Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/29/2021

Football and tennis are kicking up for the fall, but baseball is still the National Pastime of summer.  And one of the greats of the game in a small market is getting the attention he deserves as one of the greatest at this position.  Not just this year.  But of all time.  Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals is rewriting the record books for a catcher right in front of our eyes.  We should open them and see.  He had as good a week as anyone in baseball this year.  Seven games, with home runs in six of them, 14 RBI, only 5 K, with 5 BB, and 10 hits in 28 AB.  Oh, and he led his young Royals team to a 4-3 record on the road against 2 playoff contenders over .500.  All adds up to a strong Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/3/2016

A busy sports week, with Wimbledon, Tour de France, Euro 2016, College World Series and Major League Baseball filling up the sports fans' day.  It's Major League Baseball we look to this week as teams hit the half-way mark of the season.  Kendrys Morales is single-handedly willing his Kansas City Royals back into the playoff hunt.  With several key players down and pitching struggling, Morales had a week few have ever matched.  In seven games, he went 15-26 (.577) with 4 HR and 10 RBI.  Slugging 1.038 with 27 total bases.  The Royals ended the week 4-3 holding within a half game of the Wild Card.  Usually a designated hitter, he played five games in the field in order to keep his scorching bat in the lineup.  The second half of the season is here, and the Royals fate may just rest on the bat of Kendrys Morales.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/25/2015

The Kansas City Royals are rolling this postseason, and their leadoff hitter is a big reason why.  Alcides Escobar could not be kept off base in the American League Championship Series.  For the last week, he was 8/16 plus a HBP edging his on-base percentage north of .500.  Throw in 4 RBI and 4 runs scored and he was essentially involved in two runs per game for his team.  Throw in some gold glove caliber defense, and the ALCS MVP is a big reason that the Kansas City Royals are poised to win their first World Series in 30 years, and maybe one of several in the next decade.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/11/2015

The first full week of Major League Baseball playoffs produced nailbiting games and surprise teams.  One of them was the Houston Astros, who stormed through the American League Wild Card game and surged to a 2-1 lead against the 2014 American League champion Kansas City Royals. And two of the three wins were attributable to probable AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel.  The only 20-game winner in the American League shut down the New York Yankees (on short rest) with 6 innings of only 3 hits, no runs.  On full rest in NLDS Game 3, he allowed but a run in seven innings on four hits in a victory against the Kansas City Royals.  For the week, 2-0, 0.69 ERA, below 1.0 WHIP and 14 K in 13 innings.  The Houston Astros future is bright, thanks to our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/26/2014

With all due respect to football, the last week was all about the World Series.  And there was one clear performer who was head and shoulders above the rest.  The San Francisco Giants Madison Bumgarner completely dominated Games 1 and 5 of the Series to thrust his team to a 3-2 lead.  By completely dominated, we mean 2-0, 16 IP, 7H, 1ER, 1BB, 13K.  The run was on a solo home run by Kansas City Royals C Salvador Perez.  Bumgarner now moves his career World Series record to 4-0, with a 19th century-esq ERA of 0.29.  While he's not scheduled to start another game, he will certainly be available in Game 7 for a few innings.  Should it be required!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/12/2014

Another week of amazing baseball postseason action has yielded a new superstar for an unlikely team.  The Kansas City Royals CF Lorenzo Cain has been a complete terror in the playoffs so far.  For the week (officially Game 3 of the ALDS through Game 2 of the ALCS, 3-0 for the Royals), Cain went 7-11 with 5 runs scored, 2 doubles, 2 walks, and an RBI.  With his speed and hot hitters behind him, he made it a virtual impossibility to get past his spot in the lineup without a run.  In the postseason, that's how you sweep series.  Three sweeps in a row.  With all that, he was putting together amazing diving catches in the field inning after inning.  The Royals are headed to the World Series, and Lorenzo Cain is a big reason why.