On the traditional thanksgiving day, it seems only appropriate that all Sox fans are thankful for this past season. The first AL East title since 1995 and second World Series in four (4!) seasons is more than most people could expect, but he Sox gave it to us anyways. So to sum up the season, thank you…

Josh Beckett for pitching a Cy Young caliber season and then kicking it into another gear in the playoffs. You went 4-0 in the playoffs with a Sandy Koufax-esque 1.20 ERA, and were at your best when the team needed you most in the ALCS. I don’t know if you were trying to stick it to your ex who the Indians had sing the National Anthem, but I truly don’t care what your motivation was.

Curt Schilling for sacking up when you needed to and reminding us of what you looked like in 2004 (minus about 50lbs).

Dice-K for earning all $100M+ in 5 IP during game 7 of the ALCS.

Jon Lester for giving us all something to root for besides the final score. Oh, and that start in the clinching World Series game was nice too.

Tim Wakefield for winning 17 games and then being such a selfless person that you took yourself off the WS roster because you knew Lester gave the team a better chance to win.

Julian Tavarez for your special moments with Manny.

Clay Buchholz for that no hitter against the Orioles.

Mike Timlin for anchoring a young bullpen to a WS title. There’s a reason you’re nickname was “the Admiral.”

Manny Delcarmen, Jr. for providing a great bass beat for the pirate ship band in the bullpen.

Hideki Okajima for pulling a Keith Foulke and clearly giving everything you had in pitching some of the most high-leverage innings in the post-season. The 2 innings in game 7 of the ALCS were unbelievable, and the Sox wouldn’t have been playing in the WS without that 1-pitch double-play you got from Casey Blake in the 7th inning. I just hope your arm doesn’t fall off next season like Foulke’s did in 2005.

Eric Gagne for absolutely nothing.

Jonathan Papelbon for your fastball, your jigg and for preventing heart-attacks across New England.

Tek for being The Captain.

Belli for…are you still on this team?

Youks for being the only player who looks more pissed off and excited when the Sox screw up or score than I do. Being a fellow member of the tribe, playing gold-glove defense and hitting like you thought it was the first half of the season in the playoffs is also a plus.

Dustin Pedroia for the big ol’ swing.

Julio Lugo for, shit, I’m going to have to get back to you on this one.

Alex Cora for providing good defense when we could no longer take Lugo’s terrible throws from SS.

Mikey Lowell for being the MVP of this team all season long. The clutch hits, the great defensive plays, and being an all around team-player made you a cornerstone of the 07 Sox.

Manny Ramirez for hitting the bomb off K-Rod in the ALDS, and for being Manny.

Coco Crisp for becoming a permanent fixture on WebGems each night. It’s a shame you didn’t win the Gold Glove.

Jacoby Ellsbury for providing a spark where there used to be a black hole in the lineup starting in game 6 of the ALCS and getting out number two in the 9th inning of game four of the World Series while crashing into the wall.

J.D. Drew for the $11M grand-slam.

Eric Hinske for May 17th vs. the Tiggers.

David Ortiz for carrying this team on your back even when your knee wanted to collapse.

Terry Francona for keeping a high priced team in a stressful sports city loose and ready to play. And on top of that, for making all the right strategic moves in the playoffs (although I’m still confused why you pitched Wakefield in the ALCS).