More Than Just Thankful For Baseball

It’s that time of year where most of us look back fondly on what is good in our life and how lucky we really are. The more and more I threw this idea around in my head today, I kept coming back to all the joy baseball gives me. With that in mind, here is what I am thankful for this holiday season, at least where baseball is concerned.

• I am thankful that ‘The best Farm System in Baseball’ eventually did pan out for Kansas City, as players like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez all turned out to be All-Stars and quality big leaguers.
• I am thankful that Lorenzo Cain stepped up his game in 2015, proving there is more to him than just one of the best gloves in baseball.
• I am thankful that when Mike Trout is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, I can say I remember when he was a rookie and we had no idea that what we were seeing was greatness.
• I am thankful that the extra round of playoffs in baseball has worked and has made it even more exciting than it was before.
• I am thankful that Matt Harvey realized an innings limit didn’t matter in the playoffs…and that he was stubborn enough to convince his manager to keep him in for the 9th inning in Game 5 of the World Series.
• Speaking of the Mets, I am thankful that my favorite team only has to face the Mets young arms in one series next year. They are the real deal.
• I am thankful that baseball has a crop of young superstars(Trout, McCutchen, Stanton, etc.) that they can be proud of and should be promoting as to why they are great for the game.
• By the way, I am thankful that a baseball town like Pittsburgh can tout a talent like McCutchen and add him to a legacy of true stars that deserve to be looked at like stars, much like Roberto Clemente before him.
• I am thankful that we get to see a historic season like Bryce Harper this year…then remember he is only 23!

• I am thankful for a baseball world where Bartolo Colon is still a thing…and gives everyone great material on a monthly basis.
• I am thankful for a sport where you can argue for years about possible Hall of Fame players and still change someone’s mind after a ‘deeper look at the numbers’.
• I am thankful my son loves the Hot Stove League as much as I do.
• I am thankful that baseball has gone from a game where ‘experience is king’ to a game where now ‘youth is king’.

• I am thankful for Rusty Kuntz’s flowing mane…damn!
• I am thankful that we now live in a world where phrases like ‘exit velocity’ and ‘efficient route’ are part of the lexicon.
• I am thankful for bat flips.
• I am thankful predictions mean nothing in baseball; it’s why you play the games.

• I am thankful that certain ballplayers can make my hair look suave…thanks, John Jaso!
• I am thankful that I can watch a different baseball game everyday and learn something new, even 30+ years after I first started watching the game.
• I am thankful that the history of the game is still woven into the fabric of today’s game.
• I am thankful that my son thinks I would be a better analyst than Harold Reynolds.
• I am thankful for the Royals defense.
• I am thankful that I got to watch Brett, Saberhagen, Jackson, Wilson, McRae and White in my youth. Those players made me fall head over heels for baseball.
• I am thankful that I am not the only person who believes Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
• I also am thankful for the push the last couple years for Tim Raines and Edgar Martinez for their deserved spot in Cooperstown.
• I am thankful I still remember Oddible McDowell,  Razor Shines and Danny Darwin.

• I am thankful that Ken Griffey, Jr. still smiles.
• I am thankful to have witnessed the transformation of Wade Davis from human to cyborg.
• I am thankful that I have been given the chance over the last 4 years to do things around this sport that I never imagined possible.
• I am thankful that I waited out all the bad years of Kansas City baseball. It has made these last two years even more joyful than I can ever put in words.
• I am thankful that I was wrong about Dayton Moore and Ned Yost.
• I am thankful for all the late comebacks by the Kansas City Royals.
• I am thankful for Lorenzo Cain’s running.
• I am thankful for Alex Gordon’s clutch slugging.
• I am thankful for Eric Hosmer’s daring baserunning skills.
• I am thankful for a lockdown Kansas City bullpen.
• I am thankful to call ‘my Royals’ the World Champs. I honesty wondered if I would ever see that again in my lifetime.
• and I am thankful that the people in my life who I care most about not only support my love of baseball, but they share in the love. They make all of this even better than if I was just enjoying it on my own.
• Oh…almost forgot. I am thankful for Jonny Gomes mic skills. His speech will never get old.

Honestly, I could go on and on. I love this game and there are so many little bits of information or plays that remind of the nuances of this game that spark my love. Let’s all be thankful that baseball is still flourishing and despite some of the things we would fix with the game, for the most part it is as good as it was when we first got hooked. Thank you, baseball. Thank you for being you.