The Annual WFNY Thanksgiving Post

From the WFNY family, we wish you a very happy and festive Thanksgiving. As always, we love to get together as a site on this holiday and share some words of reflection. For those who have been loyal readers of the site since January 2008, we thank you so very much.

If you’re interested, you can always check out our Thanksgiving archives. There are tons of goodies throughout the years. We have usually written about Cleveland sports, family, loved ones, and more Cleveland sports. By year: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Typically, we’ve done a “What We’re Thankful For…” format. This year, we’re going to just go around the table and let everyone write about whatever they’d like. This leaves it far more open-ended. But we hope you enjoy nonetheless and we’d love for you to join along in the comments with your Thanksgiving reflections.

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Craig: I’ve done a lot of these things over the years and I don’t want to go on too long or repeat myself too much so I’ll just keep it brief. I’m so very thankful to my wife for enabling me in all my ventures. Whether I’m stealing away after reading books to the boys at bedtime to podcast or going to some rock show for some band that I interviewed for the Scene podcast just to make a small appearance of support, she’s such a wonderful and supportive enabler. And while I’m thankful for my boys, even who they are is so inextricable from my wife and her hard work parenting that it’s another extra few million checkmarks in her column. I mean I help, but she’s so clearly the project leader when it comes to raising these boys that I quite actually have no idea what I would do without her running my world.

Oh yeah, and my fellow writers and you the readers aren’t so bad either. A sincere Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you, even the ones who don’t like me. 🙂

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Scott: It’s somewhat crazy to think that this annual post once started off as items we’re thankful for within the landscape of Cleveland Sports. Craig was thankful for Delonte West. DP was thankful for Shaun Rogers. I was thankful for Danny Ferry. Jim Tressel was head coach of the Buckeyes. Brian Windhorst was covering the Cavs at The Plain Dealer (which was delivered seven days a week). To say that we have come a long way since the early days of this site would be the ultimate understatement.

While I’m thankful that LeBron James returned to Cleveland, setting the wheels in motion that would ultimately provide us with one of the most exciting times of this site’s existence, I’m perpetually grateful for those unheralded individuals who allow us to cover the teams in the way we do: Tad Caper and the entire communications team with the Cavs, Curtis Danburg and his team of folks with the Indians, and Peter John-Baptiste and his crew with the Browns. For years, we battled the us-versus-them war that had traditionally kept electronic media in the shadows. Over time, it was this triumvirate who gave us the opportunity to cut our teeth and have continued to be of the utmost gracious (well, usually) with our requests.

I will repeat last year’s thoughts when I say I’m thankful for the continued growth and importance of longform storytelling. Again: Being there isn’t always convenient, but it still makes for better work. There continues to be incredible amount of value in unique, reported content and for those visionaries who are willing to put their money behind such ideas in a time when thoughtless garbage tends to gain more attention—they’re undoubtedly saints of the industry.

I’m perpetually grateful for my ever-supportive family and batshit crazy friends. The support and encouragement and understanding of what this site means to me is something for which I will forever be indebted. For my wife and her holding down the fort while I’m at The Q; for my two precious, ever-growing little girls for teaching me more about myself with each day; and for those who have been there since Day 1 as well as those I’ve gotten to meet and know more about along the way—you’ve all had a hand in making me the man I am today. [Hammer emoji]

And finally, I’m thankful for every word that graces WFNY’s pages. This past year has provided us with some of the higher turnover we’ve had since the inception of the site, but I couldn’t be happier with the current group of writers who continue to challenge themselves, search for new angles of coverage, and produce some of the best web-based work in a time where the market could not be more saturated. It’s this collective that allows WFNY to stay at the forefront of discussions not just in our comment fields but on Twitter, Facebook and the occasional water cooler. This site has afforded me with some of the coolest opportunities I’ve ever been a part of, but it’s getting to work alongside this team that provides the biggest reward.

Happy Thanksgiving, you guys. Thank you for reading. Here’s to 2016.

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Michael: I would be remiss if I did not start my thanks directly with Craig, Andrew, and Scott for inviting me to join the WFNY team this year. The challenge of helping replace (with Andrew Clayman who did a fantastic job) two staples of the WFNY writing corps was immense (TD & Jon: we still love you) and there was significant risk in granting the opportunity to someone who had not been writing for an audience nearly the size of the WFNY community nor had worked through the grind of game recaps over the long MLB season (many thanks to Scott and Will for the patience in teaching me the proper style to write those recaps). The privilege of writing about the Indians during this season allowed me to broaden my scope of appreciation of baseball as well as expand in my knowledge, while providing myself a creative outlet. And, I am deeply thankful people read what I wrote and provided feedback/thoughts which often led to more interesting follow-ups and debates.

Outside the writing world, I live a truly blessed life. A loving family with a wonderful and beautiful wife I never quite understand what I did to deserve, a supportive and encouraging church life, an interesting career, and fantastic youth sports relationships that somehow thrive despite the craziness typically associated through that world.

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Corey: It’s easy to be cynical when your favorite teams play in Cleveland. One could look at the Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers and lament the lack of hardware that trio has earned in the past half century. But even in the worst of seasons, I still feel thankful to simply have teams. I’m thankful that Ted Stepien did not run the Cavaliers into the ground. I’m thankful the Indians did not leave town in the 1970s. I’m thankful the Browns came back, even if they aren’t quite the same as the team my father supported. Now that I am living in the Seattle area I see Supersonics shirts and hats constantly. Seven years after they fled for Oklahoma, the community feels that wound as raw as ever, and from talking to locals it seems like it will remain a sore subject. So even when the Browns fumble again or the Indians leave nine men on base, or the Cavs…(actually no notes on the Cavs) I will still be thankful that I have teams to support and follow.

I would also be remiss if I did not also express my gratitude in joining the WFNY team. it is an absolute privilege to write for this site, and I am unequivocally grateful.

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Joe: In a year of rough seasons in Cleveland sports, I am very thankful for the Cavaliers. The team has been the bright spot in Cleveland sports, playing at a championship level we have not seen from a team in town for quite some time. I am thankful for LeBron James and company coming together in Cleveland to chase a ring we have been looking for for decades. The Cavs are fun to watch and that simple fact has been tough to attain lately. It is truly an awesome thing to watch one of the best teams in the NBA lace it up each night and fight for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Sports should be fun and interesting to watch. This Cavs team is that and more for me. Beyond the Cleveland sports teams, I am thankful for WFNY for giving me an outlet to talk about my passion of Cleveland sports. Thank you to all of my WFNY family.

Outside of sports, I am thankful for my family and friends, who have always been by my side through thick and thin. My family is the backbone of my life. I am also thankful for my new job and all my new coworkers. It has been a great year of new and exciting opportunities.

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Josh: First and foremost, I am thankful for Scott, Andrew, and Craig for giving me the opportunity to join the greatness that is WFNY last December. Although I struggled at first trying to fit into the “headline” world of writing on here, I love writing headlines and about the Ohio State Buckeyes for the tremendous crew and website that we call WFNY.

While sports are very important to me, I am most thankful for my health, my family, and my closest friends (most of which I consider family). They will do anything for me and are always by my side, through thick and thin. I can always count on each and every one of them to be there for me when I need them the most.

Obviously, due to the fact that this is a sports blog, I am also thankful for the sports teams that are in Cleveland (and Columbus). While the Browns may be continuing to struggle, the fans of the Dawg Pound are truly the best and will support the team whether they are up 50 or trailing by 50. Although the Indians didn’t live up to expectations this year. they have so much talent and a great core group of players that gave me something fun to watch every Summer night (and yes, The Corner is truly tremendous). Lastly, the Cavs. Does that need any explanation? Hopefully the wine and gold can stop the city of Cleveland from Waiting For Next Year and bring a championship parade to the downtown streets for the first time since 1964. Having three professional sports teams (non minor-leagues) is absolutely something that I take for granted, but it is awesome to have a sport for every season,  a lot of cities cannot say the same.

And like the Cavs, the Buckeyes don’t need any explanation either. With one of the best teams in college football and a basketball team that has showed greatness as well, they brough a championship to my fandom this past season, and lets admit it, going to and graduating from The Ohio State University was truly one of the best decisions I have ever made and was also some of the best four years of my life.

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Will: I’m thankful for being alive. I’m thankful for health. I’m thankful for family, and friends, and friends’ families for providing vital support and keeping us in line when necessary. I’m thankful for good good food, good drink, and good conversation. I’m thankful for writing that presents strong ideas and evokes strong feelings. I’m thankful for music worth shaking a tailfeather to. I’m thankful for television and movies that inspire genuine laughter or tears. I’m thankful for the splendor of sport, even when it begets ill feelings more than good ones. And I’m particularly thankful for the people who make this space what it is. It’s a pleasure to be a part of it. Thank you all for reading.

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Jessica: I know everyone says they have the greatest friends and family in the world, but they’re all liars because I actually do. I’m thankful every single day for my hilarious and wonderful parents who love me unconditionally, who still let me bring home laundry and who still feed me like I’m a poor college kid. I’m also incredibly thankful for my close-knit extended family. The crazy, nosey aunts, the loud uncles who talk with their hands, and the cousins who, somewhere along the way, became some of the best friends I’ve ever had. You guys are everything.

I basically hit the friendship jackpot, and I’m thankful for the amazing circle of friends who make my world go ‘round. I am literally the luckiest girl on earth… thank you to the people who never let me forget it.

I’ll never stop being thankful for the opportunity to join WFNY this year, and for the chance to write about what I love. Not a day goes by that I’m not inspired and completely awed by the talent, passion and sheer genius you guys exhibit with such ease—and I’m thankful to be on a masthead alongside each of you. I’m thankful, too, for anyone who took the time to read anything I wrote in the last six months. Time is one of the most valuable things you can give to someone, and I am so, so grateful if you shared a little of yours with me.

Which brings me to these wonderful and horrible Cleveland sports teams of ours, for which I’m incredibly thankful. Even on the worst day, there’s no other city I’d rather root for. I’m thankful for you too, Cleveland, and for the dreamiest little downtown apartment I could have ever imagined.

And finally, in no particular order, I’m thankful for books, coffee with a little cream, Internet videos of baby animals, red lipstick and chocolate chip cookies. Because it’s the little things, right? Happy Thanksgiving, you guys.

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Richard:  This gig, writing for WFNY, began early this year with what I thought might be a one-article guest column on the NFL draft. Much to my surprise I got invited to keep going. What I most appreciate about the experience is the sense of democracy about the joint effort, each voice, writers and commenters, bringing a unique style and perspective to the quilt. The Commentariat: informed, articulate and, often, hilarious. I am most grateful to have been invited to be part of this community sports page.

Investing more thought into the local sports scene as a writer, I’ve come to realize how grateful I am for a life lesson on how I relate to sports and competition. As a child, whether as a player or spectator, winning, unfortunately, was far too important. Adulthood taught me to cool it, but fatherhood cemented the lesson. Coaching my two sons, I worked hard to think through and articulate the lessons I had learned on sportsmanship: How to enjoy sports without the unnecessary baggage. I emphasized the acquisition of skills and improvement of performance over winning. The real thrill of victory, I taught, was winning with grace and good sportsmanship. The agony of defeat was poor sportsmanship and the false belief that our happiness is somehow dependent on winning a game. Your parents, I always told my players, will love you just as much, whether you win or lose.

After several years of coaching in our community I started getting compliments from the parents and other coaches. How do you do it, they asked. You always seem to have the best-behaved kids in the league. And your teams always perform so well by the end of the season. (The highest praise I guess I’ve ever received.)

There’s an old Russian proverb, “Where you are born is where you are most needed.” I’m grateful I was born in Cleveland. What better place to work out this particular challenge of human existence?

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Jacob: I had an assignment in an MBA class recently where we were tasked to write a sealed letter to ourselves for five years from now. Yes, the assignment feels straight out of elementary school. But it had me thinking about life a lot. Not just about that old Mike Jones song. But about what is important. And about the things that will be important when 2020 approaches. It’s not very often you’re asked deep questions like this. So it took some time to eventually put pen to paper.

Back five years ago, in 2010, I had a pretty chaotic November. I was still back in college in Dayton and it was a pretty tough time for me personally. Heck, there’s only really one major life constant since that time: I’m still writing for WFNY. I’ve been off-and-on at the site since early 2009. It’s one of the things I’ve done the longest in my entire life. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity bestowed upon me by Scott, Rick and Andrew. Being a part of WFNY has changed my career and my life in so many ways. Thank you.

Last year was my first Thanksgiving away from my family based in Akron. We are a very tight-knit family and when my parents moved following my college graduation, they moved all of about a mile. We’re now within half-a-mile of our best friends and my grandparents. In my recent letter to myself, I urged 2020 me to cherish my parents, my grandparents, my brothers, my dog and the rest of my family and loved ones. They’re my biggest support system and made me who I am today. I certainly wouldn’t have made it to writing for WFNY without their love and support.

Last weekend, I made the last-minute decision to surprise my parents for Thanksgiving. There were some slight health scares going around multiple family members. I had previous plans to go with friends down to Los Angeles — I had been planning that for about a year. Those friends are some of my favorite in the world. But when it comes to what’s most important, and what I’m thankful for the most, it’s my family and my parents. I love you with everything that I am. Thanks to you on this awesome day and everyday. I’m so glad I could be home this week.