Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/19/2025

The game everyone is still buzzing about and it may not ever stop.  Shohei Ohtani went all Little League best player on the field but it wasn't Little League, but the National League Championship Series.  As the Los Angeles Dodgers storm through their playoff bracket (now 9-1 so far in these playoffs). Shohei keeps doing it all.  Of course by all, we mean hitting and pitching.  In NLCS Game 4, Shohei took the mound and went 6 innings, just 2 hits and 10 strikeouts over 100 pitches.  But to quote the telemarketing campaign "but wait, there's more".  Batting leadoff he staked his starting pitcher (in this case, himself) to a 1-0 lead (which ballooned to a 3 run lead by the end) with a leadoff home run.  But wait, there's more.  He hit two more solo home runs and drew a walk for a perfect day at the plate as the Dodgers eased to a 5-1 win and their fifth pennant in 9 years.  Tying a playoff home run record with 3 home runs in a game (joining Reggie Jackson, Babe Ruth, Jose Altuve, and many more).  What can't he do?  Time will tell.  But Shohei Ohtani is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

This is Shohei Ohtani's third Sportsman of the Week in three years

July 30, 2023

September 22, 2024

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/30/2023

The legend of Shohei continues but it's the first time he's recognized for this honor in this Blog.  The do everything baseball player (literally everything) put on a display this week both on the mound and at the plate.  On the mound Ohtani threw a (2023 rare) complete game 1-hitter to get up to 9 wins and ..  At the plate Los Angeles Angels OF/P Shohei Ohtani continued his torrid pace since the start of June (but was only mildly fiery before that).  He was 6 of 20 (6 of 12 after the first two games) with 3 HR, 4 RBI, and 6 runs scored.  Overall, batting .307 with 39 HR (top 3 in AL for all Triple Crown categories) and it's just the beginning of August.  On the mound, Top 20 AL Wins and ERA and Tied for fourth in strikeouts.  What else to say.  Just waiting for success in the MLB postseason to match his World Baseball Classic success with Japan.  Shohei Ohtani is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/21/2018

The Boston Red Sox are poised for their fourth World Series Title in 15 years and it's an unlikely hero that helped slay the defending World Champions.  Jackie Bradley Jr., batting out of the number 9 hole, swung more like Babe Ruth than Spike Owen.  In a crucial Game 3 (with the series tied) against the Houston Astros, he broke the game open with a grand slam off of closer Roberto Osuna to put the Sox 5 runs ahead.  Then he came back in a see-saw epic Game 4, he gave the Red Sox the lead for good with a 2-run homer off of fireballer Josh James who had been baffling Boston.  The homer broke the back of the Astros which never led a game in the series again as they folded in Game 5.  The unlikely hero won the ALCS MVP and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/28/2016

Babe Ruth's career slightly predated this Blog (and all Blogs, and the internet, and even televised baseball games.  But the latest New York Yankees hitting prospect is drawing comparisons, and it's completely justified given his numbers.  Catcher Gary Sanchez was the start of the Yankees youth movement, in many ways hastening the retirement of Alex Rodriguez.  Since his call up on August 3, Sanchez has been torrid.  Eleven home runs in 21 games.  Team is 12-9 over that span, thrusting them back into the American League Wild Card discussion.  For this week, Sanchez was 5 HR in 6 games (he's not slowing down), 12-23 (8 of the 12 hits for extra bases), slugging 1.304.  As Mark Teixeira said, teams would walk Sanchez to get to Babe Ruth at this point.  And he's right.  Gary Sanchez is our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsmen of the Week Ending 4/10/2016

For the SECOND time in Blog history, we are going to have TWO Sportsmen of the Week.  The first was on 1/5/2014 where I just couldn't decide.  This decision was even worse.  An historic start to a major league baseball season versus a first time major winner who defied all odds to beat what many thought was a foregone conclusion of a winner.

We'll start with the most improbable hero of the first week of the Major League Baseball season.  Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story was a virtual unknown on opening day, but has most resembled Babe Ruth incarnate.  To the tune of SEVEN home runs in his first six career games (yes, that's a record).  To go with 12 RBI, and before you think it's all Coors Field, 4 of the 7 HR were on the road.  He just won't stop, and could not be denied a piece of the Sportsman of the Week.

Turning over to The Masters, one of the greatest sporting events in America, it was a Britain that surprised.  England's Danny Willett leaped from obscurity to torch the back nine (at the same time fan favorite Jordan Spieth was collapsing).  Willett shot a 67 on the final round, the second best round of the tournament (to Spieth's 66 on Thursday).  Talk about clutch.  Bogey-free Sunday, and -3 in the last six holes, that's how you win majors.  And a major winner is Willett.