Happy Thanksgiving. Tough times make more meaningful the substance of life, family being at the top and helping others in need close behind – more on that later.

On the far more mundane matter of sports, baseball in particular, here might be a few things to be thankful for:

Be thankful for Dustin Pedroia, the AL MVP. He plays a game he loves with a passion that is real in a gear that is always overdrive. He is good for the game.

Be thankful for Pedroia’s teammate Kevin Youkilis. He could have been the MVP – he did enough to earn it, carrying the Sox in the middle of the season when the lineup was hampered with injuries and quiet bats.

Youkilis also plays the game with passion. He may drive his teammates to distraction at times with his intensity, but it is real and comes from caring about his vocation.

Rays and AL manager of the year Joe Madden is one to be thankful for. He carries with him an internal human leveler and keeps the bubble in the middle.

He also carries with him the small Pennsylvania town where he grew up. That is part of his sustained equilibrium. Madden is a man worthy of emulation.

A lot of people, well beyond Cardinal fans, are thankful for Albert Pujols, the NL MVP. His Family Foundation supports children suffering from various physical problems.

Pujols has a Down syndrome child and helping kids with similar problems is a passion for him. He also plays a pretty good game of baseball.

Then there is Murray Chass, for years the lead baseball columnist for the New York Times. He took an early retirement buyout last spring and created the “Murray Chass .. On Baseball” Internet site.

He is a true sports journalist who apologizes to no one for being that. Be thankful.

He says of his site that it is “for baseball columns, not for baseball blogs.” His famous line on blogs is: “I hate blogs.”

He says the site is about “good old baseball” columns by those who remember the game is played by humans and not always definable by the myriad of statistics that fill the Internet.

Being an independent, objective-as-possible writer about news or sports is still a worthy endeavor and needed more than ever in this day of biased, agenda-orientated media outlets – and bloggers (that’s for you, Murray).

I am thankful for Helen Oakes, an Old Town neighbor of mine growing up who now lives in Howland. She is a faithful reader of this column and for that, and all who take a moment to see what’s in this column, thanks.

Now, about the tough times. That means the needs of many are greater. The BDN’s Santa’s Helper Fund for the Salvation Army is up and running. Please help as you can at bangordailynews.com/Santa.html. It’s for kids and families who need a Christmas hand.

Do it now and you’ll feel better when you sit down for that Thanksgiving meal.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net