With today being Thanksgiving, I wanted to take time out to tell all of you what I am thankful for.
First, I would l like to thank all of you that patronize this site and have helped it become what it is today. As you can probably tell, this site is my passion. In addition to that, being as I am mania bipolar, obsessive compulsive and an insomniac, this site provides much needed therapy for those dysfunctions on a daily basis. It occupies my brain and I am truly thankful for that.
Next, I am thankful that I have a wife that puts up with me and my dysfunctions. If you think I can be an asshole on this site and on Twitter at times, you should try living with me. It ain’t no picnic.
Moving on down the list, this site wouldn’t be what it is today without all of the great people that contribute to it on a weekly basis. Many of these people you already know, but in case you don’t know some or all of them, I will give you a rundown of each as I am thankful to have them all as contributors.
David Todd – David has co-hosted the podcast with me for four full years now as of last week. Can you imagine having to talk to me for an hour three times a week? That’s basically what he’s done and he’s done it very well. David, as many of you should know, has his own show on ESPN 970 and I hope you listen to him as he is great at his craft. You can follow David on Twitter at @DavidMTodd.
Matthew Marczi – If this site is one of your morning stops, that means you’ve probably been greeted by Matthew’s work for nearly two full seasons now. Matthew doesn’t require any direction and I wish I could become half the wordsmith that he is. Like me, Matthew loves loud music and is always up until the wee hours of the morning writing. We all like to call Matthew a “machine” and his daily work serves as a solid backbone for this site. He’s knowledgeable about the Steelers and very objective. You can follow Matthew on Twitter at @mmarczi.
Alex Kozora – Alex eats tape. Lots and lots of tape. I’m not even sure how he manages to fit college in. He charts the defense, breaks down tape, crunches stats, makes videos and has even filled in for David quite a bit on the podcast. If you read Alex’s work during training camp, you had to be floored. Thanks to him and your donations, he was able to attend every single training camp practice this year and recapped everything that he observed. He’s humble and has an eye for the game. I love talking X’s and O’s with him and his work compliments Matthew’s work nicely. He is truly the Ross Ventrone of this site. You can follow Alex on Twitter at @Alex_Kozora.
Alan Gifford – I met Alan on Twitter several years ago and he’s become a very good friend. He doesn’t write for the site, but he contributes quite a bit in ways that aren’t visible to those that visit here. Alan tracks stuff that we talk about on the podcast and will do any research that I ask him to do at a moments notice. When not watching sports, Alan runs a very successful eBay business. If every need any tips on how to sell stuff online, he’s your man. You can follow Alan on Twitter at @algiff.
Nick Richetta – You haven’t lived until you chart a Steelers game when they wear those striped bumble bee throwback jerseys. It’s a bitch. Nick has charted the Steelers offense for this site for several seasons now and he does a fantastic job. In the past, Nick has filled in for David on the podcast and has also filed reports from training camp over the years. He’s as honest as they come and a great friend. I am able to look past him being a Boston Bruins fan because of all of the above. You can follow Nick on Twitter at @SteelCityKid117.
Michael K. Reynolds – In case you didn’t already know it, Michael is an award-winning historical novelist and marketing consultant. He’s been a weekly contributor on this site this season and while you might not agree with everything he writes, his posts usually manage to get a huge amount of comments. I’m not totally sure, but I think Michael either owes rookie Daniel McCullers money or he’s his agent. All kidding aside, like Matthew, Michael is great wordsmith and he’s very passionate about what he writes. He has a great sense of humor and I have failed to run him off a few times with my rudeness. You can follow Michael on Twitter at @M_K_Reynolds.
Tony DelSignore Jr. – Tony started contributing to the site this season and he supplies the weekly stats projections for fantasy football purposes. Like me, Tony takes his fantasy leagues and stats serious and he’s always willing to talk about every player in the league in addition to the Steelers. Tony is quite the photographer to boot and I’m sure he will gladly show you all of the great photos that he’s taken. He’s a solid human. You can follow Tony on Twitter at @TonyD_12.
Melanie Friedlander – Need to know about an injury? If so, you need to talk to Melanie. Melanie is a surgeon out in California and while she’s only been able to contribute a few posts to this site this season, they were very informative. Hopefully we can get her to write more in the future. You can follow Melanie on Twitter at @Girlsurgeon.
As you can clearly see, I indeed do have a lot to be thankful for. Let me close by wishing all of you a very happy Thanksgiving and I hope you all stay safe. Enjoy your holiday season and please, if you are going to drink, don’t drive. Above all, be thankful.
Peace and love, peace and love and go Steelers.
Regards,
Dave
