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50 Things I'm Thankful For

On this Thanksgiving, Chuck gives us 50 things in sports that he is thankful for. Buckle up.


Well, here we are – Thanksgiving 2022. As many of you know, I spend a lot of time bagging on anything in sports, and on this sacred sports day, here are 50 reasons why I am thankful:


1. I am thankful that with their 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, the Anaheim Ducks won their first game in regulation before Thanksgiving.


2. I am thankful that the Ducks got their first regulation win of the season before Thanksgiving.


3. I am thankful that the rest of country is beginning to realize what a blowhard LeBron is…even Lakers fans can’t stand this guy.


4. I am thankful that Kate Upton is married to Justin Verlander…well, only for the fact that it gave me an excuse to watch a very vanilla (yes, even the no-hitter was boring) World Series.


5. I am thankful for teams like TCU that continue to help strengthen the case for an 8-team College Football Playoff. Nothing against the Horned Frogs (I love them), but it angers the college football blue bloods that their shoddy 9-2 squads are out of contention.


6. I am thankful that Angels fans still do not understand the concept of pitching. Hunter Renfroe might be able to hit 30 home runs, but what is his ERA? Enjoy a lot of those 12-11 losses when Shohei isn’t pitching.


7. I am thankful for Aaron Judge. Dude bet on himself this year after a low-ball offer from the ungrateful Yankees and turned it into a 6-week rolled-over Powerball jackpot.


8. I am thankful for holiday tournament college basketball. It is the only other time we get to see schools like UCI beat Oregon. Although I’m not that thrilled that Fullerton’s rival gained some relevancy with their victory in Eugene, it is good for the college basketball landscape overall.


9. I am thankful for the Mariners and Seahawks. Both of their surprise runs this year in their respective sports reminds us that the Emerald City is still on the map. By the way, whatever the Seahawks’ new stadium sponsor is, that is the prettiest venue to watch a football game. (It’s Lumen in case you were wondering.)


10. I am thankful for Justin Fields. For the second time in my 53-year-long span, the Bears have gotten themselves a quarterback. Hopefully they learn from their first mistake (not protecting Jay Cutler) and get him some true protection.


11. I am thankful for the country of Qatar. Even they realize Budweiser is a crappy beer.


12. I am thankful for the mute button on my remote control. This allows me to turn off both Skip Bayless’ and Stephen A. Smith’s irrelevant takes and useless, long-winded opinions.


13. I am thankful for hitters like Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew and Ichiro Suzuki. If everyone could hit like them, there would be no reason to ban the shift. By the way, that is about to become the stupidest rule in baseball (next to the blasphemous extra inning rule). If you are a “professional” you should be able to “hit ‘em where they ain’t” (my homage to the late, great “Wee” Willie Keeler. If you don’t get it, look him up.).


14. I am grateful for Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks. Dude has added a whole new wrinkle to the game of hockey. If you haven’t seen “The Michigan” in person, you are missing out.


15. I am thankful for women’s softball. These girls know how to play the game right.


16. I am grateful for Arizona State ice hockey. If they did not have such a competitive team year after year, the Arizona Coyotes might be playing their home games at an outdoor roller rink.


17. I am thankful that the Angels retained Phil Nevin as manger. At least it makes the White Sox hiring of an unproven Pedro Grifol look that much less stupid.


18. I am thankful for Devante Adams. Without him, “Karen” Rodgers looks like a normal civilian quarterback. (He is single handedly killing my fantasy team with Justin Fields injured though.)


19. I am thankful for Walter Payton, just because he was the greatest. Only Barry Sanders can challenge that argument. Suck it, Emmitt!


20. I am thankful for the Cal State Fullerton basketball team. With the baseball team mired in a level well below mediocrity, it is the only reminder that we still have sports at that fine institution at which I graduated from.


21. I am thankful for high school football. Mater Dei and St. John Bosco are the only college teams that Orange County can watch.


22. I am thankful for Tiger Woods. Despite being one of my favorite athletes alive, he told the Saudis and LIV Golf to go pound sand (Imagine gas prices if he would have said yes???). Phil on the other hand can go live in The Kingdom if he likes their money so much.


23. I am thankful for the Philadelphia Eagles. They are actually making me look somewhat intelligent for picking them to reach the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season.


24. I am thankful for Shaquille O’Neal. He still is probably the only thing attributed to the NBA that is worth watching. Strike that, Chaz Barkley is too.


25. I am thankful for women’s international soccer. They know how to play the game the right way.


26. I am thankful for the Los Angeles Clippers. Because of them being the best NBA team in Los Angeles, no one talks about pro basketball around here anymore.


27. I am thankful for Japan and Saudi Arabia. Both teams registered huge upsets on perennial favorites Germany and Argentina, respectively, in the World Cup. Absolutely monstrous upsets.


28. I am thankful for Bears General Manager, Ryan Poles. He single-handedly has turned a dumpster fire of a roster into a bastion of hope with all the shrewd moves that he has made during his first year of tenure.


29. I am thankful for the Baseball Writers’ astute selection of Aaron Judge as the American League MVP. Just because Ohtani pitches, doesn’t mean he is due the MVP every season. Wake up Angels fans and smell his departure.


30. I am thankful for the NHL’s inclusion into “mainstream cable TV”. Now everyone can get a chance to watch the NHL on ESPN, TBS and TNT. Plus, ESPN has that cool NHL Tonight theme song resurrected from the ‘90s.


31. I am thankful for Ghana tying Portugal as I am typing this. Even the underdog has a chance. As soon as I started this thought, Portugal marched down and scored 20 seconds later to take the lead.


32. I am thankful for Mike Trout. Dude is still the best all-around baseball player I have ever seen. Oops…another Portugal goal.


33. I am thankful that even a perennially crappy team like the Detroit Lions get to show how bad they are to the rest of the country every year on Thanksgiving.


34. I am thankful that Michael Jordan is the GOAT. Every year Queen LeBron continues to drag down the Lakers, it becomes more and more evident until the point will eventually become moot.


35. I am thankful that the NFL has included women officials on their officiating crews. Have never seen a bad call yet from them. Uh-oh. Ghana just scored to make it 3-2.


36. I am thankful that the NHL still allows fighting. Too many young precious commodities to protect on the ice these days.


37. I am thankful for Josh Allen. Dude is legitimate and makes the Buffalo Bills a viable contender for the Super Bowl.


38. I am thankful for Mountain West football. Nothing like watching a Nevada and Fresno State playing in a blizzard at 9:00 pm on a Saturday night.


39. I am thankful for MAC (Mid-American Conference) football. They make it possible to watch football on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.


40. I am thankful for Las Vegas. At least the voters there understand the need for sports wagering. California screwed the pooch when it emphatically denied a measure by an 87% to 13% margin.


41. I am thankful that Christian McCaffery is healthy this season. I took a chance on him with the 5th overall pick in fantasy and he has yet to disappoint (you hear that Clyde Edwards-Hellaire?).


42. I am thankful for Fubo TV. This allows me to work at my regular job while watching World Cup action and talk to my superiors while still watching the game unbeknownst to them.


43. I am thankful for our armed forces and first responders who not only make it possible to freely enjoy sports, but safely attend them as well.


44. I am thankful for Giselle. It is actually nice to see that Tom Brady is human.


45. I am thankful for the left-hand turn. What else can people in the SEC country enjoy after the college football season besides NASCAR?


46. I am thankful for the time-out. It gives the NBA fan an hour to enjoy the last 17 seconds of both a regular and postseason game.


47. I am thankful for the ushers at sports venues. They help me move the “common folk” out of the over-priced seats that I never pay for.


48. I am thankful for Cooper Kupp. With his injury, it is now more than apparent who stirred the drink for the Rams’ championship squad last season.


49. I am thankful that “Barroid” Bonds was not elected to the Hall of Fame. He could have made it on his own talent before his head grew four hat sizes.


50. I am thankful for all of you who read down to number 50. Without you, this website would not be possible. Happy Thanksgiving!

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