Pianow Unplugged: What I'm thankful for
I’m probably forgetting a few things, but on this week of all weeks, let’s make a list.
• I’m thankful for Justin Tucker. You could narrow the goal posts by 80 percent and he’d be the same guy.
• I’m thankful for the Steelers and the Jets. Historical things might happen, and we are all witnesses.
• I’m thankful for the Cleveland Browns. We need a few teams trying to party like it’s 1977.
• I’m thankful for the 2-point conversion. Life would be a lot more boring without it.
• I’m thankful for every punt eschewed, especially when it’s in the middle of the field. Fortune favors the brave.
• I’m thankful for music.
• I’m thankful for cheese. I’m thankful for salami. I’m thankful for salami and cheese.
• I’m thankful for Deshaun Watson. He had every reason to have a lousy year, and instead, with such little help, he’s having his best year.
• I’m thankful for Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.
• I’m thankful I’ll have pasta again on Thanksgiving.
• I’m thankful for Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. I’m thankful for every time Michaels winks at the audience and mentions the point spread.
• I’m thankful for Scott Van Pelt and for Bad Beats, the best 3-5 minute segment on television.
• I’m thankful for the Chesterfield Club.
• I’m thankful for Patrick Mahomes. Such a talent, such a dreamer. He’s better than everyone else, but never acts like it.
• I’m thankful for Pro Football Reference. Every day.
• I’m thankful for Justin Herbert. Not even a bad haircut could stop him. Not every star quarterback has to be an extrovert.
• I’m thankful for Pittsburgh wideouts. The draft is impossible for most teams, but not for those guys.
• I’m thankful for Twitter. It’s a snake pit every so often, but it’s still far more good than bad. I’ve made friends there. I’ve learned so much there.
• I’m thankful for James Robinson. Not for one second have you disappointed me.
• I’m thankful for Terry McLaurin and Allen Robinson. May you both play with great quarterbacks someday.
• I’m thankful for the Sports Illustrated Vault, even through the redesigns. My childhood is stored in that place. When I can’t sleep, I wander around the archives until I’m tired.
• I’m thankful for inclusive celebrations. I love to see communal joy, camaraderie.
• I’m thankful for Dorothy Parker and Oscar Wilde.
• I’m thankful for the people I work with.
• I’m thankful for subtlety.
• I’m thankful for Rushmore, and every perfect song from Rushmore.
• I’m thankful for a well-designed screen.
• I’m thankful for Brian Flores. Hope is a good thing.
• I’m thankful for A.J. Brown after the catch, and Derrick Henry in the fourth quarter.
• I’m thankful for Radiohead.
• I’m thankful for Josh Allen. I’m thankful for the Buffalo fanbase.
• I’m thankful for teams that aren’t afraid to lose.
• I’m thankful for Rodgers-to-Davante.
• I’m thankful for Kyle Shanahan, who thinks he could turn you into a 900-yard rusher.
• I’m thankful for Andy Reid’s play sheet.
• I’m thankful for rain. I wouldn’t want to live in a city where the weather was the same every day.
• I’m thankful for curveballs. I’m thankful for hanging curves, too.
• I’m thankful for live scoring, even as I try to ignore it for as long as I can every Sunday. You have to try to let things breathe.
• I’m thankful for Johan Cruyff, and the idea that winning without style is an empty experience.
• I’m thankful for Bill Belichick’s wisdom, and wardrobe.
• I’m thankful for Lost in Translation.
• I’m thankful for fake punts and surprise onside kicks.
• I’m thankful for pepper.
• I’m thankful for being wrong. It’s good for the soul. It keeps you balanced, hungry. Taysom Hill, I was wrong, man.
• I’m thankful for golf, and never more so than in 2020. And I’m thankful for golf sounds, which are the most relaxing sounds.
• I’m thankful that every NFL week is weird, and every NFL season is weird, in its own weird way.
• I’m thankful for Led Zeppelin. You cannot pick a favorite Led Zeppelin song, because it’s different tomorrow.
• I’m thankful for every soccer goal that’s scored in the flow of the game.
• I’m thankful for garbage time, and for backdoor covers.
• I’m thankful for George Kittle’s passion, and Raheem Mostert’s dedication.
• I’m thankful for podcasts, especially in the car.
• I’m thankful for football in the snow.
• I’m thankful for Mike Damone.
• I’m thankful for symmetry, and asymmetry.
• I’m thankful for Chris Wesseling. If you ever need something good to read, send him a note.
• I’m thankful to anyone who’s ever suggested an edit in a graceful manner.
• I’m thankful for my Dad, still the nicest person I’ve ever met.
• I’m thankful for Bloc Party.
• I’m thankful for Jackie Brown. I’m thankful for True Romance.
• I’m thankful for chess. I’m thankful for poker. I’m thankful for Scrabble.
• I’m thankful for natural grass.
• I’m thankful for Aaron Donald.
• I’m thankful for mustard. All kinds of mustard. Mean Mr. Mustard.
• I’m thankful for Russell Wilson. I’m thankful for every strange Seahawks game.
• I’m thankful for dogs, and for underdogs.
• I’m thankful for headphones.
• I’m thankful for every tight end from Iowa.
• I’m thankful for Cameron Crowe.
• I’m thankful for Marshawn Lynch, and for Warrick Dunn.
• I’m thankful for helmets with numbers on them.
• I’m thankful for passing. I’m thankful for the extra pass.
• I’m thankful for empathy.
• I’m thankful for hockey sweaters, especially with the string tie in the front.
• I’m thankful to NFL Game Pass. Grab any device and voila, your own film room in five seconds.
• I’m thankful for hybrids. I’m thankful for wedges.
• I’m thankful for my friends. I’m thankful for my brothers. I’m thankful for my cousins.
• I’m thankful for prime numbers.
• I’m thankful for Tanya Donelly.
• I’m thankful I can do this for a living. And I’m thankful, so grateful and appreciative, that you’re a part in it.