Column: Thankful for fall, football and family

Too often we concentrate on what we don’t have in life and forget just how much we truly should be thankful for.

Sports writing legend and hero of mine, Furman Bisher, has a Thanksgiving tradition of writing a “Thankful” column each year and I encourage you to read his musing Thursday for a much better offering. However, in the tradition of the great Mr. Bisher I offer thanks for:

•living in the greatest country in the world. There are many places I would love to visit, but none I would rather call home on a permanent basis. We aren’t perfect, but we are still far and beyond the best.

•college football. Is there anything better than an early fall day with your favorite team set to kick off?

•whoever came up with the idea of putting complete seasons of television shows on DVD. Brilliant.

•The NFL Network and its live three-hour pregame shows (just what a junkie needs).

•sports talk radio.

•a comfortable pair of shoes which have been broken in just right.

•a nap on Sunday afternoon.

•being at the local high school stadium on Friday night.

•college football programs where the athletes are still students like Duke, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.

•all veterans.

•those who fight to prevent animal cruelty.

•memories of Thanksgivings spent at my paternal and maternal grandparents.

•a good laugh while listening to coaches call-in shows. “Hey coach, you need to run this defense. It will help you win!”

•my recliner after a long day at the office.

•my chiropractor after a long week at work.

•the football fan who is willing to give a coach five years to establish his program.

•coaching characters like Erk Russell, Jerry Glanville, Mike Dikta, Buddy Ryan and Hank Stram.

•the help co-worker Jana Mitcham gives me when I can’t figure out something on my computer.

•a favorite movie that you have seen 100 times and know by heart but could still watch it 100 more times.
•the chance, however small it is, that one day the highest level of college football might somehow have a playoff system.

•everytime the underdog wins.

•the politician who doesn’t forget what he promised once elected.

•the fact there was once was a time when Monday Night Football was worth making sure you were in front of your television when it came on.
•the ESPN family.

•those who don’t take college football recruiting as a life or death undertaking.

•sports talk radio.

•football media guides.

•all the great feedback we have received in the past month about our new paper.

Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. E-mail comments about this column to cbridges@barrowjournal.com.