Happy Thanksgiving. What are we thankful for?

Here we sit in the back end of the year. The weather, even in Tampa, is starting to get cooler and with the serving up of turkey dinner, we are faced with the contemplation of what we are all thankful for this year. We try not to get too political here at WTB?, but clearly there are more important things going on then the abysmal season our Bucs are putting up. So while we acknowledge the need to focus our real energy on affairs of the world from the continuing bank crisis, job losses, increases in civil unrest and community apathy that has lead to mismanagement at all layers of government, we also force ourselves to focus on the thing that is supposed to bring us joy. Football. This year, that respite has been interrupted by a crap season. Funny enough, I am still very thankful. Here is a brief list of things I am thankful for. Feel free to add your own.

1. I am thankful for family. This includes friends as I consider friends family that you choose.
2. I am thankful for the opportunity to meet new friends. (Read as I am happy to still be alive. We have all lost people we love. Death is a part of life but that does not mean that death does not suck)
3. I am thankful that I live in a *still* free country due to the ultimate sacrifice of brave young men and women in the armed forces. I only hope that we, as citizens, can start doing our part (I am not yet but plan to!) by letting our elected officials know what we think of their decisions.
4. I am thankful to my family for letting me continue to take up an inordinate amount of time with this passion project.
5. I am thankful to have a football team to pull for at all. Imagine how shitty it would be to live in LA?
6. I am thankful to be a fan of a team that has put out significant effort in 90% of their games this year. Yea it sucks to lose but I can take losses with a high level of effort if it is building toward something better.
7. I am thankful that our team’s leadership will take action when things are not working (Though I wish they would be consistent with that approach. Hear that M80?)
8. I am thankful for the wonderful stadium I get to visit during the year to watch my Bucs. Despite the increases in bullshit behavior by security, the gameday experience is amazing.
9. I am thankful for tailgates that have become family reunions for people who did not know they were family yet (Can you imagine people from 6 countries at our tailgates?)
10. I am thankful for the friends we have met through “What the Buc?” Who knew three years ago we would still be doing this?

I tend to get a little introspective around holidays. It is pretty amazing what we have here and that is due entirely to you folks. Thank you for allowing us to talk about this game and team that we love so much and for caring (or pretending to) enough to keep coming back and sharing the word with your friends and family. Obviously, there are a pile of more impactful things to be thankful for, but this is a nice start I think. We will be back to our regularly scheduled venom and vigor (and focus on the Bucs) tomorrow evening. Enjoy the games, the turkey and the pumpkin pie today and see you Friday night for the Atlanta Falcons Preview show!