Approximately one month ago, Gary Matthews Jr. was speaking to a group at the University of Texas about African-Americans in baseball, and specifically Jackie Robinson’s historic dreams regarding this exact topic. Toward the end of this speech, Matthews Jr. brought up his family.

For Yankees manager Joe Girardi, the Thanksgiving holiday represents a time for his family to enjoy food and football, and it is not necessarily in that order. Girardi and his family have taken part in a new Turkey Bowl tradition that involves about 200 local schoolchildren in the Chicago suburbs.

Sharing the crowning moment of his remarkable rookie year with loved ones — including his grandmother Olga — reminds Jose Fernandez that he has so much to be thankful for this holiday season.

MLB.com asked big leaguers, coaches, broadcasters and execs what they like to see on the menu at Thanksgiving and for memories of their favorite dishes. Here’s what we learned.

Lou Brissie, a veteran of World War II and a former All-Star in the waning years of Connie Mack’s tenure with the Philadelphia Athletics, has passed away, according to a report in The New York Times. Brissie was 89 years old, and his Major League career took place after he had served in the military.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame released a list of finalists for the annual James “Tip” O’Neill Award on Wednesday afternoon, a list that includes Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie.

Left-handed pitcher Noel Arguelles cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced on Wednesday.

A significant piece of the Reds bullpen has decided to return. On Wednesday, free-agent lefty reliever Manny Parra was signed to a two-year, $5.5 million contract.

The first month of baseball free agency has been a quiet one for the Astros, who remain committed to upgrading their roster this winter. They have the resources to improve the offense and bolster the bullpen, but they aren’t in any hurry to get things done. All that could change in the next 10 days with the approach of baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, held Dec. 9-12 in Orlando, Fla.

Despite uncertainties with Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano, the Yankees are looking to acquire talent beyond Brian McCann.

Several members of the Dominican Republic’s 2013 World Baseball Classic championship team will be honored with a parade in their homeland on Thursday.

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was suspended in July, Ryan Braun on Wednesday lamented the “huge mistake” that led to his 65-game ban, and said he’d made amends with the sample collector whose character he impugned 19 months ago.

Interestingly enough, several star hurlers such as Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw have demonstrated the ability to not only to shoulder a major workload, but to post better numbers late in the season as their total number of pitches increases.

The 2013 Major League Baseball season brought a trio of no-hitters, a handful of one-hitters and other all-around dominant pitching performances. Now’s the chance for fans to pick the best one.

With Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas headlining the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot, things are going to be different, not to mention happier than in 2013, when no candidate received the necessary 75 percent of the vote.

The Braves have gained the necessary government approval to move forward with their plans to construct a new stadium and a surrounding mixed-use development in Cobb County before the start of the 2017 season.

Outfielder Chris Young chose the Mets over some other clubs based on the great report he received from David Wright, plus the team’s aggressive approach in recruiting him.