Happy Thanksgiving from MCB

The staff here at MCB would like to wish you and your a very happy Thanksgiving. Throughout the day today, each staff member will be posting a “What I’m thankful for” post. Make sure you check back every few hours today.

Since I’m the lead writer here, I get to go first. I’m thankful for Miguel Cabrera. More than that, I’m thankful for the Florida Marlins opting to trade Cabrera to the Tigers three years ago. Cabrera gives the Tigers a hitter the likes of which Detroit fans haven’t seen since Hank Greenberg. Read that last part again, because I believe it to be true. As great as Al Kaline, or Norm Cash, or Willie Horton were as hitters, Kaline didn’t strike fear into pitchers the way Cabrera does, Cash didn’t do it for more than a few seasons at his highest level, and Horton was a power threat, but lacked the all-around hitting game Cabrera possesses. I thought maybe Cecil Fielder would be a better comparison, but Big Daddy never maintained a batting average like Cabrera does. The more I think about it, the more I’m sure that Cabrera is the most dangerous Tigers hitter since Greenberg. That’s pretty freaking sweet.

I’m thankful for Brandon Inge and his charitable deeds. When my son was born he spent the first three weeks of his life in Children’s Hospital in Columbus. If not for people like Inge, those wonderful hospitals wouldn’t exist.

I’m thankful for Dave Dombrowski. Before he came to town, Randy Smith had a habit of building poor clubs and part of that is because Mike Ilitch didn’t commit the funds needed to bring in a winner. When Dombrowski came in, he told Mr. Ilitch to open up his check book and he’s been spending the pizza money ever since. This is so much more fun than looking up to find Craig Paquette as your big signing of the winter.

I’m thankful for the Tigers blogosphere, for the wonderful friends and mentors I have encountered since I began my online writings. I believe that few teams can match what the Tigersphere offers in depth of quality writers.

I’m thankful for my wonderful wife and our four children. This wasn’t the plan for my life as I approached my late 20s, but now that I’m 33, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Lastly, I’m thankful for the wonderful people here at Fansided. From the time that Joe Dexter stepped down on this site last February, when I got the initial email from Wally Fish, to today; there is no better professional decision I have ever made than when I closed the doors on my old blog and moved over to MCB. Wally has been a constant mentor and friend and sounding board.

In the past 10 months, MCB has grown to heights I never imagined. That’s thanks to my wonderful staff of writers and most of all to our dedicated readers. Bob is really the only one who comments regularly, but to the rest of you, don’t be shy. MCB is designed to be a place of conversation. Drop us a comment, we’ll always be happy to discuss Tigers baseball with you.

So, to all the readers out there, Happy Thanksgiving. And thanks for coming by.