We who live, work, and play in Sports World have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.
The Super Bowl of soccer, the World Cup, is making its Middle East debut in Qatar. This quadrennial spectacle comes wrapped in controversy this year, thanks to restrictive Islamic customs like prohibiting alcohol sales. Soccer fans from abroad, long accustomed to inebriated cheering, have to settle for a swig of non-alcoholic Bud Zero!
The NFL is entertaining, as always. The Patriots stunned the Jets Sunday, 10-3, on rookie Marcus Jones’s 84-yard punt return for a touchdown with 5 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. Defense dominated this rematch between the old rivals. There were 17 punts, and the Jets managed only two yards on offense in the second half. Two yards! Unbelievable!! No wonder the Pats beat the Jets for the 14th consecutive game. And we have a Thanksgiving treat: New England at Minnesota Thanksgiving night!
The 17-3 Bruins are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They had won seven in a row until Florida beat them Wednesday. The Celtics are off to a 14-4 start. They had won nine in a row until Monday night, when they lost to the Bulls. They rebounded Wednesday night with a victory over Dallas. Major League Baseball gave us a memorable post season, even if the disappointing Red Sox were only spectators.
Some of us have particular reasons to be grateful. Take Jones, the Patriots return specialist. He should send fruit baskets to every one of his special teams blockers for clearing the way for his electrifying run. Jones caught the ball at the New England 16-yard line between the hash marks and yard numbers; feinted left; turned right; cut behind blockers Brenden Schooler, Raleigh Webb, Anfernee Jennings, and Jonathan Jones; dodged punter Braden Mann and ran away from the rest of the Jets.
Jones should also send a basket to Mann, who delivered his 10th punt of the game directly to him instead of kicking it out of bounds to prevent a big return. And a thank you note to the officials for not penalizing Patriot Mack Wilson for his block of Jet Justin Hardee at the 13-yard line. Wilson shoved Hardee slightly from behind his left shoulder.
Brown freshman Olivia Pichardo owes her dad Max a big hug for nourishing her dream of playing baseball instead of softball while growing up in Queens, N.Y. She should thank Brown baseball coach Grant Achilles for allowing her to try out this fall. And Achilles should be thankful that Pichardo proved herself during fall ball so he could announce on Monday that she had made the team, the first woman to earn a spot on an NCAA Division I baseball roster.
Even if he has thanked Carlos Correa for vacating the shortstop position in Houston and signing a free agent contract with Minnesota, Jeremy Peña, the latest famous Classical High alum, should say it again with flowers. For if Correa had stayed with the Astros, Peña would not have hit 22 home runs during the season, earned the ALCS MVP award, and hit .400 in the World Series and earned Series MVP recognition for leading the Astros to the title.
Catcher Christian Vazquez owes Chaim Bloom a Thanksgiving note. Bloom, head of baseball operations for the Red Sox, traded Vazquez, a clubhouse and fan favorite, to the Astros at the Aug. 1 trading deadline. You know what followed. Vazquez was a key player in Houston’s championship run. The Red Sox finished last.
Bloom should send Red Sox principal owner John Henry candy, flowers, wine and a hand-written thank you note for not firing him. The Red Sox have finished at the bottom of the American League East standings two of the last three seasons.
Joe Mazzulla should send Brad Stevens a case of wine for promoting him as interim coach of the Boston Celtics. A kid who grows up in Johnston, plays basketball at Bishop Hendricken and West Virginia University and coaches a Division II college program just doesn’t become head coach of the most famous franchise in NBA history — unless Ime Udoka, the previous head coach, violates terms off his contract by having a relationship with a female staffer and draws a one-year suspension.
Julie Maguire coached field hockey at North Kingstown for 34 seasons, starting in 1989. Her teams won 11 state championships and this year the Division I championship. She retired with that 12th overall crown. Every girl who played for Maguire owes her — and her assistant of 29 years Kris Graham — a Thanksgiving thank you.
Pitcher Justin Verlander should thank his medical team, again, after groin surgery and Tommy John surgery sidelined him for most of the abbreviated 2020 season and all of 2021. This season with the Astros, Verlander rewarded their skill with an 18-4 record, his first World Series victory after eight failures, his third Cy Young Award, and the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Let’s thank all those high-school coaches who toil long hours to make our kids better athletes and citizens. The overwhelming majority are committed teachers deserving our gratitude.
And let’s be grateful for the moms and dads who devote their free time to coaching our kids in recreation leagues and instructional programs. Getting a team of 5-year-olds to pay attention for more than 15 seconds can be as challenging as finding a World Cup beer in Qatar.