It’s a week for counting blessings. I’ve got my share, to say the least, including some from the world of sports. Here are a few that stand out this year. (And Happy Thanksgiving.)
• I’m thankful for Justin Fuente. This line is getting longer and longer.
• I’m thankful for new life for professional tennis at The Racquet Club: The Memphis Open.
• I’m thankful for the glimpses I got of Oscar Taveras. I’ll tell my grandchildren about seeing him play at AutoZone Park (and one game last August at Busch Stadium in St. Louis).
• I’m thankful for Mike Conley in the fourth quarter.
• I’m thankful for FESJC director Phil Cannon. And the best golf tournament Tiger Woods has never played.
• I’m thankful for the unexpected (Mississippi State number one?!) and the unlikely (Ole Miss over Alabama?!).
• I’m thankful for #wigsnatch.
• I’m thankful for sunsets at AutoZone Park. Find a place beyond rightfield and gaze over the Peabody.
• I’m thankful for a Tiger sweep of Louisville, reigning national champs at the time.
• I’m thankful for Joe Jackson’s block of Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski. King for a day.
• I’m thankful for the NFL’s “No More” campaign. Overdue.
• I’m thankful for Wolo and Bash on Sports 56 (and that other blue-eyed Frank’s rendition of “Come Fly With Me”).
• I’m thankful for linebackers named Tank. Two sacks (one a safety), a forced fumble, and an interception . . . in the same game.
• I’m thankful for the Grizzlies’ annual Martin Luther King Day game. Sports can contextualize larger dreams.
• I’m thankful for Kevin Lipe’s infusion of humor in his Grizzlies analysis. It’s basketball, people.
• I’m thankful for those who will infuse humor as the Tiger basketball season unfolds. (I’ll try.)
• I’m thankful for Penny Hardaway’s continued presence and impact on his hometown.
• I’m thankful for a volleyball court and soccer field at Tom Lee Park.
• I’m thankful for the ever-growing Green Line, and bike lanes(!). Memphis is getting healthier.
• I’m thankful for the MLB Network. I somehow reached adulthood without it.
• I’m thankful for a wife who can play catch with me. With a baseball. And gloves.
• I’m thankful for Vince Carter in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform.
• I’m thankful for talented college point guards. They’re out there.
• I’m thankful for New Year’s Day bowl games we can all watch together: the Cotton, Rose, and Sugar (with winners of the latter two playing for the national championship).
• I’m thankful for Steve Selby, especially when the Redbirds are out of town.
• I’m thankful for Marc Gasol in the high post.
• I’m thankful for the idea of the NBA Finals at FedExForum. Idea now . . . .
• I’m thankful for Jamie Griffin’s coverage of high school sports on Local 24 and at MemphisFlyer.com. Often the best stories, certainly the most local.
• I’m thankful for two daughters who recognize that sports fuel the mind as well as the body. They’re my favorite athletes.
• I’m thankful for each and every reader. (And those readers keeping me sharp.)