There is plenty to be thankful for

With Covid dominating the lives of many for the better part of the last two years, it can be difficult for us to be thankful now that Thanksgiving 2021 is here. But we do have some bright spots:

In sports, we finally have a football team worth talking about, after decades – yes, I said decades of horrid football.

Think about that: someone born right around the time Art Modell shuffled the Browns off to Baltimore – and then reincarnated them as the Ravens – would not have seen any stretch of decent NFL football unless they decided to root for another team. A solid quarter of a century of consistently putrid football is tough to do, but the Browns answered the call.

No city should have to go through that much suffering for that length of time. But the Cleveland Indians of the early ‘60s into the early ‘90s went a half-decade longer than the Browns. Outside of a couple of blips on the radar when the Tribe was competitive for a season or two, the Indians were, well, awful.

What I am truly thankful for is that the franchise never left Cleveland (although the rumors surfaced often as the losing seasons – as well as a typically huge debt load – mounted). I look back and it’s hard to figure out how (or maybe even better, why) the Indians managed to remain in Cleveland.

Of course, anyone who watched the Ted Stepien era of NBA basketball (or so it was billed as) can rightfully argue that Stepien fit decades of suffering into only a few years as (hands-down) one of the worst owners of a professional sports franchise in history.

So what carried us through those painful years and decades? For me, it was (and still is) family. Let’s start with my wife, Patty, who some might suggest married the Ted Stepien equivalent of husbands when she decided to marry me. The best thing to ever happen to this guy was the day I met her, and it will remain that way for as long as I live. But wait, there’s more!

We are lucky enough to have three wonderful children: Jason, Leah, and Nicole, and each child is blessed with a unique talent and drive that has made each quite successful in their life’s choice(s). But wait, there’s more!

Our children have given us the joy of seven (and the number will rise to eight in May) grandchildren, and we cherish the time we can spend with each other, as our kids and their families – unfortunately – all live out of state.

Thankfully, we will see them all over the Thanksgiving break, evoking a special joy that places sports – appropriately – in the rearview mirror.

Here's wishing you and yours the most special Thanksgiving ever!

Jeff Bing

Lifelong Westlake resident who dabbles in writing whenever the real world permits. My forte is humor and horror...What a combo!

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Volume 13, Issue 22, Posted 10:15 AM, 11.16.2021