Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/27/2013

It's the crunch time for baseball, and once again a Boston Red Sox hitter is our Sportsman of the Week.  David Ortiz had a week that has all of  baseball scratching their heads...how to get him out.  Over the first four games of the World Series, Big Papi was 8 out of 11 (.727), with 2 HR and a double.  He scored 5 and knocked in 5.  He also tied a World Series record by reaching base on nine straight plate appearances (counting Monday's effort, in which he was 3/4 and raised his .727 average if that's possible).  It was a very tough decision given Calvin Johnson's unbelievable effort, but it is the World Series, so David Ortiz is your Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

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 10/13/2013

This week's sportsman has emerged from rookie obscurity to be a playoff difference-maker in a matter of months.  Michael Wacha of the St. Louis Cardinals burst onto the baseball scene with a near no-hitter on September 24 in his final regular season start, then has been occasionally tapped by manager Mike Matheny throughout these playoffs.  This week, he delivered two key wins for the Red Birds as they surge toward their second World Series in three years.  Wacha pitched brilliantly in delivering a must-have Game 4 NLDS victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates (in a Cardinals elimination game), then followed it up with a dominant NLCS Game 2 performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  For the week (and postseason), Wacha sits at 2-0, 14 IP, 6H, 1 ER, and 17K.  Amazing numbers and worth of the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 10/6/2013

We turn back to Major League Baseball as the 2013 MLB playoffs begin.  This week's Sportsman of the Week is Pedro Alvarez.  He led the NL in home runs (36) and eventually set a record of most consecutive playoff games with at least 1 RBI to start a career (with six).  Pedro Alvarez went 4-13 (.306), with 2 HR and 6 RBI over the four game stretch, while lead the Pirates to a 3-1 record.  In the process, dispatching of the Cincinnati Reds and putting the St. Louis Cardinals on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 game lead (that didn't hold up).  Congratulations to Pedro Alvarez, this week's Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 9/29/2013

Playing catch up with Sportsman of the Week Blogs written but not published.  This week's winner put his team on his back, albeit in a losing effort.  Atlanta Falcons almost retired TE Tony Gonzalez had a career day, that being 149 yards (career high), 2 TD on 12 catches.  He singlehandedly almost brought the Falcons back against the New England Patriots, but fell just short (an unfortunate theme for the Falcons this season).  However, the greatest TE of all time is this week's Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 9/22/2013

Another week, another quarterback, but we check down to college this week.  And along with that, non-BCS automatic berth schools.  Fresno State's Derek Carr set Friday night on fire, with a 460 yard, 4-TD performance in leading his Fresno State Bulldogs to a narrow 1 point victory over rival Boise State Broncos.  He completed 39 passes, none to the other team, and led the Bulldogs to their first victory in their last eight tries against the Broncos.  This win now positions them for a run at the BCS with their toughest games behind them, particularly with the relaxed qualifying rules for non-auto conferences. Nevertheless, we'll see his name among NFL draft talents, but this week, he is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 9/15/2013

Another week, another NFL QB puts up video game stats in a game in which they needed to win.  Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers went all Madden on the Washington Redskins, a team that is reeling but still looked like scout league talent against Rodgers.  He put up 480 yards (a career high) and 4 TD, while only misfiring on 8 passes in 42 attempts (81% completion percentage).  Rumors of the Packers demise were greatly exaggerated after the Week 1 dud against the San Francisco 49ers, Rodgers and the Pack will contend all year.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 9/8/2013

The Blog took a "bye" on Labor Day weekend, but we're back with a (belated) Sportsman of the week.  The kickoff of the NFL was ripe to find the best sportsman, and he performed in the first game.  Peyton Manning tied an NFL record with 7 TD passes in a home opening victory over the Baltimore Ravens.  Manning even started slow, but showed no mercy in tossing for 426 yards in a dismantling of the defending Super Bowl Champions.  I think we can safely put any lingering concerns about his shoulder to rest, he is a worthy Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/25/2013

As the dog days of summer wind up (and football starts soon), at least one more nod to America's pastime.  Although the Miami Marlins are in last place, they do have a reason for optimism with superstar Cuban phenom Jose Fernandez.  Fernandez sits at 10-5, a 2.30 ERA, with 165 strikeouts in 152 2/3 innings. This week, Fernandez was 2-0, 13 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 16 K. On the grander scale, Fernandez hasn't allowed more than 2 ER since July 7, hasn't allowed a HR since July 23, and, did we mention, just turned 21.  Watch this kid, he might be a repeat winner of the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/18/2013

It's the dog days of summer, and that means baseball.  This week's Sportsman is a veteran of the game, and put up historic numbers for a historic franchise.  New York Yankees LF Alfonso Soriano was on watch all week for breaking RBI records by series of games, all the while leading his team to a 5-2 record.  But as for his numbers, a video game worthy 15-31, 5 HR, 18 RBI.  Amazingly, he was 0-9 in the first and last game of the week, putting him at 15-22 during the Tuesday through Saturday span.  His effort has put the Yankees back in the thick of the playoff race and secured him a tab as Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!