Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/18/2024

We've plowed through most of the international sports scene (Olympics, Tour de France, Wimbledon, British Open) and so it's time for baseball.  One of the most unusual feats in baseball is the "cycle" in which a batter gets a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game.  Four hit games are rare enough, the cycle makes it even more so.  No hitter type rare.  This week, an unsung hero accomplished the feat.  29-year-old rookie Weston Wilson of the Philadelphia Phillies went 4-5 against the Washington Nationals on Thursday with a double in the eighth to get his cycle.  Not a prospect by any means at that age, he has turned in some pretty good numbers, including 4 HR and over a 1.000 OPS through his first 29 games while batting .333!  Will he likely continue this?  No.  Will he always be in the Philadelphia Phillies record book with just the 10th Cycle in franchise history (like one ever 15 years)?  Absolutely.  Weston Wilson is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 8/11/2024

What a week for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, more commonly known as the Paris 2024 Olympics.  Fast feet lit up the track under the lights with amazing finishes nightly and new superstars being born.  One of those superstars is the United States megastar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.  The girl brought speed.  World Record Speed.  She started with a completely dominant victory over favored World Champion Dutch star Femke Bol and it wasn't close.  McLaughlin-Levrone torched the field in 50.37s with fellow American Anna Cockrell also outpacing Bol who looked defeated down the back stretch as McLaughlin-Levrone left her in the dust.  But the 25-year-old American legend (who celebrated a birthday in Paris) followed up this performance as part of a completely dominant women's 4x400 relay that set an American Record and beat the rest of the world by four full seconds in 3:15.27.  The distance between 2nd and 7th was more than 1st and second.  McLaughlin-Levrone did it all and is a worthy Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 8/4/2024

The "Greatest of All Time" (a.k.a. "GOAT") can be thrown around loosely at times without perspective.  Current best player.  Your favorite player on your team.  But in Women's Gymnastics the debate is over.  Simone Biles cemented her legacy in the sport and Olympic history leading the women's team Gold Medal then following it up with her own All Around.  The level of difficulty.  Execution.  The sub-5 footer jumps like 11 feet in the air.  Speaking of 11, we're talking 11 Olympics medals, 7 Gold (all 2016 and 2024), in each case most of all time.  Not to mention her issues with mental challenges in the 2020 Olympics and what she overcame at age 27 (ancient for a gymnast).  GOAT.  Of Gymnastics.  An inspiration.  And great Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/28/2024

What a week for sports as the 2024 Olympic Games heat up, but one more cry for America's Pastime this week as a rare complete game no hitter goes.  San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease dominated the Washington Nationals for his first career no hitter and only the second for the Padres in franchise history (the first also Sportsman of the Week).  While Cease walked three, through the 114-pitch effort with 71 strikes.  With a double play and a caught stealing only faced one more than the minimum.  Cease was a trade acquisition in the offseason being in a contract year the White Sox wanted something in return.  The Padres could be a post-season spoiler in the National League and if so, Cease will be a tough two-game matchup for opponents.  And is a worthy Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/21/2024

Le Tour de France concluded this week with a dominant victory by a two-time, now three-time General Classification (e.g. Yellow Jersey) Champion.  But our Blog noted another amazing performance in the Points Classification (e.g. Green Jersey).  Biniam Girmay made his initial statement that he was the Sprinter to beat in the Third Stage of the 2024 Tour de France and never looked back.  With bursts of speed that clearly eclipsed major rival Jasper Philipsen in many an intermediate and stage win, Girmay surprised by winning his first Points Championship.  The Eritrean shocked the world with that Stage 3 win, then went on to win two more stages, all are the first and only for an African Cyclist in Le Tour.  In addition to flat our speed, strategy frequently helped hold off his Belgian rival by a mere 33 points, very close for the Points.  Staying in breakaways or at least close enough to Philipsen to nullify any intermediate point awards.  Then staying safe down the stretch (he did crash once) to either win or come close to winning.  Girmay at age 24 is likely to be a story for years, but for this week, is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/14/2024

An amazing week of international sports culminated with the Copa America Final of Argentina versus Colombia and an epic matchup of superstars of Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez (both former Sportsmen of the Week).  But it was another budding superstar, Argentinian Lautaro Martinez, who stole the glory.  In the 112' of Extra Time, when penalty kicks seemed to be a certainty, Lautaro took it upon himself to decide the practical Golden Goal.  After Colombia stumbled for an entire sequence to get a good set together, Giovani Lo Celso struck a perfect pass to Martinez who beat the Colombian keeper Camilo Vargas hands were too late.  Martinez had five goals in the tournament to lead as well.  As Messi fades into the sunset, Martinez is likely the heir apparent to keep Argentina in the top.  And is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/7/2024

The first week of the Tour de France produced early fireworks from General Classification (e.g. G.C.) contenders on the first few rough, long, hot stages as well as thrilling springs as those going for the Points (Green) Jersey had chances to stack up points and win stages going into the week.  One of the major storylines entering the 2024 Tour de France was whether or not Mark Cavendish would win a record breaking 35th Stage to become the all-time leader.  In short.  He did it.  The 39-year-old riding in his 15th Tour surged ahead of other top sprinters to win the fifth stage of the 2024 Tour in Saint-Vulbas, France. In his prime, many of the flattest stages were practically a foregone conclusion, as Cavendish had a lead out train designed the throw him to the front with ease.  But in later years, as father time caught up with him, it's become more on him and more by chance.  After preliminarily announcing his retirement after the 2023 tour, he decided to give it one more chance and the Team Astana Qazaqstan gave him the shot.  They'll never be disappointed as history will show Cavendish getting the tie-breaking win from Eddy Merckx in their colours.  An amazing career and feat, for the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/30/2024

On this Blog golf has always had a special place because it sets individuals up for unique success that's harder on a team sport.  Even better when you can find accomplishment in a unique place like the United States Senior Open.  And holes in one.  Two of them.  In a row.  Completely unfathomable.  But Frank Bensel Jr. did it.  The 56-year-old holed the 184 par three fourth, then 203 par three fifth.  In two shots.  That's like mini golf style (except I could not even do that).  He was not in contention for the championship but still.  It's 6-million-to-one two aces in a round.  Of course having two Par 3's in a row isn't normal but to ace them is just as rare.  And they guy is a Club Pro, not like Steve Stricker or Vijay Singh, who has played in fewer than ten tournaments.  All the elements of what we love about being the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/23/2024

Early summer means crowning champions of winter sports one of the highest profile being the NBA.  After a dominant regular season, the Boston Celtics hit their stride and finally fulfilled their destiny as NBA Champions.  After reaching at least the Eastern Conference Finals in six of the last eight years, and the Finals two years ago, the Celtics finished the job in a dominant exhibition in the NBA Finals and throughout the Playoffs.  They were led by Jayson Tatum in Game 7, who poured in a game high 31 points, with 11 assists and 8 rebounds in a decisive 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks that wasn't even as close as the score indicated.  With partner in crime (and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brown), Tatum was able to find space and hit from the line in an effort that could have won the MVP himself.  He'll have to settle for the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

This is Jayson Tatum's second Sportsman of the Week.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/16/2024

The late Spring sports engine chugs on with big moments across multiple sports and tough to pick, but we're going for one of the best golfers in the world that won the United States Open.  Bryson DeChambeau was a steady force in a shaky field to outlast his opponents and the Pinehurst #2 course to win his second Open in five years.  Not many win two.  DeChambeau was among the leaders all weekend, as some surged and some faded.  Relying on length and somewhat surprising, approach play including saves he was able to beat Rory McIlroy by one stroke after the Northern Irelander couldn't knock down putts when it counted.  But take nothing away from DeChambeau, who consistently would hit long and wayward and would need to find ways around the green to get up and down.  Including the 18th (72nd hole) where he hit a shot left, saved into a bunker, then up and down where nobody could.  Exemplary of great golf and Bryson DeChambeau is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!