Happy Thanksgiving! What baseball moment are you most thankful for?

By Cut4 Staff

November 28, 2013

It's Thanksgiving: a day to look around, see what really matters and give thanks for the things that make your life fulfilling and special. It's also a day to eat an inordinate amount of food and then sit on the couch while trying not to fall asleep.

While that second thing is the most fun -- as fun as heartburn can be, at least -- the first thing is really what makes Thanksgiving such a great holiday.

So, in that spirit, we want to take a moment, reflect on this baseball season and share with you its moments that we're really, truly thankful for.

Fans wearing silly costumes

"Fan," as sportswriters like to say, is short for "fanatic," and part of being a fanatic is the exuberant showcasing of one's fanaticism to others. Thus, we get the silly fan costume: one of the highlights of the ballpark experience. Some fans dress up as trophies, some as fictional players, some as phones, some as logos and some as random pop-culture figures. All are wonderful, and we're thankful for every single one of them.

Especially when they have puppets:

The Miguel Cabrera/Mike Trout MVP Debate

No matter which side you come down on, these two players are absolutely fantastic. Miguel Cabrera's dominance at the plate is unbelievable and unmatched by anyone else in baseball. Mike Trout can do literally everything there is to do on a baseball field except pitch (although we wouldn't be stunned to hear he could do that too). Both players put together amazing seasons, and the fact that we even get to have this debate is something to be thankful for.

Defense

Chicks dig the long ball, sure, but great defense can be amazing to behold. Seriously, look at this:

And this:

Pitchers are probably just as thankful of awesome defense as we are.

Ballpark food

Yes, a day at the ballpark isn't complete without a hotdog. Duh. But that's not what we're talking about here -- we're thankful for the unique, imaginative creations baseball chefs come up with year in and year out. Some are classic, some are decadent and some are fresh and trendy, but each one brings a little local flavor (quite literally) to the ballpark, and that's something worth giving thanks for.

As is this fan trying to eat four pounds of nachos without his hands:

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Young phenoms

Look at this list of players: Wil Myers, Jose Fernandez, Yasiel Puig, Shelby Miller, Jose Iglesias, and Andrelton Simmons. Could you imagine baseball without them? And yet, a year ago, we hadn't really gotten to know them. There are even more brilliant players who are just getting their first taste of The Show, and we get to watch them grow for the next decade or more. Thank you -- all of you.

The Pirates ending their postseason drought

October baseball is an awful lot of fun, and when a team that hasn't been there since Gerrit Cole was two years old finally earns a postseason berth, that's something we can all celebrate. Top it all off with an unforgettable Wild Card win (and the NL MVP), and you've got something that feels about as good as a stomach full of turkey and pumpkin pie.

Baseball is just three months away

We're almost there. Just bundle up, gather 'round the hot stove and let the dancing Royals fan help pass the hours by...

Tell us what you're thankful for in the comments.