Sports is often trivial in the overall scheme of things, below the real life concerns of jobs and family, our troops abroad and terrorists still trying to get to us at home.
With the proper perspective laid, 2010 has been a heck of a year for sports in San Diego, and I give thanks for what we've all enjoyed for nearly 11 months. Remember, we started the calendar in downer mode with the Chargers losing the playoff game to the Jets and the Padres not expected to do well. But we got over the Bolts setback and went on a wild ride that, thankfully, is not over yet.
So share with me the following thanks:
-- For Steve Fisher, for the patience to build a program over the long term and providing other coaches at San Diego State the proper path to success.
-- For the Padres in general, for making the summer far more interesting than it could have been.
-- For high school baseball, for never failing to be the best of the best in San Diego.
-- For Brady Hoke, for being a man of character who will see the building of the San Diego State football program through and will have the common sense to know SDSU has a higher upside on the gridiron than Minnesota.
-- For Laura Hoke, who will tell Brady that she has no intention of moving to Minneapolis.
-- For Norv Turner, who is simply one hell of a coach no matter what the detractors say. Look at the other brand-name coaches who were unable to hold things together when their teams started to slide.
-- And staying on the Chargers, being able to watch a QB as great and as fiercely competitive as Philip Rivers.
-- For The San Diego Union-Tribune, which continues to do a fine job reporting on local sports, and has upgraded its coverage of SDSU athletics, despite all the changes and cutbacks.
-- Also in the media, for Chris Ello and Brent Schrotenboer for putting the necessary heat on BYU and the Mountain West Conference over "Replaygate."
-- For David Eckstein, who gave everything he had and, somehow, more. He is the epitome of how to play the game of baseball.
-- For Bud Black, who was deserving of the NL Manager of the Year Award over very strong and similarly deserving competition.
-- For DJ Gay, who understands the necessity of filling a team need.
-- For Beth Burns for taking a San Diego college basketball team to the Sweet 16 for the first time.
-- For Jene Morris and Quinese Davis, because Burns didn't do it without players.
-- For Stephen Strasburg, for displaying raw dominance, and for ultimately teaching us that some things are inevitable, no matter how much you try to avoid them.
-- For Eastlake High, for showing that quality prep football is not only played in the North County.
-- For having met the late-Bob Breitbard and enjoyed the work of Don Coryell -- and for having not just gone to Coryell's memorial service but got paid for it.
-- For catching Tony Gwynn's cancer early.
-- For the chance to view the amazing talents of Kawhi Leonard, Billy White, Vincent Brown, DeMarco Sampson and Miles Burris.
-- For the amazing additions to SDSU sports teams of James Rahon, Ronnie Hillman and Gavin Escobar.
-- For Mat Latos, who will give Padres GM Jed Hoyer someone to build around.
-- For a year in which San Diego State made a scintillating run into the NCAA Tournament, reached the Sweet 16 of the women's tourney and resurrected the football team; for the Padres pushing the World Champion Giants to the limit in the NL West; and for the rest of the AFC West sucking so much that the Chargers will likely come back and win the division despite a 2-5 start.
Happy Thanksgiving!
No comments:
Post a Comment