Morning Extras: What are you Thankful For In Sports?

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, this seemed like the obvious post today, no? This headline will be draped across the blogosphere asking everyone what they are thankful for. But, in this town, we actually have some really tangible things to be thankful for this year.

We're thankful for the Phillies. We're thankful for the 25-year wait (and weight) to finally be off our collective shoulders.

But what else are we thankful for this year? There are two winter-sports teams who look to be solid if not very good teams in the Wachovia Center. There is a football team that, while in somewhat disarray, seems to have a change of plan coming in some way this off-season. Oh, and there's a football team in State College that is smelling roses.

So, what are you thankful for in sports?

LINKS:

• This topic, like I said, is not new. We actually talked about it on the show today, with Dauerio, Steinberg, Lisa Winston from MiLB.com and a few more bloggers. Everything from the BCS to small time college hoops. Everything from Dexter to Gossip Girl to Tofurky. Yes, we run the gamut.

• Someone was going to to it. It was right there sitting for us. Ashley Fox has the honors, taking McNabb's "the janitor" comment and making it into the story. Troy the Janitor will soon be making campaign stops with John McCain.

• So ESPN owns the BCS now. People are starting to chirp about the conflict of interest that creates. How can pundits rip something that obviously needs fixing when the company that employs them just spent more money than ever on the product.

• Adjust your fantasy rosters. Derek Anderson just became important for the playoff run.

• Checking in on meech in this post baseball world. He has info on Shane Victorino's charity golf outing, including some other Phils, Neil Everett from ESPN and Chuck Liddell. Iceman playing golf? That I'd pay to see.

• USA Today has the annual debate: Do the Cowboys and Lions deserve to get Thanksgiving games every year? And man Tennessee, how great would undefeated against defeated have been? I think they were looking past the Jets last week.

• Finally, from Monday, this week's Schuylkill 16 rankings. It's awesome because all these teams play each other...even the ones who aren't in the Big Five. Really makes it fun. Click for this week's rankings.

Have a great and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Comments

[Kevin]

I am thankful for successful hip surgeries (Joe Paterno and Chase Utley)!

[AggieLover]

I am thankful I can't watch the Eagles game tomorrow night.

[teddy]

I'm thankful that Syracuse basketball is back.

[theKrisheim]

cole hamels
desean jackson
& matt fucking stairs

[Rick]

I'm thankful to have a place such as the 700 level to display my frustration or acceptance of my local sports teams without having some monitor edit or otherwise not even show my comments.

[maria]

I'm thankful for Brad Lidge.

[sjf]

Phillies aside, tonight, I am thankful that the Eagles play on Thanksgiving. Putting aside all the McNabb/Ried/Team falling apart BS, watching Thanksgiving NFL had become more of a chore than a pleasure - you can only stomach so much Detroit and Dallas.

So I ordered the NFL Network this morning (I am out of market), and I am very grateful that I'll have the Eagles and Cardinals to watch as I slowly fade into a turkey and whiskey induced coma tomorrow night.

[TK]

I'm thankful for the Koy Detmer neck beard and PGA fall season golf.

[Loqiel]

I'm thankful for Joe Paterno.

I'm thankful for Derrick Williams, who could have gone to any college in the US on full scholarship to play football, but chose Penn State and ultimately brought with him more talent than just his own.

I'm thankful for a Phillies parade down Broad Street, something I dared to believe in but had doubts I would ever actually see.

I'm thankful for Uncle Cholly's gut, Shane's energy, Chase's otherworldly refusal to quit, Jimmy's mouth, Ryan's Septembers, Cole's love for the spotlight, and Brad's mindblowingly-perfect season out of the bullpen that made us forget Jose Mesa, Antonio Alfonseca and every other two-bit bum to whom we attached the title of "closer".

I'm thankful for Jeff Carter's wrist shot, Mike Richards' (who needs a nickname ASAP) freakish skills, Simon Gagne's health, and Martin Biron's balls descending as he figured out that he really can be a number one goalie.

I'm thankful for Homer and Stevens, for Clarke, and for Ed Snider's willingness to spend whatever money it takes for talent in an everlasting effort to bring yet another Stanley Cup home.

Most of all, I'm thankful to be in Philly, because this is the best sports town I could ever imagine, and I'm glad I can share that town and these teams (even the Eagles) with the deranged-yet-empathetic denizens of the 700 level.

[Scott B]

I am thankful for mini skirts

[Steve]

I'm thankful that I wasn't born and raised in Queens

[Joe]

I'm thankful for Joe the Lumber and thankful for the fact that the Phillies dumped on Adam Eaton in time.

[Scott]

"We're thankful for the 25-year wait (and weight) to finally be off our collective shoulders."

I'll be thankful if a Broncos fan stops talking like this...

[Mr. Bryan]

I'm thankful I have a good job in these times of uncertainty, and that my family is happy and healthy. Oh, and I'm thankful for our sports teams too.

[Matt Kwasiborski]

I am thankful that I will remember one parade in this town and won't die without one!

[JD]

am thankful for having grown up in philly. i live in dc now-these fans are soft compared to what i grew up with.

i am thankful for a resurgent flyers team (the blueprint for the eagles over the next few years. i hope).

i am thankful that i went to PSU.

i am thankful for the world f#$king series champions, your Philadelphia Phillies.

[will]

i am thankful for whiskey and gods sense of humor when it comes to the mets

[stevefredericks]

"I am thankful I can't watch the Eagles game tomorrow night."

thats garbage. there are thousands of eagles fans who would love to watch them play on thanksgiving night, but because of the money-hounding bastards who run the NFL, this is impossible for many of them. go back to college station and stay there please, but dont build any more fires.

[stevefredericks]

i am thankful for growing up listening to merrill reese, harry kalas, jim jackson, tim saunders, marc zumoff, and tom mcinnis. i am also thankful i grew up with richie ashburn, scott graham, and the mayor steve mix - three guys who should still be around, but for three different reasons, are not.

yes, we love to complain about chris wheeler (and rightly so), but if your shit list is as short as chris wheeler and bob salmi, then you know youre lucky as a sports fan in this age of awful, awful announcing (see: anybody on fox).

too often we take reese, kalas, jackson/saunders, and especially mcinnis/zumoff for granted.

[nicky]

i am thankful for the 2008 world champions of baseball!

PENN STATE SUCKS, GO USC!!!! for the record i am an usc fan, went there for college.

[Michael C]

October 29th, 2008.

That is really enough. But, what the hell. I am thankful for Matt Stairs, Eric Bruntlett, Carlos Ruiz, Geoff Jenkins, and Joe Blanton, and all the unsung heroes of this team. And the sung heroes, especially Brad Lidge and his fantastic slider.

Charlie Manuel.

Thaddeus Young and some excitement from the 76ers.

Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Luca Sbisa, and a lot of excitement from the Flyers.

And I know that I am not going to have a lot of company here, but I am thankful for the last 10 years of Donovan McNabb. He has been an incredible quarterback and I have a lot of great memories.

[Conroy]

I'm thankful there aren't any tie's in the NFL.

Wait, what?

[Rick Sanganoski]

I have to admit, I'm thankful for some of the most critical, yet ingenious, comments I have ever read concerning one citys' sports teams.

[Collin]

I am thankful that football season is almost over. Put me out of my misery.

And, of course, the World F'n Champions: The Phils.

[BFisch]

I am thanful that the Flyers are back and playing damn good. I am also thankul that Philly got a championship, and that ND basketball is playing really well right now.
Also I am thankful for Jim Zorn, who has turned Jason Campbell into a strong QB (sorry Eagles fans)
LETS GO FLYERS!

[HLH]

I'm thankful for the Phillies....of course
I'm thankful for my family
I'm thankful for all the memories Donovan and Andy have given us over the years because I can atleast look back and say the Eagles were a top team at one point in time even if they never did win the big game.

[agam22]

I'm thankful I don't have to have Thanksgiving dinner with Andy Reid again, I asked him to hand me the turkey and he made me go across the room and he tried to throw it to me

[MikeY]

@ Scott"

"We're thankful for the 25-year wait (and weight) to finally be off our collective shoulders."

I'll be thankful if a Broncos fan stops talking like this..."

+1 sir...nicely done.

[stevefredericks]

yeah how does 2008-1999 = 25?

[slowski]

im thankful for the phillies

[Dan]

"yeah how does 2008-1999 = 25?"

i know michael irvin getting hurt on the vet turf feels like a championship, but it's not

i'm thanksful for the WORLD F*CKING CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

and a good job and all that crap