Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/7/2023

In the peakiest of season for sports, the Kentucky Derby was a keystone must see event and it did not disappoint.  The field was in flux in the days before Derby Day as an unprecedented number of horses were scratched.  Coming into the weekend, Forte was a clear favorite.  As "My Old Kentucy Home" echoed over Churchill Downs, it was wide open with several favorites.  However, none of the shortest odds won.  Instead, Mage.  A simple name, but stout horse stole the show ridden by Javier Castellano.  Mage was about 10th place as the horses came 5 wide through the final turn but never looked back.  Ran down every contender.  Castellano was patient then ran an amazing line to cut through the field and use his horse's speed to win the race.  Great job but an amazing jockey, our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/30/2023

The Stanley Cup playoffs are beloved for the absolute battle to win every game and series and throwing regular season records out the window.  None of that matra came into play more than the first round series in which the Florida Panthers upset the Boston Bruins in an epic Game 7 to make the second round.  But that's not any old Boston Bruins.  But the most successful regular season NHL team of all time, Presidents Trophy winning Boston Bruins.  After exerting their talent and will in the first four games against the Panthers going up 3-1, the Bruins looked poised to ease into the second round.  Not so fast.  The Panthers battled in Bean Town to steal away a Game 5 victory and take the Bruins back south.  Always a red flag.  Now at home, if they win Game 6, they suddenly put the Bruins in panic mode in Game 7.  And that happened.  And in Game 7, it was Carter Verhaeghe that sealed their fate.  He scored the overtime goal to the shock of the home crowd and the Bruins were done.  It wasn't just that game, Verhaeghe netted 3 assists in the pivotal Game 5 overtime win on the road (including the dime on the game winner) and another helper in Game 6 in what was an easy win.  Verhaeghe was the man in the middle of one of the greatest comebacks and upsets in Stanley Cup Playoff history and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/23/2023

The first week of the Stanley Cup Playoffs were as chaotic as could be expected, no team (maybe besides the record-breaking Boston Bruins).  No series ended up in a sweep with even the top teams per Conference battling for survival in the marathon for 16 wins.  The Dallas Stars are positioned strongly for a run for the cup and needed a deep team effort to split the week 2-2.  In their wins, they were led by an unexpected source, Roope Hintz, who was fourth on the team in points in the regular season.  Hintz netted a hat trick in a crucial Game 2 win to at least gain the split headed north to Minnesota.  He backed it up with a 3-assist effort in Game 4, again in a clutch series situation, to send the stars home tied with 2 of the next 3 in the Metroplex.  Hintz's 4 goals are tops in the playoffs (through Sunday).  His 8 points trail only Leon Draisaitl's 9 points but Hintz had the clutch.  Can the Dallas Stars take the cup?  We'll see what the Finnish Roope Hintz can do, but betting on him is a good idea.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/16/2023

It was an exciting week in the NBA as the play-in format took center stage as teams vied for the last two seeds in the playoffs.  Win you're alive.  Lose you're dead.  The Miami Heat were in the middle of the battle, first losing the play in game to guarantee them a 7 seed, but then securing the 8.  Nobody was more critical than Jimmy Butler.  Butler scuffled in a loss to the visiting Atlanta Hawks to force his Heat into a do or die.  And they did.  Behind his 31 point effort, the Heat disposed of his former team the Chicago Bulls and thrust themselves into the Eastern Conference playoffs.  You cannot win unless you're in the game.  And win they did, taking the first game from the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks by 13 points.  And it was all about Butler.  15-27 from the field.  35 points.  11 assists.  5 rebounds.  The Bucks had no answers.  Can Miami become a beast in the East?  Jimmy Butler will have everything to do with it!  Our Longhorndave Wportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/9/2023

A rain slogged weekend wound up with the best current player in golf surging to an easy victory that wasn't so easy.  After fighting through a rough 1st hole on Thursday, then chasing Brooks Koepka through delays and cold rain, Jon Rahm eased through The Masters last round as the best player in Augusta (okay, second best if you include Phil Mickelson that day).  Rahm put himself in position with a seven under 65 the first day then never looked back at least not out of the top 2 or 3.  His twelve under was clear of the field by a full hole.  It was a solid all-around game, but especially hitting fairways and greens.  Very little did he need to make a crucial put, it was just solid all around.  It's Rahm's second time as the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/2/2023

One game and one shot defined the Final Four in Houston as a thrilling contest came to a conclusion after the buzzer as the ball tickled the bottom of the net.  San Diego State had trailed their matchup with Florida Atlantic since about midway in the first half by as many as 13 as it seemed the 3-loss Owls were headed to the National Championship final.  Until they weren't.  Holding FAU without a score for 3 minutes to pull near even in the last four, the Aztecs set themselves up for success.  And Lamont Butler delivered.  Deciding not to foul, SDSU got the ball with six second left and that was enough for Butler.  Opting not to call a timeout (which can more help the defense set up than the offense), Butler took the ball from the rebounder and dribbled down.  Left.  Right.  In.  Back.  Jumper.  Called Game.  Just like we all dream of doing on the playgrounds growing up.  And Butler wasn't their leading scorer just the guy who was ready for the big moment.  And is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 3/26/2023

March Madness hits a crescendo in the Sweet Sixteen to Final Four round as the field in the tournament is winnowed from teams kind of in the Top 25 to the best teams in the land.  And stars emerge on the big stage.  There may not be a bigger star in the sport than Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.  Clark averaged 36 points and 10 assists in two critical wins in the Regional Semifinals and Finals to lift the Hawkeyes to the Final Four.  The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year shot over 50% from the field and beyond the arc in the big victories over Colorado and Louisville to net Iowa its first Final Four since 1993 and second in program history.  The six-foot Junior Clark is the player to watch in the Final Four and our Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/19/2023

What a week for baseball in a week of the year not usually know for high intensity baseball.  The World Baseball Classic entered it's final stages with the end of pool play, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals to set the stage for an epic championship between the United States and Japan, two of the renown superpowers of the sport.  Team USA had been uneven to date. losing a game to neighboring Mexico and struggling through other pool play matchups.  But they caught their stride in the knock out round.  The number nine hitter in the United States lineup carried the team, that being Trea Turner.  Turner slugged the Americans past Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, then Cuba in epic fashion.  He went 6/15, with 5 runs, and 10 RBI on 4 HR.  He hit a critical Grand Slam to save battling team against Venezuela, his second HR of the game.  Another HR against Cuba to set the tone in the semifinals.  Turner led the American team all the way to the World Baseball Classic Finals and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 3/12/2023

There's a new women's ski champion of all time and her name is Mikaela Shiffrin.  The American greatest skier of all time notched her 87th career World Cup victory on Saturday to eclipse Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark for the most all time.  Ingemar competed in the 70s and 80s in which the sport was still a bit more limited in it's competitors all the more impressive.  Shiffrin's diverse skills contribute to her ability to dominate the sport at a level never seen before.  The two-time Gold Medalist and five-time World Cup champion (and now repeat Sportswoman of the Week) has won 73 of her 87 in either Slalom (53) or Grand Slalom (20).  To go with 5 Super-G's, 3 Downhills, 1 combined, 3 parallel city events, and 2 parallel slaloms.  The 28-year-old from Vail, CO, is an American legend and a repeat Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/5/2023

The NBA is surging toward the Playoffs and there is no doubt, it's not who was good in January.  It's who is good in March and April.  And right now that is the New York Knicks.  The Knicks have won nine straight games and are approaching a month since their last loss.  This week, they demolished four key opponents, including the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics.  Twice (one in double overtime on the road, that's clutch).  Include the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets and the Knickerbockers are pointed the right direction. Nobody has stepped up more than forward Julius Randle.  For the week, Randle averaged 29.5 Points Per Game, then throw in 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.  No, not averaging a Triple Double but real stats contributing to major wins.  The key to the Knicks is balance, but every team needs a leader and Randle fits the bill.  For a potential title and definitely for the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!