What The Yankees Should Be Thankful For This Year

(The following is being syndicated from An A-Blog for A-Rod)

To some of us, it might seem like being a member of the New York Yankees is a cakewalk.  Getting paid millions of dollars to play a game for a living, playing that game for the most well-recognized team in the history of sports, playing it in front of a packed house every night, winning titles, doing commercials, dating supermodels and actresses and singers, etc.  I know I wouldn’t mind living that life.  But don’t let that fool you into thinking that these guys take what they have for granted and are totally made in the shade.  Oh no, they still have plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.  For example:

- Mark Teixeira should be thankful that popping up on the infield with runners on base isn’t a fineable offense in the organization.  If it was, he probably wouldn’t be able to afford cranberry sauce this year.

- A.J. Burnett should be thankful that he had Russell Martin behind the plate all season in 2011.  Who knows how high A.J.’s record-setting wild pitch totals would have been with somebody else back there?

- Boone Logan should be thankful that he doesn’t have to face any lefties for another couple months.

- Robbie Cano should be thankful that he hired Scott Boras as his agent.  Whether Boras was joking last month when talking about Cano’s contract or not, Cano is an MVP-caliber player and being with Boras all but guarantees he’s going to get paid like one.

- Joba should be thankful that Phil Hughes will be stealing all the “what kind of shape is he in?” storylines that are usually reserved for him when pitchers and catchers report in 2012.

- Rafael Soriano should be thankful that Joba won’t be back until the summer of 2012 at the earliest, otherwise he could be looking at becoming baseball’s first $11 million 6th-Inning Guy.  Oh, and don’t worry if Soriano isn’t smiling.  He’s definitely thankful.  Trust me.

- Alex Rodriguez should be thankful that he gets to hang out with all these hot chicks…. Or something like that.

- Swish should be thankful that The Boss isn’t still running the show.  If he was, Swish’s option probably would have been declined in favor of the New Kid on The Block, Yoenis Cespedes.

- Mo should be thankful that his career involves coming out to “Enter Sandman” and not singing “Enter Sandman” if he ends up needing this rumored vocal chord surgery.

- Cash should be thankful that Cliff Lee isn’t available again this offseason.  He’s already 0 for 2 going after Clifton, probably best that he doesn’t get a chance to strike out.

As for me, I’m thankful for my family, my friends, my health, and the fact that I root for and write about a team whose biggest issues are deciding which free agent starter(s) they want to add to the rotation and making sure their All-Star first and third basemen bounce back in 2012.  No clubhouse drinking witch hunts, no GMs jumping ship, and no re-working the stadium dimensions to better fit the Little League-level talent of their lineup.  It’s very easy to forget how spoiled we are as Yankee fans, especially when I throw up a post openly whining about Phil Hughes, but what better time to remember how good we all have it than this season of giving?

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, everybody.  Eat too much, drink too much, and make sure to take a dig or two at any family members who are Met or Fraud Sawx fans.