UNITED STATES – The aromatic scents of Thanksgiving – turkeys, pies, buttered rolls – along with the National Football League is a holiday tradition in America. However, that does not mean that baseball has hibernated for the winter.

The 2009 season was filled with delightful performances from an array of superstars. A pair of familiar faces, Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, took home the Most Valuable Player Awards in their respective leagues. Yet, many more MLB stars (and owners) have plentiful to be thankful for this time of the year.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are just a few of the personalities of the game who have reason to be thankful on this Turkey Day.

• TIM LINCECUM, GIANTS
The reigning two-time National League Cy Young Award winner should be thankful that U.S. drug laws are determined by size instead of potentcy. A Major Leaguer with West Coast connections most certainly toke some “killer” weed.

• AROLDIS CHAPMAN, FREE AGENT
The soon-to-be multi-millionaire should be thankful that MLB clubs value 100 mph fastballs more than loyalty. Dropping Athletes Premier International in favor of Hendricks Sports Management might turn out to be a good business decision, but would you really want this guy as a good friend?

• TOM HICKS, RANGERS
The “I love hockey more than baseball” owner of the cash-strapped Arlington franchise should be thankful for a loyal core of Texas baseball fans that suffered mightily the past decade. Now, that Nolan Ryan & Co. have the ship headed in the right direction, Hicks likes being a MLB owner, again. Boo!

• TONY LARUSSA, CARDINALS
Baseball’s best skipper should be thankful for one of the best gigs in all of MLB. With the ultra-talented Albert Pujols and a pair of Cy Young-caliber starting pitchers on board, did anyone actually believe Tony was leaving? I didn’t think so.

• C.C. SABATHIA, YANKEES
The biggie-sized southpaw should be really, really thankful that the Bronx Bombers reached the pinnacle of the Major Leagues this past season. The retirement package-like deal is his to keep, but history tells me that Yankee fans will be cursing their staff ace and his mega contract in the next 2-3 years.

• ANDRUW JONES, WHITE SOX
The former All-Star outfielder should be very thankful to still be wearing a big league uniform. All but forgotten after a horrible stint with the Dodgers, former Rangers hitting guru Rudy Jaramillo resurrected Jones’ swing and career last year. Wanna bet that Jones has Jaramillo’s mobile number?

• JOE MAUER, TWINS
The Twin Cities superstar should be thankful for the Twinkies new stadium, Target Field, that will debut next season. The revenue-generating outdoor ballpark will enable Minnesota to give the All-Star catcher a ferry load of cash while squashing the Yankees replacement plans for the aging Jorge Posada. Sweet!

• EDWIN JACKSON, TIGERS
The right-hander who contributed to the Tigers’ collapse by fading down the stretch should be thankful that Detroit will have to unload some salaries this winter. With so much “dead” money accumulated on non-productive players, leaving Motown before the ship sinks is a blessing.

• CHAD BILLINGSLEY, DODGERS
The former staff ace should be more than thankful that football – not baseball – is the top sport in the U.S. during the holiday season. How a healthy Major League pitcher can start the year with a 9-3 record and then fail to win a game after Aug. 18 remains a mystery to me.

• ADRIAN GONZALEZ, PADRES
The Mexican slugger should be thankful that new ownership will undoubtedly unload his contract during the impending rebuilding mode. If the sweet-swinging lefty can hit 40 dingers in San Diego’s spacious surroundings, imagine what he might do in a hitter friendly stadium? That’s scary.

Marvin Moore coached baseball in Europe for six years and is Managing Editor at BaseballdeWorld.

Photo courtesy of britannica.com

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