There are a lot of things I’m thankful for:
A wife who is smart, fun, a basketball fan and puts up with me doing this blog.
That I got to go to John Wooden’s basketball camp as a child.
Pau Gasol’s 15-foot jumper.
That I got to watch Michael Jordan and LeBron James play basketball in my lifetime.
Miles Davis.
That anyone would trade Trevor Ariza for Brian Cook.
Bacon.
Joe Jost’s.
That Ronny Turiaf is playing professional basketball.
Getting to watch Kobe Bryant night in and night out.
Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles (even if he’s not back).
The growth of Andrew Bynum.
This blog, and most importantly the great group of commenters and readers that have sprung up around it, making this a funny and thoughtful place to spend my time.
More than anything, my daughters, who light up my days in a way nothing else could.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
emh101 says
I am grateful for my family, my health and the Lakers (woo hoo!) And I am thankful to Kurt, this blog and all the insightful people who post. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Gatinho says
I am thankful for…
my beautiful daughter…
a wife who may be a fair weather fan but puts up with me yelling at the TV 90+ times a year…
my Laker family here at FB and G, and the opportunity to write about the boys in forum blue and gold…
a job I Iove going to…
and that the Laker franchise has spoiled me so…
Gotta go… I’m cooking!
Happy Thanksgiving!
and Kurt I probably have to update my Firefox…
Jeff T says
I am thankful for my 3-week old son who will never make it in the NBA due to his genetics (mom is 4’11”).
I am also thankful for this site, which does a great job off satisfying my Lakers Jones, even if I don’t have time to interact as much as I would like.
Ah, Joe Josts, It’s been a while but I still can taste the pickled eggs with pretzels and jalapenos. Back when I used to go there, you could get a schooner of PBR and play snooker.
fruithoopz says
1) This Site
2) Chick Hearn (birthday today)
3) Trevor Ariza
Kurt says
Jeff, you can still play snooker but they had to get rid of PBR. Now, the beer of choice is Busch.
kneejerkNBA says
‘That anyone would trade Trevor Ariza for Brian Cook’
Amen, brother. We should propose more trades to Otis Smith.
Rob S. says
For my two kids…who are pestering me as I type this.
For Andrew Bynum’s work ethic.
For Odom’s willingness to come off the bench.
For Good coffee in Portland.
Ian says
I am thankful for the new commercial with Kobe, A-Rod, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps pulling a risky business with a Wii game (I think it was Rockstar or Guitar Hero), it really made my thanksgiving.
S.Nicholson says
I am thankful for the great addition of categories and archives on the right column of this site.
Also for my family & friends health, happiness etc…and of course the Lakers great start!
1331 says
I am thankful for my life…and all the people who has been helping me live it as well as i could
hopefully I would be able to pay it back before everything’s due
btw, Andrew’s hurt? injured? a loose bone spurs in his right foot?
Sorry if the news has the potential to ruin this festive celebration.
chris h says
does anyone know more about the nature of ‘drews injury? is this a slow or quick recovery? luckily, this won’t have a serious affect because we have such a deep team. I guess this moves Pau to center, and LO back to PF.
the question is…who comes in as the back up 5?
I for one am hoping to get to see more of Powell in the line up. what little I have seen of him makes me think he’s being wasted on the pine. but up til now, whose time was he going to take?
but with this (hopefully) ‘little” injury to ‘drew, we can get some of our bench some more PT, Powell, Luke, maybe even a Mbenga sighting.
anyway, when I first read about this, the first place I came to for more inside and smart scoop is the good ol’ FB&G.
cheers amigos!
coolrunnings says
@10
Anyone got any news on Drew’s injury? Havent heard anything about it yet.
chris h says
from the LA Times-
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-bynum28-2008nov28,0,5382979.story
lakeshow says
drew is really starting to establish himself as an injury prone player
passerby says
First of all both heartwarming and candid posts from the bloggers!
I am thankful that/for:
The Lakers are the most popular team in basketball ever and across the world allowing us here in the Philippines to see at least one Laker game a week.
Kobe is distinctly Kobe and is not somebody else and that is a good thing
That Lamar did not implode
That Phil always has a trick off his sleeve and that we can play around with basketball jargon in a way that no team or fanbase can
That the good things beyond the glitz and glamor of LA are the things that rule our team
We are such a great franchise and our decisions with players and friends will reverberate for at least a decade more
We can even think of joining the 2010 sweepstakes and at the same time feel safe we don’t need to be part of it
That Drew is day to day instead of month to month and is growing still…just don’t push yourself
That this blog is so intelligent and its new layout is so pleasing to the eyes
That at least there are devout fans as us who also think and give credit where its due
Have a great Thanksgiving there in the US of A. Go Lakers!
sT says
Live in the now, notice the little things that comprise life — the raindrops on your windowpane…. your spouses laughter…. the way it feels to climb into a warm bed at night. If we pay attention to those small moments, we are able to flip the light switch to ‘on’ and find the joy in everything.
About Andrews injury, if the worst thing that happens is that LO will now be starting with Pau, I do not think we need to worry to much as Laker fans.
Kurt says
I’ve done a little research and basically, what Bynum had is no big deal. Some guys have played through this and been fine, the worst case I could find was Tony Parker last year and he was out one month.
The Lakers are listing him as day to day, so for now no big worries.
Kurt says
I’ll get an update in the preview tomorrow, by the way.
Warren Wee Lim says
Though we don’t have Thanksgiving here in the Philippines, I’ll join in the festive mood by being thankful for:
– my Bag Hag wife who enjoys as much surfing/blogging as I do. (Only she does it on Louis Vuitton forums) Ugh.
– my angel daughters who never fail to make me smile by the day.
– my computer who has not been failing me anymore.
– my 12-1 Lakers, who doesn’t need my 1st post to win anymore 😉
– Kobe averaging 33 mpg – and happy about it.
– Pau Gasol getting the sweet 20ppgs.
– Lamar chewing his endless gum.
– DFish’s PUJIT.
– Ariza is the new “energizer bunny”
– Sasha’s hair (he must be Samson of some sort)
– Luke Walton’s curls.
– Farmar’s ears.
– Vlade Radman’s shades.
– Jack Nicholson not pulling too much hair because we are 12-1 and counting. Should be 14-1 by the end of November and maybe even get to 19-1 at some point.
– Bynum’s long arms and sheepish smile… and his nice contract.
– Lebron to NY? Hmmmm.
– Bosh and Nash too? Hmmmmmmmm.
– John Hollinger.
– SIM LEAGUES !!! You guys should try it.
– Father declaring dividends soon, means a new flat screen may be on the way.
– Kurt and your awesome blog.
– Drrayeye.
– Reed, Gatinho, Bill Bridges.
– All the rest of the gang.
drrayeye says
Some of you may not agree, but I am most thankful that the Lakers are a team without any turkeys to blame for losses that don’t happen.
The only turkeys we hear about these days live in Boston.
j.d. hastings says
Oh man.
I am in L.A. at my parents’ house now. My sister has moved in with them and brought her cat, which I am allergic to, so I am sleeping in the camper.
The hatch above the camper bed is cracked, so rain poured in two nights ago when I was first sleeping here. While examining that hatch, I discovered a lovely yellow-jacket nest on the same hatch. There was a screeen between us, but on the other hand, there was only a screen between me and the wasp nest. A constant stream of water and wasp honey dripped onto the bed while I slept.
I have great photos of the wasps staring at me as I took their pistuce leter in the day. I don’t have a link here though.
Anyways, at the same time I had a radio playing in the camper, tuned to CSU Long Beach’s radio station that mostly plays jazz. I remember wakin up to the morning and the DJ announcing a live performance by Miles Davis and being unable to go to sleep again until I tried to place the era it came from.
I love all Jazz, but there is something special to Miles. He started with Charlie Parker in the 40s and continued with a steady stream of relevance for the next 3 decades, until he grew bored with the fusion scene and descended into a cocaine haze in the 70s. Its a track record unmatched by any artist in any other medium. I think my love of basketball is directly coordinated to the love of improvisational small jazz bands.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to experience both, and to have a place to share that love with others on a similar level.
Have a good holiday everyone.
Bill Bridges says
At this moment I’m thankful for mobile broadband that allows me to read and post on this wonderful blog while travelling on a train from London to Leeds…. Thanks to all.
drrayeye says
Warren (19),
You are clearly a truly international piece of the Laker empire. Though your trading schemes sometimes lead Kurt to dispair, you foresaw the Pau Gasol opportunity. That is a good part of what we are thankful for this season.
I’m sure that you are already worried about next year’s budget and signing Trevor. Thanks for holding back.
The Lakers will get their turkey come Christmas time. Andrew gets to show Kendrick how much he’s grown up. KG gets to know Pau much more up close and personal than he’d like. Pierce will meet a defensive scheme rather than an individual–but we suspect that somewhere along the way, Trevor will make himself known. Rondo will be trapped and rotated into. After awhile, the only Rondo anyone will remember will be Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo a la Turk.”
Ray Ray will not be happy with our Kobester’s defense, and the whole Celtic team will be challenged by Laker depth.
The Lakers have only one gift to offer Boston–and they won’t like it at all.
There’s an outside chance I might come to the Philippines for about a month to teach graduate students in business face to face. Then I’d be stuck watching games at strange times like you do!
This is a year filled with hope and determination. Should be a blast!
This Little Pinky says
I’m happy I am alive.
This Little Pinky says
Keon Clark also had this problem (http://goldenarmor.wordpress.com) not sure that is a good thing, or completely irrelevant. I’m leaning toward irrelevant.
the other Stephen says
hey kurt, and everyone else who makes this blog so special, thanks! we should do one of those maps to see from where people are accessing this website.
UCSBShaw says
-Thankful for a Lakers team that is as exciting to watch as they are good.
-I get to see my brother and his kids tomorrow.
-My fantasy basketball team is coming around.
-UCSB Soccer Chants.
-Trujillo’s Taco Shop.
grail says
drrayeye:
Lakers games are usually broadcast at noon here in the Philippines (if at Staples), and lasts until 2pm.
I’m happy to post, after being a lurker for the past year.
aaron says
This isn’t just a bone spur… part of the bone spur chipped off. When that happens most of the time the player will need surgery to remove it unless the loose bone spur settles in a good area in the foot. So cross your fingers! The Lakers will first see if it settles in a good spot and he will try to play. If it doesn’t he will need surgery right away and be out 2-3 months.
Warren Wee Lim says
Wowowoh grail you are Pinoy?
Drrayeye, as much as I would like to tour you on our beautiful country, I live in the southern-most part of Mindanao, Dipolog City in particular. I’m sure grail is familiar with this now.
And yes I have been really just waiting for my chance to pounce on a Kurt-initiated post regarding the contracts/budget. Fellow blogger Craig (Weightman) I am pretty sure has a nice (if not better) idea as well.
And how truly great it is to watch Pau Gasol fit in seamlessly in our team. Like he has been here all along.
JONESONTHENBA says
Is UCSB Shaw, B-Shaw?
wondahbap says
I wish we (Red Sox) could have Manny back.
busterjonez says
I’m thankful there is a Laker game today.
grail says
@Warren
yep… I’m currently in Manila.
Kurt says
Dallas preview post up.
passerby says
then welcome to the philippines grail!