Nothing beats Thanksgiving dinner. But there’s actually more to the holiday than eating a mountain of food, watching football and falling asleep on the couch.
Even if the real Pilgrims weren’t as hospitable to the Indians as most history books suggest, Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks.
So let’s take a moment to reflect on what we have to be thankful for in the world of New England sports.
Bill Belichick uses the book of percentages for toilet paper. The non-sports sector could use a few more fearless leaders like the Patriots head coach, who plays to win. Not to not lose.
The Red Sox aren’t the Pirates. That’s why names like Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera, Roy Halladay and Felix Hernandez enter offseason discussions in Boston — and hope isn’t on a milk carton.
The Bruins are putting their slow start in the rearview mirror faster than Jimmie Johnson wins a Sprint Cup.
Wes Welker and Dustin Pedroia are cut from the same cloth. If every athlete had the heart of those two, prima donnas would be extinct.
Doc Rivers won’t let the Celtics fade to Bolivia.
This could be the season Patrice Bergeron becomes an annual fixture at the NHL All-Star game.
DVR — and the ability to watch a replay of any play from any sporting event as often as you want — is the best invention since the electric turkey carver.
A hungry Papi could be a dangerous Papi. David Ortiz wants to prove he isn’t finished.
Marc Savard is healthy and ready to shake off the rust.
Rajon Rondo can only get better from the charity stripe (and he better — the Celtics don’t want to be paying $1 million per made free throw for the next five seasons).
Randy Moss hasn’t forgotten his roots, or how to make plays.
Those draft picks Peter Chiarelli picked up for Phil Kessel could come in handy around the trade deadline, especially if the Bruins are looking to add a scrappy defenseman or sniper.
Jon Lester is 25 and already one of the top five left-handers in baseball.
Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce are the ultimate Big Three in Celtics history.
Patriots-Saints could be a Super Bowl preview.
The smart money’s on Cam Neely in a fight with the Bear.
Tom Brady has everything a man could want, and he still comes across like a guy who works in a hardware store — who just happens to wear clothes made from an Italian tailor.
Claude Julien is a Jack Adams winner, and he still might be underrated as a coach.
Jason Varitek might surprise some people with his contributions off the bench.
UConn got its signature win at Notre Dame, and it could not have been scripted any better. Randy Edsall has put the Huskies on the football map and is exactly the kind of coach the Irish need to replace Charlie Weis. But that is precisely why this will never happen. Edsall seems like he would rather prove that a national championship can be won in Storrs than become the next Bobby Petrino.
Ersan Ilyasova is the best big man you’ve never heard of. If Rasheed Wallace starts playing like Ilyasova, the Celtics will be happy. Who ever thought those two players would be in the same sentence?
Fenway Park is going to be turned into an ice rink in a few weeks.
The Red Sox aren’t the Cubs. Two years since a World Series win is nothing compared to 101 years.
The Canadiens-Bruins rivalry is why we watch.
If the Red Sox win the World Series in 2010, they get to unseat the Yankees as world champs.
Opening Day is only 130 days away.
