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By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
The day of turkeys is a day to sit back and reflect, to give thanks for those who have touched our lives.
All that silly stuff.
Me, I'm thankful for the Cavaliers, for showing us how a winning organization acts and works and plays.
I'm thankful that while all this Browns madness dominates the news, the Cavs just go about their business and win games big, small and in between.
I'm thankful for LeBron James, the best professional athlete of our generation and probably the best professional athlete in our history and a guy who ''gets it'' about the team.
I'm thankful I'm dumb enough to believe that James won't consider bolting for New York in 2010.
I'm thankful the Indians are heading into an odd-numbered season, because they win in odd-numbered seasons.
I'm thankful C.C. Sabathia loved it here so much.
And that Delonte West had the grace to discuss his issues with depression so thoughtfully and poignantly.
And that Phil Dawson continues to kick so well and act so properly.
And that Grady Sizemore is under contract for a few more years.
And that I got a chance to see the real Willie McGinest before he retires.
And I'm thankful for a Ruth Street resident from Navarre who has brought life to my life and taught me more than I can imagine about the value of being upbeat, open-minded and caring.
I'm thankful for the way Mark Shapiro conducts himself as a general manager.
And that the Indians finished strong.
Which admittedly is getting old.
So it would be nice to again
be thankful that they play strong all season.
Which is why it's nice to be thankful the Cavs seem to be the kind of team that will be strong in the beginning, middle and end of the season.
I mean, that's really the way you want to play a professional season.
As for the Browns . . . I'm thankful . . . well. . . .
I know. I'm thankful I got to know Romeo Crennel, because it makes clear why everyone in the league respects the man.
I'm thankful to those who do not respond to an e-mail or text by writing back and saying ''OK,'' saving us the time needed to stop what we're doing and open such a ridiculous communication.
Yes, I'm thankful for Sarah Palin. Because we got to see Tina Fey's shtick on her.
I'm thankful for the people at the grocery store who move the extra 5 feet to bag their own groceries rather than wait for the clerk ringing up the order to also do the bagging. Because . . . well . . . there are a few people waiting in line behind said person.
I'm thankful for the Browns' history.
I'm thankful my mother, after 91 years of amazing life, remains in independent living in a community nearby.
I'm thankful for the dinner bunch she eats with nightly, the group that helps watch out for her and stays in touch with her. A greater kindness could never be provided.
I'm thankful that Jim Tressel handles his Ohio State team so well, and that the Browns . . . umm. . . .
I'm thankful for my daughters, the greatest girls I know, for their smiles, their struggles, their good hearts, and for the financial lessons they are teaching me each additional year we spend together.
Now that they're 12, I've also learned something about makeup, clothes and what shoes go with what jeans and, more important, what shoes don't go with what jeans. And I'm thankful for that as well.
It's a valuable lesson for a middle-aged dad to learn, you know.
I'm thankful, too, that they now go to a movie and suggest I go by myself or sit in a different row. Because really that's where middle-aged dads belong.
And, yes, I'm very thankful they were alive to see the election of the first African-American president, a chill-producing moment of our lifetime.
I'm thankful that the Browns continue to give the weather report to fans sitting in the stands at games.
I still don't know how anyone in the stands knows what the weather is like without that report.
And I think it's high time the Cavs started broadcasting the weather inside the Q every night.
I'm thankful that Cindy Crawford is coming back to modeling.
I'm thankful for Caleb Porter, Phil Heyn, Doug Martin, Ron Tedeschi, Rich Berlin, Gerry Rardin, Herb Page, Steve Zakuani, Jeff Howard, Keith Dambrot, Jeff Couto, Alan Ashby, Ken Rector, Mike Cawood, Bruce Brown and all the other hard-working individuals who do so much for the local sports community. And best to Jerry Laira of Firestone, who is taking a leave of absence after three decades of coaching.
I'm thankful for Mike Brown, a coach and a man and a father any of us would respect.
I'm thankful for the commentary of Austin Carr, who sugarcoats nothing but also has a most entertaining way of describing a game.
I'm thankful for the nurses, police officers, 911 operators and all the other people who have to work today while we eat turkey.
Finally, I'm thankful, seriously thankful, for the example set by Vincent Dorsey of the University of Akron and by football coach J.D. Brookhart.
Dorsey writes for the Buchtelite, and he's confined to a wheelchair with cerebral palsy. He worked at the Rubber Bowl in a makeshift area outside the press box because the facility is not built for wheelchairs. Yet he covers every game and writes about UA sports with unmatched passion and fervor and interest. He has never let his circumstances deter him.
Brookhart spends countless hours with Dorsey, and after every home game, climbed to the heights of the Rubber Bowl after his regular news conference to sit down with Dorsey to make sure all his questions were answered.
Dorsey was named winner of the Beacon Journal's John S. Knight scholarship.
Brookhart was one of six UA faculty or staff members to be named recipient of the Celebrating Exclusive Excellence Awards.
The awards seem paltry compared to the quiet example both men set.
There is great dignity in simple kindness and work, and it's hard to think of any two people who show it better.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
The day of turkeys is a day to sit back and reflect, to give thanks for those who have touched our lives.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 10:37 AM, 11/27/2008
Ok.
Posted 10:00 AM, 11/28/2008
I am thankful that we have, in this small, steadily declining area of our state, some very good sports teams to distract us from the mundane details of daily life.
Bethesda, MD
Posted 09:34 AM, 11/29/2008
The "axe" of kindness should fall on Crennel.
