Over the bridge and through the woods, let us dawdle a bit and savor the good.

Over the bridge and through the woods, recall aroma and voices of good old times.

Hear again the sing-song twang of Gra’ma’s rimes.

Over the bridge and on to our Home Place, Thanksgiving in America, I love this place!

This week, events and people in sports for which I am grateful, along with relief to know I don’t depend on poetry for a living.

1. Since Joker Phillips’ critics “really want him to succeed,” … and because the opponent wears orange, and is beatable again, and because Saturday is Kentucky’s bowl game, Big Blue Nation will show up big numbers at Commonwealth Stadium. Right?

2. Relief and new hope. Relief that Joker’s team won’t be one of the woefuls with 6-6 records headed to a bowl game. New hope … early start on recruiting (JUCOs?).

3. After viewing the Kansas game film, Kentucky’s John Calipari must have discussed preening with Terrence Jones.

4. As college basketball gears up, fans across Kentucky will pause and be thankful for caliber of play in our state. Two defending national champions, Bellarmine and Pikeville, a Final Four team, Kentucky, and three top ten ranked teams this season – Kentucky, Louisville and D-2 No. 1 Bellarmine.

5. Joshua Jude at Johnson Central is rushing yards king in Kentucky. Come Thanksgiving 2050, his grandchildren will stare in wonderment as Grandpa explains 8,633 yards … or, 25,899 feet … or, “just a shade under five miles.” Now, about those scholarship offers.

6. Sacrifice. For school and team, Yale quarterback Patrick Witt opted out of a Rhodes Scholarship final interview to be with teammates in ‘The Game’ against Harvard. In front of 55,000 fans, Yale lost 45-7.

7. Purists and patriots have another Army-Navy game to enjoy, December 10.

8. Mike Krzyzewski said no to NBA offers, stayed on in Durham and has elevated college basketball while becoming winningest. Coach K’s care to share credit last week, and to include mentor Bob Knight showed he understands value of grace and protocol.

Footnote: March 28, 1992 in Philadelphia, Duke beat Kentucky on Christian Laettner’s miracle shot. Coach K. walked across the floor, asked Cawood Ledford for his microphone then lavished praise on Big Blue Nation.

9. Coach K’s early days at Duke could be a reminder to Joker Phillips’ critics at Kentucky. Two seasons at Duke fans howled for Krzyzewski to be fired because he was “in over his head.”

10. Top draw for your entertainment dollar, college and high school basketball in Kentucky. Buy a ticket or tune in a game on radio near you.

11. No NBA, college basketball is king. Stung early: Kansas, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Florida, and West Virginia. Michigan State and UCLA have lost twice each. America. I love this place!

12. Horse shoe come to college hoops’ 3-second lane is good for the game.

13. Fun sidelight, will upstart successors to Butler and Virginia Commonwealth, be Belmont and Middle Tennessee State?

14. Kentucky fans have marked February 25 on calendars. Billy Packer’s birthday. Where is Big Blue Nation’s favorite college teevee analyst these days? Millionaire Packer gets $10,000 to $20,000 per speaking engagement.

15. Hoops Heaven’s newest star-to-be: Anthony Davis at Kentucky. But purists will miss Josh Harrellson.

16. Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Terrence and Perry Jones and a handful of college players said no to the NBA. Meanwhile, spin it however, Brandon Knight and pals sold themselves out and sit in limbo this winter, brave-faced and unemployed.

Next, NBA owners and players, a pox on your houses!

17. Players. In spite of media love, Madison Avenue spin, Nike apparel merchandise hustle, tattoos, preen and prance, you’re still oversized kids sticking a ball through a hole.

√ Owners? It’s all Monopoly. LeBron James is Park Place, the rest are no more to owners than properties, Virginia Avenue to Marvin Gardens with little green houses.

√ Earth to players: Being rich, being right and rich and unemployed amount to the same – fritter away the only wealth there really is, time.

√ Earth to David Stern, NBC and others who prop it all up: Your product is an overpriced, over-hyped game that aids dumbing down of America. Not one of you is important.

√ Psst to Louisville business leaders who lobbied for an NBA franchise, kept your shirts, right?

√ Favorite fan tweets on the player-owner stand-off …

“Who cares if you (players) don’t settle? Be seeing you and your tattoos at McDonalds flipping burgers.”

“Maybe we can get back to the NBA of the 80s before the prima donnas ruined the league.”

For all of you: “We see many who are struggling against adversity who are happy, and more although abounding in wealth, who are wretched. – Publius Cornelius Tacitus

18. Upside of NBA absence? Frequency of Larry Bird’s 50 Greatest Highlights followed by ‘how Magic and Larry saved the NBA’ telecasts. This is entertainment.

Other things for which I am grateful and am sure you are also …

19. For impact on college football, retiring Kentuckian Howard Schnellenberger, thank you, sir.

20. Richie Farmer won’t be available to kick around anymore. Rick Pitino will be available again for Kentucky fans to kick around.

Factoid-on-Farmer to Louisville and Lexington newspapers: He was Mr. Basketball 1988 and an icon in eastern Kentucky, but Farmer was no star at UK. His best season as a Wildcat was a pedestrian 10.1 points per game in 1990-91. Look it up.

21. Thanks for your best all the time, Danny Trevathan and Bobby Rainey.

22. If an award titled “I’m thankful to be here even though I am dumb and stupid,” it would go to Missouri head football coach Gary Pinkel. Amid a rash of bad behavior by college coaches in recent weeks, Pinkel got himself arrested for driving while intoxicated. Good news is Pinkel didn’t hurt anybody, his pay check is $41,000 lighter and Mizzou froze his salary for a year.

23. To subscribers and advertisers, for loyalty to this newspaper, happy Thanksgiving.

24. Johnny Cox. A birthday. 75 this month. An authentic icon in eastern Kentucky, the UK All-American has his number 24 hanging in Rupp Arena and a national title memory.

Native of Neon near Jenkins, Cox played at Hazard High then led the Fiddlin’ Five to Kentucky’s fourth NCAA title in 1958. That Johnny Cox came along when he did, the superb player he was, is a blessing. That he is with us still makes it doubly so.

And, finally, Cade Asher Hottman arrived on 11/11/11. Nine pounds, seven ounces, our first grandson.