Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/27/2012

Martin Brodeur has been doing it for years, and this week he really resembled his prime self.  Entering Game 4 in a 1 game to 2 hole, he put the New Jersey Devils on his back for three straight wins this week, sporting a 1.99 GAA and a .935 save percentage.  All at the age of 40.  Probably his last Stanley Cup rodeo, a chance to cement his legacy with a fourth title.  He certainly is a worthy recipient of the Longhorndave on Sports, Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/20/2012

Great sports week this week, with NBA, NHL, Preakness, MLB-Interleague, etc.  I had to lean toward  Kevin Durant, who may have single-handedly brought an end to the Lakers-Kobe championship window with a decisive 3-pointer in Game 4.  And also poured in 106 other points (in four games) to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 3-1 lead, with 2 games left in OKC.  And also shot above 50% in each game (minimum 15 shots).  And also grabbed 33 boards.  Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week indeed!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/13/2012

The Sportsman of the Week is pretty straight forward this week. Josh Hamilton lit up American League pitching with nine (9) bombs, 18 RBI (good for a month) leading to a team record of 5-2.  On May 8, he joined a very exclusive club of four (4) home runs in a single game.  All signs point toward triple crown contention and perhaps challenging Barry Bonds single season record, hopefully he can stay healthy.  But a very worthy Sportsman of the Week!

Franchise Performance Pt. 7 (#1 - #5)

Recapping the groundrules of the study, we are ranking all sports city-team combinations for playoff performance since 1974 using a poker like system:
1) All teams chip in $10 at the beginning of the year
2) Winner takes 50%, Runner up 25%, Semifinalists 10% each, remaining playoff teams split the last 5%
3) City/Team combinations are separate, the Charlotte Hornets are not associated with the New Orleans Hornets, etc.

Totals through the 2012 Super Bowl are included.

Number 121-148 were revealed in part 1
Number 91-120 were revealed in part 2
Number 61-90 were revealed in part 3
Number 31-60 were revealed in part 4
Number 11-30 were revealed in part 5
Number 6-10 were revealed in part 6

The final batch brings us the five of the most storied NBA, MLB, and NFL franchises in (North) American Sports. All teams in the Top 5 have been active for the whole era in question (1974 - 2012.

Rank	Total	Team	City	League	Titles	Finals	Semis	Playoffs	Years
5	$592.15	Bulls	CHI	NBA	6	6	11	24	38
4	$610.65	Celtics	BOS	NBA	6	9	14	27	38
3	$825.96	Steelers	PIT	NFL	6	8	14	25	39
2	$1,023.25	Yankees	NYC	MLB	7	11	14	21	37
1	$1,410.90	Lakers	LA	NBA	10	16	19	34	38

Discussion: The Top 5 are definitely the "club of six titles".  Montreal Canadiens have the titles, but mostly during an era in which there were only 16 NHL teams (smaller pots).  Indeed the Lakers have only missed the playoffs 4 times for a rate of 89% playoff berths.  These are the elite of the elite, note the top NHL team is the Red Wings at Number 8.  Boston is the only city with two Top 10 (Patriots #9).  Two teams on this list were coached by Phil Jackson for their best year.

Each team is summarized below. A reminder, the years below are the year of the playoffs, so for NFL, 2010 is associated with the 2009 regular season. For best season, playoff performance is given precedence over regular season record.

Number: 5

Team: Bulls
City: Chicago
League: NBA
Years: 1974 – 2011 (38)
Playoffs: 24
Semifinals: 11
Finals: 6
Championships: 6
Best year: 1997 (69-13, won NBA Championship)
Worst year: 2001 (15-67)
Winnings: $512.15

Number: 4
Team: Celtics
City: Boston
League: NBA
Years: 1974 – 2011 (38)
Playoffs: 27
Semifinals: 14
Finals: 9
Championships: 6
Best year: 1986 (67-15, won NBA Championship)
Worst year: 1997 (15-67)
Winnings: $610.65

Number: 3
Team: Steelers
City: Pittsburgh
League: NFL
Years: 1974 – 2012 (39)
Playoffs: 25
Semifinals: 14
Finals: 8
Championships: 6
Best year: 1979 (14-2,  won Super Bowl)
Worst year: 1989 (5-11)
Winnings: $825.96

Number: 2
Team: Yankees
City: New York
League: MLB
Years: 1974 – 2011 (37)
Playoffs: 21
Semifinals: 14
Finals: 11
Championships: 7
Best year: 1998 (114-48, won World Series)
Worst year: 1990 (67-95)
Winnings: $1023.25

Number: 1
Team: Lakers
City: Los Angeles
League: NBA
Years: 1974 – 2011 (38)
Playoffs: 34
Semifinals: 19
Finals: 16
Championships: 10
Best year: 2000 (67-15, won NBA Championship)
Worst year: 1975 (30-52)
Winnings: $1410.90

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/6/2012

An amazing sports week concludes, this week I have to lean toward someone who made history in his first opportunity.  With honorable mention to Jered Weaver, this week's sportsman of the week is Mario Gutierrez.  A brilliant Derby ride stalking in 7th or forward the entire race, a little wide on the last turn, but I'll Have Another had plenty of juice to overtake Bodemeister down the stretch. Extra credit for being the first jockey to win from the 19th position.  I believe Mario to be a serious budding star of the tracks for years to come, you are the Longhorndave on Sports sportsman of the Week!