What I’m Thankful for….

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Is it the food? Not entirely….although, I do love my turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.
I love Thanksgiving because it gives me a chance to reflect on the year and all the things I am lucky enough to have in my life…..and there are plenty of things I’m thankful for this year….

I’m thankful I’m not a Miami Marlins fan. The Miami Marlins traded Jose Reyes, and pitchers Mark Buerhle and Josh Johnson to Toronto in a 12 player deal. Wow….I already thought the Red Sox were in trouble…the American League just got a whole lot stronger.

The Marlins and owner Jeffrey Loria, (the worst owner in baseball) are a joke. It’s just like 1997 all over again when the Marlins traded the whole team away after winning the World Series. It’s a pretty bad time to be a Marlins fan in Miami. You (the Miami tax payers) just financed a brand new stadium ($600-million, 80-percent-publicly-funded) and now the team that you backed is basically gone and that sweet new stadium will be a ghost town.

I’m thankful I’m not a NASCAR driver. I don’t think I want to be a part of intentional high speed crashes and trying to avoid drivers who are texting and driving at 200 MPH?? I already fear the teenagers I pass on a daily basis who swerve into my lane to read a text.

Jeff Gordon intentionally wrecked Cliff Boyer in Sunday’s race in Arizona. Afterwards not only did the Gordon and Boyer get into it, but there was a brawl among the pit crews. There was no trying to cover up what really happened here….Gordon was almost proud to tell everyone he did it on purpose.

It seems a little crazy to me that you can intentionally crash into someone going close to 200 mph and be proud of it. Just lucky no one was hurt. Gordon was fined $100,000. What would have happened if someone had been seriously hurt or killed? Instead, fans are now excited for the “rematch,” which should improve the TV ratings in Miami next weekend. I’m sure NASCAR fans, like hockey fans will say the media only pays attention when there’s fighting and brawling? It’s sad, but true.

I was shocked to learn last year that you technically don’t need a driver’s license to be a NASCAR driver. I was equally shocked this weekend, when I heard NASCAR finally put a ban on cell phones and other electronic devices in racecars. I can’t believe this was an issue that needed to be addressed!?
I’m thankful for my 8-2 record in fantasy football going into week 11. As you know if you’re a regular reader of my column, I’m kind of obsessed with fantasy football. Although my wife hates how much time I spend checking scores, changing my roster and going back and forth with my friends on the message board, she doesn’t complain when I buy her a nice gift with my winnings at the end of the season. Believe me….she deserves it.
I’m thankful to everyone who reads my column. I have enjoyed the emails and conversations I’ve had with readers. It’s tough to write a column every week and cover local sports stories (especially with a baby), but it’s all worth it when someone takes the time to email me or when someone recognizes me and comes up to me to let me know they read/enjoy my column. A reminder…. winter high school sports season begins soon and we will be covering all the action. Make sure to check our new website for the latest scores.

I am thankful to be so close to my family. It’s been hard to get out of the house as much since our daughter was born, but I love that I can take a 2-minute drive and visit my parents or see my brother and my sister-in-law and the cutest nephew in the world or have dinner with my in-laws. It’s also nice having so many babysitters so close by!

Finally, I’m thankful for my beautiful and amazing wife and daughter. This has been the best year of my life! I know I’ve said this before, but I really am the luckiest guy in the world. My wife and I have been married for over a year now, we’ve been together for over 8 years and have known each other for over 20 years. You would think by now we would know everything about each other….but you really learn a lot about someone when you raise a child together. I learned this year that my amazing wife is also an amazing mother!

There is nothing better than being a parent! My daughter brings joy to my life every day. She can make a bad day great with just a little smile. This seven months has gone so fast…I wish it would slow down…she’s growing up so quickly! Marriage and life really does get better every day.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

NFL Week 11 Picks

I went 8-6 overall last week, 1-2 with my upset picks and 2-0 with my locks. Record: Overall (94-49), Upsets (15-13), Locks (13-3).

Game of the Week
Chicago at San Francisco | Winner: San Francisco

Lock of the Week
Arizona at Atlanta | Winner: Atlanta
Jacksonville at Houston | Winner: Houston
San Diego at Denver | Winner: Denver

Upset Special
Green Bay at Detroit | Winner: Detroit
New Orleans at Oakland | Winner: Oakland

The Rest
Miami at Buffalo | Winner: Buffalo
Cleveland at Dallas | Winner: Dallas
Cincinnati at Kansas City | Winner: Cincinnati
NY Jets at St. Louis | Winner: St. Louis
Indianapolis at New England | Winner: New England
Philadelphia at Washington | Winner: Washington
Tampa Bay at Carolina | Winner: Tampa Bay
Baltimore at Pittsburgh | Winner: Baltimore

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