wanted (I'm good with it, I want to see big boy heavyweight games downstream), one individual set an all-time NCAA record that is decades old.  Purdue guard Braden Smith hit 1077 career assists passing the sentimental Duke guard Bobby Hurley for most in NCAA history.  Hurley had the record for over 30 years.  One of only four players to have more than 1000 (Chris Corchiani and Ed Cota the other two).  He's an All-Big 10 first team selection for the third straight year.  Epitome of older school college basketball where your best players played through their eligibility and consistently go deep in the tournament.  Purdue is queued up for a Sweet 16 matchup against Texas, and should they play that they'll look for their second Final Four berth since 1980, the last of which was two years ago when they lost to Connecticut in the finals.  Experienced guard play is always key to deep tournament runs and Smith has that for Purdue.  He is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!  

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/15/2026

An incredible sports week commenced with NCAA Basketball ramping up March Madness, and the World Baseball Classic entering knock out round, and NBA and NHL in the playoff push.  For the NBA, the most improbable, neigh impossible happened as Bam Adebayo reach the penultimate scoring game with 83 points in a regulation NBA game.  Yes, 83 points.  By math, that's 1.7 points per minute.  Rounds up to 2 points per minute he played.  Figuring each team gets a possession, maybe two per minute, incredible.  He got his shots, taking 43 and knocking down 20 in a high scoring win for his Miami Heat over the hapless Washington Wizards in a 150-129 win.  Seven of those made shots were from 3-point land for eh, a quarter of his points. But the main damage he did was from the free throw line getting 36 points in 43 attempts.  If you can't stop him, foul him.  He didn't tip toe around other statistics as well, getting 9 boards and actually passing 3 times for assists.  He also had a game high 2 blocks on the defensive end.  Few expect Adebayo to compete for an MVP or scoring title, but he only looks up to Wilt Chamberlain in terms of a single game total.  And his was on tape.  Adebayo is a worthy, Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/8/2026

Not all elite athletes are at the full-time professionals.  Some are electricians.  That is the case for this week's Sportsman of the Week.  Czech pitcher Ondřej Satoria has emerged as the best statistical pitcher in the World Baseball Classic Pool play.  The underdog Czech's were punching up in weight class in the Asian bracket, featuring MLB and Asian professional league laden Japan (defending WBC champions) and South Korea.  Satoria didn't flinch.  He dueled with emerging Japanese superstar Hiroto Takahashi for almost five innings of no run ball.  This was following a near 4 inning performance against a balanced Australian squad earlier also giving up no runs.  In total, 8 1/3 innings, 0 runs, and and ERA at 0.00 leading all pitchers in the Classic.  The very sportsmanship crowd in Japan tipped their hat, along with the Japanese players, to Satoria as he left the mound.  Czech might have gone 0-4 in what was a miracle run to make it, but Ondřej Satoria will be remembered as WBC legend.  The Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/1/2026

In a transition time for team sports, the spring always represents the beginning of competitive motorsports around the world.  In the United States, NASCAR remains a fan favorite.  A rare sport that starts with its most prestigious race at Daytona, then looks for other southern tracks to wait out late winter to include Atlanta (although it was near 40 degrees) and Austin, TX.  Never has a single driver won the first three races in a season.  Until 2026.  Tyler Reddick has driven nothing short of brilliantly in navigating major crashes, variable pit strategies, and outright execution in being the first NASCAR driver with three checkered flags before March (okay at least March 2).  Winning the Daytona 500 is always at the fates' mercy as huge wrecks typically take out leaders and mid-pack alike.  Then onto Atlanta where again, as a drafting track, things are tight to the finish.  Then throw in the newest road course in NASCAR at the Circuit of the Americas and a major road racing king opponent in Shane Van Gispergen who had won the last five road races.  All of it, won by Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing.  Who didn't win any races in 2025.  He's off to a great start and is nearing cruise control for the Playoffs and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 2/22/2026

The second week of the 2026 Milan-Cortino Olympic Winter Games were as exciting, if not more, than the first.  While our Sportsman of the Week last week continued his dominance toward an eventual eleven Gold Medals (all time Winter Games record), and American Bobsledder earned her glory in what was sure to be her last attempt at a gold, Elana Meyers Taylor earned her first gold medal after years of greatness in the Women's Monobob.  So many story lines.  It was her fifth Olympics, the first four well decorated but without gold.  It was her sixth medal, tying Olympic legend Bonnie Blair for most medals by an American female.  Becomes only the fourth American athlete with six or more medals add Bode Miller and Apolo Anton Ohno.  The only gold medal in bobsled for the United States.  Talk about elite company.  Oh, and at age 41, she's the oldest American athlete to win any medal, and second oldest ever to win Gold.  She beat heavy favorite German Laura Nolte by four ONE HUNDREDTHS of a second through the four runs, technically she booked her time, and Nolte came in slow after a less than perfect final run. Am amazing woman, amazing athlete, amazing Olympian, amazing American, and amazing Sportswoman of the Week!

This is Elana Meyers Taylor's second Sportswoman of the Week having won four years ago.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 2/15/2026

What a week for sports, headlined by the Olympics.  And there is a new all-time Gold Medal Winter Olympics holder.  All time.  Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo continues to dominate cross-country skiing in a way not seen in his sport, or really any Winter Olympics sport.  Over three Olympiads now, the Norwegian has scored 9 gold medals.  Three in 2018, two in 2022, and now four (out of four) in 2026.  He still has two more chances to get to double digits.  Most of his contests have not been close, meaning he's turned events into a silver medal contest for the other 8 billion human beings that are living right now.  Amazing and legendary.  And he has more chances for medals.  And he's only 29.  Klaebo is under the radar for sports greatness, but not here, he is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 2/8/2026

A highlight (if not THE highlight) of the United States of America sports calendar.  It doesn't matter who is playing, fans gather in bars and houses, eat fun junk food, gear up for commercial releases, a halftime show, and, oh yeah, a football game.  Our Blog is about sports so we stick to that (although Chicken Wings should be a multi-Sportsfood of the Week).  The Seattle Seahawks emerged victorious 29-13 over the New England Patriots in a relatively lopsided (but not as much as it seemed) victory.  The story of the day was the Seahawks defense, which kept the Patriots offense off-balance at best, discombobulated at worst.  They ramshackled Drake Maye for six sacks and three interceptions including one returned for a touchdown.  But on offense, it was Kenneth Walker III who set the tone with big gains in the first half to establish the Seahawks 9-0 lead at halftime which at numbers seems low, but was comfortable.  Walker III rushed 27 times for 135 yards (tack on 26 in the passing game) and he was the man of the match.  The perfect complement to a defense that was allowing nothing.  Walker III won the Super Bowl MVP and is the Longhordave Sportsman of the Week! 

This is Kenneth Walker III second Sportsman of the Week, the last 4+ years ago in college. 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 2/1/2026

The NFL Playoffs take a pause and the Australian Open (of tennis) took center stage.  With two heavyweights facing off in the final.  In the blue corner, Serbian legend Novak Djokovic, entering the contest at 10-0 in Australian Open finals.  In the red corner, Spanish emerging superstar Carlos Alcaraz, having not won an Australian Open final yet (but having won two of the majors in 2025 and seven since 2022).  As happens, the emerging star won.  Alcaraz rebounded from a first set setback, to take Djokovic.  Alcaraz becomes the youngest to win the career Grand Slam at age 22.  He may win the season Grand Slam in 2026.  He is dominant and our Sportsman of the Week!

Note, Novak Djokovic has won the Sportsman of the Week twice

1/27/2013

7/15/2018

And Carlos Alcaraz has one once before

9/11/2022

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/18/2026

In a weekend that some consider the "greatest of the NFL Playoffs" the elite teams separated themselves from the pack.  The "greatest" as you get all eight teams playing in four full games.  In a year full of surprises, many of the standard recent winners did not make it to the round, further adding intrigue.  One of the teams nobody was sure of was the New England Patriots.  Many broadcast professionals picked a Houston Texans upset, however the New England Patriots defense more than answered the bell.  They forced four first half interceptions from maligned Texans QB C.J. Stroud who did not bounce back from a shaky Wild Card performance.  Two of the interceptions were by Carlton Davis III.  Not known as a ball hawk, at least this year, Davis III had no regular season INTs this year.  Throw in four tackles, including 1 for loss, and Davis III was the leader of the defense that has a reasonable path to the Super Bowl through Denver.  The Patriots are for real, and Carlton Davis III is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

In an LHD on Sports Blog tradition, I am once again conveying my thoughts on who I would vote for if I had a BBWAA ballot for the 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The BBWAA vote will be revealed on Major League Baseball (MLB) Network on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.  The Hall of Fame vote reveal remains one of the most anticipated moments on the baseball calendar and certainly of the offseason.  Here is the 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame Candidates Eligible for vote (via Baseball Reference with prior year percentage total for returning candidates).  75% of all ballots cast must include the players name for induction.

Induction Ceremony 2025

As most readers probably know, the actual voting committee is the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).  Prior to 2016, once a member, always a vote.  In 2016, several changes to the voting process were made (see my related Blog here) culling the list of voters to those who had covered the game in the prior 10 years.  This played out to remove a number of small vote ballots and increase percentages for those on the bubble.

There are a few overarching factors to cover before we get to the specifics.

1) A major, controversial specter over the Hall will continue to be how to handle candidates associated with Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) use in baseball primarily in the 1990s and early 2000s, an era for which many players accused are now on the Hall of Fame ballot although the number is dwindling with Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte and Manny Ramirez running out of eligibility.  There are players whose on-field performance likely merits election, however because of their associated with substances that enhanced their performance, some members (a minority) of the BBWAA have been hesitant to cast votes their way.  At least in the 75% needed for induction.  Because the official voting rules include the words "integrity, sportsmanship, and character," their reluctance is justified in my mind.  For my selection, I will not presume guilt, but if there are legal findings, firsthand accounts (including Mitchell Report) or strong anecdotal evidence of PED use, I will strongly weigh against voting for the candidate.  You can count me in the "The PED STJ" type here in a blog I wrote.  A constant I hear is "how can it be a Hall of Fame without Bonds, Clemens, Pete Rose, etc."  Their accomplishments, records, videos, etc. are more than prominent in the museum portion of the Hall of Fame and museum, but down by the plaques, you won't find them there.  Did the crime, do the time.

2) A change in consideration for me is how to assess pitchers.  Whereas the 300-win plateau with a low ERA reflective of the dead ball, or pitcher dominated, eras prior to 1970 used to be a norm, it's become increasingly more difficult to get wins in the era of specialty relievers with starters leaving the game before the end of the sixth inning many times in close games.  Conversely, however, one would think this would benefit starting pitchers ERA by seldom going through a lineup more than twice in some cases, rarely more than three times.  Also, after many years of closers not being strongly considered, Mariano Rivera became the first and only to date unanimous inductee to the Hall, along with high save count Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner, and Lee Smith in recent years.  The doors have opened a bit in that regard.  In the end, for pitchers, I strongly weigh dominance over a reasonable period of time, along with Cy Young Awards, All-Star games, win titles, career saves, and ERA.

3) There is also first and last ballot bias.  First ballot candidates some BBWAA voters seem reticent to vote in to protect some sort of integrity of being a "first ballot hall of famer".  Evidence, three voters who did not include Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016 or the one guy who didn't vote for Ichiro Suzuki in 2025.  Likewise, when a player is on his last ballot (as Tim Raines was in 2017, Edgar Martinez in 2019, Larry Walker in 2020 and Billy Wagner in 2025) voters who previously withheld a vote tend to pay a bit more attention to their candidacy considering it's a final shot and vote favorably.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/11/2026

The college football and NFL playoffs are firing on all cylinders with five straight days of playoff action this week (through Monday).  This week, the NFL delivered last minute drama, including three final scores beyond the 2-minute warning and another game in which a pass break up stopped the potential winning score inside the red zone.  One of the surprise offensive stars was San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who went from an afterthought on game plans to superstar.  Robinson torched the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles defense for 111 yards on 6 grabs, including a 61-yard catch on the second play of the game, then a TD catch to cap the first drive.  His playmaking was especially needed, as the Niners lost All Pro Tight End George Kittle to injury and were depleted down the field.  Fear not, Robinson to the rescue.  Despite a season of only 22 catches for under 300 total yards (and never a game over 50 yards) with just one TD, he led the way to the upset 23-19 victory over the Eagles and have many picking the 49ers as short odds for the NFC Championship.  Demarcus Robinson is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/4/2026

The Sportsman of the Week took a week off for the holidays but is back with an edge.  The College Football Playoff has been the most controversial and most watched in (well) it's two-year history, but the games are certainly drawing attention.  The best quarterfinal game by far was the Allstate Sugar Bowl, featuring two (traditional) SEC teams and big play after big play.  Most of the time delivered by Mississippi quarter back Trinidad Chambliss.  Chambliss finished the Sugar Bowl with a season high 362 passing yards on a season high 30 completions.  He led three fourth quarter drives facing a deficit to take the lead.  The last a FG on a 45-yard drive with under a minute to go to give the Rebels a 37-34 lead against the SEC Conference Champion Georgia Bulldogs.  One mistake, and the Ole Miss Rebels aren't playing in the College Football Playoff Semifinals.  Instead. Chambliss has them on to the next.  He is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!