Happy Thanksgiving to you all. This year we have plenty to be thankful for.
I want to start by saying thank you to each and every one of you who have read and shared this blog over the years. I want to thank the almost 21,000 of you who have made our Facebook page a great community to talk about the Chicago Cubs. This page has become more popular and bigger than I could have ever imagined.
Just as important, I want to thank everyone who has worked on this blog and provided content interesting enough that each and every one of you keep coming back. Thank you to Kin, Maria, Andy, Sharon, Mo, Gunther, Rich, Rob and many many others throughout the years. Without your contributions this blog would not be anything close to what we have become. You are the life of this blog, without you none of this would ever be possible.
This year, our dreams came true as the Cubs won the World Series. For that I will always be thankful. I want to thank the Tribune Company who saw something in former Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry who’s scouting team brought up Javier Baez and Willson Contreras. I want to thank them also for selling the team to Sam Zell who then sold the Cubs to Tom Ricketts.
Tom Ricketts then hired the “miracle man” Theo Epstein who hired Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod and many other brilliant men who built this World Series championship team. I want to thank each and every player who helped get this team to and win the World Series. Thank you Tommy La Stella, David Ross, Albert Almora Jr., Carl Edwards Jr., Jeimer Candelario, Chris Coghlan, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Tim Federowicz, Brian Matusz, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, Matt Szczur, Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Addison Russell, Kyle Hendricks, Rob Zastryzny, Joe Smith, Clayton Richard, Jon Lester, Joe Nathan, Travis Wood, Mike Montgomery, Jason Hammel, Willson Contreras, Spencer Patton, John Lackey, Jake Buchanan, Adam Warren, Anthony Rizzo, Pedro Strop, Miguel Montero, Jake Arrieta, Gerardo Concepcion, Ryan Kalish, Justin Grimm, Trevor Cahill, Aroldis Chapman, Neil Ramirez, Hector Rondon, Felix Pena, Joel Peralta, Munenori Kawasaki and Jorge Soler. Because of all that you have done, we fans were able to celebrate something we have been waiting 108 years for (some of us much much less). For your accomplishments I (and several other Cubs fans) will be a fan of yours for life and will root for your success no matter where you end up in the coming years (accept when you play the Cubs of course). You have given us the joy that can never be repaid. Just know that you are well loved, and deserve this thanks. A special thank you also has to go out to Joe Maddon and his coaching staff John Mallee (Hitting Coach), Eric Hinske (Assistant Hitting Coach), Chris Bosio (Pitching Coach), Brandon Hyde (First Base Coach), Gary Jones (Third Base Coach), Dave Martinez (Bench Coach), Lester Strode (Bullpen Coach), Henry Blanco (Quality Control Coach), Chad Noble (Bullpen Catcher), Mike Borzello (Catching Coach) who actually was able to break through the barrier. Not only getting the Cubs to their first World Series in 71 years, but winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years!
Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank my mother Linda for raising me to be a Cubs fan. If she had not, I would never have been able to experience such joy. Through her sacrifices I grew to know and love this amazing team. Though the road to this moment was not easy or fun, all of what we went through was well worthwhile. Thank you mom.
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