Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/29/2025

The Detroit Tigers have quickly emerged as the team to beat in the American League, surging to an 11.5 game lead in the AL Central and 2.5 best in the League.  They showed no intimidation last year facing the Houston Astros in the playoffs and quickly dispensing them in two games in Houston, the first time the Astros didn't make the ALCS in 8 years.  A great deal of their recent success has been due to reigning Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal.  Never a heralded draft pick or prospect, he is probably now the best pitcher in baseball.   This week he was a strike out machine in two wins, striking out 18 over 13 IP.  In 5 of his last 7 outings, he's allowed 1 or fewer runs. He won 6 of them with the other a 1-0 loss due to the bullpen.  He's every bit of the ace and every bit, the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Wee!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/22/2021

There may not be a more appropriate 500th Sportsman of the Week than to look to a man who hit his 500th Home Run this week.  You can't make this up.  Miguel Cabrera etched his name next to baseball elite when he clobbered his milestone home run.  He was a hero in 2003 when he emerged as a post season phenom in securing a world Series for the Florida Marlins, and now he puts another stamp on his Cooperstown passport in getting 500 home runs.  Cabrera clobbered number 500 against Toronto Blue Jays hurler Steven Matz in a game in which the Tigers won in a resurgent season as they rebuild.  Next up. 3000 hits hoping to become the (Aaron, Mays, Palmeiro, Murray, Rodriguez, Pujols, and two of those have some PED issues.)

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/15/2016

Pitching performances have been top notch so far this year with Chris Sale already at 8 wins, a no-hitter by Jake Arrieta, and now something even more rare than a perfect game.  A 20 strikeout game.  Max Scherzer was downright filthy in striking out 20 Detroit Tigers, that being his former team.  Two solo home runs made the 3-2 tilt close.  Victor Martinez is the only player not to strike out, accounting for 4 of the 13 at bats that did not result in a K.  The Washington Nationals high price ace joins Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood, and Randy Johnson in the exclusive club.  It's his second nod as Sportsman of the Week (his second nod)!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/5/2014

The baseball playoffs have started off with a bang, and lots of bangs have come from the Baltimore Orioles bats.  And it starts with their OF/DH, Nelson Cruz.  In a 3-0 sweep of the favored Detroit Tigers, Nelly went a cool 6-12, with 4 runs, 5 RBI, and two HR.  No HR was bigger than the decisive blow in Detroit in Game 3.  It broke open a scoreless game and quieted an already mellow crowd.  And put the O's in their first ALCS since Bill Clinton stalked the halls of the White House.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/20/2013

An amazing week of League Championship Baseball ended with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals emerging as Pennant Winners. Last week we honored a Cardinal, this week a Red Sox.  Mike Napoli pretty much single-handedly (offensively at least) won two of the four games the Red Sox needed to advance.  On Tuesday, Napoli hit a solo shot in the 7th inning for the Red Sox 1-0 win.  On Thursday, he went deep in the 2nd inning to stake the Sox to a 1-run lead, which ended up being that margin.  Over the week, he went 6-16, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI.  He was 6-12 for the 3 games in Detroit, with an O-fer the series finale in which the offense had enough without him.  But his is a worthy recipient of the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/28/2013

Another week, another pitcher as Anibal Sanchez put on an amazing display of missing bats and set the tone for his team to win a key weekend series.  Sanchez struck out Tigers record
17 Atlanta Braves on Friday night in only 8 innings, technically having a chance to tie Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood's single game record had he come out for the 9th. In the process, lowering his ERA to a microscopic 1.34.  He didn't, but he nearly single-handedly turned around a team that had lost 5 of their last 6, into a team that has now won 4 straight and is on the rise for a presumable AL Central title. For now, Anibal Sanchez will have to settle for Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!