The wishes were made at the start of the year,

In hopes that a title

soon would be here.

The teams were all stocked with skilled GM hands,

As visions of playoff wins entered their plans.

And Hendry in Wrigleyville,

and Kenny down south,

Had just settled in

when Dempster ran his mouth.

When out on the field

there unfolded disaster,

Fans wondered aloud

what the hell was the matter.

Away from the Cubs

we flew like a flash,

We ripped into the Sox

and threw up our flask.

The doom all around

the now-fallen teams,

Set a new low

to what losing can mean.

When, what to all the depressed fans should appear,

But the Bears and cases

of tailgating beer.

With a new (old) QB,

so hairy and quick,

We knew in a moment

it must be St. Neck.

More rapid than eagles

his passes they flew,

But fans wilted and bellowed as losses flew too.

"Oh, Panthers! Oh, Tampa!

Ugh, Falcons and Titans.

Ew, Packers and Vikings! Whew, Green Bay -- and Houston?

To the playoffs or bust,

to the playoffs we must,

Don't go away, go away,

go away, Bears."

As the balls in the

NBA's lotto did fly,

When the Bulls got No. 1,

all the fans gave a cry.

So right to Derrick Rose

the Bulls made their pick,

With a smooth

crossover move,

and his sweet shot -- swish.

And then, in an instant,

we heard all the hype,

"The new Jordan, the savior," stuff of that type.

As the season drew near,

fans were coming around,

Down the standings the Bulls go, as losses abound,

Rose was just getting started, oh yes it is true,

Soon he had tied

Sir MJ's scoring record -- who?

A bundle of wins

he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a veteran leading the pack.

His shots -- how they mattered! Assists come in bunches,

His play was like roses(!),

and he pulled no punches.

His humble mouth was just as quiet as a mime,

But his jersey's number is a subliminal sign.

The fate of a team

he had right on his back,

And despite all the hype,

he stayed on the right track.

He had a new coach

with a little coaching time,

Who had a name that sounds like he might be in crime.

He was Vinny Del Negro,

a smooth dude for sure,

We scoffed at his hiring,

didn't see his allure.

In the blink of an eye,

the Blackhawks arrived,

Through the team's darkest years, their fans had survived.

And the new man in charge went straight to his work,

Put home games on TV,

yeah this guy's no jerk.

And with skillful young players Sharp, Toews and Kane,

And getting the nod,

up the standings they came.

We assume the worst,

to our teams give no chances,

And "maybe next years" become our official stances.

But let us just say,

as we take in these sights,

"Happy Christmas to all --

just put up a good fight."