Happy Thanksgiving from Redbird Rants

I would like to take this holiday season to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Since taking over Redbird Rants in January, it’s been quite a ride and I have plenty to be thankful for. On this Thanksgiving, it’s only fitting to share a few of the things I’m thankful for in my life, writing, and baseball.

Let’s start with baseball and my journey following the St. Louis Cardinals for the past 11 months.

I’m thankful for FanSided and everything the network has done for me as a blogger. The network has made this experience unforgettable. I have been lucky enough to see my work appear on Google News and Sports Illustrated. The exposure resulted in one piece being featured on Duk’s Big League Stew on Yahoo! Sports. And their connections have given me the chance to interview Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and baseball great Ken Griffey Sr. I never imagined getting these opportunities when I started and I owe a lot of that to FanSided. Specifically, thank you to Adam and Zach Best who gave me this chance and to Wally Fish and John Parent for their hard work and support as the leaders of the network’s baseball division.

I’m thankful for anyone who has read Redbird Rants during my run. It means a lot to have people read your work and appreciate it. In particular, thank you to everyone who has participated in my fan profiles project on the site. It was great to learn about some of my readers and gain experience writing profiles as a journalism student. Thanks to Robert for your support on Facebook and as the first profile. Thanks to Kent Stock for your correspondence and kindness since I first reached out for a profile. It’s been great responding to reader’s comments and debates on the site. It is greatly appreciated.

I’m thankful for baseball, the game. My love for baseball is the reason I started writing for this blog. And it’s great to have a place to share that passion through writing on the Internet. Baseball never gets old. From playing the game to writing about it, it has provided me with great joy my entire life.

I’m thankful for Albert Pujols. I have learned a lot about baseball’s best player and I hope he remains in St. Louis for life. Pujols has given me plenty of highlights to write about as the face of the game. I’m don’t think we’ll ever see another player like him, so count your blessings St. Louis. It’s a real treat to watch a legend every day every summer and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Thank you to Alex for joining me at Redbird Rants. Having another voice has added a new dimension to the site since July. It’s been great to have someone else to keep the blog alive when I’ve had to take breaks. I appreciate all your hard work and dedication to the site.

Finally, I’m thankful for my family and friends. My parents have supported me my whole life and encouraged me to go after my dream to one day become a sports writer. My dad’s influence can be found in my beliefs and knowledge of the game. I learned everything from him. My mom has read everything I wrote on here since I started. She’s not a big sports fan, but she takes the time to stop by every day. Both have done so much for me and my brother to go to college, and it means everything to me. My brother is always there to debate every sports topic nearly every day. That passion leads to inspiration for posts all the time.