Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/26/2019

The Toronto Raptors shocked a lot of teams to crash the NBA Finals, however it was done with a familiar source.  Forward Kawhi Leonard outplayed MVP candidate Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to win Games 3 through 6 and pace the Raptors to their first Eastern Conference title.  According to media reports, Leonard was slowed by injury, but it didn't show.  In the four wins to beat the Bucks, Leonard averaged 29 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists when they needed it the most.  Leonard is an NBA Champion and showed that he is ready to take down the Warriors.  For the second time in this blog history, Kawhi Leonard is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/19/2019

The NHL Playoffs are reaching a crescendo with two teams that haven't won a Stanley Cup ever coming from the West.  The St. Louis Blues were one of the worst teams on January 7, but may just punch their ticket to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.  Led by rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington.  Binnington started his first game on January 7 and led the team to an improbable 29-9-5 streak to get a key Wild Card spot.  A spot they've parlayed into being one game away from a shot at their first Stanley Cup Title.  Binnington has been brilliant in the last 4 games, with a 3-1 record, with only 3 GA in 77 shots in the wins.  His loss, to be honest, involved what should have been called a hand pass.  Will Binnington get the job done in Game 6 (at home) or 7 (in San Jose)?  Time will tell.  But Binnington shows that a hot goalie can carry a team, and he is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/12/2019

The weather is warming up, and that means baseball season.  The Oakland A's aren't off to a strong start, but starting pitcher Mike Fiers sure gave the fans a show.  For the second time in his career, he completed nine innings without a batted ball in play resulting in a batter reaching base that wasn't scored an error.  In other words, he pitched a no hitter.  Fiers only walked 2 batters while a third baserunner reached on an error.  And he needed to keep the bases clean to protect a 2-0 lead (only 1-0 when he took the mound in the 7th).  Further adding to the unusual event was that the game was delayed 90 minutes due to a malfunctions in the lights.  Maybe the Reds bats fell asleep and never woke up.  But really, Fiers proved he could do it on his first no hitter in 2015, and backed it up against the Reds.  Mike Fiers is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/5/2019

The Conference semifinals are going down to the wire in several series.  Except one.  The Carolina Hurricanes, fresh off of a dispatch of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, continued their winning streak and crushed the New York Islanders in four straight games.  Led by Teuvo Teravainen, the Canes showed no mercy.  After clutch 1-0 and 2-1 wins on Long Island, the red hot Canes lit the Isles up for 10 goals over the last two games.  Teravainen netted 2 goals in Game 3, and added a goal and assist in Game 4.  Overall, he skated to a +5 +/-.  For the playoffs, he's netted 6 goals in 11 games.  A young Finnish leader of a budding dynasty, our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!