Sharing What We’re Thankful For

As most of you are aware, today is Thanksgiving. It’s a day to be shared with family and friends, reflecting on the things that we are thankful for, and even giving to those who are less fortunate than us. We also overload ourselves with turkey, side dishes, and heaping helpings of football. It’s a day unlike any other on our calendar.

With that in mind, Wahoo’s on First is taking on a different look and feel for the day. Instead of over-analyzing any number of fake trades and arguing ad nauseam about things that don’t matter all that much in the grand scheme of life, we are going to share what we are thankful for. Allow me to explain.

Sep 24, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Fans cheer in the seventh inning of a game between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Typically for the Weekly Wroundtable, I ask the staff a simple question and they provide me with a simple answer of about 140-200 words. I compile all of our answers into one article and call it a day. This week I asked the staff to let me know what they are thankful for as Indians fans. The only caveat was that there was no limit. They could write as much as the wanted for as long as they wanted and were free to venture as far off topic as they wanted. The end result, nine spectacular answers that will be posted today as their own individual article.

We’ll kick off today’s festivities with my own answer and follow it up with a new article every hour on the hour. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

What Am I Thankful for as a Fan of the Cleveland Indians?

As I reflect on what I’m thankful for this year, a few are blatantly obvious. I’m thankful for my family and friends for being supportive. I’m thankful for my awesome wife and her ability to keep my life from spinning out of control… even though she’s a Yankees fan. And I’m thankful for the fact that I have my health and a job that pays the bills.

As a fan of the Cleveland Indians, I’m thankful for the memories I have that involve them in some way, shape, or form. I have so many memories with the Indians, particularly during my formative years going to games with my parents, first at the old stadium and then at “The Jake.” Those memories will be with me forever and I cherish them more than I can probably express in this space.

On the field, I’m glad that the Indians don’t have a never ending flow of cash to purchase players and cover up mistakes. It makes every move and every decision that much more important and as a result, that much more entertaining. It also makes it a lot more fun to try to figure out how to make them better. As fans we love coming up with fake trades and signings. If you ask me, it’s more fun having to think outside the box than to say, “Let’s just pay Robinson Cano $300-million for the next 10 years and call it a day.”

The Indians also serve as my escape from the day-to-day stress of life and provide me with an outlet for my creativity. After all, without them this site would not exist. That brings me to the primary reason why I am thankful for the Cleveland Indians.

Being a part of this website since December of 2011 has been an absolute thrill. Seeing where we were at almost two years ago and how far we have come in that time is both astounding and humbling at the same time. Being able to cover the team and have a significantly large audience read and respond to my work has been more than I could ever have asked for. I’m proud to say that I am a part of Wahoo’s on First. It’s a badge of honor.

I’m also thankful to our former editor, Lewie Pollis. He gave me an opportunity to join his staff even though I wasn’t exactly well versed in advanced statistics at the time. He also thought enough of my talent and work ethic to hand over the title of editor when he left for greener pastures back at the beginning of May. Since then I’ve had a blast leading the staff and attempting to improve and continue to build up the brand that Lewie worked so hard to establish. I’m thankful for the high standard he established because it makes me work harder each and every day to make him proud of us as our former leader.

Finally, that brings me to my staff. I’m sure most of you are reading this, so I’ll speak directly to you. Thank you for the work that you all do. I know I say it every now and then in our email chains, but without you we would not be as thoughtful, informative, or forward thinking as we are. Yes, I may drive the car and keep it running smoothly, but you’re the fuel. You guys, and gal, are some of the most talented people I have ever had the honor of working with at any point in my life. I’m blown away on a daily basis by the articles you all write and the podcast you produce and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. I wouldn’t want to share the masochistic life of an Indians fan with any other group of people.