Sometimes I get nostalgic for “the way things were when I was a kid.”  Every year you knew Carl Yastrezemski would be wearing the #8 uniform for the Boston Red Sox.  Every year you knew the Celtics #33 would be Larry Bird.  You knew it would snow on Christmas.  You knew that you could always find enough change around to buy that pack of Star Wars cards and if you got really lucky, you’d get the Darth Vader sticker.  

On Thursday, Adam Dunn signed with the Chicago White Sox and LeBron James returned to Cleveland.  Funny how time changes things.  When I was a kid, it was easy to track where a guy was - chances were if he was playing, he was with the team he was with the year before.  I have a 1982 Topps baseball sticker book, and under each player who had since moved on, there was the 12-year old Mo’s handwriting noting where he was now playing.  Ah, nostalgia.

Each year I become just a little more nostalgic for the way things were.  So, I bring a little of that with me today.   Today is the first Friday of December.  A hallowed time in the life that is Yougabsports.  It is the time we begin our Festivus nominations.  To recognize this event, I’ve contracted with AirTran Airways to help promote “Festivus for the Rest of Us.”  

Do I need to explain the importance of the Festivus nominations to the denizens of YouGab Nation?  It is the time of year when we get to air our grievances and show our feats of strength.  It is the time of year we celebrate all that which is good and all that which is gnarly and gross.  

To honor the airing of grievances, we award the “Sleestak”; to honor our feats of strength, we award the Gab Cup.  Last year’s Gab Cup for our blogger of the year was The Beezer - presumably for his off-color, purient, and lewd commentary.  We like that stuff.  The year’s biggest Sleestak?  Tom Cable, head coach of the Oakland Raiders.  Who will it be this year?

Today, we seek nominations for the following dubious distinctions and notable awards:

YOUR BALLOT IS FULLY PREPARED....JUST FILL IT IN

• For Worst deal (signing, trade, or, the opposite, NON signing or trade) in any sport
• For Worst player/manager/coach on field performance
• For Most notorious quotation from the sporting world
• For Dumbest off field transgression
• the mightiest Sleestak award, the Slee of the Year

And for consideration for a Gab Cup, the feats of strength:

• Best sporting moment of 2010 This is a singular moment in time
• Most outstanding sporting achievement of 2010 which could be a collection of achievements: the difference between a game winning field goal and winning the world series
• Most outstanding athlete/team

And now, the most coveted of the Gab Cups,

• The most outstanding Blogger
• The most outstanding blog entry

Be creative in your nominations.  Think outside the proverbial box.  So how do I have my voice heard?  Take it easy, dear Gabber.  Complete the ballot here, COMMENT, Or you can just click here which will take you to a different form of the same ballot - which will make tabulation for yours truly just a little easier.  I wanna know where you’re at and I want this years Festivus to be better than last years...because as nostalgic as I can get, I always want it Mo’betta.  Peace out, fo’ shizzle, love M to the izzo.