What I am Truly Thankful For

With the end of 2006 right around the corner I started to think about the Fresno State Football program and where we sit today. I began to think about how much this football program has changed over the past fifteen years. I began to think about what we should be thankful for as Fresno State Football fans instead of thinking about what we should be disappointed with. True the 2006 season was not what we had hoped for or expected, but there is so much more to be thankful for in this football program although many of you may not see it that way at the time being. Without further adeu here is my top five reasons why I am thankful to be a Fresno State Football fan:

1) The feel of the central valley. The green V on the back of the helmet says it all as this team is the pride of the valley. We live in an area that is often overlooked by the rest of California but for the most part our football team can play with just about anyone in this state.

2) I am thankful for the progression of this football team. Just 15 years ago there would have never been talk of a Bulldog team making any type of run to crack the top ten. Today that idea is not far fetched as the Dogs continually push the limits with respect to the "Big" teams of the nation.

3) I am thankful for the creation of the BarkBoard where we as fans can share our thoughts on the Bulldogs. People like Mario and Chris do an outstanding job of allowing all of us to say how we feel over on the BarkBoard. Sometimes we do not all agree on what the Dogs do or where the team is headed, but the BarkBoard will always allow us to say exactly how we feel.

4) I am actually thankful to Pat Hill for pushing this Bulldog team to become a national player. Every year if a team comes into Bulldog stadium and wins the major sports sites such as ESPN, CNNSI and so on will mention how great a win it was for the BCS team to come into Fresno and walk away with a win. The Bulldogs of the present are nothing like the Bulldogs of the early 1990's. While some of the early 1990 teams were successful they did not carry the national name the Dogs do today.

5) Lastly I am thankful for all of you Bulldog fans that make Bulldog nation what it is today. Yes we have some fair-weather fans out there but for the most part you die hard fans are what make Bulldog nation what it is today. It is people like Arx, Dilfer Jr, Steve Burnes, Mario, Chris, and so on that make our fan base so great (If I left a great fan out I am sorry, I do not mean to there are just so many of you). I love waking up on a Bulldog Saturday and heading out to the stadium for a fun time watching our Dogs and cheering for them. I know you die hards are the very same and there is nothing better than Bulldog football.

In the end I ask all of you who read the blog to think about what you love about Bulldog football. Maybe you love the spring practices that give us all an insight into what the season may hold or maybe you love the recruiting season that shows us the players of the future for the Dogs. Maybe you love the opening day of football season because once again we get to watch the pride of the valley play their butts off on the field. Whatever you are thankful for share it with all of us. The Bulldogs Football team has given us plenty of great memories and this is the time of the year to remember what we love about Fresno State and not what we hate.

Note - I hope to see everyone at World Sports this Friday. It will be nice to meet many of you Bulldog fans and maybe we can sit and talk about the future of this team. Go Dogs, it is going to be a fun offseason.