It could very well be me, but this year Thanksgiving seemed to sneak right up on me and slap me in the lips. Thus begins the greasy slide into the end of the year frenzy. Shopping, cooking, presents, stress, eating, some drinking, and more stress is on the menu for the next month plus.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Thanksgiving are not very productive days for me, work wise. Tell you the truth, the one thing circling in my head at the moment is not messing up the turkey and having to order a bunch of Chinese food for everyone.

I have decided to take a time out. Yes, before the whirlwind of the holiday season makes me insane and adds 20 pounds to my svelte frame, I'm going to take a second, or two, to remind myself of what Thanksgiving is all about. No, not heavy drinking. And no, not imperialism ransacking a country from its inhabitants. (It's joke, people, chillax.) It's about being thankful for what we have. If you'd like to join me, that'd be swell. This is what I'm thankful for, in a particular order. Well, the order that I thought of them in:

* I'm thankful for the Boston Red Sox for proving 2004 wasn't a Halley's Comet for us fans. They repeated what was previously impossible, winning a World Series, and now let me watch a game not only confident, but without the results ruining my next three days… or months... or, uh, years.

* I'm thankful for WEEI in Boston. Whether or not I think John Dennis and Gerry Callahan are pompous prissies, whether I think Dale Arnold and Michael Holley are as dangerous and controversial as a church donation, or whether I think Glenn Ordway and "The Big Show" crew are a bunch of meatheads who bathe in Bill Belichick's underarm sweat, it doesn't matter. I can tune in all day and find something worth listening to, which can be taken for granted on those fun filled days stuck in 495 traffic.

* I'm thankful for the Boston Celtics for returning to prominence this year in the NBA. Not to toot my own horn – honk honk – but I was one of the few who watched them regularly last year, first to watch and see Danny Ainge's youth brigade grow, then to watch the car accident tank job at the end of the season. No Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, but give me Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and we'll call it a day. It's been a while since I've told people my plans included making sure I catch the C's game.

* I'm thankful for “list columns” taking up so much room and making it seem like I have more to say than I do.

* I'm thankful for the U.S. government and it's dogged pursuit of Barry Bonds. Some people pull the race card here. Some ask where the G-men were in 1998 when Big Red McGwire and Sammy the Smile were stealing our hearts with the long ball. Both are valid points, but I'm most thankful that one of society's truly deplorable people gets what's coming to them. I don't know the man, but I know enough. He doesn't care about you as a fan. He doesn't care about what you think. He cares about Barry. Would we be more upset if Barry was a "good guy?" Probably. But would a good guy use jealousy and insecurity as a reason to cheat, lie and steal for adulation? You have to wonder if he thinks it was all worth it. Better yet, you have to wonder if he even cares.

* I'm thankful for my grandfather teaching me how to follow "Beckett Baseball Card Monthly" and in turn making me want to devour any baseball related reading I could. Sure, I never went out socially during high school, but I can tell you all about "Three Finger" Brown.

* I'm thankful for the New England Patriots for destroying everything and anything in it's path this NFL season. I can imagine Belichick and company's thought process. "You think we cheated? You think the three rings are tainted? You think we're frauds? Here, how does this taste, stuffed in your estuary?" 56-10? 52-7? Think they're running it up? Here's an idea, stop them.

* I'm clearly thankful for thesaurus.com.

* I'm thankful for ESPN deteriorating into a predictable pile of predictions and puff pieces. Some days you'd think there were only four athletes in the world: Peyton, Tom, Barry and A-Rod.

* I'm thankful for the eSports rating system. No, really, I am.

* I'm thankful for writers like Tony Massarotti, Gerry Callahan, Bill Simmons, Charles Bukowski, Mike Lupica, Nikki Sixx and the rest of the Crue, and Peter Vescey for giving me plenty of material and styles to blatantly steal from and call "inspiration.”

* I'm thankful they're remaking "Clash of the Titans." If any movie needs a 21st century do-over, it's Medusa, the Kraken and Perseus, et al.

* Finally, I'm truly thankful to be able to spend Thursday with my friends and family, living in New England and being able to talk sports, watch sports, and write about sports and have a couple people read it. Have a happy and safe turkey day, folks.