Sportsman of the Week Ending 11/24/2019

The heavyweight boxing division has lacked a singular power (particularly not named Klitschko) for some time, but WBC Champion Deontay Wilder may be that guy.  The numbers pop off the score sheet better than the greats of heavyweight history.  Tyson, Ali, and Louis included.  42-0-1.  41 knockouts.  Yes, one fight he won via cards. And he drew one.  Never lost.  Saturday night in Las Vegas was no different as he faced Luis Ortiz for the second time in 21 months.  And for the second time, he won without it going the distance.  Despite being behind on all cards, the power punch of Wilder proved to be the difference.  He landed it late in the 7th round.  And despite Ortiz's ability to get to his feet near the end of the 10 count, the referee stopped it.  Wilder wins.  Again.  He'll now get a shot at Tyson Fury, former Sportsman of the Week who was his only draw.  But the division is Wilder's.  Big, strong, and knockout potential.  That's the heavyweight boxing I remember, and our Sportsman of the Week is bringing it back!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 11/17/2019

What is sweeter than a first championship trophy?  A second championship trophy.  One of the winningest driver on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has come up short the past few years despite being on the very short list of top wins for each year.  This year, he left no doubt.  Kyle Busch dominated the field in winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 by 7 seconds over teammate and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr.  Busch drove flawlessly, outdueling fellow playoff contender Kevin Harvick in several sequences in the first two stages.  But Harvick could never capture the speed over the long runs (only one non-stage yellow all race) and faded.  Then there was Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin with crucial pit crew errors (wrong tires on each side and an ill-advised aero tape applied).  By the end, it wasn't entertaining.  Kyle won, and it was another huge win for Joe Gibbs Racing.  Which dominated the year.  Congrats Kyle Busch, you're the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 11/10/2019

What a weekend in college football, with the headliner being the annually anticipated matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Louisiana State Tigers.  For the last eight years, the outcome was seemingly written before it began.  This year was a different story.  Led by emerging Heisman favorite, Joe Burrow, the Tigers took the Tide in their home stadium.  Burrow rarely missed his target, going 31/38, for an astonishing 393 yards and 3 touchdowns.  When passing lanes weren't open, or when called upon, he also ran for 64 additional yards totaling over 450 yards from scrimmage.  Not your usual Alabama defensive effort but this wasn't the usual offense that they've faced.  Joe Burrow went into Tuscaloosa and took the Crimson Tide's milk money.  Our Sportsman of the Week made sure of it.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 11/3/2019

The World Series was a roller coaster of road wins and momentum, but in the end, the hottest team in baseball won it all for the first time in franchise history.  The Washington Nationals rolled into the World Series having won 16 of their last 18 games, but it took a full seven to beat the team with the best 2019 record Houston Astros.  Winning all four games at Minute Maid Park.  Ironically, Anthony Rendon, a native Houstonian, dealt the death blows to the Astros in Games 6 and 7 not a stones throw from where he grew up.  In the final two contests, he was 4-9, but with a 2B and 2 HR, knocking in 5 runs.  Four of the five RBI came in the 7th inning or later where both games were within a run until the Nationals had more clutch.  Led by who may be the National League MVP, and our Sportsman of the Week, Anthony Rendon!