Trying to Keep Things Positive

there's always a silver lining, no matter how bad things get, right? as we enter the holiday season, we should try to stay positive and look for some good things despite yesterday's abomination. what are the silver linings are there? here's what i see:

- i'm thankful we still have allen iverson. he's not perfect and the team around him stinks, but a big part of the reason i love watching and rooting for him is evidenced in this small blurb from today's inquirer:

"I loved our effort," Cheeks said after the game.

But when asked whether he liked the Sixers' effort as well, Allen Iverson spit out a "no" as if he had just found something strange in his cheeseburger.

"Look, I'm not trying to be an ass, I promise you," Iverson said in the visiting locker room at Staples Center before getting three stitches in his chin courtesy of an accidental elbow by Corey Maggette on Maggette's drive to the hoop. "But I don't care nothing about that.

"I don't care who you're playing against, if you're playing a little rec-league team. The effort is supposed to be there every night. So it's not a big thing for me. To say, 'Yeah, we gave effort' or whatever, you're supposed to give effort. But when you go out and play basketball, you're supposed to win the basketball game.

"If you're satisfied the effort that you give, then some positive things are supposed to happen, and the most positive thing that can happen is to win... . You don't pay nobody a million dollars, a whole bunch of money, then not give effort."

- i'm thankful that we have confirmation that the drops are not a result of mcnabb throwing the ball too hard. our receivers are really just that bad.

- i'm thankful that the flyers went back to sucking after winning two games straight to remind people to keep their expectations low.

- i'm thankful that bobby clarke is gone. now maybe i can let go of some of the bitterness of having to watch john vanbiesbrouck that season that cujo wanted to play here and might have pushed the flyers over the top.

- i'm thankful that the phillies didn't sign soriano to that ludicrous contract and then subject me to months of hype and buildup, but i'm more thankful that the phillies appear to have a nice core of likeable and talented young players to build around.

- i'm thankful that i no longer have to look at head wade's misshapen noggin' as he's lecturing me about the potential of the team. just remember, no matter how bad things may look with gillick, this is how bad things were.

- i'm thankful that brian dawkins signed a new contract. although it's becoming clear to me that he's not the same difference making player he once was, i am glad that he'll retire as an eagle.

- i'm thankful that reno mahe is winning me over. honestly. i like him more and more each week and especially because he's not being forced into the 3rd down back role.

- i'm thankful that heather mitts is back in town.

- i'm thankful that chris webber only has two more years left on his contract.

- i'm thankful that i don't root for teams from cleveland, seattle, kansas city, or new orleans. i'm also thankful that i got to experience the golden age of philadelphia sports -- 1974 to 1989 by my estimation.

happy holidays all