Taking stock in '06

I still don't know all the words to "Auld Lang Syne," so we'll skip that and just get on with it.

What a year this has been. Lot of good memories.

You gotta start with your family, and what a good one I have. Glad for everything. My grandfather has just survived a cancer scare and for that we are grateful. My mom's side of the family are all out in Wyoming, playing cowboy. Will be glad when they return. Christmas wasn't the same without them.

And my friends. Well, what can I say, except I have the best friends in all the world. They've made me laugh, cheered me up, rooted me on, laughed at my bad jokes and provided me with a lot of good times. Don't feel like I deserve them, but I'll never be able to say enough how much I love them.

I'm especially thankful for all those old friends who I've gotten to know again. That's been a true delight, and still boggles my mind. Of all the things that happened in the past year, that's probably what I'm most thankful for.

Two thousand and six will be the year the Tigers got good again. And the year the Braves' dominance finally came to an end. Well, you take what you can get. Easy come, easy go. I'm already counting down the time till Opening Day.

This was the second consecutive year of kidney stones. I can sure do without that.

I'm forever grateful that I made it through the two or three bad go-arounds with the Black Dog. Those of you close to me know what I'm talking about. Chances are, you helped me through it. I can't say thanks enough.

As the year comes to a close, I look forward to '07 and to having more laughs, more good times, listening to more music, raising more Cain and getting into more trouble. Life is an everyday adventure. More often than not, it's a hell of a lot of fun.

I've always felt like I've led a charmed life. Nobody should have ever been allowed to have this good a time. I often don't think I deserve it, but I thank you for coming along for the ride with me.

Here's to a good year. And here's to many, many more.

Happy New Year, everybody.