Giving thanks

Tony Altobelli

Just the thought of Thanksgiving makes me gain weight.

Eating, football, more eating, more football, relatives, beverages,

more eating, first thoughts of Christmas, even more eating. Just what the

pilgrims envisioned when they came over here.

But the true spirit of Thanksgiving is to give thanks. Now since some

people will probably forget to do this simple chore in the midst of

stuffing their faces with every eatable morsel within 100 yards of them,

allow me to do the honors for you.

For Orange Coast College quarterback Jared Flint, thanks for allowing

me the opportunity to see first-hand what it must have been like to watch

Fran Tarkenton in real life, scrambling for his life and turning would-be

sacks into something out of a roadrunner-coyote cartoon.

To Raymond Ohrel, thanks for forgetting you’re only 5-foot-9, 195. If

you had remembered, you obviously wouldn’t have plowed into so many huge

defenders.

Also, thanks for running 45 yards east-west in order to gain 3 yards

north-south. Don’t think I don’t know that you actually led the Mission

Conference in rushing. If you count all those sideline-to-sideline

dashes, you probably had close to 2,000 yards, at least.

Thanks to 6-4, 328-pound offensive lineman Jesse Chagolla for, well,

for being 6-4, 328. Don’t want to leave you out and make you mad or

anything, sir.

To the Pirates’ defense, thanks for a year’s worth of hard work.

Despite being at the bottom of the pack for most of the season, the

“D” still managed to keep getting better and better and they capped it

off by shutting down the highly regarded El Camino offense.

On behalf of the OCC football team: for Fullerton, Saddleback,

Pasadena City and Long Beach City colleges, thanks for the “W”.

For Santa Ana and Riverside colleges: you’re welcome.

Back to me: Thanks to interim sports information director Tyson Chaney

for help during the season, though we do have to work on the food.

Haus of Pizza is WAY better than that Cosco pizza. Maybe next year.

Lil’ Pickle for sandwiches, too.

For Golden West’s football program, thanks for being good sports

throughout the season. And thanks for giving me something to write about

week in and week out.

If the Rustlers move to the Northern Division in the next year or two,

there will be plenty of VERY thankful teams lining up to play’em.

Mucho thanks goes out to Coach Mike Taylor for his honesty, courtesy

and trust throughout the season.

Taylor is a guy to learn from when it comes to putting up with the

silly reporter and their questions after a tough loss because he knows

that we didn’t throw the interception, or fumble the ball or score the

winning touchdown against him.

For former OCC men’s soccer assistant coach Mauricio Claure, thanks

for two decades of hard work, loyalty, dedication and all those

conference and state titles you helped the Pirates win. Boy, was that

long overdue.

And finally, thanks, Missy, for putting up with my goofy hours and my

late nights and sorry Los Amigos lost in the first round last weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Gobble Gobble Gobble.