With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, I, like everyone, am thankful for many things. So I figured I would stray from the usual column format to list the eight items I’m most appreciative of. Since this is a sports column, I’ll keep this related to athletics on the collegiate and professional front.

Pro-Grass – The surface made of chopped tires is safer on the joints than Astroturf and easier to maintain than real grass. Coaches and players rave about this new wave of turf and Pro-Grass seems to be catching on. Schools like Wisconsin, Michigan and Northern Illinois all have switched to a carpet similar to the one at O’Brien Stadium.

With the Panthers suffering through a rough season on the gridiron, it must be a great sales pitch for Bob Spoo to tell potential recruits that Eastern plays on a state of the art surface.

Baseball trade rumors – I must admit I haven’t smiled about Major League Baseball since Oct. 11, when the Chicago Cubs won their last game. However, after reading Paul Sullivan’s article in The Chicago Tribune last week, I couldn’t help but smirk.

The article stated the Cubs could possibly reel in American League Most Valuable Player Alex Rodriguez for starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano, reliever Kyle Farnsworth, shortstop Alex Gonzalez and a couple of prospects. Having Rodriguez at short to start next season would sure take some of the sting away from the post season collapse.

Eastern’s women’s soccer team – Without question the best team on campus. Although the girls lost in the first round to Missouri, they made every student proud to be a Panther by winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the third straight year. The team will lose a few key seniors, but with keeper Tiffany Groene back for two more seasons, continued OVC dominance is not out of the question.

Michael Jordan – Unfortunately it’s a belated thanks, but “M-Jeff” is sorely missed in the National Basketball Association. Hopefully we all took time to enjoy him because even though the NBA may claim it is in good hands with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Tim Duncan, it’s not the same without Superman.

Jerry Stackhouse and Steve Kerr may claim he’s not the greatest teammate, but “M-Jeff” sure did have a flare for the dramatic. His shot against Cleveland in 1989 and his performance in game five of the 1997 NBA Finals will go down as two of the greatest sports moments of all time.

The Eastern coaches – Front men and women like swimming’s Ray Padovan, volleyball’s Brenda Winkeler, women’s soccer’s Steve Ballard and cross country’s John

McInerney all show an extreme amount of class whether the Panthers win or lose.

Dealing with these individuals makes a reporter’s job that much easier as they’ll never duck a tough question. Also they will routinely take time out of their busy schedule to talk to the media.

Steve Passmore – The seldom known former Chicago Blackhawks goaltender is now between the pipes in Norfolk the Hawks minor league affiliate. More important than his .875 save percentage is his ability to teach the Hawks young goalies Michael Leighton and Craig Anderson who both spoke highly of Passmore during their stops at Norfolk.

With starter Jocelyn Thibault out until the all-star break, Leighton and Anderson will be counted on to keep the Hawks in contention for a playoff spot.

Volleyball’s front-line – Although Eastern struggled this year things are looking up for the blue and white. With Erica Gerth, Shanna Ruxer and Mary Welch, the Panthers have three legitimate threats and a return trip to NCAA Tournament could become a reality next year.

Football on Thanksgiving weekend – The NFL starts in the morning with the Detroit Lions annually starting the holiday and the day of football closes out with the Egg Bowl between Mississippi and Mississippi State on ESPN.

It’s a pretty good day when you can eat ’til you’re sick and then relax with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreet. Make sure to leave some room for leftovers because there is a full slate of college games the next day.